Things I Don't Like

[chrisroberson99]

2 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

Been there, done that, it doesn't work.  What basically happens is that something catastrophically breaks, you lose a load of money and all confidence in it and wish you'd just bought something newer lol. I wouldn't go any older than I've already got now, but even sticking with Mk2, for a 1.6 99bhp it's like 35-40mpg and £185 tax!   Just couldn't afford to run it, I'd go for diesel any day before DPFs were added.  Tbh I want a change from the Mk2 Focus now anyway, if I got another I'd always be thinking about how the 'old one' was in better condition or had better options etc lol.

But don't you do low mileage anyway? Surely a few mpg won't make much of a difference over say 10k miles compared to a diesel. Whilst the petrols will be a bit more to tax, fuel is slightly cheaper and servicing is less too. The petrol models seem to be a bit cheaper as well...

Probably won't as much as a difference as you think, especially seeing as you want a newer car and most of the diesels will have DPFs you'll be back to square one.

& Jamie is right, an old car won't necessarily be a money pit simply because it's old, you could buy a 5 year old car that is a complete money pit simply because it hasn't been looked after. Find a tidy example and it should serve you well.

 

[Ken.K]

You can buy a 2 yr old that is a complete lemon. I could not see what mileage you were after but you could get a Mondeo or a foci loads out there sub 6k, been looking for a change myself due to the mileage am doing and it being a petrol but after speaking with Tom on here it seems it will hold up well. Dpf also is hit and miss if you really want a good one look for one not used for mainly short trips

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[TomsFocus]

17 hours ago, iantt said:

my ecoboost is only worth 6k according to the valuation sites.
for the sake of £40ish i would just take it for an mot and see what happens. i assume you have an engine undertray fitted?
what changes are happening in april?

Trade price maybe?  Still at least £8k for a 1.0 Focus Zetec at the local dealers, cheapest one currently -   http://www.johngrose.co.uk/used/ford/focus/10-125-ecoboost-zetec-5dr/ipswich/suffolk/17470127?frch=ford  Titanium would be £10k!!  Fiestas are about the same due to being younger. 

I do have an undertray but it doesn't cover it, as it was cut open along the back...in between the block and undertray, the poor welding in the wrong place stares you in the face from underneath. What could I do if it did fail though?  It'd be worth almost nothing as an MOT fail, plus no-one would take it in PX and I'd be completely buggered surely.

I thought there were better DPF checks coming into MOT from April, it was you that posted about it iirc lol?

17 hours ago, jmurray01 said:

Works for me!  I bought the 2005 Nissan Primera for £300 with 10 months MOT and we kept it for approximately 7 months, and all I did in that time was put four winter tyres on it (voluntarily, the existing tyres were still fine) and get it one oil change.

The current MK1 Focus cost £190 and so far we've had it for over 4 months and done almost 4,000 miles.  How much have I spent on it?  Absolutely nothing, just petrol!

I seem to remember it worked well with the Santa Fe as well...   In all my ~40 cars, the most unreliable and most expensive to run have all been old stop gaps!  Maybe I'm just bad at buying cars (well I think that's a given!) but with newer stuff on lowish miles there's usually less chance of previous owners having ruined it first.   Usually just one or two things to fix at 6 years old compared to everything broken at double that lol.  Plus you've got bigger issues cropping up as well, clutches, cambelts, rust etc on older cars.  I'm certainly not saying new cars never break, it's more about damage limitation.  My Mum and Nan think I'm mad buying cars that are 6 years old as to them they're about due for scrap already!   They always had new or nearly new cars which never break...and annoyingly I've not been able to prove to them that cars can still be reliable at 6 years+ yet.  

16 hours ago, chrisroberson99 said:

But don't you do low mileage anyway? Surely a few mpg won't make much of a difference over say 10k miles compared to a diesel. Whilst the petrols will be a bit more to tax, fuel is slightly cheaper and servicing is less too. The petrol models seem to be a bit cheaper as well...

Probably won't as much as a difference as you think, especially seeing as you want a newer car and most of the diesels will have DPFs you'll be back to square one.

& Jamie is right, an old car won't necessarily be a money pit simply because it's old, you could buy a 5 year old car that is a complete money pit simply because it hasn't been looked after. Find a tidy example and it should serve you well.

 

It does make a huge difference, even over 10k.  10 pence per mile is about as high as I can go, and the DV6 floats around that at ~52mpg on current prices.  Petrol is only 2ppl cheaper so would have to average 50mpg to do the same.  Not gonna happen even with the modern petrols lol!  Older small ones (eg 1.6 Focus) are more realistically 40mpg, 13 pence per mile, £300 extra over a year or high £20s each month.  Plus the extra £10+ per month of tax.  It all adds up unfortunately and I just don't have a spare £35+ a month to do that.

 

[jmurray01]

1 hour ago, TomsFocus said:

Trade price maybe?  Still at least £8k for a 1.0 Focus Zetec at the local dealers, cheapest one currently -   http://www.johngrose.co.uk/used/ford/focus/10-125-ecoboost-zetec-5dr/ipswich/suffolk/17470127?frch=ford  Titanium would be £10k!!  Fiestas are about the same due to being younger. 

I do have an undertray but it doesn't cover it, as it was cut open along the back...in between the block and undertray, the poor welding in the wrong place stares you in the face from underneath. What could I do if it did fail though?  It'd be worth almost nothing as an MOT fail, plus no-one would take it in PX and I'd be completely buggered surely.

I thought there were better DPF checks coming into MOT from April, it was you that posted about it iirc lol?

I seem to remember it worked well with the Santa Fe as well...   In all my ~40 cars, the most unreliable and most expensive to run have all been old stop gaps!  Maybe I'm just bad at buying cars (well I think that's a given!) but with newer stuff on lowish miles there's usually less chance of previous owners having ruined it first.   Usually just one or two things to fix at 6 years old compared to everything broken at double that lol.  Plus you've got bigger issues cropping up as well, clutches, cambelts, rust etc on older cars.  I'm certainly not saying new cars never break, it's more about damage limitation.  My Mum and Nan think I'm mad buying cars that are 6 years old as to them they're about due for scrap already!   They always had new or nearly new cars which never break...and annoyingly I've not been able to prove to them that cars can still be reliable at 6 years+ yet.  

It does make a huge difference, even over 10k.  10 pence per mile is about as high as I can go, and the DV6 floats around that at ~52mpg on current prices.  Petrol is only 2ppl cheaper so would have to average 50mpg to do the same.  Not gonna happen even with the modern petrols lol!  Older small ones (eg 1.6 Focus) are more realistically 40mpg, 13 pence per mile, £300 extra over a year or high £20s each month.  Plus the extra £10+ per month of tax.  It all adds up unfortunately and I just don't have a spare £35+ a month to do that.

 

I think you are being sarcastic, but it did actually.  Yes when I got rid of it the new owner got an eye-watering MOT failure list, but whilst I had it there were no problems and I didn't spend any money on it, so the moral of that story is to buy a car cheaply with MOT, and get rid of it before it expires and leave the new owner with the problem of failures. 

[TomsFocus]

7 minutes ago, jmurray01 said:

I think you are being sarcastic, but it did actually.  Yes when I got rid of it the new owner got an eye-watering MOT failure list, but whilst I had it there were no problems and I didn't spend any money on it, so the moral of that story is to buy a car cheaply with MOT, and get rid of it before it expires and leave the new owner with the problem of failures. 

I'm always that new owner though!   I'd feel far too much guilt to do it to anyone else.  

[jmurray01]

1 hour ago, TomsFocus said:

It does make a huge difference, even over 10k.  10 pence per mile is about as high as I can go, and the DV6 floats around that at ~52mpg on current prices.  Petrol is only 2ppl cheaper so would have to average 50mpg to do the same.  Not gonna happen even with the modern petrols lol!  Older small ones (eg 1.6 Focus) are more realistically 40mpg, 13 pence per mile, £300 extra over a year or high £20s each month.  Plus the extra £10+ per month of tax.  It all adds up unfortunately and I just don't have a spare £35+ a month to do that.

 

I'm not being funny, but you say that you have a budget of £6,000 to spend on the car, yet you can only afford 10p per mile in fuel costs...  If that is the case, then instead of buying such an expensive vehicle, you could perhaps buy something cheaper thus leaving you spare money for extra fuel.  You could get a decent petrol Focus/Mondeo for less than £5,000 if you go for a private sale.  I know you don't want to do that, but if you find the right seller who has taken good care of the car and has service history/receipts to prove it, then you could literally save thousands over the price at a dealership.  There is nothing wrong with having a look at the local papers, eBay and Gumtree et cetera and arranging a few viewings, just to get a feel for it. 

[jmurray01]

Just now, TomsFocus said:

I'm always that new owner though!   I'd feel far too much guilt to do it to anyone else.  

Yes, people have said that I lack a conscience...

[tazzman600]

Oh jmurray you are a cad rofl.
Tom I take it you like your car so why not get, as you yourself suggested, a pattern DPF? From what I've read on forums they're around £120. It should last at least another year or two and it'll give you time to save up more funds.

[Ken.K]

A mate of mine is selling his Mazda 6 with the stretch timing belt fault and his view is let the new owner suffer the costs.
I find this a very appalling view personally cos I know if I am buying a car I would want to buy with confidence and buy a reliable car. With the odd wear and tear issues not something that will cost me a fortune. Same if I am selling. Sell a car you will be happy to keep another 3 years

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[jmurray01]

19 minutes ago, tazzman600 said:

Oh jmurray you are a cad rofl.
Tom I take it you like your car so why not get, as you yourself suggested, a pattern DPF? From what I've read on forums they're around £120. It should last at least another year or two and it'll give you time to save up more funds.

Well, I am Scottish...

To be fair, I don't lie and will tell the prospective buyer that the MOT needs done and I don't know what it will need, all I can say is that it has been reliable for me, which is the truth.  I'm always realistic and wouldn't go out of my way to deceive, just sugar-coat the truth a little...

The sellers I can't stand are those who say "will easily pass MOT!"...  If that were really true, they would do it themselves!!

[TomsFocus]

Just now, jmurray01 said:

I'm not being funny, but you say that you have a budget of £6,000 to spend on the car, yet you can only afford 10p per mile in fuel costs...  If that is the case, then instead of buying such an expensive vehicle, you could perhaps buy something cheaper thus leaving you spare money for extra fuel.  You could get a decent petrol Focus/Mondeo for less than £5,000 if you go for a private sale.  I know you don't want to do that, but if you find the right seller who has taken good care of the car and has service history/receipts to prove it, then you could literally save thousands over the price at a dealership.  There is nothing wrong with having a look at the local papers, eBay and Gumtree et cetera and arranging a few viewings, just to get a feel for it. 

Money spent on fuel and tax is just completely wasted though, the extra will come from savings so I'd rather spend it on a nicer car, get the benefit of driving a nicer car, peace of mind of fewer faults, less potential breakdowns (all breakdowns I've had have been over 10 year old cars) and be able to afford to drive it without worrying about how many miles I can do that week.  Of course the downside of that is the depreciation, but the idea is that I would keep it long enough for that to not be an issue.  I know people will have different views on that and each to their own imo.  Some of my Peugeot mates would rather spend a tonne in fuel, tax and repairs, spend half their life trying to fix it just so they can say they've got a faster car than a financed Audi...  Never understood it myself but each to their own lol, if I could afford to I'd have the financed Audi in that scenario...  

I'm not just looking at dealers though the PX option may be useful and January should be a good month with dealers struggling to make sales.  I am also looking on ebay & autotrader etc as well.  

 

10 minutes ago, tazzman600 said:

Oh jmurray you are a cad rofl.
Tom I take it you like your car so why not get, as you yourself suggested, a pattern DPF? From what I've read on forums they're around £120. It should last at least another year or two and it'll give you time to save up more funds.

I had a pattern DPF, it's me that comments on those threads lol, cost £200 and lasted 3 months.  That's what forced me to take the guilt filled option that I did, I've not liked it since it's been removed in all honesty, constantly been paranoid about it.  Plus it'd need mapping again at a cost of ~£100 and sending the ECU away for a few days.  And then I obviously don't do enough miles for them so it'd only last a few months again anyway lol.

I wouldn't be sad to see the Focus go, despite owning it over 2 years, I just don't want to spend a lot of money on something worse lol.

[Ken.K]

I wouldn't be sad to see the Focus go, despite owning it over 2 years, I just don't want to spend a lot of money on something worse lol.

You can get AA or RAC inspection done. Before purchase and agree with the seller that no pass no sale. Of course you will pay for this service but it will give you peace if mind. If not just go about looking for the best option you can and watch out for usual dodgy behaviour.

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[TomsFocus]

That's true, I've never had an inspection done but it could be useful if buying privately, will have to see how much it costs.

[tazzman600]

Coz I'm bored today lol I looked on autotrader. Nationally diesel cars from 2012 and minimum engine size of 1600 within a price range of 5.5k and 6k there are 625 cars for sale. Mileage ranges from 40 to 120k. Lots of nice cars actually with good trim levels.

[TomsFocus]

6 minutes ago, tazzman600 said:

Coz I'm bored today lol I looked on autotrader. Nationally diesel cars from 2012 and minimum engine size of 1600 within a price range of 5.5k and 6k there are 625 cars for sale. Mileage ranges from 40 to 120k. Lots of nice cars actually with good trim levels.

I know there's loads of nice diesels for that price...since 2010 they'll all have DPFs though lol!  Hence the need to switch to some small petrol in that age range but they're all holding more value than the diesels even for the lower spec ones.   

Plus I can only look within about a 30 mile radius unfortunately, I know that hampers car searches.  I tried buying a car remotely before I bought the Focus, that was a huge mistake, was from a national dealer that told about as much truth about it as Jamie did his.  It was only a year old but there was quite a bit wrong with it.  Plus once I'd got it I quickly realised I couldn't do any more than a couple of miles of country roads without feeling very car sick, I'd test driven a similar one in town on smooth roads so didn't expect it.  Anyway, after a lot of hassle (it had been missold as photographs were of another car!) it got sent back and I got my money back.  I was in exactly the same situation back then 2 years ago lol, knew I didn't really do enough miles for a diesel but couldn't cope with the ride in a small petrol or afford to run a larger petrol.  In the end I settled for the Focus that I could drive without feeling too ill and could afford to run and just hoped I'd do enough miles for the DPF...little did I know the DPF on mine was already knackered when I bought it.  

[Ken.K]

Can I ask what's your daily mileage and your budget.

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[Turvey]

FYI we got our '10 plate 1.5 diesel Qashqai for around 6K. No dpf(think they came in later that year?) economical (40mpg around town, 60ish on longer) FSH, belts changed etc etc. Nice comfy car, average spec(less to go wrong) big boot esp with seats folded. £130 a year road tax. Probably not what you're looking for but it'll give you an idea of what you can get in your budget 

[GMX]

I don't like coming downstairs to make a cup of coffee and finding Brandy stuck in the fruit basket.  She was trying to get out but the sides are too high and the area too small for her to leap back out; she was left to thrash about destroying fruit and panicking  She's also covered in squashed berries Amusingly to see: but probably not for her, she has also managed to pierce a lemon with her front right paw  and had it on like a shoe

@TomsFocus

I would've thought (perhaps wrongly) you'd be eligible for a Motability subsidised car with all your various health conditions, if you're on DLA/PIP, or is the £6K the subsidy they'll give you for a car that is not new?

My next door neighbour's husband recently acquired 66 plate VW Golf Estate, under the scheme.  Prior to that he subsidised his wholly owned Saab 9-3 until is reached the point of being too expensive to repair, it was a 1993 model (on a K plate)

[TomsFocus]

11 minutes ago, Ken.K said:

Can I ask what's your daily mileage and your budget.

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I don't have a normal daily mileage.  Yearly it's about 10k looking at the MOTs.  But it changes from month to month depending on my health 'issues'.  At the minute I'm struggling with driving so just doing necessary trips which works out about 2 days of 30 miles (country lanes & dual carriageway), 2 days of 10 miles (town driving) and 3 days sitting unused.  Last summer I was doing triple that mileage though.   If I thought I was going to keep to just 80 miles a week (4000 a year if my maths is right) the fuel economy wouldn't matter so much, but I'd like to hope I'll start driving more again and find some sort of work that may or may not require driving.  I guess I'm trying to plan for situations that I can't even predict yet...    Max purchase budget is £6k atm.

I'm not really looking for an answer to my earlier rant though, I know what's about in that budget and keep checking the websites every day to see if anything's new.  Just wanted to get it off my chest really lol. 

1 minute ago, GMX said:

@TomsFocus

I would've thought (perhaps wrongly) you'd be eligible for a Motability subsidised car with all your various health conditions, if you're on DLA/PIP, or is the £6K the subsidy they'll give you for a car that is not new?

My next door neighbour's husband recently acquired 66 plate VW Golf Estate, under the scheme.  Prior to that he subsidised his wholly owned Saab 9-3 until is reached the point of being too expensive to repair, it was a 1993 model (on a K plate)

I'm not on DLA or PIP, I'm on ESA which doesn't qualify for it, I did look into it a few months ago.  I think it's designed for people with physical problems rather than mental ones (not sure where bowel issues fits though).  

Tbh I don't really feel like I should be able to get a new car when some people work hard and can only afford knackered old cars though, I feel guilty enough about getting given a small amount of money to live on lol.  

However that said, it would be interesting to see if a brand new car would help me with travelling with theoretically no chance of breakdowns (I know it's not 100% failsafe lol) and cheap running costs as well.  It wouldn't remove the worries about traffic, crashes or getting ill while out though I guess.

[Ken.K]

If you want a good reliable car get a jap, Toyota, Lexus etc or a c class 2000-2006, e class 2006 - 2009. Good engines and I think no dpf

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[TomsFocus]

I don't like my Facebook memory for today back in 2011 lol...  Brake shoe separated and locked the drum solid, took over 2 hours to get it recovered 4 miles, had to get a lift to my Nan's in the next village for the loo while waiting for the RAC twice.  And people wonder why I don't like old cars or drum brakes!

[chrisroberson99]

4 hours ago, jmurray01 said:

I'm not being funny, but you say that you have a budget of £6,000 to spend on the car, yet you can only afford 10p per mile in fuel costs...  If that is the case, then instead of buying such an expensive vehicle, you could perhaps buy something cheaper thus leaving you spare money for extra fuel.  You could get a decent petrol Focus/Mondeo for less than £5,000 if you go for a private sale.  I know you don't want to do that, but if you find the right seller who has taken good care of the car and has service history/receipts to prove it, then you could literally save thousands over the price at a dealership.  There is nothing wrong with having a look at the local papers, eBay and Gumtree et cetera and arranging a few viewings, just to get a feel for it. 

You've taken the words straight out of my mouth! Tom, Jamie is right, if you can't afford extra outlay to run the car but have a £6k budget, it would make sense to go cheaper and keep a bit as a contingency for any maintenance. Yes, you'll be driving an older car but you'll be much less stressed about going over your monthly motoring budget.

4 hours ago, jmurray01 said:

Yes, people have said that I lack a conscience...

Haha! Sounds harsh, but a car sold privately, is a car that's sold as seen. Of course, it needs to be priced accordingly and any major issues should be declared by the seller in order for it to be a fair sale. Like when we sold the 207 last August, the buyer was told the A/C didn't work and needed rehashing (Although it probably needed a new pipe) but the seller didn't like A/C anyway so it wasn't an issue for her. We also said that it needed new front tyres. So she was fully aware and the car was sold as seen for the asking price.

You've just got to be vigilant when buying privately but it can pay off.

[Lenny]

This one made me laugh before uncontrollably bursting in to tears 😭

wife plugged dishwasher just before Christmas and it now needs replacement.

today we went to purchase a replacement and first one we see for sale in the shop at €420 is the exact Bosch one we have sitting broken in the ***** kitchen 😐

[jmurray01]

56 minutes ago, Lenny said:

This one made me laugh before uncontrollably bursting in to tears 😭

wife plugged dishwasher just before Christmas and it now needs replacement.

today we went to purchase a replacement and first one we see for sale in the shop at €420 is the exact Bosch one we have sitting broken in the ***** kitchen 😐

Doesn't surprise me!  The worst bit is, that would probably be the best deal to go for, even though it means buying a duplicate of what you already have.  Very frustrating.

By the sounds of things, you'd be cheaper employing a house-keeper to take over your wife's duties!!

[Lenny]

51 minutes ago, jmurray01 said:

Doesn't surprise me!  The worst bit is, that would probably be the best deal to go for, even though it means buying a duplicate of what you already have.  Very frustrating.

By the sounds of things, you'd be cheaper employing a house-keeper to take over your wife's duties!!

Something has to change mate I do strongly agree, it seems my wife has lost care for anything financial aswell as all sence of consequences when she doesn't generate any income herself its just ow we need a new one and i didnt do anything to it, not my fault and i dont care.

quite frustrating to say the least mate. All said though; she still adheres to speed limits which I can't understand since I also pay the insurance and potential fines if such were applied for not adhering to rules of the road. why not go all out careless