All wants and no cash..

Hey all.. I'm here with a wish-list that'll make you either laugh or cringe, depending on your mood, on a fairly tight-ish budget.



--- (long version starts) ---


In the last 2.5 years I've had a 00 Focus hatchback, 04 Rav4, 06 Peugeot 407 and currently I'm rattling around in an 01 Focus Estate. All cars have had their good and bad points, but I think the next car I buy will be one I'd like to hold onto for a while.

Of the above, the Rav4 lasted the longest (1 year). It's petrol costs (~20mpg) and my high mileage are what killed it for me. The current car (01 Focus estate) is giving no issues, no hassle, no troubles. It's getting me from A-B and it recently went through the NCT, failing only really on tyres (which I'll replace on Tuesday and pass the test then).

When I put the New NCT in the windscreen, that's the most the car will ever be worth, so I'm considering selling it around then. The car has it's few squeaks and squeals (mostly from the brakes - I presumed the pads would be an NCT fail but apparently not.. though I'd say they're due soon anyway). I paid €1,000 for it 7 months ago and with a fresh disc in the window and two months of tax, I reckon I could get close to what I paid for it back.

My issue with it, really, is that it's just a bit old in the tooth and on long drives, a tad uncomfortable (by long drives, I mean 10+ hours. After 4-5 hours in it you start to feel a little sore, but then, I naturally tend to lean to one side when I'm in it so that could be just me!).

I want something just a little bit more presentable when pulling up to customers houses etc. (not looking for something overly nice, as I'm not really overly fussed about what anyone thinks, but at the same time, I'd rather have something that just looked a bit more presentable than a 15 year old workhorse with a squeaky wheel :P ).

I work out that In the last 7 months I've put approximately 18,000km on the Focus, so I think I'm very firmly in diesel territory (that said, the focus, which is a 1.6 petrol, is really costing nothing to run. I'm not sure what MPG it's supposed to be getting as I've never measured, but I'd consider another petrol that had a similar engine or MPG-ability. I'm constantly amazed at how little the Focus costs on petrol. Although maybe there's just something wrong with my one...). That said, I love being cheap, so a diesel with great MPG would be the bees knees.


--- (long version ends) ---


My wish list (which I know I won't get all of) would be..


Must-haves:
- Air con
- Cruise control
(will outright not consider a car that doesn't have both of those)
- Fog lights (I hate the look of a car with the silly plastic inserts where the fogs should be)
- Alloys (g'way with your steelies!)
- Reliable (no Peugeot 407 style electrics! :P ).
- Manual.
- Relatively large cargo capacity (pretty much rules out saloons).

Nice-to-haves:
- Full/half Leather interior
- Built in bluetooth (for music streaming from phone, not just calls.. although this is easily added afterwards, so not a huge issue)
- Tax in the area of around €500 if possible (not gonna consider anything that hits near €1,000 tax, unless it's being practically given away).
- Preferably 2008 or above (but I'm realistic and know that's not overly likely, but would rather not go over 10 years old).
- Something with decent spec (a load of blank buttons on the dash will only serve to remind me of what I could/should have bought instead).
- The more buttons on the dash, the better
- Not silver.



I'd like to spend as little as possible, of course. I'd only really like to stretch to around €7k. €8k at a push, but would obviously rather spend less.


This has been on my radar:

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/2010-ford-mondeo-zetec-1-8-turbo-diesel-5999/9899587?offset=21

But not sure I want the VRT hassle (that said, it looks like, if the price for VRT is right as stated in the ad, and the asking price could be massaged down, then it could be a good deal?).

I've kinda fallen in love with Mondeo estates in general, they are something I really like the look of, but not something that really appear within my budget for what I want, unless they're on UK plates or in tatters.


Anyone got anything that pops in their heads at all?

I realise I may be pushing the boat out on the whole 'wishlist' thing, but I figure I may aswell ask! If everyone tells me to cop on to myself, then I'll just be back where I started :P

Cheers!

5ub

Well for a start the lad sellin that Mondeo is a trader on the QT. I bet you something if you bring it up to any office to be cleared there'll be some sort of late penalty.

Does it have to be an estate?

5ub

5ub wrote: »

Well for a start the lad sellin that Mondeo is a trader on the QT. I bet you something if you bring it up to any office to be cleared there'll be some sort of late penalty.

Does it have to be an estate?

I think once it changes hands, then the time you have to tax it (28 days?) gets refreshed and you can't be penalised for a late payment.

It's a tempting looking car. Colour is dire and VRT is a headache (and his VRT figure seems a tad low?) but other than that..


Doesn't need to be an estate. Just want something with a big cargo space. Would take an SUV or decent hatchback or whatever the case may be. Saloons just don't really offer the kinda space I'd make use of.

Moneymaker

BMW E90?
Volvo S60 or S80?

Moneymaker

Moneymaker wrote: »

BMW E90?
Volvo S60 or S80?

E90 doesn't appear on the list of models under brands on DoneDeal, but when I did a search for it all I seen were saloons.

No real interest in BMW in general, though. All I generally hear are complaints about expensive repairs (anecdotal as that may be).

Also not clued into Volvo's line of cars, but a search for affordable estates brings up a lot of V50s?

Seems both of your suggestions are pricy saloon-only models, which are the opposite of what I want?

bazz26

E9x is the code name of the platform of the 3 Series model from 2005 to 2012

E90 is the saloon
E91 is the estate
E92 is the coupe
E93 is the convertible

bazz26

bazz26 wrote: »

E9x is the code name of the platform of the 3 Series model from 2005 to 2012

E90 is the saloon
E91 is the estate
E92 is the coupe
E93 is the convertible

Ah okay. I've no knowledge of BMW's line of cars so...

Did a search for E91 and seemed to only bring 3 up that were estates (a rare car?!). Again, wouldn't be overly interested in a BMW on the basis of 'if anything goes wrong, it'll cost a lot to fix' mentality. I'd most likely be putting fairly significant mileage on the car so wouldn't be overly mad into anything that was gonna have overly expensive parts that wear out (hence BMW, Audi, Merc, etc.wouldn't be too appealing to me).

BMJD

You might get a 08+ Honda Accord estate for €8-€10k, mileage will be high but it should have most of the toys you're looking for

richardsheil

There's a guy in clontarf with an 11 Mondeo estate looking for 9960

Take a look on done deal.

richardsheil

richardsheil wrote: »

There's a guy in clontarf with an 11 Mondeo estate looking for 9960

Take a look on done deal.

Seen that there alright. Looks the business, I must admit, but I think he's just stretched a tad too far beyond my price range, unfortunately. If I could get €1k off it I'd be tempted but I doubt I'd get near that knocked off.

Feel like i'd only be wasting his time, to be honest.

Special Circumstances

BMJD wrote: »

You might get a 08+ Honda Accord estate for €8-€10k, mileage will be high but it should have most of the toys you're looking for

Saw a nice black one yesterday, first i had seen ages. Pity there aren't more around,would fancy one myself.

ozt9vdujny3srf

Deleted User wrote: »

Seen that there alright. Looks the business, I must admit, but I think he's just stretched a tad too far beyond my price range, unfortunately. If I could get €1k off it I'd be tempted but I doubt I'd get near that knocked off.

Feel like I'd only be wasting his time, to be honest.

It can't hurt to get in touch and let him know up front how much you're willing to spend.

darragh o meara

Davis Shy Stockade wrote: »

It can't hurt to get in touch and let him know up front how much you're willing to spend.

Even better, go see the car and bring the cash with you. If it's a good one make him an offer there and then. People who make offers over the phone tend to be timewasters in my opinion.

I rang the 2011 Mondeo guy, and was talking to him briefly. Mentioned boards and he said he actually seen this thread where his car is mentioned. Was only talking briefly but he said he wouldn't be interested in a €9k offer and the lowest he'd really go with it was about €9,600, which at the moment pushes it a tad out of my reach, unfortunately.

If i can make a better off to him in the coming days, and it's still there, I will, but it's not going to kill me to pass on it at €9,600.

I do like the Mondeo (not just that one, but in general) but I'm still open minded to other cars

What do ye guys make of this?

https://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/ford-kuga-zetec-2-0tdci-awd-9950-incl-v/9227485


Would the Kuga be well specced in general? According to Motorcheck that's a Zetec. I presume all Ford Zetecs carry the same level of equipment (Air con, etc.)?

mhackett102

Deleted User wrote: »

What do ye guys make of this?

https://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/ford-kuga-zetec-2-0tdci-awd-9950-incl-v/9227485


Would the Kuga be well specced in general? According to Motorcheck that's a Zetec. I presume all Ford Zetecs carry the same level of equipment (Air con, etc.)?

I absolutely love the Kuga jeeps but I'd much prefer a Mondeo estate. The interior in the Kuga seems to be based on the Focus and (IMO) the interior is much nicer and better spec'd in the Mondeo.

Not sure what the 2.0tdci engines are like either.

Reasonably high mileage too. 240k km on a 2010 vehicle.

EDIT: Is it a commercial your looking for?

Supergurrier

Kuga's are meh.

Build quality is sketchy on the interiors and mpg is poor, better off with Korean equivilants

mhackett102

mhackett102 wrote: »

I absolutely love the Kuga jeeps but I'd much prefer a Mondeo estate. The interior in the Kuga seems to be based on the Focus and (IMO) the interior is much nicer and better spec'd in the Mondeo.

Not sure what the 2.0tdci engines are like either.

Reasonably high mileage too. 240k km on a 2010 vehicle.

EDIT: Is it a commercial your looking for?

Ah, I actually only twigged that was a commercial on second look. I wouldn't mind driving a commercial at all, but my insurance is the issue. It's not due until February, and I dont want to lose out on a year of no claims driving halfway through a policy (especially as I accidentally did this 10 months into a policy last time!).

I also just seen the ad is over 50 days old so I presume someone has taken it by now.


I think the mileage in the ad is supposed to be in KMs though (rather than miles).

commited

You should definitely look at Volvo V50, it looks like it ticks all of the boxes.
- Air con
- Cruise control
- Fog lights
- Alloys
- Manual.
- Relatively large cargo capacity
- Full Leather interior
- Built in bluetooth (phone only I think)

This looks good, little high on the mileage side but Volvo handle mileage well.
http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/volvo/v50/used-2007-volvo-v50-2-0-d-se-spor-dublin-fpa-200714383573008070
It isn't 2008, so it will have the €710 tax, but its also 1 owner which is a big benefit.

2008 alternative
http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/volvo-v50-se-2-0d-luxury/9908809?offset=15

Assuming you were to pay sticker price, it's €2750 more for a 9 month newer car and it would take 8.5 years to make back the savings on tax. It has also had 3 owners, is higher miles etc etc.

A couple of other V50s worth a look:
http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/volvo/v50/used-2006-volvo-v50-2-0-d-se-1-o-dublin-fpa-200814377428486740
http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/volvo/v50/used-2007-volvo-v50-v50-2-0-d-se-meath-fpa-201520233338016

Other cars worth looking at:
http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/saab-93-late-2007/10071639?offset=5
http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/honda/accord/used-2008-honda-accord-honda-acco-laois-fpa-201513232170056

If you don't necessarily need an estate, you should consider the Honda Civic with the same engine, meant to be a great all-rounder:
http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/honda/civic/used-2008-honda-civic-2-2l-ictdi-cork-fpa-201528234881693

9935452

Deleted User wrote: »

Ah okay. I've no knowledge of BMW's line of cars so...

Did a search for E91 and seemed to only bring 3 up that were estates (a rare car?!). Again, wouldn't be overly interested in a BMW on the basis of 'if anything goes wrong, it'll cost a lot to fix' mentality. I'd most likely be putting fairly significant mileage on the car so wouldn't be overly mad into anything that was gonna have overly expensive parts that wear out (hence BMW, Audi, Merc, etc.wouldn't be too appealing to me).

The appeal of a diesel to be doing high mileage isnt as clear cut as you would think. yeah , cheap tax , cheaper fuel and more mpg but definately higher running costs.
nearly all modern diesels have a dual mass flywheel, which can fail regularly say 100k miles. a grand to fix incl clutch, clutch on petrol 500 which will probably last a lot longer.
diesel particulate filters will give bother .
Injectors will give trouble. Higher wear and tear on car as its heavier.

The mondeo you were looking at has a 1.8tdi engine which is the best of a bad lot. the 1.6 gave aweful bother especially when under serviced. the 2.0tdi every 60/70k miles the injectors would give trouble .

I had an escort 10 years ago and bought a golf . Like chalk and cheese to me . The golf was a sturdier car , way better put together, no rattles or squeaks like the escort , and way nicer to drive .
i wouldnt buy a ford again .

bazz26

Those 1.8 TDCi engines have a wet belt which is known to snap prematurely, expensive to replace at between €800 and €1k.

commited

commited wrote: »

You should definitely look at Volvo V50

Volvo's are a nice motor in general, I find. Drove a saloon one before, unsure of which actual car it was in their line, but it was nice enough to drive. The leather seats are a big selling point, too, there.

I think Volvo's have a 'serious' kind of image (a car that keeps on going?) but then my knowledge of them is fairly limited.

I will take a further look into them, though. I really liked the styling of the Accord estate, there, too.

If you don't necessarily need an estate, you should consider the Honda Civic with the same engine, meant to be a great all-rounder:
http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/honda/civic/used-2008-honda-civic-2-2l-ictdi-cork-fpa-201528234881693

Unfortunately I do want something with decent cargo capacity, but I have to give Honda a big thumbs up on the dash in that car! I love it. Would have no issue sitting into that for a long drive. Looks brilliant! (Accord isn't half bad, either).

9935452 wrote: »

The appeal of a diesel to be doing high mileage isnt as clear cut as you would think. yeah , cheap tax , cheaper fuel and more mpg but definately higher running costs.
nearly all modern diesels have a dual mass flywheel, which can fail regularly say 100k miles. a grand to fix incl clutch, clutch on petrol 500 which will probably last a lot longer.
diesel particulate filters will give bother .
Injectors will give trouble. Higher wear and tear on car as its heavier.

The mondeo you were looking at has a 1.8tdi engine which is the best of a bad lot. the 1.6 gave aweful bother especially when under serviced. the 2.0tdi every 60/70k miles the injectors would give trouble .

I had an escort 10 years ago and bought a golf . Like chalk and cheese to me . The golf was a sturdier car , way better put together, no rattles or squeaks like the escort , and way nicer to drive .
i wouldnt buy a ford again .

I've heard that on the Mondeo, the 2ltr is the best of the bunch and apparently is a timing chain set up? Could well be wrong as I haven't done my homework, really..

A lot of my miles would be around the town, start stop driving, but there would also be a fairly serious amount of motorway mileage, or mileage where the car is going for literally 10-12+ hours a day.

As I say, I've been overwhelmingly impressed at the 1.6 petrol focus' ability to cost little or nothing on petrol. I've no idea what MPG I get in it as I've never looked that far into it, but I am always overestimating how much it's going to cost me on petrol using it, and it always surprises me with a lower than expected bill.

If I could get another petrol that worked out the same as the focus, I'd jump at it, but I'm not sure what the MPG of the focus is, or what it's supposed to be.


My experience with Fords is entirely Focus based. I've owned 2 and a friend has currently got one, too. My two are Mk1's (A hatchback that I bought as my first car, nearly 3 years ago) and an estate that I currently drive.

The hatchback was given to my dad for tiny mileage (if he put 1,000km on it in the last 2 years I'd be surprised), and the estate is after doing the guts of 20,000km in the last six months. Both focus' are pretty much trouble free, and the estate just passed the NCT (well, except tyres, but you know what i mean, no major underlying issues), and was given a relatively clean bill of health from my mechanic a couple of weeks back.

My friend's car (Mk2 focus) had a leak in it (water getting in) that was fixed up for about €100. Issue was around the passenger wheel well. That's been his only issue.

So my opinion on Fords is based on that experience, which pretty much paints them in a bullet proof light to me. That said, they're all petrol engines (Estate is 1.6 and both hatches are 1.4).


I don't know if Ford are as good at putting together a reliable decent diesel as they are a petrol, though. But all the cars I've had have been relatively noise free inside (no cabin rattles or such). Estate does it's fair share of squeaking and squealing on the outside, I think, but I don't really mind that for the car in question.


This is why the 2ltr Mondeo mentioned above took my interest initially. I'd like to get that based on the experience I have of the Focus', and that it seems like decent value for money (if I could have gotten the seller down a bit more. Made an offer of €9,300 but that maxed me out and he hadn't replied, so).

I don't really want to be spending over 9k on a car in the first place, though. The V50s above seem like decent cars, too, and I do like Volvos in general (albeit I do think their saloons are their nicest looking cars).

9935452

Deleted User wrote: »

Volvo's are a nice motor in general, I find. Drove a saloon one before, unsure of which actual car it was in their line, but it was nice enough to drive. The leather seats are a big selling point, too, there.

I think Volvo's have a 'serious' kind of image (a car that keeps on going?) but then my knowledge of them is fairly limited.

I will take a further look into them, though. I really liked the styling of the Accord estate, there, too.




Unfortunately I do want something with decent cargo capacity, but I have to give Honda a big thumbs up on the dash in that car! I love it. Would have no issue sitting into that for a long drive. Looks brilliant! (Accord isn't half bad, either).






I've heard that on the Mondeo, the 2ltr is the best of the bunch and apparently is a timing chain set up? Could well be wrong as I haven't done my homework, really..

A lot of my miles would be around the town, start stop driving, but there would also be a fairly serious amount of motorway mileage, or mileage where the car is going for literally 10-12+ hours a day.

As I say, I've been overwhelmingly impressed at the 1.6 petrol focus' ability to cost little or nothing on petrol. I've no idea what MPG I get in it as I've never looked that far into it, but I am always overestimating how much it's going to cost me on petrol using it, and it always surprises me with a lower than expected bill.

If I could get another petrol that worked out the same as the focus, I'd jump at it, but I'm not sure what the MPG of the focus is, or what it's supposed to be.


My experience with Fords is entirely Focus based. I've owned 2 and a friend has currently got one, too. My two are Mk1's (A hatchback that I bought as my first car, nearly 3 years ago) and an estate that I currently drive.

The hatchback was given to my dad for tiny mileage (if he put 1,000km on it in the last 2 years I'd be surprised), and the estate is after doing the guts of 20,000km in the last six months. Both focus' are pretty much trouble free, and the estate just passed the NCT (well, except tyres, but you know what i mean, no major underlying issues), and was given a relatively clean bill of health from my mechanic a couple of weeks back.

My friend's car (Mk2 focus) had a leak in it (water getting in) that was fixed up for about €100. Issue was around the passenger wheel well. That's been his only issue.

So my opinion on Fords is based on that experience, which pretty much paints them in a bullet proof light to me. That said, they're all petrol engines (Estate is 1.6 and both hatches are 1.4).


I don't know if Ford are as good at putting together a reliable decent diesel as they are a petrol, though. But all the cars I've had have been relatively noise free inside (no cabin rattles or such). Estate does it's fair share of squeaking and squealing on the outside, I think, but I don't really mind that for the car in question.


This is why the 2ltr Mondeo mentioned above took my interest initially. I'd like to get that based on the experience I have of the Focus', and that it seems like decent value for money (if I could have gotten the seller down a bit more. Made an offer of €9,300 but that maxed me out and he hadn't replied, so).

I don't really want to be spending over 9k on a car in the first place, though. The V50s above seem like decent cars, too, and I do like Volvos in general (albeit I do think their saloons are their nicest looking cars).

The 2.0tdi mondeos are known for injector problems 80 to 100k kms.
if i was buying a diesel mondeo id buy a 1.8tdi
When i wanted to look at a mondeo as a replacement both my mechanics said nooo.
Basics were it would be a step down from vw in terms on build quality .
One was adamant that i should buy a 2.0tdi superb if i had the money.

my 98 escort was doing 30/32 mpg 1.4 petrol driven on.
02 1.4 petrol golf 35-40mpg driven on
09 a4 2.0tdi driven on 40-45 mpg.
That is all based on 50 /50 short drives long drives.
the escort was one of the last of them and id imagine she would be doig similar to a focus 1.4

Oh dont spend your entire budget on the car cause if something goes wrong you will have nothing to fix it

pete4130

The Gen 2 focus and V50 use the same platform...share some components. Not that different a car. Gen 2 Focus has better boot space regarding shape. Probably cheaper too.

pete4130

pete4130 wrote: »

The Gen 2 focus and V50 use the same platform...share some components. Not that different a car. Gen 2 Focus has better boot space regarding shape. Probably cheaper too.

The mk2 Focus doesn't seem to shabby to be honest and would be a car I'd definitely consider, but it seems a car that's never quite gotten into Cruise Control territory with it's spec sheet, for some reason.


It's a nice estate, though (aesthetically). I like the rear lights on it. There was a white one on DoneDeal a while ago that I was tempted to pull the trigger on, but no Cruise Control eventually put me off it.

MuppetCheck

Bring in a Ghia Focus from the UK, has cruise as standard.

What about a bit of an usual choice...a megane estate.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/view/10165009

Good points are its newer, 5 year unlimited mileage warranty and pretty reliable. Bad points are that you will be left with a high mileage French car which is the motoring equivalent of aids so you might have a hard sell afterwards and you'd need to see if the warranty is still in place. A bit of looking might unearth a lower mileage one.

There's a black megane hanging around the town I see fairly regularly. Tinted Windows, big wheels, etc. Looks really well.
Are French electrics still as bad as they once were?

I was just looking at that Mondeo in clontarf again. Mileage is approx 200km. Is that a tad on the very eexcessive side (for a 2011)? 50k per year?

The megane is a 2012 and has 136km on it (45km per year) are these figures a bit mental?! Or is it just me.

In my focus I'm doing what I personally consider to be "drive it into the ground" mileage, and even at that I've only covered 20km in the last 6 month's.

Are the mondeo and megane both financial write offs for me in terms of the mileage I'd put on them (I'd have the mondeo at 300,000 km by the time 2017 comes in). Is it effectively unsaleable at that point?

Or more importantly, at what point does a car become a money pit? Or if I keep on top of servicing it, will it go forever? The 2001 focus hasn't even hit the 300k mark yet (albeit it's cost nothing on repairs).

That megane looks nice, but French cars haven't ran well in my family in terms of electrics (brother has an 03 megane hatch) but I'm unsure if they have gotten their act together or not?

richardsheil

That Mondeo is sold.

Well I didn't necessarily mean that particular Mondeo, I just meant high milers in general. That Mondeo had the guts of 200km on it which seems exceptionally excessive to me (but maybe I'm just 'out of the loop' with regards to what mileage to expect).


At the moment I effectively have €10k sitting in my back pocket (or will have, by the end of the week). I'm in no rush to get something, so I can play the long game. That Mondeo that was in Clontarf seemed to have a better interior than a lot of the others that are listed (unsure why, as most seem to be Zetec spec level?).

What about this? Just text him and he reckons it's still available. I like Insignia's in general (albeit i rarely see them in anything but saloon form).

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/low-tax-2-year-nct-diesel-taxed-alloys-serviced/9461556?offset=2

George Dalton

Kuga Zetec didn't have cruise control as standard.

Had you noticed that the one you linked to is a commercial? So no rear seats.

George Dalton

George Dalton wrote: »

Kuga Zetec didn't have cruise control as standard.

Had you noticed that the one you linked to is a commercial? So no rear seats.

Lack of rear seats doesn't matter to me. Only issue with that is insurance is private so I'd either have to cancel and start again with a commercial policy, or I'd have to wait until February when my insurance expires and insure it then.


I just got off the phone with Mr Insignia:


http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/low-tax-2-year-nct-diesel-taxed-alloys-serviced/9461556?offset=2


Anyone got any advice on what to look out for on one of these? I like Insignias in general, but i've no idea of their spec levels. Friend of mine has a Vauxhall Astra and the centre is missing, i think, one button (blanked off). Everything else seems to be there and working fine. I love the busy, cluttered looking dash. Moar buttons! :P


I asked would he send on a pic of the centre console (to see what's there and whats missing) and the front of the car (as it seems to be strategically missing from all the photos.. although he did say that there's no damage present).


Might wander down to him during the week, but have no insignia knowledge, so.. Anyone reckon they're a good or bad bet? He said he bought it from a dealer, who said it was an ex company car (seems reasonable, though I'd be 99% confident it's been clocked along the way).

Also, on that Insignia ad, am I missing something.. what does the first line of text mean? " F. R. 15/12/2010"

"First registered"?

bazz26

That's because it's a Vauxhall from the UK so normal for a car to be registered at that time of the year as their registration system runs from March to September to March rather than by calendar year like here.

Ah okay. I think I understand where that's coming from (though unsure why he'd mention it).

Finding that insignia lead me on to this one;

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/2009-vauxhall-insignia-sri-nav-6-speed/10129296?offset=2


Which I think is a lot nicer (albeit pricier, older and twice the tax cost). But I've arranged to meet with him tomorrow afternoon for a quick look.

Would anyone know if there's anything in particular I should look out for on these?

bazz26

The seller is trying to portray that the car is more 2011 than 2010 as it was registered 10 days before Christmas.

Noccy_Mondy

Didn't see that car in Clontarf, but it's an obvious attempt at shilling, if there ever was one!

Anyways, found the thread. I know you're looking for space, but really a hatch mondeo should hold more than what any man would need. Have you looked in the boot of any?

It's just that you wouldn't be as restricted if you opened up to hatches.

I have both the focus and mondeo. There's no real similarities tbh. After spending a week in the focus away from the Mondeo, I always rush back to it. Completely different cars.

There's a lovely titx estate in Dublin, but it's silver and up for quite a while. This is a fair decent zetec sport with the upgraded alloys and sat nav for a decent price.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/view/9813688

Noccy_Mondy

Noccy_Mondy wrote: »

Didn't see that car in Clontarf, but it's an obvious attempt at shilling, if there ever was one!

Anyways, found the thread. I know you're looking for space, but really a hatch mondeo should hold more than what any man would need. Have you looked in the boot of any?

It's just that you wouldn't be as restricted if you opened up to hatches.

I have both the focus and mondeo. There's no real similarities tbh. After spending a week in the focus away from the Mondeo, I always rush back to it. Completely different cars.

There's a lovely titx estate in Dublin, but it's silver and up for quite a while. This is a fair decent zetec sport with the upgraded alloys and sat nav for a decent price.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/view/9813688

To be honest, buying a UK reg is a bit off putting to me, as I know that the NCT lads tend to make up the VRT price on the spot and I don't want to be caught short because some chap reckons it's worth more than I anticipated.

I've come across that Mondeo alright, but as with most cars I see on UK/NI plates, I tend to X out of them fairly swiftly. I've no idea what's involved in the VRT process and although Im confident it's nothing too hard, it's an extra hassle I'd rather avoid, unless I was really saving some money by doing it.


I did a bit of work in a furniture shop before and seen a chap get a 3 seater sofa into a hatchback Mondeo before (boot didn't actually close, but with a bungie cord to hold the lid in place, the sofa fitted in grand).


I'd rather have the van-like space of an SUV or Estate though (with the slightly raised roof the whole way back, rather than curving down like the hatchback). There's been a few times I've had the Focus packed to capacity (camping trip, photo gear, weekend away with a couple friends, gardening stuff, etc.) as well as using it as a make-shift bed once to sleep in (although it wasn't quite long enough ).

I had a 2004 Rav4 before and found that had great cargo space, too. I had a 407 saloon, which had great boot space for a saloon, but things did get a bit tight in it a handful of times.

So I do enjoy knowing that an estate won't really cost anything extra to run than a saloon (ie; not really gonna be any harder on MPG, etc.) and there'll always be that space there shall I need it.


I'm not in a crazy rush to buy, I have a new NCT and 2 months of tax on the Focus Im currently in, but I'd like to get something I'll be happy with for a few years (instead of constantly hopping from one car to the next the whole time).

I always liked the Insignias but always thought they were a lot pricier than they seem to be. I can't really get a decent Mondeo in my budget, from the looks of it, so an Insignia seems more appealing as a result.

Noccy_Mondy

I wouldn't go ruling out a uk car just because of the vrt. Go onto revenue's calculator online and see what you get. I paid something like 2k for mine 3 years ago.

I don't know if there's a case for getting the "quote" off revenues website and if they come up with a higher price on the day, you can show them the quote you got and see.

Generally speaking though, uk cars tend to be better minded, travel better roads, have a fsh with them too. Even if you wouldn't make any savings, knowing you were buying a car that was minded well should make up for it.

Noccy_Mondy

Noccy_Mondy wrote: »

There's a lovely titx estate in Dublin, but it's silver and up for quite a while.

Looks like I'll be ending up in a dreary silver car anyway


I presume this is what you were referring to?


http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/2009-ford-mondeo-2-0tdci-titanium-x-new-nct-amp-tax/9956146?offset=6


Doesn't look too bad. Interior/dash looks a bit cheap on it though compared to the one you didn't see in clontarf.

Clontarf one wasn't a million miles away from this:

http://fityourself.co.uk/10193-thickbox_default/rhd-ford-mondeo-mk4-dash-trim-kit-3m-3d-11-parts.jpg


The one in that titx model, considering that I thought that was the highest spec level, seems a bit Fisher Price-y? (also on the picture of the passenger side, does the bumper not line up right with the rest of the car?).

I told the big-wheeled/sri insignia chap that i'd call out to him tomorrow. Might see can i arrange a quick viewing of the above titx Mondeo while I'm in Dublin.

Noccy_Mondy

Noccy_Mondy wrote: »

I wouldn't go ruling out a uk car just because of the vrt. Go onto revenue's calculator online and see what you get. I paid something like 2k for mine 3 years ago.

I don't know if there's a case for getting the "quote" off revenues website and if they come up with a higher price on the day, you can show them the quote you got and see.

Generally speaking though, uk cars tend to be better minded, travel better roads, have a fsh with them too. Even if you wouldn't make any savings, knowing you were buying a car that was minded well should make up for it.

I do agree with that. I have to pop over to the NCT centre tomorrow to get the Focus' disc (needs a visual check for tyres and tints) so I'll ask when I'm there what the craic is with that kinda thing. Ideally you'd be able to get the quote off the revenue site and that'd be you sorted out. :rolleyes:

Noccy_Mondy

That's it alright.
That rear bumper does look a bit out of line, perhaps a fix up at some stage. The plastic bumpers tend to take the paint different to the metal, hence the colour difference but the join line looks a bit much. No harm in looking though. There's another ad up for it for 60 days, something must be up with it, tread carefully.

That one in clontarf must have been a titx sport so. The normal titanium has a brushed metal facia, whereas thee titx sport has a piano black finish. (Could easily change the facia to the piano black)

The vast majority have the separate sony radio and climate controls, however some have the nx unit, which has a touchscreen - basically the radio, climate and sat nav is combined into one. Not very common though, but looks well.

Noccy_Mondy

Noccy_Mondy wrote: »

That's it alright.
That rear bumper does look a bit out of line, perhaps a fix up at some stage. The plastic bumpers tend to take the paint different to the metal, hence the colour difference but the join line looks a bit much. No harm in looking though. There's another ad up for it for 60 days, something must be up with it, tread carefully.

That one in clontarf must have been a titx sport so. The normal titanium has a brushed metal facia, whereas thee titx sport has a piano black finish. (Could easily change the facia to the piano black)

The vast majority have the separate sony radio and climate controls, however some have the nx unit, which has a touchscreen - basically the radio, climate and sat nav is combined into one. Not very common though, but looks well.

The clontarf was actually a Zetec, I believe. Maybe someone just swapped bits out at some point, but it didn't have the usual twisty knobs for the heater strenth, temperature etc it all looked integrated into a button set up. I had it bookmarked but deleted it when it sold. Pity now, as i'd have liked to know what exact trim level it was. Was vastly nicer than most (all?) other Mondeos I've come across.


I will ring and try to arrange a spin in the Mondeo directly after the Insignia. At least then I'll be able to hopefully compare them both and get an idea with regards to how far they'll budge on price.

The insignia SRI interests me, but at 9700 i feel it's priced a bit too excessively. If yer man is willing to drop a good bit then I'd take it but not willing to pay over the odds when I could get 2 year newer one (2011) for a grand less without any real effort.

Noccy_Mondy

Must be the nx unit so, an optional extra. Like I said, everything is integrated, radio, sat nav, climate. Not that awful common though, so you'd have a job to find one.


http://www.caraudio-service.ru/published/publicdata/GBCARSQL/attachments/SC/products_pictures/ford-travel-pilot-nx-Blaupunkt-Travelpilot-Navi-Navigation-GPS-DVD-Mondeo4-MK4.JPG

And before you ask, yes they are a fecker to retrofit, requires different loom :P

Best of luck tomorrow anyway.

Noccy_Mondy

Noccy_Mondy wrote: »

Must be the nx unit so, an optional extra. Like I said, everything is integrated, radio, sat nav, climate. Not that awful common though, so you'd have a job to find one.


http://www.caraudio-service.ru/published/publicdata/GBCARSQL/attachments/SC/products_pictures/ford-travel-pilot-nx-Blaupunkt-Travelpilot-Navi-Navigation-GPS-DVD-Mondeo4-MK4.JPG

And before you ask, yes they are a fecker to retrofit, requires different loom :P

Best of luck tomorrow anyway.

No.. that one's too fancy! It wasn't that high end looking!

Does annoy me though that you can buy a car (new) for 30-40 thousand euro and you still might not even get a sat nav included


I'll be back tomorrow to let ye know how I get on with it all.

Cheers