finally found a car!

RoyalMarine

so i spent the last 5 - 6 days looking for a decent car for €4,000 but couldn't find anything i liked.

i had a few criteria's when looking.

1 - had to be decent mileage on the car. ( to satisfy parents!)
2 - had to be 1.5 - 1.8 engine.
3 - had to be somewhere around tipperary / waterford area
4 - had to be reliable as i do quite a bit of driving
5 - had to be able to fit 3 kids and 2 adults
6 - my budget was €4000, but i had the option to finance if necessary, to a max of €3000 extra.

so ill settle on this. i got the price down to €7,000 and 1 year full parts / labour warranty.

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Mitsubishi/Lancer/1.6-Comf/201009197132741/advert?channel=CARS

i looked at thousands of cars in the last week, and honestly, this one made me smile when i saw it. the pictures dont do it justice. its a gorgeous looking car, plenty of space, and has a nice kick to it even though its only a 1.6.

so, do you think i made the right choice?
could i have done better concidering my criteria?

any feedback appreciated!

johnos1984

RoyalMarineComm wrote: »

so, do you think i made the right choice?

Personally NO

I've driven them and not liked them very much at all.

For 7K and your criteria I think you could of made a far better choice but then again if you like a car and you feel its for you then buy it is what I say.

Don't worry about what others think. I've had every sort of car, some just because I liked them, others because they were odd, other because they were cheap and the current one because it should never break down (Corolla).

The only one I've been told everyone hates is the Corolla but then again thats coming from some mates who love their cars even though they break regularly and cost a fortune to run.

If your happy what do you care what others think?

Out of interest I hope you got it cheaper than list price as its expensive in my opinion, otherwise happy motoring

NordicDiver

Have you checked ncap safety on that model ?

I would have gone for something more modern, the interior looks really dated.

Did you look at any 407 HDI 1.6, that one has very good ncap rating too and is very cheap,,personally I drive a Passat and with your budget you could have bought the new shape passat too

Anyway good luck with your new car

mooman

If your happy with it then it's the right choice, if I was going out with that list I'd have got one of these http://www.carzone.ie/search/Alfa-Romeo/156/TI/201023198319496/advert?channel=CARS. They seem a lot of car for the money, even if they have a few critics:D

x in the city

RoyalMarineComm wrote: »

so i spent the last 5 - 6 days looking for a decent car for €4,000 but couldn't find anything i liked.

i had a few criteria's when looking.

1 - had to be decent mileage on the car. ( to satisfy parents!)
2 - had to be 1.5 - 1.8 engine.
3 - had to be somewhere around tipperary / waterford area
4 - had to be reliable as i do quite a bit of driving
5 - had to be able to fit 3 kids and 2 adults
6 - my budget was €4000, but i had the option to finance if necessary, to a max of €3000 extra.

so ill settle on this. i got the price down to €7,000 and 1 year full parts / labour warranty.

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Mitsubishi/Lancer/1.6-Comf/201009197132741/advert?channel=CARS

i looked at thousands of cars in the last week, and honestly, this one made me smile when i saw it. the pictures dont do it justice. its a gorgeous looking car, plenty of space, and has a nice kick to it even though its only a 1.6.

so, do you think i made the right choice?
could i have done better concidering my criteria?

any feedback appreciated!

disaster of a choice tbh, a nicely equipped mondeo zetec would wipe the arse off that, but each to their own.

and it way over priced.

Vertakill

x in the city wrote: »

disaster of a choice tbh, a nicely equipped mondeo zetec would wipe the arse off that, but each to their own.

and it way over priced.

Agreed with that.

The Lancer is a very average car in that category and the ridiclously angled pictures don't do it any favours (can't see anything other than the very basics based on the pics).

I'd definitely agree with a Mondeo over this and I'm very much biased toward Jap cars usually.

Lurching

To be honest, I cant believe you spent 5 days flicking through cars and came up with that!
Disaster of a car compared to what could be gotten for the money.

x in the city

Lurching wrote: »

To be honest, I cant believe you spent 5 days flicking through cars and came up with that!
Disaster of a car compared to what could be gotten for the money.

shocking alright, after all the help we are offering him.

Lurching

Heres a mondeo advertised for €500 more but a newer car and would be got for 7k. This thing would be twice the car that lancer would be.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1271845

squod

RoyalMarineComm wrote: »

so i spent the last 5 - 6 days looking for a decent car for €4,000 but couldn't find anything i liked.

i had a few criteria's when looking.

1 - had to be decent mileage on the car. ( to satisfy parents!)
2 - had to be 1.5 - 1.8 engine.
3 - had to be somewhere around tipperary / waterford area
4 - had to be reliable as i do quite a bit of driving
5 - had to be able to fit 3 kids and 2 adults
6 - my budget was €4000, but i had the option to finance if necessary, to a max of €3000 extra.

so ill settle on this. i got the price down to €7,000 and 1 year full parts / labour warranty.

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Mitsubishi/Lancer/1.6-Comf/201009197132741/advert?channel=CARS

i looked at thousands of cars in the last week, and honestly, this one made me smile when i saw it. the pictures dont do it justice. its a gorgeous looking car, plenty of space, and has a nice kick to it even though its only a 1.6.

so, do you think i made the right choice?
could i have done better concidering my criteria?

any feedback appreciated!

Good luck with it, I gotta say I echo everyone else so far. It's way over priced and a poor choice all things considered.

The Express

Dealer listing says the ad was last updated 74 days ago.

Says it all really.

bmw535d

o god no that's a bad choice. with that budget you could have got a highline 05 passat:eek:

Sam Kade

You could have spent your money better. Why didn't you ask for advice before you parted with your money? The dealer must have been smiling after shifting that car.

RoyalMarine

i did listen to all the advice given, but honestly, i had to stick to the criteria when buying.

I had to go with a dealer. that mondeo is private sale, and is a 1.8.

the alfa looks good, but i dont like red car's!

I feel very happy with what i got.

shogunpower

the car is a great car no doubt, but what you paid for it was a disaster..

The Express

Best of luck with it anyway.

As far as criteria go, I'd look beyond 2 counties next time if I was spending that kinda money. Bit tight in the back for 3 kids, too.

all the best and well wear.

Nonoperational

No point in saying any more now that you bought it, hope it goes well for ya! As long as your happy with it then thats the only thing that matters. It'll be a fine reliable car too and if it brings a smile to your face then it's perfect for you.

dudara

The in-laws have a lancer since 2002 and they love it. It's never given them a day's trouble. Passes the NCT each and every time.

As long as the car suits your needs - after all, it's your money.

mark renton

Mitsibushis will go forever - engines tend to be bullet proof and you can service it yourself - the looks of the car wont have the chicks lining up but it is a very practical car

have to laugh at the red alpha with 60k on clock - perfect time to be selling it and NOT buying it

mondeo

You were robbed, Very bland and boring car..............

L-M

Surely this would be bought for the same money?

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Mitsubishi/Lancer/1.6-Salo/201008197068552/advert?channel=CARS

€7,000 is a tad too much IMO. Ring a dealer and ask them what they would allow you on it if you were to trade it in, that'll give you an idea.

I priced one of these 2 months ago, and I'm fairly surely it was under 5k, purely going on carzone prices.

Edit: I should mention it's a lovely car by all means, they look well but the interior is dated. My only problem is the price. But if it's fully serviced and has a history, if your getting one years comprehensive warranty, I'm sure that's worth something!

mark renton

mondeo wrote: »

You were robbed, Very bland and boring car..............

LMAO - dude you may need to change name before you can make those sort of accusations!!

johnos1984

RoyalMarineComm wrote: »

I feel very happy with what i got.

Thats all that matters really

Tubbs4

Lovely looking wheels with low milage for 5 year old car.:D
Once you like the car and enjoy driving it, don't mind too much what others say. I rather drive your car then the most stated car -the Octavia.
Lovely wheels and hope it serves you well.

EPM

johnos1984 wrote: »

Thats all that matters really

+1

But price is way too high alright

johndaman66

I'd be inclined to agree with the general sentiment of the thread so far. I think you could have got a lot more car for your money, such as the Mondeo pointed out by a previous poster, which I'm sure could be had for the same money as Lancer. Two years younger and still within your original critera in terms of max engine size. You may be paying a few quid more (probably not a lot in it depending on your age and ncb) on tax and insurance but well worth it in in my opinion. Petrol costs should not differ significantly I'd imagine depending also on the type of way you use the car.

Also speaking from my own experience having bought a number of cars privately and from dealers in my time and the stories of friends/ relatives also I'd be more inclined towards buying privately. There are a lot of dishonest dealers out there selling cars with faults known to them or hidden histories. The guarntees they provide can be limited in scope and quite often its a job and a half to get them to honour them if problems should materialise. I've generally found owner sellers to be more meticulous and honest when selling cars....but hey a lot of that could be down to my own personal experience also. Btw I did not see this as part of your original critera.

At the end of the day its down to personal choice and if your happy with the car thats the main thing. I do think limiting yourself to two counties only was a bit of a mistake though. And don't get me wrong not saying it would be a bad car either, anything but. I'm sure being Japanese it will go practically forever with the necessary routine maintenance. I would think the interior is a bit dated and tacky for a 2005 car but wouldn't be inclined to place too much emphasis on this as some people are inclined to make an awful big deal of it.

Best wishes with the car. Happy and safe motoring to you

RoyalMarine

Limerick man wrote: »

Surely this would be bought for the same money?

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Mitsubishi/Lancer/1.6-Salo/201008197068552/advert?channel=CARS

€7,000 is a tad too much IMO. Ring a dealer and ask them what they would allow you on it if you were to trade it in, that'll give you an idea.

I priced one of these 2 months ago, and I'm fairly surely it was under 5k, purely going on carzone prices.

Edit: I should mention it's a lovely car by all means, they look well but the interior is dated. My only problem is the price. But if it's fully serviced and has a history, if your getting one years comprehensive warranty, I'm sure that's worth something!

full 1 year warranty, dealer has also said he will do the nct for me.
there was 1 owner, and i actually know the fella who owned it, and he was big into his car, and traded it in for an evo.

johndaman66 wrote: »

I'd be inclined to agree with the general sentiment of the thread so far. I think you could have got a lot more car for your money, such as the Mondeo pointed out by a previous poster, which I'm sure could be had for the same money as Lancer. Two years younger and still within your original critera in terms of max engine size. You may be paying a few quid more (probably not a lot in it depending on your age and ncb) on tax and insurance but well worth it in in my opinion. Petrol costs should not differ significantly I'd imagine depending also on the type of way you use the car.

Also speaking from my own experience having bought a number of cars privately and from dealers in my time and the stories of friends/ relatives also I'd be more inclined towards buying privately. There are a lot of dishonest dealers out there selling cars with faults known to them or hidden histories. The guarntees they provide can be limited in scope and quite often its a job and a half to get them to honour them if problems should materialise. I've generally found owner sellers to be more meticulous and honest when selling cars....but hey a lot of that could be down to my own personal experience also. Btw I did not see this as part of your original critera.

At the end of the day its down to personal choice and if your happy with the car thats the main thing. I do think limiting yourself to two counties only was a bit of a mistake though. And don't get me wrong not saying it would be a bad car either, anything but. I'm sure being Japanese it will go practically forever with the necessary routine maintenance. I would think the interior is a bit dated and tacky for a 2005 car but wouldn't be inclined to place too much emphasis on this as some people are inclined to make an awful big deal of it.

Best wishes with the car. Happy and safe motoring to you

i actually like the interior! the garage i bought it from is one of the more reputable ones around here, has been around for ever, and i can fault them at all. found no bad reviews about them.

-Corkie-

Well op best of luck with it but if you had bought a bentley continental or a amg mercedes people would have a crib about something;)

NordicDiver

Am I right that this 05 car only has a 2 star ncap rating:
http://www.euroncap.com/results/mitsubishi/lancer.aspx?class=9abf175b-92c7-4c9f-b111-b37f9369f2f7
Seems very low on a 05 car ?

ShadowHearth

well main thing is that you like it, maybe a not bad car, but you payed way too much for it...


i can bet that sales man was rolling on floor pissing in to his pants, when you left his biulding....

x in the city

There's nothing wrong with a lancer, but its boring,

a nicely equipped non Lx model mondeo is a superior car all round.

a lancer fitz the bill if you are middle aged, wear tweed caps, own a dog named charlie and have 40 acres of land.

but good luck with it, the one thing it has going for it is reliability

unkel

RoyalMarineComm wrote: »

so, do you think i made the right choice?

Well if you're happy with it, you're happy with it.

Why ask here now though if we think you made the right choice? Why didn't you ask for advice before you bought?

x in the city

x in the city wrote: »

There's nothing wrong with a lancer, but its boring,

a nicely equipped non Lx model mondeo is a superior car all round.

a lancer fitz the bill if you are middle aged, wear tweed caps, own a dog named charlie and have 40 acres of land.

but good luck with it, the one thing it has going for it is reliability

A Mondeo has at least equal snore factor to the Lancer, mainly due to the Lancers interior. The 1.6 Lancer feels and awful lot faster than it should be. 1.8 Mondeo petrols are dirt really.

squod

RoverJames wrote: »

1.8 Mondeo petrols are dirt really.

:rolleyes:

x in the city

RoverJames wrote: »

A Mondeo has at least equal snore factor to the Lancer, mainly due to the Lancers interior. The 1.6 Lancer feels and awful lot faster than it should be. 1.8 Mondeo petrols are dirt really.

have you driven them? I have driven lots of cars going back over a decade, the duratec se engine in the mondeo (not the lx one) is as nippy as you could get for a 1.8

certainly faster than a lancer, bmw 318, etc...

the rep image mondeo's get is frankly ridiculous, the new mondeos are screwed together as good as any car out there and have very good engineering also.

but whatever floats your boat sir and a bit rich coming from a rover man, not exactly setting the world alight either..

i had a 2005 diesel one as a company car and a 2005 petrol one for a few days while the diesel was in for a fly wheel, as i said dirt. The new models are no doubt a vast step forward but the older ones are rep mobile dirt, the 1.8 petrol is practically un sellable really, thirsty yoke. So yes i have driven one !

squod

RoverJames wrote: »

i had a 2005 diesel one as a company car and a 2005 petrol one for a few days while the diesel was in for a fly wheel, as i said dirt. The new models are no doubt a vast step forward but the older ones are rep mobile dirt, the 1.8 petrol is practically un sellable really, thirsty yoke. So yes i have driven one !

Then you'll be capable of appreciating them. Mk3 mondeos had one of the best chassis in their segment. There are very few cars which compare well to them in that regard.

To say they're dirt is flippant. Tell me what you're comparing them against. (I could do with a laugh)

billybigunz

RoverJames wrote: »

i had a 2005 diesel one as a company car and a 2005 petrol one for a few days while the diesel was in for a fly wheel, as i said dirt. The new models are no doubt a vast step forward but the older ones are rep mobile dirt, the 1.8 petrol is practically un sellable really, thirsty yoke. So yes i have driven one !

You are talking bollocks. The 1.8 does 38mpg mixed which is excellent for such a big petrol car.

The ole excellent chassis argument :rolleyes:
The "master" card of choice of Mondeo and Focus fanboys, whoopidedodaa If it wasn't for TopGear most folks who have Mondeos and Focuss wouldn't even comment on the handling. The OP shall sell his Lancer on in 5 years for a few quid, if he spent €7000 on a 1.8 mark 3 petrol Mondeo he'd get sfa for it in 5 years.

38mpg mixed, perhaps if thats 70% cruising with a minimum of actual urban driving.

squod

squod wrote: »

Then you'll be capable of appreciating them.

Yeah, a new car that broke down twice in a year, fantastic

MagicMarker

RoyalMarineComm wrote: »

so i spent the last 5 - 6 days looking for a decent car for €4,000 but couldn't find anything i liked.

i had a few criteria's when looking.

1 - had to be decent mileage on the car. ( to satisfy parents!)
2 - had to be 1.5 - 1.8 engine.
3 - had to be somewhere around tipperary / waterford area
4 - had to be reliable as i do quite a bit of driving
5 - had to be able to fit 3 kids and 2 adults
6 - my budget was €4000, but i had the option to finance if necessary, to a max of €3000 extra.

so ill settle on this. i got the price down to €7,000 and 1 year full parts / labour warranty.

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Mitsubishi/Lancer/1.6-Comf/201009197132741/advert?channel=CARS

i looked at thousands of cars in the last week, and honestly, this one made me smile when i saw it. the pictures dont do it justice. its a gorgeous looking car, plenty of space, and has a nice kick to it even though its only a 1.6.

so, do you think i made the right choice?
could i have done better concidering my criteria?

any feedback appreciated!

I know sweet fa about cars really but even I realised you payed way too much when I clicked on that link.

You probably could have gotten better with your original budget.

nogoodnamesleft

Personally I wouldnt have gone and got a very dated lancer. Very realiable but space is limited, poor NCAP and you payed way over the odds for the car. At the end of the day its your money but that car was sitting in the forecourt for a long time. For the same money you could have got this (if its still available).


http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1284157

1.6 TDCI, good bit of space to store kids gear, cheap to run and maintain and it will have a decent resale value with the frugal diesel. The one in the advert had 60k on it. My mate has one with 140k on it its a 05 and hasnt had any problems.

x in the city

RoverJames wrote: »

i had a 2005 diesel one as a company car and a 2005 petrol one for a few days while the diesel was in for a fly wheel, as i said dirt. The new models are no doubt a vast step forward but the older ones are rep mobile dirt, the 1.8 petrol is practically un sellable really, thirsty yoke. So yes i have driven one !

what you are saying is still bs tho! they are not thirsty, As I said, I have driven a whole array of cars and find the 1.8 mondeo as good as any, mpg wise.

And I am referring to the zetec trim level (do you even know the mondeo trim levels. :rolleyes:)

Anyway, a platnium spec mondeo would be head and shoulders above any sort of a lancer, anyone who says otherwise hasn't a clue

x in the city

x in the city wrote: »

what you are saying is still bs tho! they are not thirsty, As I said, I have driven a whole array of cars and find the 1.8 mondeo as good as any, mpg wise.

And I am referring to the zetec trim level (do you even know the mondeo trim levels. :rolleyes:)

Anyway, a platnium spec mondeo would be head and shoulders above any sort of a lancer, anyone who says otherwise hasn't a clue

yes thank you i am very familiar with the spec levels, you're obviously a mondeo fanboy. If they were so great i cant really understand why they are hard to flog. Which they are, no doubt that will be disputed too, handling yo !

squod

RoverJames wrote: »

yes thank you i am very familiar with the spec levels, you're obviously a mondeo fanboy. If they were so great i cant really understand why they are hard to flog. Which they are, no doubt that will be disputed too, handling yo !

Again you're not comparing them to another car. Just making flippant remarks. Having a chip on your shoulder isn't much good if you're trying to convince people.

They (and many more large petrol saloons) are hard to flog. There's litterally a shed load for sale every week. Well kept models can be got for reasonable money etc.

Compared to the Lancer the OP bought, in a few years a 2005 1.8 Mondeo will be a lot harder to flog.

x in the city

RoverJames wrote: »

Compared to the Lancer the OP bought, in a few years a 2005 1.8 Mondeo will be a lot harder to flog.

a lx mondeo yes, a more upmarket spec mondeo would be a much more enticing proposition for buyers.

EPM

squod wrote: »

Again you're not comparing them to another car. Just making flippant remarks. Having a chip on your shoulder isn't much good if you're trying to convince people.

They (and many more large petrol saloons) are hard to flog. There's litterally a shed load for sale every week. Well kept models can be got for reasonable money etc.

It's the sheer number of the things meaning only the really good ones sell fast.

x in the city

youd get this for 4grand

pittance.. :rolleyes:

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Ford/Mondeo/1.8-ZETE/201006196840881/advert?channel=CARS

EPM

x in the city wrote: »

youd get this for 4grand

pittance.. :rolleyes:

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Ford/Mondeo/1.8-ZETE/201006196840881/advert?channel=CARS

ah that looks rough...look at passenger corner...

-Corkie-

I had a thread here about selling my own car and looking for a new one. Thank god i didnt update it with what i am buying because everyone here would be fighting and argueing about it and telling me i shouldnt have bought it.....