how hard is it to buy a decent car

blacksmith105

Oh sweet devine .... I have a pain in my backside looking for a decent clean 2001 or 2002 car . I have been to see lots of cars advertised as 100 pc clean and immaculate only to arrive and look at a heap of crap

I have 2900 cash in my back pocket and am looking for one of the following

2001 or 2002

Honda Accord 1.8 vtec
Madza 6 2002 1.8 Petrol
Toyota Avensis
Audi A4 TDI
Ford Focus TDCI

Most cars I have seen advertised are 3500 and up and although i bargain hard and offer 500-600 less for cash there is nothing but crap out there at the moment

Anyone got anything decent

djimi

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Honda/Accord/1.8-S/201020198052013/advert?channel=CARS

Im sure you could probably talk them down to maybe €3500 if youre paying cash and can raise your budget a little.

Ive no idea how good that car is btw; I only saw it on their website yesterday. I had the 99 model of that Accord and its a cracking car.

Barr

blacksmith105 wrote: »

Oh sweet devine .... I have a pain in my backside looking for a decent clean 2001 or 2002 car . I have been to see lots of cars advertised as 100 pc clean and immaculate only to arrive and look at a heap of crap

I have 2900 cash in my back pocket and am looking for one of the following

2001 or 2002

Honda Accord 1.8 vtec
Madza 6 2002 1.8 Petrol
Toyota Avensis
Audi A4 TDI
Ford Focus TDCI

Most cars I have seen advertised are 3500 and up and although i bargain hard and offer 500-600 less for cash there is nothing but crap out there at the moment

Anyone got anything decent

Are you looking in garages or private sales ?

blacksmith105

Have looked in dealers and private , one dealer in blessington wanted 3k for a 01 corolla which would have needed a respray , i walked away , then drove all the way to greystones this afternoon to see a 01 honda accord and the bodywork was very poor , it looked great in the picture ..
The accord was leaking oil from the sump and had taken a good few knocks

Going to see a mazda 6 2 morrow and she is on done deal for 3500 private but owner will take 2900 she is a 02 red saloon 1.8

Barr

blacksmith105 wrote: »

Have looked in dealers and private , one dealer in blessington wanted 3k for a 01 corolla which would have needed a respray , i walked away , then drove all the way to greystones this afternoon to see a 01 honda accord and the bodywork was very poor , it looked great in the picture ..
The accord was leaking oil from the sump and had taken a good few knocks

Going to see a mazda 6 2 morrow and she is on done deal for 3500 private but owner will take 2900 she is a 02 red saloon 1.8

Do you have a link to the car ?

JHMEG

blacksmith105 wrote: »

Honda Accord 1.8 vtec

Consider the 2.0i ES Coupé instead - a far rarer and classier car, and you should probably get one within your budget, esp if you look to the UK.

x in the city

big difference between someone wanting a coupe and a saloon in fairness...!

Esel

x in the city wrote: »

big difference between someone wanting a coupe and a saloon in fairness...!

Fair point, although the OP did not indicate a preference.

Max Power1

Shameless plug for the Rover 75 in my sig - seems to fit the criteria listed!

frank gooding

OP

Accord and A4 are both small cars in that era. No room in the back if you are a tall driver.

The boot on that accord looks very small

Look for a passat tdi 6 speed sport.

I sold mine to my sis a year ago for 3000 114k miles and pulls like a train.
great mpg and spec and loads of room. Avoid poverty spec.

Nice one here.
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1424665

Maybe this one
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1393697
bit tacky mind

sean1141

OP your looking at a 8-9 year old car. your going to have to allow for some paint damage/scratches/stone chips etc. the cars you are looking at are average cars most likely not well minded. a4 avensis and focus likely to have been rep cars and driven on. most will have three or four owners.. try looking for one with one or two owners that maybe cared for the car more. also take into account a good detail could bring some of these up like new...

tbh i would be more worried about a car that was to perfect. i would be afraid it would have been resprayed after a crash...
but there is nothing worse than going to look at a car that is advertised as in immaculate condition and when you arrive its is far from that.
i once went to view a 130 tdi bora off a dealer in dublin (not vw dealer) was told on the phone car was 100% not a mark on it. went up looked at the car.. it was a 110bp to start with and one of the back wheel arches was dented in with paint flaking off plus loads of other small dents/scratches etc.

si_guru

I am trying to help the brother-in-law find a decent motor for €1250 or so... which do exist!

So far been to look at 2 "immaculate" cars... one was half sprayed with cans and was filled all over the place including the roof.. plus in the words of the knackbag seller "has a new balljoint but really needs a new boot lid".. of course he said that after we'd driven 50km to see it.

If you have a nice straight €1250 car in Kerry - 1.3 to 1.6 saloon or similar.. let me know!

SG

GTE

They are out there if you persevere.

My car is a 2000 which I got this time last year. After so many cars that were no where near as described I went all the way to Balbriggan (Balbriggan autopoint I think its called) and found my car.

I believe its in fantastic condition for the age (151000 miles) though there are some little things:
Exterior:
- There are slight chips in the paint on the bonnet
- One dent caused by someone opening a door in a car park

Interior:
- Some signs of age but very very clean and tidy
- The thread in the drivers seat was a bit worn

Mechanical:
- 3 month engine and gearbox warrenty (didnt need it, ok nothing huge there). VW and Citroen garages both said its in great condition mechanically and both commented on the bodywork and interior.

So, I was lucky. I really had to nag my lift to bring me all the way up there so keep at it and you will find a decent one.

The car I saw before was in such a horrible condition and nearly 2 grand more expensive (00 Golf 2000 euro vs 01 Golf 3850) so I can understand how it can suck the life outta ya.
God, thinking back at it the paint was in a wreck, the interior was in a mess. Rips and worn bits (the owners never used floor mats it seems. Engine was badly treated, at least it sounded it.

squod

http://cars.buyandsell.ie/search/cars-for-sale-under-5k/dublin/ford-mondeo-1900-diesel-2003

Ricardo G

Tbh if you wait long enough for the right car you'll get it. Most people are very naieve when buying a new car whether there spending 300 or 3000 especially when dealing with dealers. Have a bit of patience. Remember the majority of folk selling there cars are selling for a reason be it high mileage, high maintenance costs, running costs in general and then the few that will sell knowing something is wrong with it !! When i change my car which is quite regularly i look at possibly up to 10 cars before finding the right one. The unfortunate thing about this country is a most of us dont cherrish our motors like they do in the UK for instance which is a shame. Hang in there and you'll find what your looking for at the right money and condition