Hi all - just seen the above car advertised and arranged a test drive. It's up for £4k has had 2 previous owners and is being sold by a main dealer. The car looks very clean and tidy inside and out having done less than 20k. Have had a look at HJ's renowned CBCB entries for the range but would be interested in any additional feedback - especially with regard to: what to look out for, potential problems etc.
Also when we enquired about insurance it came up, apparently, as LPG enabled but the details on the net don't meniton this.
Speaking as a layman when it comes to cars, any advice/feedback would be most gratefully received!
Cheers.
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4k seems a lot of money for a 6 year-old entry-level Astra, despite the low mileage.
Looking at Autotrader there are plenty similar-aged auto Envoys up there with a more realistic mileage for 2-3k. Low mileage isn't all it's cracked up to be - especially a mileage that low.
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8 valve, or 16 valve engine? The 8 valve engine with the autobox fitted is a bit of a tortoise.
Also, has the cambelt ever been changed? Although low mileage, it should still be done every 4 years regardless that it hasn't yet done 40,000 miles.
I would imagine the exhaust is fairly corroded due to the low mileage as well (unlees it's been changed, or hasn't only been used for short trips)
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the 8 valve might be a slow old lump but apart from egr problems i would prefer it to the 16 valve if i was going to use the car little but seing it as a long term ownership thing...
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Hi all - thanks for the replies. DD - thorough as always ;)
Not sure but think it's a 16v. Will check the other things you mentioned and have a look at the service records. Good point about the cambelt which I was going to check on anyway.
Test drive tomorrow - will let you know what happens.
As for price, well that's the screen price - will not be paying that even if we do like the car.
Garage says they'll service, valet and Mot the car for a year and give a 1 year warranty (for what that's worth). Tax will be extra.
Cheers everyone.
Ps hope all's well with you/yours Dave :)
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Ps hope all's well with you/yours Dave :)
Fine thanks, VM oops, MazdaMan ;o)
I would try for the road fund licence as well.
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Thanks for your advice DD et al it was very helpful. We've just had a test drive and all seems sound to the untrained eye. It is 16v and I had a look under the rear of the car to see the state of the exhaust which looked very good as far forward as I could see. Interior and exterior pretty much spotless.
Managed to look at the service book and intriguingly the car has had 2 owners the first of which was Motability. For some reason the first 2 service stamps have been missed and the first service appears to have been carried out in year 3 @ 5k miles on behalf of the second owner who kept the car for 3 years, did 9k in total and had it serviced annually. There are no other service related documents. The autobox seemed fine - no clunking nosies that I could hear and it changed down fine. Also checked the demisters were working properly and they seemed fine as did the electric front windows. Very few gadgets to go wrong of course which is a blessing in disguise methinks lol
So......... ??
Cheers all.
Ps - have e.mailed you DD.
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mmmmm......no oil changes for the best part of 3 years doesn't sound very clever at all; probably less damaging if the car was stood around for most of the time with the occasional long run, rather than lots of 1 mile journeys - trouble is you heve no way of knowing which scenario the car ha sactually been through :-/
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spot on SpamCan61 and ex mobility ,i usually find these cars are terribly abused full of dents ,rubbish and usually cement dust in the boot,at least someone else has had it for the last 3 years,personaly as its coming from a dealer i would get last keepers address and phone him before i got my 4 slabs out...
maybe OP is emailing 2nd keeper as we speak?
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Well must admit I do find it strange but reckon it might have been owned by a middle aged and/or elderly person. The inside and outside of the car are immaculate and there's no visible signs of wear etc on seats, steering wheel, pedals, controls etc etc. It starts beautifully and runs well so seems to have been very well treated and if it weren';t for the missing 2 years ??? I'd have no qualms about making an offer. As it is .... well £4k isover the odds and it doesn't have the FSH the ad claims......
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just looked in the book for this and it is the 16 valve but 2 envoys are listed
with and without aircon........
looking at the recommended price and what your dealer is asking i must assume you are either well out in the sticks or live on the kings road.......
Do yourself and the wife a favour and run very quickly,the traders avin a larf......
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Is it being sold under Nework Q? If it is, their warranty is usually pretty comprehensive, but I would definetley ask them to do the cambelt and rollers first, even if it means paying for it.
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No - not networkQ warranty as car is too old. I year warranty provided via another company.
No aircon on this model and yes we know the screen price is well OTT - presumably they feel the v. low mileage justifies this but of course we don't (especially with the doubt as to what if any servicing was done in years 1 and 2) and let's face it, nobody pays the screen price do they. LOL
cheers all.
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I know it may be unfashionable to say it, but I would always be wary of owning an ex-Motability car. From personal experience I would say they may not always have been driven 'as intended'. Take a close look at the paintwork, too.
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