www.autoexpress.co.uk/crashtest/car/9/
A review of the Sciento (apologise for the spelling), this is a reason to sell it immediately and buy a safe car.
|
Bad, bad, bad girl...
I am test driving a Mini tomorrow. I know. It's not under eight thousand. Bad, bad, bad.
A serious mid-life crisis is driving me.
:)
Ali
|
Kids + 2 doors = possible.
We did it for years.
Prepare for scratched and or torn upholstery/dashboard from bags/feet/sports gear.
4 doors is possible.
Prepare for scratched and or torn upholstery/dashboard from bags/feet/sports gear. But less than 2 doors.
Both affect resale.
madf
|
|
|
Bad, bad, bad girl... I am test driving a Mini tomorrow. I know. It's not under eight thousand. Bad, bad, bad. A serious mid-life crisis is driving me. :) Ali
Mini's are good if your number one priority is handling and cornering power. However they have serious weaknesses in other areas IMHO. Obviously they are 2-door and space is tight in the back - so not great if you have kids. They are also poor on long journeys due to a hard ride and relatively high noise levels - I speak from personal experience. They are expensive for what they offer when 'necessary' options are taken into account. To some extent its a triumph of fashion over function - but if you really like the fashion aspect then fair enough!
For less money you could have a Skoda Fabia 1.4 16V a/c, a Polo or any number of good Japanese small cars (Jazz, Yaris etc.). If you like the Mini styling then you could try the Suzuki Swift 1.5GLX which can be had for about £8500 and comes with 4 doors, aircon, keyless entry etc etc and is a good drive (quiet and smooth ride).
|
I can certainly recommend the Yaris - SWMBO drives one and its a cracking little car IMHO. I love the handling when I drive it.
I would go for a 1.3 five door GLX .
You can't go wrong with the legendary Toyota reliability and they have the very best dealer network ( with the possible exception of Honda ).
|
You are all so knowledgable, funny, kind and friendly. Thanks.
Ok, I have calmed down a bit from yesterday's mid-life crisis. But not much.
I am going to check out the Swift first (can have top spec of that - with knobs on!), and then all the others you kindly suggested, until I find something that makes me feel twenty one again. Or at least thirty again. This fortysomething business is sooooooooooooooooooooo depressing.
;)
Ali - Mid Life Crisisee.
PS the BMW dealers here were all a bit snotty today, which was depressing and put me off. I could understand the haughtiness if they were selling me a Series 7, but a Mini? Not all are the same. We bought a car from one in Northampton and they were lovely. Pity I can't transport them up by a couple of counties.
|
You know, it took Fiat 5 months to deliver my Panda 4x4 which eventually arrived in July last year. The excuse was the dealer not realising for 10 weeks that the order had failed to go in properly followed by a 3 month normal wait for delivery.
I think that Fiat can sell as many LHD Pandas as they can produce and are not interested in the UK RHD trade. Seem more interested in selling us cheap and antiquated Puntos.
|
Hi doctorchris,
As far as I can tell, there is only one Fiat Panda for sale in the entire country. Three dealers have all offered to sell it to me for different prices. I am an awkward kind of gal, and I just hate the idea of being forced into buying JUST THE ONE CAR!
Ok, budget update. My delicious husband has increased our budget for this new car to - wait for it - £14000. Hooray!
Imagine my confusion now. Should I have a really big mid-life crisis now, and buy something very silly? What mid-life crisis car would YOU have for that money? Remembering I have to fit my small son in the back, and cater for my husband's automatic licence.
A big part of me thinks I should be sensible and get the really great offer from Vauxhall at the moment for a 1.8 air con Astra estate, auto etc etc. All that car for just over 14 grand if you buy on the net.
But what about my soul?
Looks like it is going to have to wither and die. Thanks to you all I know everything there is to know about the superminis now, but bigger cars? I am out of my depth.
I am still going to test the Suzuki thingie car tomorrow, because I could have that with BIG stripes on and annoy Mini, couldn't I? Incidentally, what was I thinking? I can't have a Mini because they are three door. I would be so terrified of being unable to rescue my son. I have to have five doors. Sorted on that front, at least.
There should be some giant search facility (are you listening HJ?) where you feed in your requirements - eg air con, doors, engine, price or whatever, and it finds you what you can have across all models. Would be a complete nightmare to keep up, but so useful for buyers. Manufacturers should all do this for their own configurators, but most don't bother.
Web design. It matters.
Hope you are all having fun. ALL VIEWS GRATEFULLY APPRECIATED. I know this new budget is more than my old budget, but it has to buy either a dream come true, or such AMAZINGLY good value that everyone kills themselves with jealousy at the bargain whenever I retell this story.
Merci.
Ali
|
Hi Ali,
Irrespective of how much or how little you're spending on a new car, two thoughts spring to mind:
1) You're the customer. Sales staff need customers to stay in business. So if they're not willing to talk business, walk away and find another who is.
2) If the Fiat/Mini/whoever dealership isn't helpful when you want to buy, what would they be like if you made a claim under warranty.
(I should add in Fiat's defence that both their local dealerships in my corner of the world offer excellent customer service.)
As for a database that churns your requirements into suggestions for new cars, the AA used to offer such a service. But it always seemed to produce a bizzare set of offerings when I tried it. You won't do better than the Back Room regulars for advice, IMHO.
- Gromit
|
Hi Gromit P
I agree about customer service. I always walk away if people don't give it. I am walking away from Fiat because I don't think I should only have one car to choose from, and then have to wait to get it.
My original Fiat Panda man is very nice but he doesn't have any cars. The others are all odd and say negative things all the time. I want to be happy when shopping. I want to hear what I can have on a car, not what I can't. I've managed to share a car with my husband for years, and now I can have my own. I want choosing to be a fun experience.
And it is, in this forum. I will buy something and I will be happy. I am like this about anything. When I go for a meal I take ages to choose and then always want everyone else's meals.
Bear with me. There will be a new car at the end of this.
:)
Ali
PS what mid-life crises did you have or do you expect to have?
|
I've owned quite a few cars over the years, driven loads (in a 'professional' capacity) and still buy and sell a few nowadays for 'holiday money'.
One of the things I've come to realise is that spending more on a car doesn't necessarily get you more motoring enjoyment. I've had some of the best motoring with cheap cars. My most miserable motoring experience - which caused me a lot of stress - was with a nearly new BMW 7-series. Not only was the car not as good to drive as I thought it would be, but the dealers made a mess of doing some work on it and I ended up badly out of pocket and in dispute with them.
Decide what you need and then buy a car that suits your needs. Don't buy up to a budget.
I would caution against the Astra unless you actually need an estate. They're not a bad car, but its hardly going to be 'nippy' for local running about, is it? Ok for a plumber's work vehicle, I guess. And Vauxhalls don't have a great reputation for reliability - there have been a lot of niggles with the latest Astra. Also it is likely to loose value rather quickly.
Something like the Suzuki Swift of the Jazz or Yaris sound like they'll suit your needs and are likely to be easier and more fun to drive. Modern small cars can have all the luxury of big cars (air con, air bags, sound system etc.).
Buy something cheaper and spend the rest on a couple of extra holidays.
If you really do want to spend more then try the Nissan Note. I tried one of these in Japan last year and thought it was a great family car.....
|
Hi Aprilia,
You are right. I should decide what I want and then consider the money.
There was a surreal moment today when I got bored with car surfing (sounds like a new sport) and actually considered going round the dealerships asking what I could get for £14,000 pounds.
As if a car was a handful of Fruit Salads, Black Jacks, gobstoppers and sherbert fizzes!
To all of you, once again, thank you for being so generous with your time in trying to help me. I may not have replied individually to all, but I have considered everything each one of you wrote to me, and will check all suggestions out. I can't tell you how much I appreciate this. You have saved me so much time and angst.
Ali
|
Ali - if you talk as well as you write, your husband must never have a dull moment - no wonder he's upped the budget!
Aprilia's advice as always is good - think of the cars you want first. If you want smnall and nippy (as opposed to your husband's 'lumbering' (do I detect a Swedish tank?!) then you could well get what you want for a lot less than your new budget.
It has to be an automatic you say - that restricts the choice a bit. Try a Honda Jazz CVT, Alijazz - the CVT doesn't sap the performance like conventional automatics. I think your shortlist might be between this, the Suzuki Swift that you're going to test, and if you can find one, the Panda, which seems to have become a protected species.
Somehow I don't think you're quite the Vauxhall Astra estate type - there will be people who have them on the forum so I ought to be careful - but there is this image of the man who's come to mend the photocopier....
If you do want something a bit bigger, you can get a decent Ford Focus within your new budget, and thy are very good to drive.
Good luck, and you're right, it should be fun. Take your time and go for lots ofn test drives.
|
Hi Avant,
Thanks for contributing. All ideas much appreciated. I am very excited about going to see the Suzuki Swift tomorrow - and even better - tomorrow is now TODAY!
Things have moved on, in a good direction, I think. My husband caught me looking at the Vauxhall website and said, "You have purple spiky hair. I can't let you buy a Vauxhall Asda." We stared at each other open-mouthed. When the Freudian Slips are that pertinent, you have to heed them, don't you?
So, we have just spent a fabulous evening speccing a new Suzuki Swift. Thus far the extras I want exceed the value of the car (almost) even though shame prevented me from including the leather seats!
I never knew there were so many pointless extras I couldn't live without. Don't blame me for the rear spoiler and the extension thing to the exhaust pipe. I hardly need tell you that those are the work of a repressed boy racer. This is turning out to be a very Freudian email. Sad really, as I veer strongly towards the Gestalt. Let's hope the Swift does, too. It would be rather nice if it became more than the sum of its parts.
Jazz is part of our business name, not my taste in music, although I do like early Swing. I don't know what it is about the Honda Jazz. It's so handsome, but I just don't fancy it. I really have tried. You can't force yourself to love anything or anyone. It's a pheromone thing.
I hired a Jazz once, and couldn't form any view. When my husband came back from a week away, he asked me what it had been like to drive and I couldn't remember. I forgot a whole Honda Jazz. That's terrible. It's such a nice car.
I love your joke about the protected species. I wrote Fiat an email today entitled Farewell My Fiat Friends. I had corresponded about the lack of availability. They were sad to lose me, but admitted sightings of Pandas were rare. To their credit they offered to perch at the top of a bamboo stick and watch out for signs of movement. Nice people.
Ah well. A shiny blue Suzuki Swift is calling me. It's there in the dealership and if I want it I can just buy it. And if tomorrow the spec. I have stuffed in my handbag seems a bit silly, I may just do that. Even I don't always know what I am going to do, until I do it.
The saga continues tomorrow. And if it carries on beyond that we will all qualify for Saga insurance!
Yours, in a slow crisis,
Ali
|
If you are wanting an automatic, the Colt 1.3 auto is a nice car. The auto box is six speed and the smoothest changing of its type that I have experienced. There is a lot of room in the car, the seats are good and the engine has more power than you would get from most of this size.
My wife likes the look of these cars too, so we are seriously thinking of getting one. The only criticism of it that I would make, at the moment, is that the boot is very small.
For £8K you could get an 05/55 model (depends on whether you want 3 or 5 doors).
|
Hi Ali,
Been reading your thead with much interest as it evolves. You seem to be quite happy-go-lucky, and want something a bit sporty (Mini and Swift have led me to this conclusion!)
My girlfriend has just replaced a Mini Cooper with a Mini Cooper convertible, and i would have to say they are not the most practical of cars.
If you fancy something a bit nippy, how about a Fabia vRS or Seat Ibiza 1.9 TDI Sport? Easily get a brand new one for way under £14k, and from what i have read they are superb little cars, and v.economical.
If you fancy something a bit bigger, how about a 2nd hand Golf 2.0TDI? £14k should get you a 18 month old example. (I drive a Golf and it does not feel a big car to drive)
Have you looked at a new Clio? I popped into a Renault dealer the other day, and they look v.nice indeed.
Personally if i had £14k to spend on a small car I would not look much further than a vRS.
|
Hi, NickS and good morning and welcome to the most exciting day of my mid-life (crisis).
Thank you for the last minute information. I am still open to being corrupted. Your advice is very useful and sensible. I am feeling nervous, especially having found an HJ review of the Mitsubishi Colt. I hadn't even remembered that supermini.
I would love the speed of a vRS etc, but am hobbled. My husband would weep bitter tears if he couldn't drive both our cars, and he has to have an automatic. Sports automatics are known as BMWs and are definitely outside my budget.
Also, if you check the First Motoring Memories thread you will read about the childhood trauma that compels me to buy only new cars. Blame the parents. I couldn't buy a second hand anything, which I know is stupid because my husband's car is always three years old (take care of your big cars because at three years WE buy them! Thank you!).
I think I am undergoing a very definite metamorphosis. I had thought that a mid-life crisis would make me dye my hair blonde, or start wearing minis, not driving them (I mean it. PERISH the thought.) But what happened is I woke up one day just knowing life would not be bearable without a car with STRIPES, STUPID TRIM and a SPOILER. I must give in to this. I am hoping all this nonsense stops before I HAVE to get a custom horn that plays The Star and Stripes Forever!
Off to have a bath so I don't mess up a Suzuki Swift. The rate this mid-life crisis is going I'll probably test drive a motorbike when I get there.
Wish me luck.
Ridiculous Girl racer - aged fortysomething.
|
I lied. I love second hand furniture. It doesn't usually break down.
:)
|
I didn't realise you had to have a new car. Unfortunately, you won't get a new Colt auto for £8k and the dealers don't seem to be offering any discounts on them at present.
There is a 3 door 1.3 Equippe auto (in silver) at Available Car for £8k that has done less than 500 miles. If it wasn't for the fact that we are looking for a 5 door, we would probably have it. Personally, I wouldn't spend another £2K on getting a new car, when there is one with negligible mileage on it that is only about 6 months old, if it fits the bill in every other way. After all, it has two and a half years warranty left on it.
|
I am in love.
I test drove the Suzuki Swift today. It was a grey, drizzly day, but I didn't even notice.
The first complete shock is the size of the car. I had thought it would be tiny, but it's quite big. It's nice and wide. My husband is 6 foot and well built, and I have seen thinner days. In the Fiat Panda our thighs almost touched - nice for romance, but it interefered with the operation of the handbrake. In this car I would have no hesitation in ordering the middle box bit where you can store stuff. There is plenty of room.
What a jolly nice car. There's an understatement. Top Gear said it was a butch supermini and I see what they mean. I am not an expert, and don't know the right way to describe this, but it drove like a much bigger car. The steering on the Panda was really light - I always felt I would tear the steering wheel right off on some corners - but on this car it was heavier, and more positive, and felt something strong and purposeful was happening at the other end, to the wheels or something (I said I wasn't technical). It was very nippy, very nice to drive, made really great BRRRRRRRMMMMMMMing noises on acceleration, and generally put a smile on both our faces.
Its styling inside is really unusual, quirky and quite groovy. I can't believe how big it is. It offers more space in the back than our BMW 3. It was like the tardis.
They had Suzuki cars in all the colours on the forecourt and I was able to really see to choose. The dark grey is ultra smart, for those who veer towards the conventional. The dark blue is elegant. It was my third choice. A very nice shade. For a more spirited look, the red is a really different, vibrant red this time - not bog standard pillar box. I was very, very tempted by the red. But then I saw it. A Suzuki Swift specced in white with black trim, and it made my heart go all fluttery. That is when you know you are looking at the right thing.
This car in white looks like shopping in Paris, like walking in Rome, like skiing in the Alps. It looks so, so beautiful.
Everything was going so well. The dealer was lovely - old fashioned service, not pushy, let us test drive by ourselves etc. But then we had a big shock. The accessories, which are linked to from the official Suzuki accessories site, are listed at part price only, and don't include handling, fitting, labour or whatever you call it. Of course it doesn't say this anywhere, and all the other manufacturers quote on a fitted basis, so we didn't see that coming. It is VERY misleading. So we had wasted a whole evening and got all excited making a shopping list of accessories we feel we can no longer have. Yes, I could have them. I could probably have gold plated bumpers on a Suzuki Swift for £14k, but at those prices - almost double the web listed price - I don't feel so keen on some of the more frivolous items.
Still. I don't care. I am in love. If this white and black car cost three million pounds I would have it, the way I feel at the moment. My husband is doing the deal, because I just cannot be objective over something I like this much.
The dealer is ringing me back to sort out the accessories and see what is what. I will keep you posted. Tonight I am walking on air. I haven't felt like this since I bought an original Honda Prelude when I was supposed to be buying a Volkswagon Polo. It is all very exciting.
Hope your days were this good.
Ali
|
I test drove the Suzuki Swift today. It was a grey, drizzly day, but I didn't even notice.
How many cars have you test driven, i.e. what are you comparing this with? I reckon a Yaris, Jazz, Fiesta and Clio to name but four small cars are likely to be better long term propositions and probably better to drive. Also IMO £14k and Suzuki Swift dont belong in the same sentence.
|
Congratulations on finding a car you're really happy with, Ali.
I'd agree with Cheddar that £14,000 is an awful lot to spend on a small car, but look at it another way:
- You could trim back on the extras list. There are lots of 'nice to have' items you could add. You won't miss 90% of them if you don't - so spend your money on the 'must haves'.
- Or lets say you spend every last penny of your budget on a car you love, and in three years' time nobody will pay a fraction of that for it second-hand. There's a simple solution: keep it! Run the same car over 10 years and with any luck it'll continue to put a smile on your face for a long time to come.
Somewhere in the middle is a happy compromise, and its up to you alone to decide what that is. However you choose, happy motoring!
- Gromit
PS: Do take some time to read HJ's tips on how best to maintain your car properly, and you'll continue to enjoy the best of it far longer. It'll be time well spent...
|
Gromit, you have hit on the important thing. This car is for me and will run until it wears out. I don;t care about depreciation.
I promise not to spend 14k but will let you know what I do get for what I do spend.
Thanks for the goodwill.
Ali
|
Yeah, but did they have stripes and pointless spoilers? I am having a mid life crisis, cheddar. I need stripes. The last thing I want is a good long term proposition. I want something crazy, strange, unusual, ridiculous, frivolous, wonderful and silly. That I can get all that in a really nice car like the Swift is a bonus.
Because we have run only one car in the past, I have hired almost all the makes you mention and they are all truly great. But nothing moved me until now. Sorry to disappoint. You have to go with the pull of the emotions.
That is the wonderful thing about humans - we all like different things, and today I like the Suzuki Swift. Now tomorrow...
;)
Ali
|
I went through a similar exercise with a female relative. We looked at lots of cars (Yaris, Jazz, Fabia) and the Swift came out very strongly. Suzuki certainly seem to have got it 'right' - its very roomy and the ride and handling is very good indeed. My only real criticism of the car was that the 1.5VVT felt less powerful then I expect for over 100PS. It is a bit short on low-down torque and comes into its own above 3000rpm.
When you take the price into consideration the Swift really wins hands-down, and that is what she's ordered. A 1.5GLX for about £8.5k. The only snag is that lots of other people seem to think the Swift's a good buy because there is currently a shortage. Having taken her order for delivery this week, the dealer has now said he's struggling to get a car - hopefully he's going to be able to source one from another dealer before the end of the month.
BTW - I don't see how you can get a Swift up to £14k..!! Suzuki accessories actually look quite cheap and most of them are simply screw-on/clip-on items. What on Earth are you wanting that takes the price up to £14K ?
|
OK stripes (optional), frivolity, under £14k, Fiesta ST150, has the benefit of a 2ltr 150ps and great handling.
www.ford.co.uk/ie/test_mail/-/fie_st
Muuuuch more cred that a Suzuki Swift.
|
Only just looked at this thread, do people really spend £8K-£14K on ordinary everyday runaround cars??
I know I might seem tight but I've only once spent over £1500 on a car and that was when SWMBO fell in love with one and 'persuaded' me that she should be allowed to spend £5K!! I had to lay down in a darkened room for a month!
Still I suppose someone has to at some point otherwise they wouldn't be around for me to buy later at sensible money to run into the ground....... Now, bangernomics, that's the thing.
|
Hello friends,
In order to understand my helplessness in the face of marketing, you have to see the accessories brochure for the New Suzuki Swift. Check out that car. Fit for a rally. In white. With all the trimmings. It's glorious.
I'm not asking for much. Just the works. The parts aren't very dear, but the labour being requested seems very high. Now that I know exactly what I want, I think it is time to try another Suzuki dealer, for comparison.
Cockle, do you live in the middle of nowhere, run a busy company, and have two kids, one autistic? 'Cos if you did, and you were in the middle of a mid-life crisis, you would want stripes and spoilers and bling and chav and silly rubber side strips all over the place, and everything attached to a shiny, new, warrantied Suzuki car!
This white car is so fabulous that I feel like sticking Castrol GTX stickers all over it, and adverts for Gauloises and Marlborough cigarettes. Let's face it. It's enough to make me take up smoking.
Vive La Swift!
Ali
PS you are all such good sports in the face of my bizarre buying decisions! Beats being sensible, doesn't it?!
|
Groovy stripes. But.... I'm already engaged.
I will take a look, though.
Thanks everyone.
Stripey
|
|
It's all lost on me I'm afraid. Is this real, because it all sounds like something out of a slightly wacky novel?
|
|
For entertainment this thread deserves 10/10! Avoid the embarrassing Fiat dealership network. They were senza brio in the 80's - obviously they've not changed much!
|
Avant,
I saw the Astra estate, and you are right. I would look as if I had come to mend the photocopier. It is absolutely fascinating how cars pigeon-hole their drivers, even if incorrectly. Whenever my husband hires a Vauxhall Vectra he gets out of it saying, "it's just a hire car." People who don't even know him and aren't even looking at him until that point are completely baffled. On one occasion people WERE actually gathered and looking at it and admiring it - he was in Ireland - and he was still apologising. So funny.
I was reading some of the profiles this evening, and I can't remember who... but someone wants to be a lion tamer. In comparison, my sad rally driver fantasy is a relatively mild mid-life crisis, isn't it?!
Ali
|
"fascinating how cars pigeon-hole their drivers"
"stripes and spoilers and bling and chav and silly rubber side strips all over the place"
I see what you mean!- but my image of you doesn't quite tie in with your profile!! How about a pink XR3i convertable??
--
Phil
|
Hi Phil,
Welcome to the crisis!
I can't explain it. Any of it. I just woke up one morning and thought, "I have to have a very silly car." Look at this to see how out of character. I have been such a normal girl in the past:
VW Beetle - white. My first car. Heater always burned my ankles. Loved it. The car, not the burned ankles.
Ford Cortina - bright orange
Ford Escort - dark blue
Ford Escort - dark grey
Ford Escort - bright red
Honda Prelude - silver
Vauxhall Astra Hatch - white
Vauxhall Astra Hatch - red
Ford Escort Estate Ghia - metallic blue (how hilarious)
Vauxhall Astra Hatch - champagne
Vauxhall Meriva - turquoise
BMW Series 3 - dark green. Doesn't count. Hubby monopolised.
Fiat Panda - red (sadly now demised)
So you can see. I was VERY READY for breaking out. I mean, how much more sensible can a girl be? Think of all the photocopiers I must have mended. (An in-joke of this thread. Read up.)
Anyone who knows me might THINK I want a pink convertible in a mid-life crisis. I expected I would want just that. But in the event, I found I wanted something totally different, with flaps on. I was just a women with a boy-racer trapped inside her. No doubt it'll go from the thread straight to a Channel Four documentary.
I really must get a grip in all of this. There are dust balls blowing in the bathroom. There is no discernible floor surface - I haven't picked anything up for days. We are eating from some unlabelled tins that have been at the back of a cupboard for five years. No one is quite sure if they contain food. I haven't cooked, cleaned, mobilised, organised or done any of the usual things, for days. I've just fantasised about cars and drooled. It can't carry on like this.
Ok, here is the plan. This is the minimum amount of car bling I can live with. Please let me know if you think I am missing anything. There is still time to make additions.
NB. I would really, REALLY, REALLY like the 17 inch white alloy wheels, but at twelve hundred pounds - well, really. What am I thinking? Even I can see that is ridiculous. (I can barely believe I just wrote the words, "17 inch white alloy wheels).
I have spent my life mocking sad people like me, with stripes and flaps. And now .... now.... I.... UNDERSTAND. This experience is making me a better human being, isn't it?
Enough of that. OK. Here is the final list..... Drum roll.
Car. The Swift 1.5 GLX automatic (the least important part of this equation)
Locking wheel bolts (I'm easing you into the extravagance here! LOL!)
Rear upper spoiler (essential)
Side Body Moulding Set (likewise)
Bumper Corner Protection Set
Rear Bumper Protection Sheet
Mud flaps all round
Steel door sill guard (don't know what this is, but I want it)
Head Lamp Protector
Front Mesh Lower Grille - looks like snarly teeth. Love it.
Centre Arm Rest
Deluxe Carpet Mat Set (A/T)
Sunblind Set
Complete body stripe set (YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWW)
Superguard (to stick it all together once the bling is on)
So there we are. Now. If any of you wonderful persons here present can think of a reason why I, Alijazz of the forum, may not be joined in matrimony to a lavishly-accessorised Suzuki Swift, speak now or forever hold your modem.
If no one speaks up, I am placing the order tomorrow.
Have fun everyone. And thanks for everything. You didn't make a drama out of my crisis.
:)
Alijazz
|
OK
First off, do NOT fit 17" wheels. The Swift comes with a 15" and that is about right for the car. A 17" will give an awfully knobbly ride and you'll get bad 'tramlining' - the steering wheel will tug side to side because of seams in tarmac etc. You really won't like it.
If you really want a bigger wheel then go to a 16" with a 195/40X16 tyre. Try Rochford tyres for your new wheels/tyres (www.rochfordtyres.co.uk). £800 will get you a set, with top quality tyres. They have a massive range of wheels. Don't forget your old ones will fit a Ford + numerous other makes - so sell them on eBay for £400 - so net cost of new wheels/tyres is about £400. A set of locking bolts is £30 tops.
A lot of the stuff you list (bumper protector, headlamp protector, grille, centre arm rest, sill guard, mud flaps) just screws/clips/pushes into place. Anyone who can use a screwdriver can do it.
You only need bodyshop labour and paint costs for the spoiler and side skirts.
|
Aprilia,
Thanks for the great advice. You just saved me a lot of money. Ask me anything you want to know about digital graphics. It's only fair. LOL!
Best wishes,
Ali
>>>>First off, do NOT fit 17" wheels>>>>>>>
|
Sorry, but I have seen the Suzuki accessory brochure and I still don't think I could get anywhere near £14k on a Swift.
The 1.5GLX can be had (with a bit of discount) for about £8.5k. The stripe kit is not dear (£80 or something IIRC) and any bodyshop will stick it on for you for 1 hour's labour maximum. Even the 'full on' all-round bodykit is under £900. Allow a max £200 for paint and fitting. £10k would get you a fully 'tricked up' Swift. Don't pay silly prices for their alloy wheels either. Suzuki wheels are a 4x100 PCD - about the most popular size - so you have a massive choice from aftermarket alloys suppliers. £400 should get you a decent set of your choice. And don't forget you can sell the standard alloys on eBay for at least £200 (I actually think the standard 5-spokes look better than their 'accessories' ones).
I suspect the Suzuki dealer might be sensing an eager customer and 'taking the mickey' price-wise. Pretty much all the other accessories (sport gear knob, leather gaiter, mats, etc etc) is stuff your husband should be able to clip/screw into place on a Sunday afternoon, and frankly its not too badly priced. Only the bodykit/spoiler/stripes requires bodyshop and even then a couple of hundred quid should cover labour.
If I were you I would buy the standard car and then get the bodykit accessories seperately and have a competent local body shop fit them.
|
Hi Aprilia,
Help. You are talking to me as if I know what I am doing. Also, please remember that I am a writer and designer, not a normal human being. If you want me to design a multimedia presentation demonstrating the accessory fitting, I can do it. But fit things myself? Even more laughable is the idea of my husband fitting anything to a car. He called out BMW the other day for a bulb change! Seriously, we are *very* automotively challenged.
I will show your mail to my hubby and see what he thinks. I definitely agree about the wheels. (Yippee - might still be able to get them!) Thank you for being so wise and helpful.
The dealer is probably still in tears after my tantrum on finding out the accessories were not listed properly. It was hard to hide my utter disappointment. HIS eyebrows went very high in his head. He is probably glued to Supernanny right now, to find out how to cope with me.
There is also a chance he is quoting high prices so I don't go back again!
I'll keep you posted. Many thanks for all your help.
Ali
|
Hi Ali - glad you had fun with the Suzuki. Was it an automatic? If so, fine: if it was a manual, you need to try an auto and see if you love it as much, bearing in mind Aprilia's comment about the power being concentrated at the top end of the rev range. (That's why I like turbodiesels - the "pull" is where you need it, lower down.)
The Colt could be a good choice, but it looks quite like a Honda Jazz, so prepare not to be turned on!
I'm sure you and I are being marked down as frivolous by serious-minded Vauxhall fans on the forum - but I can see where you're coming from, especially after reading the 'earliest memory' post! You certainly had it badly as a child - the Vauxhall Wyvern and Hillman Minx were two of the most chronically underpowered cars you could find in the 50s, and they didn't improve with age. Interesting to see there are no affectinate memories of Hillmans - underpowered and unreliable is a dismal combination.
But it's nice to know that someone else is unashamed of buying with the heart as well as the head. I'm a boring chartered accountant but I buy new cars on PCPs - it doesn't make economic sense but, hey, we like new cars. So there....
Have fun and let us know what you finally go for. Just looking sround and going for test drives is fun, isn't it!
|
Good evening Avant. How was your day?
Actually, good point. I had to test drive the manual because they didn't have an automatic for testing. But you know what? I don't care. Because I am buying this car entirely on ludicrous principles. If you start making me consider irrelevancies like performance, where will we end up?
My hubby shares your love of diesels. He just got a 330d. I drove it for the first time the other day and still haven't caught my breath yet. How can anyone look fetching in one of those? My cheeks spread all over my face with the G force, my nose was pushed to one side like Joe Bugner's, and I was only going from second to third. You can get to the shops and back before you even set off. Turbodiesels sure are fast.
I have CBFS (Car Buyer's Fatigue Syndrome). I can't test drive another thing - well maybe a Porsche someone was going to give me for free. I am sticking with the Swift, unless the dealer refuses to sell me one. My litmus test was going round a giant car park today looking at every small car, saying no no no no no yes no no no etc when I passed them. There was one yes to a huge Alpha Romeo I looked at by mistake. I didn't like anything else at all. There were no Swifts, sadly.
There is something about the Swift. It might not be the best car, and it might not be the best-looking. But it attracts me so strongly that I can't sleep at night and want to run away with it to Swiftland, wherever that may be.
Sorry to hear you are a Chartered Accountant - I nearly went in that direction. But you don't seem very boring. It's nice to have someone else in here who buys cars emotionally. Aprilia I have for balance ;)
Have fun.
Ali
|
that I can't sleep at night and want to run away with it to Swiftland, wherever that may be.
Darkest Japan and full of motorbikes, you wouldnt like it ;-)
|
Alijazz
As regards the simple-to-fit stuff.... Just remember that I've found its possible to get about a £500 discount off a Swift (although your dealer probably won't want to give a discount). Anyway, that means that the dealer has some 'fat' on the deal to play with. If you are paying list price then I would expect him to fit the 'easy fit' stuff that I've listed for free and not charge you for the mats and a tank of petrol. Remember he is also taking a profit on the price of the accessories. Only pay for labour on the spoiler and side skirts. They'll need painting, but they just screw into place once painted - £250 should cover paint and labour.
If the dealer won't play ball then politely tell him you'll 'think about it' and go home to make phone calls to other Suzuki dealers.
BTW, the 'first quarter' for most dealerships ends at the end of March. They will be keen to register a car by the end of the month to boost their first quarter sales - so let them know you are looking for a March registration.
|
Aprilia,
So many thanks, again. I will follow your strategy and see how we go. My husband is doing the business. He does mine and I do his. It's odd - we can buy cars for each other, but for ourselves, no. We know we can't hide our keenness!
You have been so very kind Aprilia. It is much appreciated.
Ali
|
Go for it, Ali ! You've fallen for the Swift and nothing else will do.
"Be swift, my soul, to answer him, be jubilant, my feet" (Battle Hymn of the Republic - not all that relevant, was it, but it's a great sing. I'm a church organist in my spare time)
You may have to wait for an automatic but if you do have to have it built to order, then you can go for the extras (no, I wouldn't fancy fitting them myself either!)
For all the fun and frivolity, it's actually a very sensible choice (oops, I've put you off now!) - it was made car of the year by CAR magazine, who usually favour Ferraris and Porsches, and it should be reliable and hold its value.
Good luck, and thanks for sharing your thoughts, emotions etc with us and being such fun. Keep contributing - lots of people ask for advice on what car to buy and your input will be sure to be worthwhile, and probably left-field!
|
|
|
|
