#1
Vauxhall Cavalier, 1.6, J reg, 144K miles, brown-silver eczema paint, saloon, T&T->April05, exhaust looks OK, some nasty rust
on brake pipes where they pass under clips, tyres thin-ish,
been standing 2 months, runs OK after a minute or two, slightly
crusty around wheel arches, slightly grubby and worn interior.
Has been owned by a home mechanic. £300
#2
Fiat Punto 55, 1.0, N reg, 103K miles, maroon sort of colour,
3 door hatch, tax->endJan05, MOT->endAug05, new-ish exhaust
and cat, tyres 1/2 worn, no real rust, many small dings as if
doors opened into posts, in use daily, leaky sun-roof taped
shut, broken bonnet pull (use pliers), leaky "rocker box"
gasket with oil plastered over front of engine, slight grating
noise when reversing, inside worn but not too grubby. £300.
I want an "old banger" for a run-around until I can get a
bargain for a bit more, possibly it will have to make one
trip to Cornwall, return, 270 miles each way.
Which would you choose? Why?
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If it only has to last a couple of months, then buy either, join the AA, and be prepared to chuck it away.
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J reg (last year pre-compulsory CAT) Cavalier is an excellent choise but the one you are describing sounds like a dog.
For £300 if you look around you should get a nicer one.
£500 would get you a niceish SRI. Now thats a good car...
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1600 Cavaliers are also underpowered and - unless it has power steering- heavy to drive.
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Agreed, the Cavalier sounds overpriced, considering its a 1600. You should be able to pick up a 'nice' 2 litre whether L, GL, CD or SRi for that price, which are very nippy and economical.
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I recently bought a 1994 1.8 LS Cavalier with 6 months tax and MOT for £200. It cruises quietly at 75, has central locking PAS and a sunroof and around 33 mpg. It is a very good car which can be picked up cheaply as a private sale - mine came from an owner who had bought a 6 month old vectra at good value and put the ad for his car in the local newsagent's. Always a good place to look!
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I would have initially said the Cavalier, but the mention of "Has been owned by a home mechanic" would make me reconsider.
Not all, but quite a lot of mechanics cars are the worst maintained ones on the road. Why? Because they don't get paid to maintain their own cars. While they're busy maintaining their own, they could be doing someone else's and getting paid for it.
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I would have initially said the Cavalier, but the mention of "Has been owned by a home mechanic" would make me reconsider. Not all, but quite a lot of mechanics cars are the worst maintained ones on the road. Why? Because they don't get paid to maintain their own cars. While they're busy maintaining their own, they could be doing someone else's and getting paid for it.
Sorry, DD, I triped while you were answering this thread. The "home mechanic" is one who works on his own car - he actually works in a machine shop at a university
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No dis., but I really need to buy a car ASAP, preferably tomorrow, as a stop-gap - I am car-less, and need some transport until I can pick up a "genwine 2-hand bargain" for a few thou. One of these two is my current available choice. So far there's only mention of the cavalier, or similar but better ones which unfortunately are not available - is the Fiat right out? Which of these choices would *you* make?
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You can do much, much better for £300 than the cars you describe.
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You can do much, much better for £300 than the cars you describe.
But I've only got those choices! Maybe I can knock 50 quid of the Cavalier, if ICBA. The Punto is probably stuck at 300.
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Of the two, I'd go for the Punto as there's at least the potential to get the things wrong with it fixed from a scrappy and make it into an £800 car, just. Take the Cav to a scrappy and you won't be coming home with extra bits but leaving it there.
On the other hand, if you want a shed, my advice would be to try B&Q.
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Put Citroen Xantia into ebay search and see what you could get for the price - choice of diesels or petrol, electric sunroofs (not taped up) long MOTs, some tax, some with air con etc
eg
cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=...1
or
cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=...1
Never tried it but how about a trip round some local dealers to see what they have taken recently on part exchange - may have something decent they will sell to you rather than send to auction?
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Two problems there, PhilW:
First, he needs the car tomorrow (today now) so no time to bid, wait for the end of the auction, get the train half-way up the country, collect and drive back.
Second, both auctions you listed are still in progress - so the prices shown are not what you can get the car for, but where the bidding has gone SO FAR. To get an idea of sale prices you need to search for recently completed auctions:
cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=...1
cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=...1
cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=...1
cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=...1
-Mark
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Some years ago, my exmployer ceased trading, and I had a period in limbo with no car (company car driver at the time), and a need to travel, but no desire to spend savings until I knew my future.
What did I do?
Use public transport around my town, and rent a shiny new Ford Fiesta 1.25 from my local Ford dealer of all places for about thirty quid a day all in.
In Oldbanger's terms, that's at least ten days motoring to source the better car before being out of pocket, and in the mean time driving a reliable car, with good brakes, good handling, decent seats, airbags, decent radio, and AA backup in the remote case that something does go wrong.
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The Punto is more likely to survive until its MOT runs out, but they both sound pretty vile! Hope you find something better... :-)
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"they both sound pretty vile!"
Agreed.
In the phrase normally used in another context, 'this is not the best place to start from'.
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cavalier - what you lose in MPG to the punto, you gain in space, comfort and a little more reliability.
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If these really are the only options, then I leave it to those who know those models to judge which is the least bad buy.
But £300 buys a nearly imaculate Volvo 240 or 740. It will still be worth £300 in two months time, and probably keep going for a good few years.
For a true old banger in the condition of the two cars in question, I'd consider even £100 a rip-off. I've been given cars in that condition for nothing just for spares, because their owners were desperate to get rid of them and wanted to avoid the scrapping charge.
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Try local car dealers for PX bangers - it's cheaper for them to sell one to you for a small price than pay for it to be sent for scrap.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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Personally, I agree with the others here.
£300 can get you a better set of wheels that you'll be able to pass on at no loss in a few months time.
Other than that, out of the two you've mentioned, haggle the prices down to a couple of hundred at the absolut max.
OB, did you by chance tell both these owners you've got £300 to spend?
Hugo
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