Need help picking a car

120_Minutes

A friend has owned a 05 astra from new, and has had some problems along the way, not saying that all astras are like that but his experience along with the fact that i personally never warmed to them pushed me in the direction of the focus.

I personally think that with the ghia spec around 06/07 you get value for money.
all electric windows, a/c, bluetooth, glovebox cooler, cruise control, auto wipers, auto lights, heated windscreen. granted i came from a banger before it but right now i feel spoiled, but then again i've only owned it two months.

I would average about 220km a week (thats if i'm only driving to work) and the focus currently costs approx €75 euro to fill (1.6 petrol) and returns approx 8.3L per 100km with an approx range of 660 km, or about 34mpg in old money.

your mileage may vary, as they say.

166man

mustang01 wrote: »

ha ya rite, vw/audi great reliability myth is a pure joke these days with all the engine trouble they give,

defo agree da italians especially in the alfa guise produce very stylish cars but not worth their poor reliability headache

Sure look if you knew what you were harping on about with respect to Italian cars then maybe I'd continue this debate/conversation but seeing as you still won't enlighten us as to your role in the motor trade, very nearly personally abused BA and still haven't backed up any of your statements with fact.......





....I'm out.

mustang01

166man wrote: »

Sure look if you knew what you were harping on about with respect to Italian cars then maybe I'd continue this debate/conversation but seeing as you still won't enlighten us as to your role in the motor trade, very nearly personally abused BA and still haven't backed up any of your statements with fact.......





....I'm out.

excuse you i nearly personally abused nobody, im a qualified motor technician for the past 16years, and have aquired ford, bmw and jaguar master technician status, have worked on all makes of cars over the years so my vast experience are the facts , only trying to lay out the truth to people about cars , if they dont wana listen thats fine but the wise ones will ive no doubt

cabb8ge

Do we have to have motor trade experience to post view on boards.ie motors? Big surprise if so. Lots of imposters here. Fact and figures back up needed with all opinion now too??? wtf as people say on net

166man

mustang01 wrote: »

excuse you i nearly personally abused nobody, im a qualified motor technician for the past 16years, and have aquired ford, bmw and jaguar master technician status, have worked on all makes of cars over the years so my vast experience are the facts , only trying to lay out the truth to people about cars , if they dont wana listen thats fine but the wise ones will ive no doubt

Fair enough, but enlighten me further as to why Italian cars are piss poor again? Specifically Alfa's btw...

cabb8ge wrote: »

Do we have to have motor trade experience to post view on boards.ie motors? Big surprise if so. Lots of imposters here. Fact and figures back up needed with all opinion now too??? wtf as people say on net

No you don't obviously but if you're going to blatantly slate two car brands and expect not to be asked about it, you'd want to show why and where you got those beliefs from...;)

TestTransmission

Can we drop the petty squabbling please

Supergurrier

Haha this thread is like a how many pub cliches can you fit in two pages competition

mustang01

166man wrote: »

Fair enough, but enlighten me further as to why Italian cars are piss poor again? Specifically Alfa's btw...



No you don't obviously but if you're going to blatantly slate two car brands and expect not to be asked about it, you'd want to show why and where you got those beliefs from...;)

166man, the peoples feet tell the truth, the fiat punto was for a few years one of the best if not the best selling car in ireland but they gave such a raft of problems and cost their owners so much money to keep repaired that they now sell about a handful a year ( ok i takeing the mick and they sell bit more than that but ya know what i mean) , even today i hear they are far from perfect, lot of parts are shared across the range with the Alfas so need say no more.

then you have the likes of the fiesta and yaris which year on year keep selling by the bucket load and thats because they are quality cars.

ba_barabus

mustang01 wrote: »

the peoples feet tell the truth

As do all those overproced steaming turd 1.4l Golf Baselines that were sold

H3llR4iser

mustang01 wrote: »

excuse you i nearly personally abused nobody, im a qualified motor technician for the past 16years, and have aquired ford, bmw and jaguar master technician status, have worked on all makes of cars over the years so my vast experience are the facts , only trying to lay out the truth to people about cars , if they dont wana listen thats fine but the wise ones will ive no doubt

***I might get an infraction for this, but a poster's gotta do what a poster's gotta do.***

In all frankness, your broad generalizations suggest quite otherwise. See, this is the Internet and what it counts is being able to quote verifiable data and researched facts, not screaming and going the "I say so!" way, especially when the content of the posts don't suggest any specific knowledge of the subject.

Saying "watch out on the Twin Spark engines, some had a timing belt tensioner problem before 2002-2003" means you know what you're talking about, shouting "Italian/French/German cars are sh1te!" on the other hand only makes you look like the classic "Paddy down the pub" swearing everybody should get on an Avensis, "'cause they go forever!".

So, if you would be so generous to share the wealth of knowledge acquired as a qualified Ford, BMW and Jaguar master technician, explaining in full technical detail why a diesel Focus should be the car of choice above anything else, all of us will be more than pleased to listen, take in the facts and treasure them.

If you are here to shout that a Focus is the best "driver's car" around (which it isn't by a marine mile, it actually isn't a driver's car no matter how you look at it), don't be surprised if people don't take you seriously, or give you some rightful sh1te for it.

dh0011

i have been in a few avensis taxis with over 300K on them so there might be something to the phrase "they go forever"

mustang01

H3llR4iser wrote: »

***I might get an infraction for this, but a poster's gotta do what a poster's gotta do.***

In all frankness, your broad generalizations suggest quite otherwise. See, this is the Internet and what it counts is being able to quote verifiable data and researched facts, not screaming and going the "I say so!" way, especially when the content of the posts don't suggest any specific knowledge of the subject.

Saying "watch out on the Twin Spark engines, some had a timing belt tensioner problem before 2002-2003" means you know what you're talking about, shouting "Italian/French/German cars are sh1te!" on the other hand only makes you look like the classic "Paddy down the pub" swearing everybody should get on an Avensis, "'cause they go forever!".

So, if you would be so generous to share the wealth of knowledge acquired as a qualified Ford, BMW and Jaguar master technician, explaining in full technical detail why a diesel Focus should be the car of choice above anything else, all of us will be more than pleased to listen, take in the facts and treasure them.

If you are here to shout that a Focus is the best "driver's car" around (which it isn't by a marine mile, it actually isn't a driver's car no matter how you look at it), don't be surprised if people don't take you seriously, or give you some rightful sh1te for it.

ud want to get your eyes tested , i never said the focus is the best drivers car out there, i said it was the best drivers car in its class, and that is a fact, re - all top motering testers out there say the same , cant be all wrong !
and there is no unfounded generalisation atall in what i am saying, go ask any technician and they will tell you the same, fiat and alfas plagued with unreliability problems, pity really coz dem alfas have some serious good styling !

mustang01

dh0011 wrote: »

i have been in a few avensis taxis with over 300K on them so there might be something to the phrase "they go forever"

great reputation those alrite, but no matter how good a car is if its not properly serviced it wont last, toyota reliability has slipped a lot in recent years though, den again so has most manufacturers, down to a lot of new technologhy in cars and especially diesels

166man

mustang01 wrote: »

166man, the peoples feet tell the truth, the fiat punto was for a few years one of the best if not the best selling car in ireland but they gave such a raft of problems and cost their owners so much money to keep repaired that they now sell about a handful a year ( ok i takeing the mick and they sell bit more than that but ya know what i mean) , even today i hear they are far from perfect, lot of parts are shared across the range with the Alfas so need say no more.

then you have the likes of the fiesta and yaris which year on year keep selling by the bucket load and thats because they are quality cars.

I mean I guess I have asked countless times for facts and I guess I won't be getting them. You are free and right to think whatever you wish however I daresay I have a fair bit of experience with Alfa's of old and new and there's a simple way to look at them.

If you mind them that extra bit they need, they will more or less go just as well as a Toyota - and be a fair bit nicer too. If you don't mind 'em they'll break unlike an old '90's corolla that can be run on anything.

It's that simple - our Alfa's have been minded and it shows IMO.

H3llR4iser wrote: »

***I might get an infraction for this, but a poster's gotta do what a poster's gotta do.***

In all frankness, your broad generalizations suggest quite otherwise. See, this is the Internet and what it counts is being able to quote verifiable data and researched facts, not screaming and going the "I say so!" way, especially when the content of the posts don't suggest any specific knowledge of the subject.

Saying "watch out on the Twin Spark engines, some had a timing belt tensioner problem before 2002-2003" means you know what you're talking about, shouting "Italian/French/German cars are sh1te!" on the other hand only makes you look like the classic "Paddy down the pub" swearing everybody should get on an Avensis, "'cause they go forever!".

So, if you would be so generous to share the wealth of knowledge acquired as a qualified Ford, BMW and Jaguar master technician, explaining in full technical detail why a diesel Focus should be the car of choice above anything else, all of us will be more than pleased to listen, take in the facts and treasure them.

If you are here to shout that a Focus is the best "driver's car" around (which it isn't by a marine mile, it actually isn't a driver's car no matter how you look at it), don't be surprised if people don't take you seriously, or give you some rightful sh1te for it.

+1.






@Mod's not sure if I should have replied to this but I will leave it here just wanted to get that sentence in to ensure no beef with anyone. I know you posted in bold but not sure if that was relevant to my post. If it was I'll edit it right away.

TestTransmission

Sorry OP that your thread has been ruined.It really is going nowhere