What they should be telling us

Ann Elk

It seems to be the common trend for all motor magazines/programmes to be dedicated to keeping us up to speed with all the latest in the world of performance cars, whilst i'm all in favour of this (i think that much of the interest in motors hinges around the fantasy/mystery thing) and really enjoy "what i saw today" (should definately be a sticky), it suddenly dawned on me on Thursday whilst driving in ****ty west of ireland weather, behind an artic. leaking crap that the windscreen washers on my rover are ****e!

This got me thinking, why do magazines not give proper shrift to such important things as washers, headlights etc.

I thought that it might be helpful to have a thread dedicated to the good and not so good aspects of our cars that every car magazine deems too unimportant to mention - yet have a huge impact on everyday useage.

I'll start so with the rover 214 '99 reg 1.4 16v
Crap windscreen washers,
Crap dim lights,
Great hi-beams.

Feel free to add in the hope that it will add that little more vital info for all of us buying in the future....

Kavs

98 polo 1.0l (The shame)

The Bad:
Dangerously underpowered for overtaking,
brakeing from speed is always a drama(no ABS)
Sh*!ty waterpump goes after 50 - 80k
heating radiator can leak coolant(happened recently!)
Handles like a boat!

The Good:
Great starter car ,
Learn to brake properly ..,
parts usually fairly cheap,
About 10miles to the litre(well with these bloody prices that figure is dropping rapidly.)
and cheap tax
fairly modern dash for its age and class of car.

Good thread by the way, gives potential buyers an insight.

BrianD3

2003 Renault Laguna 1.6
The bad:
Air con seems to sap a lot of power. Easy to stall when pulling away with air con on
Headlight stalk is just a little too far from the steering wheel meaning that it cannot be comfortably "flicked" with one finger while leaving hand on wheel (I have average sized hands BTW)
Tyre pressure sensors vulnerable to damage when getting tyres fitted
Dublin main stealer servicing is a ripoff
Flap which comes down over radio is poorly designed and built

The good:
Everything else especially the seats and ride comfort, equipment and economy and *touch wood* reliability

glynf

2004 2.0D SE Volvo S40

Headlights excelent, dims ok.

wipers v. good-but wear quick, new fangled type with no metalbits(they're a one piece rubber design), €50 a set from main dealer, as no spurious ones available yet.

Good:

Quick for a diesel, and plenty of torque.

V. comfortable and lots of toys.

Economical, 5.6l/100km average town/open road.

Bad:

Saucy servicing costs.

Eats tyres if you have a heavy foot.

still no ipod kit available.

mike65

Merc 190e

Poor/bad aspects

No leg room in the back!

Single combined wiper/indicator stalk a poor concept - tricky to do a single "flick" wipe.

Rather too sharp headlight beam cut off.

Noisy blower motor

No flow-through ventilation.

Heater takes time to get warm/hot

No warm air vents in centre of dash (only cold ones)

Pedals a bit too close together


Good aspects

Good leg room in front (except for big steering wheel!)

When the front end is set up correctly it handles like a Pug 205! But with power from the back, very nice round the bends. G

Goes better the faster you go.

Smooth engine note under power

Corners pretty flat

Its a merc dammit!

Mike.

bazz26

2003 Toyota Avensis MkII 1.8 Luna

Good bits:
Build quality is excellent,
Dual Zone Climate Control is very handy,
Very comfortable driving position,
Comfortable seats on long journeys,
Good rear leg room and large boot,
"Follow me home" lights are handy,
Nice clunk sound when opening and closing the doors.

Bad bits:
Changing a headlight bulb is difficult due to poor layout of engine bay,
A few rattles from the dash board (seems to be a Toyota trademark),
Front blind spot from the A-pillers that meets the windscreen due to location of front curtain airbags,
Rain sensing wippers too sensitive, drive me mad at times,
1.8 will not set the road on fire and can be thirsty,
Passenger seat belt warning buzzer which cannot be switched off.

Stephen

"Follow me home" lights?

unkel

1996 BMW 735iA V8 Executive

Bad bits:

LCD panel below the speedo /rev is not always fully readable (known problem)

it's huge so parking would be an issue without park distance control

Dublin City mileage around 20mpg, elsewhere 30+mpg

motor tax

motor tax

motor tax

Good bits:

Parking isn't that much of an issue with the help of 8 parking sensors

TV

Excellent on-board computer

Drives like a much smaller car

Smooth tranny

Nappa leather

Unbelievable value for money @7 years old

Superb V8 engine

Space everywhere

Great long distance comfortable executive car

V8 torque for overtaking - knowing the power is always there if I need it

Cheaper than driving a 2 year old Corolla

bazz26

Stephen wrote:

"Follow me home" lights?

Headlights stay on for about 30 seconds after you lock the car at night. It is suppose to give you time to get in the front door of your house without fumbling around searching for the house key, at least that is the theory anyway.

RicardoSmith

Generally most car magazine are all about new cars. But some have articles about running older cars, and repairing them. Maybe you should read different magazines.

jayok

Honda Civic Type R (04 model)

Bad bits:

Rough ride

Noisey ride

No A/C as standard

Lego-wheel spare

Black scratches very easy

Lower suspension can scratch on speed bumps

Huge blind spot when reversing

Depreciation

Insurance

Petrol hungry around town

Tires every 10,000 miles

Good bits:

0-100km/h time

Overtaking is a breeze

Handling is superb in any bend

Gearbox as smooth as silk

Projector headlights

Mirror mounted indicators

and most of all P1ssing off those skanger Civic / Focus / Micra / Alfa ... (and on and on) drivers!

Squirrel

1993 Toyota MR2 G-Limited T-Bar

Bad Points

Bitch to keep clean

Space saver spare

Difficult to get front spot light off

Alternator was a big job, rear axle had to come off

Pools of water collect around the rear spoiler, it has a slight lip under the main wing

I can't legally drive it

Good Points

Looks

Handling

Very responsive throttle - perfect for boy racers at traffic lights

Standard 15 inch thick spoke alloys

Pretty much everything

Borzoi

1995 Saab 900 SE 2.0turbo Convertible

Bad Points

Space saver spare
Expensive spares
Front wheel drive
Turbo lag
Room in the back for midgets only
Large centre console between the front seats takes a lot of space
Long sloping bonnet and bumper make it hard to judge the end of the car
Quite dark inside with the hood up
Hood mechanism takes a chunk out of the boot space
Scuttle

Good Points

Looks
Handling (much better in the dry than the wet mind)
Turbo power
Top down fun


But the strength of the good points far out weigh all the niggly bad ones

HashSlinging

1997 Toyota Corrolla 1.3 Xli plus

Bad Points

Looks takes a bit of getting used to it
Security
Electrics - both the rear window demisster and the central locking are gone AWOL.


Good Points

Reliable engine
Rear room
Its red - and has a liverpool sticker on the window
Family friendly - the kids love it
Nippy for a 1.3 (75bhp)
Cheap to maintain
its very well put together, the dashboard on it is far superior to most, soft touch plastic is really nice.
easy to keep clean
very comfortable
economical
TAX!!
TAX!!
TAX!!
INSURANCE!!
INSURANCE!!
MPG
MPG
MPG
will last forever
has its own personality
brand

PlayaFlow

Mitsubishi Colt 1993

GOOd points:

Engine is uncrackable (i ve driven it for 36k , it now has 99k - reved it to redline evry day - basically drove the crap out of it - engine as good as new - if not better - I changed the oil evry 4.5k to be sure)

Heaters inside car work great , dry up all windows in 2seconds

Sound of the engine is really really nice and throaty -its unmodified

its fast for a 1.3 (75bhp) , and very quick take off as its so light.

linterior is nice and still looks modern. nice and curvey.

Car looks much better than any cars of that year- even newer ones. (fiesta , corsa and micras of that era)

Great gearbox

Bad points:

feels a bit tinny and hollow.

tends to wanna get robbed by scummers.

---

nice car , typically japanese i guess. would never have chosen a corsa , polo micra fiest etc over it.

Ann Elk

RicardoSmith wrote:

Generally most car magazine are all about new cars. But some have articles about running older cars, and repairing them. Maybe you should read different magazines.

I agree with you there, and do try to read as widely as possible, I'm aware that there are a couple of magazines out there dedicated to used cars and that most magazines have a dedicated section, indeed topgear do a longterm owners review which raises some interesting points. However, my main point was that none of these reviews seem to pay attention to the more niggling faults on that cars that the vast majority of us are going to own as either a starter motor, or a second car.

It's really at this stage of driving experience that issues such as headlights, windscreen washers, mirror size and position etc. take at least as much, if not more, precedence as ride comfort, acceleration, torque output etc.

The idea behind the thread was that poeple starting out could have a look and get an idea about these 'smaller' issues which make our cars irksome and/or enjoyable. I've already picked up a few things to bear in mind when shopping for my own second car.

Eoin

This seems to be turning into more of a car review thread - which would be a great idea anyway, given the amount of "what car should I buy" threads.

2000 Alfa Romeo 156 Sportivo (1600CC)
Bad points:
Alfa dealers can be dìckheads
Reputation of poor reliability (though it has actually been as reliable as any other car I have owned - the odd blown bulb has been the only problem I have had)
Pretty thirsty
Very bad depreciation, though this can be a good thing depending on when you buy it.
Quite high servicing costs

Good points:
Fantastic looking car
Sportivo model is well specified
Small-ish 1.6 engine still has a good bit of power (120 BHP)
Handling is amazing
Really nice interior
Comfortable on long distances
Recessed rear door handles makes it look a little like a coupe

jayok wrote:

and most of all P1ssing off those skanger Civic / Focus / Micra / Alfa ... (and on and on) drivers!

Ignoring civic drivers who think they are pìssing you off

blastman

Honda CR-X 1991

The good:
VTEC engine is indestructible (as is the non-VTEC engine)
Incredible reliability.
Will outrun more or less anything up to 2.0L and it's only a 1.6L
Not as high profile among the car liberation fraternity as you might think (certainly less so than its sister Civic)
Still looks good 15 years on.
Handles like it's on rails.

The bad
Prone to rust, especially the sills, wheel arches and sunroof if it has one (the maxim "Miles don't kill Hondas, rust does" is worth remembering)
Leaks around the rear windscreen washer giving rise to pools on the back seat (easily fixed though)
No back seat worth talking about if you're over five.
Fast and old - not a combination insurance companies are usually fond of.
Er, that's about it, there are one or two small known things which are easily fixable e.g. main relay prone to dry joints, re-soldering should fix this.

ds20prefecture

2000 Skoda Octavia 1.6 Estate

Bad points
Its a bit dull
Poor rear legroom
Stupid rear wiper won't wrap the curve of the rear screen
Front ground clearance a bit low
eye watering dealer servicing costs in Dublin (cheap as chips down the country)
Lighting is only adequate.

Good points
Huge boot - big enough for 4 labradors.
Utterly dependable.
Good, supportive seats.
Nicely adjustable driving position.
Excellent visibility - no blind spots, easy to park, etc.
Engine is strong enough (just) for the size of car - a diesel would be better.
Nice clear instruments
Decent specification for the price paid
Good residual value
Still a pretty handsome estate.

ds20prefecture

1972 Citroën DS 20

Bad points
Prone to rust, but hides it well.
Very very slow in terms of acceleration.
Noisy engine and windnoise above 80mph.
Unbelievably thirsty (as low as 17mpg in town)
Would not like to have a high speed accident in one.
Wipers have a very small sweep
Rear width makes it a little tight for 3 adults in the back.
Power steering is a little heavy.
Alarming amounts of roll in the corners.

Good points
Spectacularly comfortable.
Lots of legroom and a big boot.
Strong brakes.
Semi-auto gearchange.
Self levelling suspension make for a great tow car.
Excellent road-holding.
Excellent visibility.
Great lights, including directional driving lights.
Very robust & reliable.
Extremely low running costs due to lack of (or reverse) depreciation.
The most beautiful car ever made.
The most innovative car ever made.

Big Nelly

00 VW Passat 1.9Tdi

Bad Points:
Low enought head lights
Can be noisy when in neutral
Take off speed(only 90Bhp model so needs to be chipped, bro has the 130Bhp and she flys)
Seat could be more comfortable like the Comfortline model but still drove to Kerry and back to Dublin without a problem

Good Points:
Loads of room inside and in boot
I like the look of it(prob everyone slate me now)
Easy on Diesel.....full tank get about 600 miles on long journey and about 550 in town
Relabile(so far anyway)

95 Nissan Primera 1.6(sold a while back)
Bad Points:
Eats petrol
Brakes are terrible and non stop replacing brake pads
No ABS
Steering can be dodgy, constant pull to passengers side even after realignment
After 100000 had to replace clutch and gearbox

Good Points
Comfortable
Quick
Reliable as well.....kept serviced every 6 months and apart from replacing parts and so on has never broke down

I also drive an 98 Audi A4 and a 05 Izuzu D-Max which I can rate if required!

AlanD

'00 Peugeot 406 2.0 HDi 110bhp

Bad Points
A bit bland looking
Noisy on startup
not much else really

Good Points
Smooth diesel engine at cruising speed
Very economical 50+ mpg
Nice power for overtaking
Roomy front and back
Large boot
Nice handling
Excellent climate control unit
Comfortable seats
Low servicing costs

ambro25

1997 Subaru Impreza AWD 2.0 Sport edition

The Bad
thirsty (-very)
eats tyres for breakfast, then always asks for seconds at dinner
no aircon
no rear headrests
back windows don't wind down fully, only 3/4 or so
a bit spartan
small-ish legroom in back (but more of it than an IS200)
front's a bugger to clean up/wax, what with all the apertures

The Good
it was cheap (as chips)
it's a Scooby
it looks mean (-very)
it does the business, without a turbo and the insurance that comes with it
comfy and very precise ride
big boot (you'd be surprised how-)
it's 4WD...
...but it's the size of a saloon

1998 Mazda MX-5 1.8i 'Berkeley' ltd ed

The Bad
the roof back-lip is a pain to wash
the doors get a dent if you look at them funny - so no supermarket/Liffey Center
it's thirsty (again ... or maybe it's just me )
it's... erm... that's it!

The Good
it puts a big goofy grin on my face when I drive it
it puts a big goofy grin on your face when you see it
it's 60s open-top driving with 90s Jap reliability
it eats Elises and any boy racer wagon you throw at it
it's RWD
it's been on the same brake pads and tyres for the last 3 years, plenty left in both
oh - nearly forgot: and it's the 141st-to-last ever MX-5 with pop-up headlights ever made - so it should hold a good bit of value for a while

Wibbs

94 JDM Honda Integra SIR 1.8L VTEC(2 door)

Bad points.

Scumbag magnet.
Lack of security(door locks are useless).
Bumpers easily scratched with no rubber protectors.
High front tyre wear
Standard seats not particularly comfortable.
Headlights utterly useless.
Feels quite "tinny", though I've heard they are quite good in a crash.
Rear headroom or lack of it(shut up back there you're lucky to be getting a lift).
High insurance if you're young.

Good points

Reliability. Very well screwed together. They just don't break. Unreal.
Very good petrol mileage(if you keep off the VTEC, then it's an organised leak)
One of the best engines ever.
Nice gearbox, clutch and steering.
Very easy to drive.
Good handling/grip compromise.
Fast and good for overtaking.

Webmonkey

Rover 400 1.4 98 Hatchback Model.


Bad
The Famous Headgasket Problem
Air blower, loud. blows leaves in as leaves get into the system easily.
Burns fuel on small journeys (seems to make a big difference when you have a car full) On your own it has good MPG. 40mpg average.
Only had car about 4 months so atm don't know any more bad bits.
Gets noisy over 6 - 7 revs.

Good
Fast car for a 1.4. Excellent torque in the low gears. No problem passing out.
Leg room, car in general has a lot of room inside.
A lot of boot room.
Very smooth car on the road.
Back wiper turns on automatically if wipers on when you reverse. (I don't know if this is in all cars as standard now)
Powerful lights.
Beautiful looking car

Eoin

I think the poor OP has been totally hi-jacked at this stage, maybe this should be split into a "car review" thead?

Anyhow:
1999 Volkswagon Golf 1.4 Comfortline
Bad points:
Very underpowered
Flimsy interior trim (cup holders etc very fragile)
Rear bulbs blow a lot
Throttle wire gets dirty resulting in very sluggish performance (lomb posted a detailed explanation on this a while ago)

Good points:
Nice uncomplicated looking car
Decent enough room in the back for passengers
Great resale value
Solid feel, point above regarding the trim not withstanding
Basically a car for everyone. And yes, I am aware that's exactly what "Volkswagon" means
Blue dash lights very easy on the eye

2001 Peugeot 206 1.1 LX
Bad points:
Quite slow and prone to a bit of wallowing
Somewhat of a girlie rep
Driver arm rest (Peugeot accessory, not standard in mine) could not be moved out of the way

Good points:
Very reliable, only had problem with the brake light staying on in 2 years.
Cheap servicing
Great resale value, AFAIK the best in it's class
Nice styling inside and out. The interior has a lot of upholstery, breaking up the plastic. Front and rear bumper areas have nice lines.
Remote control for the stereo as standard
Fog lights as standard
Massive sunroof, was only a 200 quid option back then

1989 Mini 998CC
Bad points:
Rust. Dear Christ, the rust.
Very unreliable, you really need to buy a good example to have faith in it.
Boot space laughable
Like getting kicked in the àrse when driving on a road with any type of bumps at all
Room in back somewhat cramped
Easy to break into, door locks were about as secure as the locks on suitcases
The stereo is normally on the passenger side beside the door. Then again, still not too far away to reach!

Good points:
Absolutely fantastic to drive
Parts are for nothing
Absolutely fantastic to drive - had to say it again. It's just a go-kart with a roof
Car can be customised without looking like a boy racer (no offence to the modders out there)
Very eye catching car
It's just cool.

setanta

2001 E46 BMW 318Ci

Bad Points:
Expensive to service; very; second mortgage job
1.9 litre engine is underpowered for off the line speed
I think I look great in it but I probably look like a ponce :cool:
Thats it I think

Good Points:
Where do I start ?
Handling superb
Traction superb
Driving position excellent
Lights, dims and high beams, excellent
I look great in it
Resale value
Tax and insurance isn't that bad considering its a beemer
Sport suspension is firm but not bone shaking
Gear changes very smooth
AC excellent
I could go on but I won't - suffice to say it is the best car I have ever driven (previous cars were Mk1 Golf GTi, Mazda 323f, Pug 406, Rover 414i, Citroen Saxo Furio)

layke

Honda Civic 1.6i 96'

Excellent on fuel (it runs on fumes when you need it to).
The Engine goes for ever..and ever
Excellent handling, quite grippy around corners.
Good Turn ratio
Very quick at breaking (2 Disk at front, 2 Drum at back).
Lightweight.
120Bhp as standard.
Low front (god forbid you have an accident) the person goes over the car rather then being rammed (I believe this has been incorporated into most new car models now).
Good electrics, noting has broken yet.
If it's an Irish model you can pick up parts in any scrapyard.
Holds it's value a lot better then ote manufacturers.

Bad points ::

The left rear tailght is slightly dimmer then the righ (corrected in the 98 model).
Once the insurance company hears you have a Honda, you pay.
Be wary of buying second hand cars they are very popular Racermobiles.
New Parts are expensive comparing to other manufacturers.

ssh

99 Honda S-2000 2.0l vtec Jap import (had it 2 weeks)

Bad points:

No clock on dash!
Tricky in the wet.
Very thirsty above 6krpm.
Wierd gearing - Even though it has 6, it gets noisy above 100km/h.
Central locking and alarm seem to be living on a different planet.
Very small boot.
Glovebox is laughable.
Suspension makes my bum sore.
Power steering went (fiddled with unit to sort it out)

Good points:

Digital dash is cool - very knight-rider.
Sound - above 6krpm is just incredible. 9krpm is just scary.
Fantastic gear-stick - very quick. (it needs to be)
Quick roof.
Fast (with mods does 0-60 in < 6 seconds).
Great looking headlights.
Excellent build quality inside. Very sturdy.
Polite traction control.