Diesel, €12k Budget, Re-sale important.....

jimbling

Right, so going to start a new thread to deal with this specifically. I "think" I have decided to go with a diesel. Not particularly to save money on running costs (added bonus), but just for something totally different.

So, stipulations:

Diesel: I've never owned one and decided I should at some point, and this seems like a better time than any.
Preferably powerful. I would consider ones in the region of 150bhp (that could possibly be remapped), but that's about as low as I'd go.

Transmission
Manual. I am not interested in Automatics / Tiptronic cars. This actually hugely reduces the selection of big diesels. I didnt realise until this week how popular Automatics have become in UK & Ireland. Shocked and Stunned :eek:

Specification I am a lover of top spec cars. M-Sport for BMW, S-Line for Audi, ST for Ford etc etc etc..... I like the body to look sporty/aggressive (in a subtle way) and I like the cockpit to be a nice place to sit.

Budget
As above, Budget is €12k. That's a max really. My prefered budget is about 8k, but I am willing to go over that for something special (in my eyes). With regards the lower scale, I have no problem with older cards (10 years), but lower mileage the better. I'm not interested in cars way over 100k mark.

Resale
This is important when it comes to the higher bracket of my budget. Not so much if I'm picking something up in the €5-8k region. Basically, things may change for me quite suddenly. I may decide to emigrate in the next 6-12 months. So something that wont be too hard to re-sell would be of benefit.

Current Top List

Ford Mondeo ST220 2.2 TDCI
I spoke with the guy selling this yesterday. I offered a figure, he didnt accept. I may go back again as I do like the car and it's reasonably priced.
It's 155bhp, but I believe it can get remapped to 180bhp easily, which would do fine for the time being.


Alfa Romeo 159 2.4 JTDM
I also spoke with the seller of this car. He's a small time trader, seems like a good bloke and was very helpful. Very reasonably priced (and I reckon I'd get £500 off it) for the car and I would get it in for under €11k.
Big question I have about this car is the resale in this country? Is the 2.4 JTDM sought after? Not many for sale here.

Audi A4 3.0 TDI S-Line
This is a serious contender. I love Audi's in general. I love the look of the 05 Audi. I love the idea of the 3.0 Quattro TDI. I haven't spoken to the seller yet, so not sure of wiggle room on the price.
I am also wondering about the resale of this car. There is hardly any in the country, similar to the Alfa. Is that good or bad for resale?

Other considerations
A strong contender for a while was the E46 320d/330d. They can be got at good prices for the 01-04 years, but I think it would only depress me to be in the same model car as I just sold. Just remind me of what I had

I really really would like an Alfa Brera 2.4 JTDM. I found one on Autotrader for £8k in pristine condition. It would break my budget by a bit, but I think I'd be willing for that car. Unfortunately I rang a few minutes ago and it's gone. The next closest with similar spec is £9.9k and well out of budget. If someone knows of one though, let me know.

I had a look at other things like the Lexus 220d, the Honda Accord 2.2 etc but nothing has jumped out at me so far.

Realistically the Mondeo should be my main option. It provides everything I'm looking for right now in a car that should be easy enough to resell (I think). It's also right on my preferred budget.
EDIT: I could also own it by the end of the week, whereas the others will take some time. As I currently have no car, that is a big benefit too.
So what's wrong? I dunno, maybe I am a badge snob. Maybe it's just the Mondeo factor... not sure, but something is putting me off.... or at least making me think I should only spend 7.5k on it


So, thoughts on the above, and any suggestions welcome

Atomic Pineapple

I presume you've taught about the Alfa Romeo GT? - http://www.carzone.ie/search/Alfa-Romeo/GT/1.8-SPOR/201120202442476/advert?channel=CARS

If your worried about re-sale value then big engines would be a no no, you'll have to be patient to sell on anything over a 2 litre even if its a diesel as it will still be taxed on the old cc based motor tax. (Unless you up your budget for 2008+ cars)

jimbling

draffodx wrote: »

I presume you've taught about the Alfa Romeo GT? - http://www.carzone.ie/search/Alfa-Romeo/GT/1.8-SPOR/201120202442476/advert?channel=CARS

You know, I kind of tuned out to the GT due to the Brera. But ya, it should be an option. Although the above wouldn't be in my selection (as it's petrol, and too pricey).

If the 1.9 JTDM engine can be remapped a bit I would consider it. I'll do a bit of research on them now.

draffodx wrote: »

If your worried about re-sale value then big engines would be a no no, you'll have to be patient to sell on anything over a 2 litre even if its a diesel as it will still be taxed on the old cc based motor tax. (Unless you up your budget for 2008+ cars)

Ya, I was considering that, especially with the Audi.... but I want it so bad
I was kind of hoping the rarity of it would outweigh the smaller market?

Are we talking the 2.2/2.4 as well? Should I not even be considering the Mondeo in that regard?

Thing is, without the bit of poke the diesel doesn't interest me. I did drive the 2.0T Audi 140bhp at the weekend and it had more power (or feel of power anyway) than I expected to be honest. But saying that, I think I would still want a bit more.

Padraig Mor

jimbling wrote: »

Audi A4 3.0 TDI S-Line
This is a serious contender. I love Audi's in general. I love the look of the 05 Audi. I love the idea of the 3.0 Quattro TDI. I haven't spoken to the seller yet, so not sure of wiggle room on the price.
I am also wondering about the resale of this car. There is hardly any in the country, similar to the Alfa. Is that good or bad for resale?

Rightly or wrongly, I'd imagine lack of leather and auto will severely hurt resale of the Audi.

jimbling

Em, which version of the GT should I be looking for?
From what I can quickly gather:
Lusso is the basic model, Sportivo is next and Monza is the top spec. Is that correct?

Atomic Pineapple

jimbling wrote: »

You know, I kind of tuned out to the GT due to the Brera. But ya, it should be an option. Although the above wouldn't be in my selection (as it's petrol, and too pricey).

If the 1.9 JTDM engine can be remapped a bit I would consider it. I'll do a bit of research on them now.

Sorry I meant to link to a diesel one! 150bhp and can be remapped, although they're not meant to be too fast even after a remap.

jimbling wrote: »

Ya, I was considering that, especially with the Audi.... but I want it so bad
I was kind of hoping the rarity of it would outweigh the smaller market?

Are we talking the 2.2/2.4 as well? Should I not even be considering the Mondeo in that regard?

Thing is, without the bit of poke the diesel doesn't interest me. I did drive the 2.0T Audi 140bhp at the weekend and it had more power (or feel of power anyway) than I expected to be honest. But saying that, I think I would still want a bit more.

You might get away with the Mondeo as its under €1k a year to tax. The problem is they are rare because Irish people aren't prepared to pay anything remotely expensive for tax.

jimbling

Padraig Mor wrote: »

Rightly or wrongly, I'd imagine lack of leather and auto will severely hurt resale of the Audi.

Lack of leather, maybe.... but there really seems to be very very few with leather.

Lack of Auto, I'm not so sure. There is far far more A4 3.0 TDI's for sale around that price range in the Auto bracket. Same applies to the 330d. The manuals seem to go for more..... at least that's the case in the UK. I would have thought it would be more so here.

jimbling

draffodx wrote: »

Sorry I meant to link to a diesel one! 150bhp and can be remapped, although they're not meant to be too fast even after a remap.

I was just reading there that they can be mapped up to 190bhp, although that's probably the "max", so likely 180bhp or so. The 0-60 time for standard is 9.6s which is very slow for 150bhp as it is. This may push the car out of my interest zone.
It is quite nice looking though. And there are some very cheap 04/05 ones for sale.

draffodx wrote: »

You might get away with the Mondeo as its under €1k a year to tax. The problem is they are rare because Irish people aren't prepared to pay anything remotely expensive for tax.

Ya, dont I know it. I was waiting 7 months and 3.5k drop in price before I sold the M3

cadaliac

Mondeo -I think is overpriced. It will depreciate heavily with big mileage. BTW, are you sure that the mileage is genuine on that car? I was looking for one a few years back and the all had big miles on them.
Alfa 159 - This would be my pick but, again you are left with a heavily depreciating car because 1) Irish people think Alfa Romeo cars are made of chocolate and 2) Irish people would sooner sacrifice their first born than pay tax for anything over a 2.0l car.
The Audi - refer to point 2) above. I know I would be looking at an A6 if I was prepared to live with the running costs of a 3.0l diesel.
The A4 would be smaller, jumpier and not as comfortable as an A6.

You must be prepared to live with depreciation when dealing with cars with bigger than normal (well normal in this country) engines.
If you are looking to beat the depreciation/poor resale (which you won't by the way), you must consider a smaller engine.

jimbling

cadaliac wrote: »

Mondeo -I think is overpriced. It will depreciate heavily with big mileage. BTW, are you sure that the mileage is genuine on that car? I was looking for one a few years back and the all had big miles on them.

Overpriced? really? There's not much to compare it to to be honest, but there's two other 05s. One is a few hundred cheaper but with twice the mileage. Another has same mileage and is almost 3k dearer. There's two 07s, both with higher mileage going for 14k. Although I'm trying to get the price down, I can see why he thinks it's a very fair price.

You can never be 100% on the mileage with any used car, but he did a UK and Irish Cartell check on the car before he bought last January. He forwarded these on to me. It also comes with a FSH. Is there anything else I can do to verify the mileage?

Anyone here have experience owning/driving one of these? would be very interested in opinions of the car....

cadaliac wrote: »

Alfa 159 - This would be my pick but, again you are left with a heavily depreciating car because 1) Irish people think Alfa Romeo cars are made of chocolate and 2) Irish people would sooner sacrifice their first born than pay tax for anything over a 2.0l car.
The Audi - refer to point 2) above. I know I would be looking at an A6 if I was prepared to live with the running costs of a 3.0l diesel.
The A4 would be smaller, jumpier and not as comfortable as an A6.

You must be prepared to live with depreciation when dealing with cars with bigger than normal (well normal in this country) engines.
If you are looking to beat the depreciation/poor resale (which you won't by the way), you must consider a smaller engine.

Yep, agree with all that. It's one of the reasons I'm trying to keep my budget down. I took a MASSIVE hit on depreciation in my last car and dont want that to happen again. But, the current budget is 25% of what it was the last time :eek:, so reasonable depreciation on these doesn't scare me that much as long as I'm not waiting 6 months for a buyer. i.e. I will put it up as the cheapest version of the car, I will gladly take that hit if it sells quickly.

Eoin

Not sure of the exact specs, but Alfa GTs all come with sport seats & cruise control as standard. Bose stereo is a very nice option, parking sensors too as rear visibility is crap. leather is preferable, but the alfatex seats aren't bad either.

Doesn't look as good as the Breda but more spacious in the back. I've carried 4 adult passengers on more than one occasion. Not in total comfort, but still not bad. I think the top spec has the silver wing mirrors and whiskers on the front bumper. I didn't notice a massive variation in the specs when I was searching. 18" rims might be standard on some models, but I prefer the 17 ones. Ride is too harsh on 18s. Engine is 150 bhp and by all accounts I've heard are great after a remap (about 30bhp extra). Check out Autoremap.com to see what their specs say.

MrDerp

Resale is a myth when it comes to used cars if you ask me. The depreciation over the first 3/4 years is where this comes in. Any perceived resale value in the used car you want is being paid for by you up front.

F**k the resale and buy the car that speaks to you.

jimbling

MrDerp wrote: »

Resale is a myth when it comes to used cars if you ask me. The depreciation over the first 3/4 years is where this comes in. Any perceived resale value in the used car you want is being paid for by you up front.

F**k the resale and buy the car that speaks to you.

Ha, I wish that was the case.
My last car was 4 years old when I bought it.... and I lost quite the tidy sum on it

But to be honest, in the 10k-12k budget it isn't anywhere near as big a deal.

bazz26

OP if resale value is a concern for you then you chose the wrong cars I'm afraid. All those cars will be difficult to sell on in this country because the vast majority of Irish people will not pay the motor tax on anything over 2.0 litre, irrespective of them being diesel.

galwaytt

jimbling wrote: »

Ya, I was considering that, especially with the Audi.... but I want it so bad
I was kind of hoping the rarity of it would outweigh the smaller market?

If rare = desirable = saleable, I'd be a rich person. Twice over (see sig...) You're in the wrong country with that kind of logic.....

Padraig Mor wrote: »

Rightly or wrongly, I'd imagine lack of leather and auto will severely hurt resale of the Audi.

Lack of auto and leather dooms the car's OP quotes to a life growing moss in some airport long term carpark......no leather, no auto = Paddy Spec.

MrDerp wrote: »

Resale is a myth when it comes to used cars if you ask me. The depreciation over the first 3/4 years is where this comes in. Any perceived resale value in the used car you want is being paid for by you up front.

F**k the resale and buy the car that speaks to you.

Amen.

OP, let's say you spend 12k on something, in 12 month's you'll get, maybe, 8k for it. So that's 4k down the drain.

If you can't 'wear' €4.5k in 12mths, then you need to take what you CAN wear (say 3k) - and just buy a €3k car and dump it for €500 in 12mths time.

If you're buying a pre-08 car, forget anything over 1.9 / 2.0. If post 08, you'll need more than 12k.

Surprised no-one has mentioned the Ultimate Driving Machine yet ...?

YouTookMyName

jimbling wrote: »

Alfa Romeo 159 2.4 JTDM
I also spoke with the seller of this car. He's a small time trader, seems like a good bloke and was very helpful. Very reasonably priced (and I reckon I'd get £500 off it) for the car and I would get it in for under €11k.
Big question I have about this car is the resale in this country? Is the 2.4 JTDM sought after? Not many for sale here.

That is simply stunning.

They way things are motor wise in this country the only thing you'll sale on again is An A4,Passat, Avensis or a Mondeo. None above 2.0L

jimbling

galwaytt wrote: »

If rare = desirable = saleable, I'd be a rich person. Twice over (see sig...) You're in the wrong country with that kind of logic.....

Indeed, I take your point.

galwaytt wrote: »

Lack of auto and leather dooms the car's OP quotes to a life growing moss in some airport long term carpark......no leather, no auto = Paddy Spec.

What the hell is going in this country, when did everyone start wanting automatics? I'm honestly flabbergasted by this realisation

galwaytt wrote: »

OP, let's say you spend 12k on something, in 12 month's you'll get, maybe, 8k for it. So that's 4k down the drain.

If you can't 'wear' €4.5k in 12mths, then you need to take what you CAN wear (say 3k) - and just buy a €3k car and dump it for €500 in 12mths time.

Yep, to be honest I could take the 4k hit okay.

galwaytt wrote: »

If you're buying a pre-08 car, forget anything over 1.9 / 2.0. If post 08, you'll need more than 12k.

I looked into that a while ago actually.

Tax for a 06 Alfa 2.4 JTDM Engine with 200bhp: €895
Tax for a 08 Alfa 2.4 JTDM Engine with 210bhp: €630
Tax for a 10 Alfa 2.0 JTDM Engine with 170bhp: €302

Basically, not much difference at all between the 06 and the 08 to be honest. Ya, you save €265 a year.... but the 08 will cost you a hell of a lot more to purchase, so I dont think it's that big a deal. But, I suppose I should be comparing with a 320d or something which gets ridiculously low tax.

galwaytt wrote: »

Surprised no-one has mentioned the Ultimate Driving Machine yet ...?

Well, I have nothing against the car. In fact, I think they look great and are decent machines. They are not however on my list for two very solid reasons.
1) I owned a petrol Octavia vRS already a few years back. Loved it, but not that interested in getting one again.
2) They do not seem to be good value. They should be a good few k cheaper than they're Audi/BMW counterparts. Along the lines of the Mondeo ST etc, but people are asking crazy money for them.

jimbling

YouTookMyName wrote: »

That is simply stunning.

It's gone to the top of my list today....... will decide by Friday and book a flight over to London for early next week sometime.

brian2me

From your original list the A4 for resale value, I own a A4 2.0 140bhp.

have a think about this one, outside your budget but you def will make it back on resale and can also be remapped to about 160/170bhp
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Audi/A4/2.0-TDI-/201118202298673/advert?channel=CARS

jimbling

brian2me wrote: »

From your original list the A4 for resale value, I own a A4 2.0 140bhp.

have a think about this one, outside your budget but you def will make it back on resale and can also be remapped to about 160/170bhp
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Audi/A4/2.0-TDI-/201118202298673/advert?channel=CARS

They're a great car, but that one is a bit far outside the budget and the mileage is way too big for a car less than 3 years old.

shawnee

bazz26 wrote: »

OP if resale value is a concern for you then you chose the wrong cars I'm afraid. All those cars will be difficult to sell on in this country because the vast majority of Irish people will not pay the motor tax on anything over 2.0 litre, irrespective of them being diesel.

Yes this is truly the case, put another 100 k on these cars and you are not going to get half your money back. The 156 tax on 08 cars will completely wipe out the value of these cars in a few years. Unless of course the government reduce the road tax:D:D:D
If you want one of these , buy the one you like enjoy it for a few years and give it to your sister .:p

cadaliac

In relation to the "who wants auto's these days?" Jimbling, It is very much directly in relation to the car.
A 3.0l Diesel will have plenty of torque and an auto box will be much nicer to drive than a manual. The Audi fits that mantra.
There is a figure banded about that in or around 200+ bhp warrants an auto box. That I guess is a personal choice.
However, the Alfa is more of a drivers car and your Alfa heads will always want a manual.
IMO, it is really down to the car in question.
Look at all the E200 merc's with an auto box. Some older ones aren't even 150 bhp yet everyone wants the auto box for the car.
I also think the myth surrounding auto boxes that they will fall apart and indeed you will have to re-mortgage your house to repair one as soon as it smells the far side of 100k miles, is indeed just that, a myth.
People are realizing that now too.

Ferris

I am a huge fan of the 159. It may depreciate more than the others but I can see more value in the looks and the detailing over the others (- for example the Alfa logo stiched into the headrests). They're such a good looking car, especially with decent wheels and exterior spec.

Also the seats, in leather, are fantastic to sit in.

Don't know if i'd be into an auto however, the selespeeds in the 147 and 156 were well known for being fragile, don't know if they fixed this with the 159.

jimbling

Okay... em..... this thread has just taken a bit of a right turn. The chances of me fcking off out of this country for a while just increased by a whole lot. I believe I am about to be handed my notice

Still need a car in the immediate sense, but I'm keeping my savings and my budget was just dropped to MAX 5k... preferably closer to 3k.

Just looking at this 02 BMW 320D. High mileage but would appear to be in good nick. And it's in Cork, which is handy. I'll try get and check it out later.

jimbling

cadaliac wrote: »

I
I also think the myth surrounding auto boxes that they will fall apart and indeed you will have to re-mortgage your house to repair one as soon as it smells the far side of 100k miles, is indeed just that, a myth.
People are realizing that now too.

It's not the expense that I dont like about them..... it's because they suck to drive

gazmc18

Op if you are looking for a car thats easy to move on quickly in a few months if you want to move, i dont think any of the cars you mentioned fit the bill tbh. You will either lose a lot or it could take a good while to move them on.
If you were looking at a A4 Id go for a 2.0tdi A4 s-line possibly as they are a relativly easy car to sell on.
Personally i would buy a banger for a few months untill you decide what you are doing, if you decide to stay then buy what you like. I dont think theres any way to buy one of the cars you mentioned and not lose a lot in 8 - 12 months time.

jimbling

gazmc18 wrote: »

Op if you are looking for a car thats easy to move on quickly in a few months if you want to move, i dont think any of the cars you mentioned fit the bill tbh. You will either lose a lot or it could take a good while to move them on.
If you were looking at a A4 Id go for a 2.0tdi A4 s-line possibly as they are a relativly easy car to sell on.
Personally i would buy a banger for a few months untill you decide what you are doing, if you decide to stay then buy what you like. I dont think theres any way to buy one of the cars you mentioned and not lose a lot in 8 - 12 months time.

em, I take it you didnt read my last few posts

gazmc18

My Bad!:o

Tea 1000

cadaliac wrote: »

In relation to the "who wants auto's these days?" Jimbling, It is very much directly in relation to the car.
A 3.0l Diesel will have plenty of torque and an auto box will be much nicer to drive than a manual. The Audi fits that mantra.
There is a figure banded about that in or around 200+ bhp warrants an auto box. That I guess is a personal choice.
However, the Alfa is more of a drivers car and your Alfa heads will always want a manual.
IMO, it is really down to the car in question.
Look at all the E200 merc's with an auto box. Some older ones aren't even 150 bhp yet everyone wants the auto box for the car.
I also think the myth surrounding auto boxes that they will fall apart and indeed you will have to re-mortgage your house to repair one as soon as it smells the far side of 100k miles, is indeed just that, a myth.
People are realizing that now too.

You're right, it is a myth, however that Audi auto box is a piece of crap. Unreliable and slow. The newer DSG ones are fab, but manual is the only option for that car.

jimbling

jimbling wrote: »

Just looking at this 02 BMW 320D. High mileage but would appear to be in good nick. And it's in Cork, which is handy. I'll try get and check it out later.

Wow, how very very strange. I just texted this guy and asked about Tax left, FSH etc... all standard questions.
I got a reply:
"You need to be looking in d free adds"

I've no idea what that was about, maybe a mistake or something, so replied asking if the car was for sale or not.
I got the reply:
"Not to u"


wtf is that about? Some crazy dude, or a bs car and just didnt want to answer the questions? I've never experience that before. Normally people with ****e cars just dont respond to the questions. (of which there are a lot)

cadaliac

A paramedic who is obviously up his own hole.

galwaytt

cadaliac wrote: »

I also think the myth surrounding auto boxes that they will fall apart and indeed you will have to re-mortgage your house to repair one as soon as it smells the far side of 100k miles, is indeed just that, a myth.
People are realizing that now too.

Indeed, 167,000 miles on mine, and it's as sweet as a nut.

jimbling wrote: »

It's not the expense that I dont like about them..... it's because they suck to drive

What expense - I bought a spare Tiptronic box on an opportunistic whim, 'just in case', for €600

As for 'they suck to drive' - maybe it's the driver, and not the gearbox ? There is a reason all premium sports cars have moved to auto - they improve the experience, not diminish it.

YouTookMyName

jimbling wrote: »

It's gone to the top of my list today....... will decide by Friday and book a flight over to London for early next week sometime.

I didn't win the lotto tonight so i'll let you have it! :p



This is in donegal. Cheap too.

YbFocus

If you really are worried about depreciation I'd be running away very quickly from any Alfa and be heading for VAG country, A4 or Passat country!
Best machines out there for your wants! You'll sell a passat or a a4 in the morning if you wanted!

jimbling

galwaytt wrote: »

What expense - I bought a spare Tiptronic box on an opportunistic whim, 'just in case', for €600

I was responding to someone else who was talking about the expense. I know very little about automatics.

galwaytt wrote: »

As for 'they suck to drive' - maybe it's the driver, and not the gearbox ? There is a reason all premium sports cars have moved to auto - they improve the experience, not diminish it.

Well, I wouldnt proclaim myself to be a great driver in any way. And I have never driven a sports car with automatic either (closest would have been a GTI with a DSG box). But I know when I drive any automatic car I feel like there's something missing. It removes part of the thrill in driving a fast car IMO. It was for these reasons I would NEVER have considered getting the SMG box when buying the M3*.

But anyway, we're not talking about sports cars, we're talking about A6/530ds etc...... almost all automatic. Cruisers rather than sports cars. I can understand it much more in those, but I still thought Ireland had a dislike for Auto's..... I was just shocked at the amount of them around.


*And boy am I glad I didn't. SMGs had a much much worse depreciation than the manual. I wonder why?

jimbling

YouTookMyName wrote: »

I didn't win the lotto tonight so i'll let you have it! :p

This is in donegal. Cheap too.

I remember seeing that at one point, not sure why I didnt look into it a bit more. Maybe I just didnt notice the price and was put off by the lack of leather seats (I'm a stickler for them). I just rang him there, will look into it a bit further.

Thanks for the tip.

jimbling

YbFocus wrote: »

If you really are worried about depreciation I'd be running away very quickly from any Alfa and be heading for VAG country, A4 or Passat country!
Best machines out there for your wants! You'll sell a passat or a a4 in the morning if you wanted!

Well, I'm not really worried about depreciation at all anymore. Not with a budget of 5/6k.

Eoin

jimbling wrote: »

It was for these reasons I would NEVER have considered getting the SMG box when buying the M3*.
....
*And boy am I glad I didn't. SMGs had a much much worse depreciation than the manual. I wonder why?

Perhaps because that particular gearbox does not have a good reliability reputation (A BMW specialist I used to use called it the Stupid Money Gearbox), and also that in that particular car, the manual will be more popular because your opinion isn't that rare. I'd go for manual in the e46 M3, but probably the DCT in the e92 M3. Not that either are likely purchases for me any time soon!

jimbling wrote: »

It removes part of the thrill in driving a fast car IMO

If that were the case, I don't think so many supercars would be auto as well, but to each their own.

jimbling wrote:

High mileage but would appear to be in good nick

I suppose the flip side is that at 140K miles, it might already have had some of the jobs that tend to need doing on that model at ~100K or so (coolant system overhaul etc)

jimbling

Eoin wrote: »

If that were the case, I don't think so many supercars would be auto as well, but to each their own.

There's a big difference between a fast car and a super car though. As I said, I dont really know much about this at all, but my assumption was always that when you get into the supercar sort of region of acceleration it becomes much more sensible to use an auto/semi auto box... for obvious reasons.

Anyway, we're way off topic..... would need a different thread if we want to discuss further. Basically, I have been shown my ignorance. My belief that auto box (other than supercar/formula 1 etc) was for old men or people living Stateside is obviously hugely outdated and needs to be revisited.

jimbling

guys, I asked in the other thread.... any of ye used the motorcheck guys to check out a car before purchasing?

Eoin

jimbling wrote: »

guys, I asked in the other thread.... any of ye used the motorcheck guys to check out a car before purchasing?

Yep, I used them when I was getting my GT. It was grand - pretty much the service I was expecting. As the GT was based across the company, I also got the full inspection done, which was OK - but overpriced IMO.

I've also used cartell for a couple of reports, but a few years ago so can't really remember enough to compare the two.

YouTookMyName

Any updates jimbling?

jimbling

I got motorcheck to do a pre-purchase inspection on that Alfa and it wasn't up to scratch. Even though I was getting it at a price that could have made it worthwhile, I didnt want to take a chance of getting a potential moneypit of a car.

I purchased the Ford Mondeo ST 2.2 TDCI (that I linked to in the first post) on Saturday. Got it for a decent price (600 less than the offer he had refused 4 weeks ago :cool:)

Anyway, happy out. It's in superb condition inside and out. Yes, it's a mondeo.... but it looks and feels very good to be honest. It's got more poke than I expected. Obviously still a monstrous downgrade from an M3, but I was driving a borrowed skoda fabia for the last few weeks so it's bliss in comparison to that :P
It's going to take a while to get used to the awful (imo) sound of the diesel engine... especially at start up, but It will do nicely for the time being.

Cheers for any and all advice during the buying process....