First car for 2 hour work commute

K4t

Hi, was wondering if anyone could give me some advice on buying a car? I'm based in Mayo.

Starting a new job which will require a 1 hour commute there and back 5 or 6 days a week - I have a budget of around 4 grand + insurance but not sure how much I should be spending? (male, 24, no accidents, 2 pen points, 5 years full license).

I'd rather stay away from done deal and instead buy from a garage to get some kind of guarantee (3 to 6 months would be good and definitely a diesel),

Just wondering what ye motor enthusiasts would recommend? Any advice is appreciated thanks..

mhackett102

Is the €4k budget just for the car, or is it for the car and insurance?

If its just for the car then I'd recommend this 2004 Volkswagen Golf 1.9tdi which is for sale in a garage and is fully serviced, NCT'd and comes with warranty.

I cant imagine insurance being too expensive since you have your full licence for 5 years and have no accidents, but it would still be worth shopping around for various quotes.

K4t

mhackett102 wrote: »

Is the €4k budget just for the car, or is it for the car and insurance?

If its just for the car then I'd recommend this 2004 Volkswagen Golf 1.9tdi which is for sale in a garage and is fully serviced, NCT'd and comes with warranty.

I cant imagine insurance being too expensive since you have your full licence for 5 years and have no accidents, but it would still be worth shopping around for various quotes.

€4k budget for the car only - insurance separate - that looks a great car but the €673 road tax is too high I think? Also I'm based in Mayo so I'd want to be absolutely sure. Hope you're right about the insurance, I'm planning on calling Aviva anyway as I did the lessons with them and am insured with them currently as a named driver.

Thanks for your help.

Matthewjohn

Volvo S40, Lovely spec but tax might be a little high on the 2.0.
http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/volvo/s40/used-2005-volvo-s40-2-0-d-se-prem-galway-fpa-36613857362900340

vandriver

Low tax diesels came in 2008.On a 4k budget,you are going to be paying 5-600 tax

K4t

Matthewjohn wrote: »

Volvo S40, Lovely spec but tax might be a little high on the 2.0.
http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/volvo/s40/used-2005-volvo-s40-2-0-d-se-prem-galway-fpa-36613857362900340

vandriver wrote: »

Low tax diesels came in 2008.On a 4k budget,you are going to be paying 5-600 tax

Thanks lads - I've actually found a 2008 1.5 diesel Nissan and am going for a look tomorrow. Hopefully the insurance won't be too bad either with the smaller engine size.

Thank you for the help.

bazz26

K4t wrote: »

Thanks lads - I've actually found a 2008 1.5 diesel Nissan and am going for a look tomorrow. Hopefully the insurance won't be too bad either with the smaller engine size.

Thank you for the help.

For €4k? I wouldn't hold my breath on it being decent at that price.

K4t

bazz26 wrote: »

For €4k? I wouldn't hold my breath on it being decent at that price.

It's more than €4k but not by too much, I'll be able to stretch the budget - going for a look tomorrow. Thanks.

9935452

vandriver wrote: »

Low tax diesels came in 2008.On a 4k budget,you are going to be paying 5-600 tax

A large proportion of the diesels of that era were 1.9 or 2.0 so 673 to 720.
i would be wary of trying to get a 08 for 4k it could be cheap for a reason

K4t

Any opinions on these?

http://www.carsireland.ie/county/dublin/mazda/detail.php?ad_id=1274477&r=s.php%3Fm%3D51%26l[]%3D10%26g%3D3%26z%3D8 -

This Mazda for under €6K seems to fit the bill - 1.6 diesel, nct till May 2017, low tax, 118,000 miles, new timing belt fitted, and should be fairly economical - is this too good to be true?

Alternatively looking at this bmw in Athlone too - was a dream to drive but don't want trouble down the road either. Is €2500 too good price for an 02 with 154,000 miles? Would it take all my money in fuel?

http://www.tomrafterycarsales.ie/viewanad.php?ad_id=1131340&r=

Seriously thinking about the Mazda and hopefully holding onto it long term 5 years+ Any input valued. Thanks.

Stheno

K4t wrote: »

Any opinions on these?

http://www.carsireland.ie/county/dublin/mazda/detail.php?ad_id=1274477&r=s.php%3Fm%3D51%26l[]%3D10%26g%3D3%26z%3D8 -

This Mazda for under €6K seems to fit the bill - 1.6 diesel, nct till May 2017, low tax, 118,000 miles, new timing belt fitted, and should be fairly economical - is this too good to be true?


Seriously thinking about the Mazda and hopefully holding onto it long term 5 years+ Any input valued. Thanks.

Do you not see the oxymoron in paying 2k more than your original budget to save less than that in tax over the five years you'd have the car? Ok it's only a tenner you'd save, but all you are doing is spending it upfront to fool yourself that you are saving it each year.

I'd tend to be wary of garages in the general area that car is being sold in, no experience of that particular garage though, they could well be fine

Also does the Mazda three in 2008 still have a timing belt rather than a chain?

First thing I'd do if I were you is motorcheck it, it's not expensive to do it

K4t

Stheno wrote: »

Do you not see the oxymoron in paying 2k more than your original budget to save less than that in tax over the five years you'd have the car? Ok it's only a tenner you'd save, but all you are doing is spending it upfront to fool yourself that you are saving it each year.

I'd tend to be wary of garages in the general area that car is being sold in, no experience of that particular garage though, they could well be fine

Also does the Mazda three in 2008 still have a timing belt rather than a chain?

First thing I'd do if I were you is motorcheck it, it's not expensive to do it

I'm willing to stretch the budget for the right car, and the low road tax and nct for almost 2 years is drawing me towards it - I mean, if that mazda should also be a far nicer drive than something like the tida which was fairly horrible - Rang them earlier and they explicitly said timing belt had just been done, seemed to be emphasizing it - guy seemed genuine but look - in your opinion do you think that's a good deal for the car regardless of my budget?

Stheno

K4t wrote: »

I'm willing to stretch the budget for the right car, and the low road tax and nct for almost 2 years is drawing me towards it - I mean, if that mazda should also be a far nicer drive than something like the tida which was fairly horrible - Rang them earlier and they explicitly said timing belt had just been done, seemed to be emphasizing it - guy seemed genuine but look - in your opinion do you think that's a good deal for the car regardless of my budget?

Well of the nine 2008 Mazda 3s listed on that site you linked to it's the cheapest, only two others are within €1k of that price, so I'd be asking why tbh

Spend a tenner doing a basic motorcheck

K4t

https://www.motorcheck.ie/car-check/gd57efw/tx1tqx/

I test drove the Mazda today and it felt great - car looks in great condition to me, clean engine etc it's a uk import and passed the mot in January and will undergo nct before buying too, which is then valid till 2017 -now it does seem too good to be true given the price, so I did a motor check and it came back fine apart from this part which I'll copy. I don't fully understand it myself, maybe someone here could explain?

Manufacturer Recalls
It appears that the vehicle you are researching may have been the subject of a manufacturer's recall within the European Union.

While this is not uncommon, it is important to verify if your vehicle was involved and if so that it has had any necessary remedial repairs, as outlined below, completed.
Sometimes we are able to provide a series of Chassis Numbers affected by the recall. But in many cases the chassis numbers are not available. In the case of the latter a franchise dealer will be able to check if this vehicle has been affected and whether the repairs have taken place via a diagnostics check.


Recall #1

ReferenceR/2008/050Manufacturer RefNot AvailableMakeMAZDAModel3 & 5Launch Date08/04/2008Numbers Involved4,033Build Start Date26/12/2006Build End DateNot AvailableConcernENGINE MOUNTING MAY FAIL UNDER SUDDEN ACCELERATIONDescriptionIt has been identified that the number 4 engine mounting bolt may not have been tightened to the correct torque during production. This could result in the engine mounting failing under sudden acceleration.Remedial ActionRecalled vehicles will have the mounting bolt checked for compliance. Should the torque on the subject bolt be found to be outside of the specification.The appropriate action as described in the technical instruction will be applied as necessary.Vehicle IDNot AvailableRecall #2


ReferenceR/2008/194Manufacturer RefNot AvailableMakeMAZDAModelMazda 3, 5 6 and 6 Wagon (fitted with RF Diesel engine)Launch Date09/02/2009Numbers Involved15,870Build Start Date26/12/2006Build End Date05/11/2008ConcernENGINE REVS MAY INCREASE INADVERTENTLYDescriptionIt is possible that white smoke can occur from the exhaust pipe and engine speed may increase whilst driving.Remedial ActionRecall affected vehicles and replace Power Control Module.Vehicle IDJMZBK******584967 to JMZBK******818514, JMZCR******106040 to JMZCR******229845, JMZGY******401609 to JMZGY******479004, JMZGG******606300 to JMZGG******731062




So I presume any problems were dealt with, there was a full service history but and everything seeme din order but want to be sure.

Any advice appreciated. Thank you.

Stheno

K4t wrote: »

So I presume any problems were dealt with, there was a full service history but and everything seeme din order but want to be sure.

Any advice appreciated. Thank you.

Basically Mazda had a recall as there was a defective bolt holding the engine in place, and it's possible that this car is/was affected.

The only way you could check this is to take it to a main Mazda dealer who will look up the chassis on the system and see if this car was one of the affected ones.

If it was, you'd have to check the service history to see if the work to fix it was done, and if it wasn't, then you'd have to take it in to a Mazda dealer for them to fix it.

K4t

Stheno wrote: »

Basically Mazda had a recall as there was a defective bolt holding the engine in place, and it's possible that this car is/was affected.

The only way you could check this is to take it to a main Mazda dealer who will look up the chassis on the system and see if this car was one of the affected ones.

If it was, you'd have to check the service history to see if the work to fix it was done, and if it wasn't, then you'd have to take it in to a Mazda dealer for them to fix it.

Thanks. Yeah I rang Mazda Uk (car was imported by dealer a few months ago) but they couldn't tell me if it was one of the affected cars, but he did say there wasn't any outstanding service campaign on it - he didn't have any info on the possible manufacture recall related to that reg car basically - he also said there is a gap in service history of about 4 years between 09 and 13 but that owner may have had it serviced independently. I'm really not sure what to do now, as I said the car seems like a great deal and if it goes through the nct in a week or two's time then surely I should be good to go as they'll spot any serious deficiencies if any?

Stheno

K4t wrote: »

Thanks. Yeah I rang Mazda Uk (car was imported by dealer a few months ago) but they couldn't tell me if it was one of the affected cars, but he did say there wasn't any outstanding service campaign on it - he didn't have any info on the possible manufacture recall related to that reg car basically - he also said there is a gap in service history of about 4 years between 09 and 13 but that owner may have had it serviced independently. I'm really not sure what to do now, as I said the car seems like a great deal and if it goes through the nct in a week or two's time then surely I should be good to go as they'll spot any serious deficiencies if any?

There's details of what appears to be the same recalls here and here with a list of all the affected VINs

Do you have the VIN? Check it against what's in the link

K4t

I don't have the VIN but I can ring and get it off the dealer - Even if the vehicle did happen to be one of the affected cars, it surely would have been fixed if it was driven for the last 6 or 7 years? And the fact that it will have to pass the nct shortly? If it passes the nct then we should be all good?

K4t

Would I be best to get the vin number, call the mazda customer care, and ask them to check if the vin correlates to an affected car, and if so whether the repair work was completed?

Stheno

K4t wrote: »

I don't have the VIN but I can ring and get it off the dealer - Even if the vehicle did happen to be one of the affected cars, it surely would have been fixed if it was driven for the last 6 or 7 years? And the fact that it will have to pass the nct shortly? If it passes the nct then we should be all good?

It won't necessarily have been fixed if it was affected, you need to check that.

The NCT is no guarantee if your car is one of the affected ones, they will check that the bolt is in place, but they are not going to check the torque on the bolt.

That's the issue with this recall that the bolt can fail suddenly due to the torque being wrong when it was built

K4t wrote: »

Would I be best to get the vin number, call the mazda customer care, and ask them to check if the vin correlates to an affected car, and if so whether the repair work was completed?

Well you've the list of VINS in that link I posted so you could start there, then if it was one of the affected ones, call Mazda and see if they have a record of it being fixed

K4t

I compared the vin on the Mazda and it did correspond to one of the faults (3) - engine revs may increase inadvertently - but I rang Mazda and they said there were no service campaigns outstanding or open on the car. I'm willing to take the risk on it at this stage as I'd have to do on any used car in the range I'm looking for - it's being registered with vrt next week and will do the nct so I mean, it's my history and responsibility to take care of it then. It does seem to be an excellent deal and close to exactly what I want in terms of a vehicle. I'm hoping to get 4+ years out of it if I look after it well which I will do.

Thanks for your assistance Stheno especially and others.

Stheno

K4t wrote: »

I compared the vin on the Mazda and it did correspond to one of the faults (3) - engine revs may increase inadvertently - but I rang Mazda and they said there were no service campaigns outstanding or open on the car. I'm willing to take the risk on it at this stage as I'd have to do on any used car in the range I'm looking for - it's being registered with vrt next week and will do the nct so I mean, it's my history and responsibility to take care of it then. It does seem to be an excellent deal and close to exactly what I want in terms of a vehicle. I'm hoping to get 4+ years out of it if I look after it well which I will do.

Thanks for your assistance Stheno especially and others.

Best of luck with it glad to be of assistance you could always get it I.e the offending part checked by a Mazda dealer for peace of mind