I am looking to get rid of my ageing Fiat Seicento w-reg 67k on the clock as some problems are coming very soon ie:
Head gasket is going - approx £300-400 to repair
Needs new tyres @ £70 per corner (cheapest price as already checked) - £280.00
Brakes new discs + pads ??
Headlights need sorting ??
MOT costs - £45.00
Inusrance at £220 per year
Tax - £110
All before Feb 06
Right I have been offered the following Brand New 55 Plate Kia Picanto's for 60 months credit with 3 years warranty and 1 years insurance.
* LX for £5795 @ £27.49 per week = overall cost £7147
* GS for £5295 @ £25.00 per week (approx) = overall cost £6500 approx
Differece between the two is that the LX has aircon, remote locking and heated mirrors.
I need to know are these a good deal? as my car (Fiat Seicento SX) has also been factored into the overall cost as they seem to vaule my current car around £650 part ex
Also would it be better in getting a bank loan? - also how do you work out the interest rate based on those costs above?
Mike
|
My local dealer Viking Kia Southampton is offering new Picantos for £4,999,not sure of the spec though.
I have done about 3000 miles in Hertz Picantos in Spain over the last 12 months and for the money i really do not think you can beat them.
Great warranty package,easy drive,good enough on the motorway,i have recommended them to many people,some struggle to get over the Kia badge,but really that their loss.
|
|
|
I've seen the Picanto come top in a few recent group tests in magazines against similarly-priced opposition. Sounds like a good idea.
Some Kias are revamped old Japanese designs, but this one seems to be original. I'd say go for it. For only about £10 per month the aircon and remote locking will be worth while, and also worth a few quid more the other end.
|
|
One certainly doesn't see many Pandas around. Or Moduses either. I suspect the sales figures are not as good as predicted.
|
|
You may or may not be correct, but don't forget these cars sell across Europe. Renault Megane, for example, is a disaster here, but sells well elsewhere.
|
"Renault Megane, for example, is a disaster here, but sells well elsewhere."
I can't believe that, Meganes are everywhere in the UK, a point I noticed as soon as I bought one...
|
|
|
|
I think remote central locking would be worth £10/mth, never mind a/c.
However, if you're thinking of keeping the car for a long time, and you only use it for local runs etc, then it might consider avoiding a/c, as it's the thing most likely to go wrong and usually costs a lot to repair. However once you've had it there's no going back and I wouldn't dream of having a car without a/c these days.
Regarding the interest rate, isn't the dealer obliged by law to tell you the APR if you ask? Compare it with one of the online loan services - Sainsbury's, for example, quote £113.11 (your figure of £27.49 is classic car dealer trick to make the loan seem cheaper - it's £119.12/mth). Sainsbury's APR is 6.1%. That's with no payment protection, which you may or may not want.
What Car is running a Picanto on long term test and they seem to love it.
|
on the apr side - this is what I thought as well as I can shop around for a cheaper loan if needed.
Now on moneysavingexpert site one user suggesting fixing my seicento as the 899cc engine can cope with 100-150k mileage. Is it worthwhile? Okay I could be chucking £120 per month at the Kia where is makes better sense to save the £120 on service (it needs one!) and repair bills and saving for the next motor?
I am going to get a better opion on the head gasket has the signs (mayo on the cap) have been there for a year but not yet blown if you know what I mean. No water or power loss at all.
Tyres - have source a set of 4 for £50 each before fitting - okay a different size but better!
Mike
|
Get shut of the Fiat. It'll just be one thing after another that will go wrong or need repair / replacement.
It is, arguably, cheaper to run an older car, but you've got to think of the time and hassle involved as well, especially if you lose money by having to take time off work to get it fixed.
|
|
|
The 899cc engines are supposed to be very tough, and I have known them to do more than 150k. Keeping your car will almost certainly be cheaper. With a new car you are likely to loose more than £1000 in depreciation during the first year alone. For £1000 you could fix everything on your car, and the new parts will last for many years.
If you've had mayo in the cap for a year then I doubt it will be the head gasket going. If you do short trips then mayo will be normal, especially this time of year. Even after a 7 mile trip on a cold day there can be mayo left in the cap. I don't think head gasket failures are that common on the 899cc engines either, it's mainly with the FIRE (1.1) engines. I have heard of an 899cc head gasket going though. Oh, and if the mayo is due to short trips then I would highly recommend more frequent oil changes ie. every six months.
I wouldn't get different tyres. A different size may effect the handling, fuel consumption, performance, and the grip/safety.
I've got the same car as you, but it's a V reg with 47,000 miles. I've recently replaced the brakes, tyres, fluids, and light bulbs. My only worry is the gearbox (a bit clonky), and rust (paintwork is bubbling). If your car has been inspected (unlike mine), then the car should still have an antiperforation warranty for a couple more years.
btw my tyres were £180 for four Pirelli P3000's. This is a good tyre, and was from a big company which probably wasn't the cheapest. So £280 seems a little pricey to me. The tyres were about £50 each, but I asked for a little off.
Oh, I doubt that there will be many (if any) cars that are cheaper to insure than your Seicento, it's in the lowest insurance group (IG 1).
|
Hi Peter,
Good to year from another Sei owner - I have now scrapped the idea of a new motor as working out all of the costs its just not worth it.
I do 50 mile round trips aday and oil change is due soon (IIRC I can't even remember its last one)
As with different tyre sizes - not a problem as its 1cm wider but all other profiles are the same. A few Seicento Abarth owners have done this due to costs - a P6000 tyre in 175/50/14 set me back to £76 before fitting, yet a Yoko 185/50/14 comes out to £49 before fitting. I have Abarth wheels on a SX though.
I will be setting time/cash now to the side to get the tyres/brakes and fluids all change before MOT time
My Gearbox is a little clonky like yours in 1st and reverse but nothing else
But the antiperforation warranty has expired as I didn't take it in for its 3 year check (doh!) as the mount around the drivers side windscreen wiper has now rotted though so a metal plate will need to be welded/riveted on to stop the wiper jumping like mad when in use.
|
you shouldnt really swap a 175/50/14 to a 185/50/14 - they have different rolling radii, which means that your speedo will be inaccurate.
I agree with others that £70+per corner is over the top. look around you will get cheaper than that.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Just had one for a day as a hire car don't know about prices but it was one of the better cars i've hired plenty of zip on the motorway roomy but no boot space interior was acceptable too
Don't like that modus thingie from renault not as good to drive as the Kia
|
|
|
* LX for £5795 @ £27.49 per week = overall cost £7147
I need to know are these a good deal? as my car (Fiat Seicento SX) has also been factored into the overall cost as they seem to vaule my current car around £650 part ex Also would it be better in getting a bank loan? - also how do you work out the interest rate based on those costs above? Mike
The loan above, if for £5795 payable by 60 x £119.12, is an effective (APR) rate of 8.9%. If it's for £5795-£650= £5145 as you imply then the APR is 14.8% which is significantly higher than you might pay elsewhere.
There's no really simple way to work this out but you'll get a rough answer from
(200 x £interest)/(£loan x number of years)-1
in this example that gives 14.56%, a good approximation for 14.8%.
Be careful of motor dealers quoting interest rates - they often use flat rates to calculate payments, which are about half the APR.
There is also usually an 'admin' or 'documentation' fee added to the first payment which will increase the APR - to take account of this just deduct it from the loan in the rough calculation above.
Hope this helps but if you want any rates checked please ask.
|
I quite liked the little Kia as well when they gave me a horrible Orange-coloured one as a loan car while mine was being serviced.
Surprisingly nice little thing to drive, plenty of space, seemed well screwed together. Very good package for £5500 I have to say.
|
|
A nice second hand Focus ?
|
|
Am I right in saying these cars come with a 5 year warranty?
|
3 year unlimited mileage (b ehard mind to do more than 60,000).
near bullet proof reliabiltiy, low insurance, decent on the juice. lots of spec.
no one can match it - and thatd why they are becoming more of a common site.
would not put you of at all.
|
|
|
Am I right in saying these cars come with a 5 year warranty?
No, you're thinking of Hyundai.
|
Think you can pay a small extra fee and get the warranty upped to 5 years direct with the manufacturer. The mechanicals are all Hyundai anyway (engine / gearbox / electrical system and switchgear all essentially pulled from the Getz parts bin).
As for the "nice second-hand Focus" comment; why does this always come up with Korean cars?
I'm going to suggest a second-hand BMW every time someone wants a new Focus from now on.....
|
Talking of Hyundai mechanicals, you can always tell a Hyundai gearbox with cable-linkage (this goes for the new Kias as well).
On a cold morning the very first time you change gear from first to second at more than a snail's pace there's a slight "clunk" to be heard/felt from the linkage, which goes away the second time you change 1st-2nd.
I've felt it on 2 Getzes, 2 Accents, a Cerato and a Picanto, all with the same basic gear linkage design.
Maybe it's just me being hypercritical, but I've never seen this quirk mentioned on any reviews of these cars and yet I notice it time and time again. Anyone else confirm?
|
Confirm.
applys to all of them - the gear box syncros do wear out faster on them than other cars (generally) - although if your having the car for just 3 years it wouldnt be a worry.
you will also find difficulty in selecting reverse on the odd occasion.
Transmission is one place where hyundai lag behind.
another criticism is the paint quality - take care of your picanto - you will find the slightest knock, or faint scratch will damage it quite easily.
|
|
Yes to all that,but remember the very low purchase price,nice drive,reliability,and overall great package.I noticed 2 Picantos yesterday being used by independant driving schools.The Picanto must be very good in that role.
|
Confirm. applys to all of them - the gear box syncros do wear out faster on them than other cars (generally) - although if your having the car for just 3 years it wouldnt be a worry. you will also find difficulty in selecting reverse on the odd occasion. Transmission is one place where hyundai lag behind.
Not much wrong with Hyundai transmissions, they are mostly based on Mitsubishi designs. The mid-sized vehicles use a 'Hyundaised' (!) Mitsubishi F5M42 'box which has been around since the early 1990's and crops up on many cars including some Volvo's.
All cable-operated gearboxes can be a bit poor on feel - the cable effectively puts a 'spring' between the lever and the selector. The Mitsu boxes have never been great on synchro action, but changing to a suitable thinner oil can help (a straight 80 or a 70W-80 GL4, if you can find one). I find that with many modern gearboxes you have to drive a mile or two before the synchro smooths out. Just be gentle with it and don't 'force' the changes.
another criticism is the paint quality - take care of your picanto - you will find the slightest knock, or faint scratch will damage it quite easily.
A bit like recent MB's then! Seriously, fragile paint is a problem with many modern cars, I think that water-based paints are not as durable as the traditional acrylics and isocyanates.
|
Just to clarify the comment I made referred specifically to the feel of the gearchange. It still pops straight in with no fuss, but the slight clunk feels like a linkage "catching up" with the gearbox for want of a better description. It's not synchro wear, as I've noticed this on a Getz with six miles on the clock. I think it is fair comment about the cable-operated boxes not feeling too great -- I've noticed similar (though different) click/notchy effects on boxes from newer Hondas and Nissans as well, so it's not just Hyundai.
Generally I find the feel of Hyundai gearboxes to be excellent -- very smooth and light-touch, and generally they've done a good job on them but there's just this one little quirk.
|
|
|
|
|
