Its often a common policy of economic car ownership to buy at 2 or 3 years old to lose the high initial depreciation, but (IMHO) times have changed and certain models pose enhanced risks.
Decades ago when I learnt to drive as a teenager (and as a consequence work on cars) any inadvertant abuse of the car was tempered by a growing mechanical sympathy due to understanding and being able to *visualise* what was going on, in for example the clutch, or oil flow around a cold engine.
Most of the new cars of that era were bought by the relatively wealthy older people who tended to look after them.
Well.. There was Auntie Nelly, slipping the clutch a bit and witless about the mechanics, but the proposition I am making is that *new car abuse* is often more extensive and model specific today.
There are two models in a manufacturers range, discussed in another marque specific forum. One is typically bought by pensioners or young female drivers. It has few problems and seems a reasonable bet at 3 years old.
The other model seems to have taken over the role of the old modded Novas or Corsa`s of a decade or so ago however Its not a Vauxhall.
This newish, large supermini is often bought brand new by 17yr olds who are getting their first car, courtesy of parents. so none of the suffering of personal saving, doing without things as a result applies.
Whoo Hoo then :)
Some are chipped as soon as purchased, run off the limiter at every gear change even when cold as though its a computer game. A group of owners ran some on neat cooking oil with no concerns of the fuel pump and injectors, One guy banged a new one into second gear to overtake a truck seemingly putting it beyond the limited engine speed on the changedown, then held it at the limiter, blue smoke pouring out the back. It reportedly doesnt have the same power now and he`s puzzled why. ( really puzzled that is, no mech awareness at all)
Their cars have lots of breakages and faults and often there is putting water into the sump (other fluids into the wrong places) and going the full 12,000 miles to the first service without opening the bonnet. Oil pressure lights coming on during cornering due to almost no oil and running it like that until finally getting advice on what it means and then putting in some cheap oil. Astounding examples of ineptitude and knowing and unknowing mechanical abuse charactorising their period of ownership.
The general plan is to keep quiet about a lot of this and then move them on at about 3 years old..............
Our economic buyer who would not dream of buying new, then buys these cars....
So IMHO, some particular `cult`models are a real risk these days, far more than in days gone by.
Then there is the petrol into common rail diesel and running it 40 miles until it finally chugs to a halt, quietly part exchanged and coming soon as a nice " someone else has taken the initial depreciation 3 year old" to a dealer near you.
As for me? There`s no way I`m going to buy a small sub £8,000 car used, I`ll take the hit on buying new, then keep it 15yrs.
I also think I`m turning into Victor Meldew, I wonder why?
Regards
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Going to say what they are to save us possible grief then oilrag?
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So, the answer then is to avoid those cars that have been (a) chavved, or (b) have a CR diesel engine then surely?
Not all sub-£8000 cars fall into this territory.
One more reason to buy "dull, characterless" cars by the sound of things!
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Thats difficult Lud, as I`m a member of that marque specific forum.
Regards
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Hi Jase, no, reason to buy the car new and keep longer.
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Hi Jase no reason to buy the car new and keep longer.
In fairness, I think you're right -- the depreciation on a lot of these small cars is very low, due to the popularity of them with young drivers, and I think paying the extra grand or two may well be money well spent if the car is going to be kept for a while.
And you're right -- I'd never buy a second-hand CR diesel car, after the problems I've witnessed with colleagues' cars. Far too much hassle. Give me a simple, straightforward 4-pot petrol any day.
There are still some models though -- Far-Eastern ones mainly -- that are almost exclusively bought by more mature drivers. These cars I wouldn't hesitate to take the risk on.
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small french cars saxos/c1 etc
sold new to 17 year olds with free insurance
bad news for 2nd purchaser
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This bit
"One guy banged a new one into second gear to overtake a truck seemingly putting it beyond the limited engine speed on the changedown, then held it at the limiter, blue smoke pouring out the back. It reportedly doesnt have the same power now and he`s puzzled why"
sounds very similar to a tale of almost incredible idiocy I heard a while ago (might have been on here, but not sure), regarding some little chap with a nice new Grande Punto 1.4, and a head that, on the facts as presented, appeared to be solid bone from the neck up. To be honest, though, I suspect one could locate similar stories for most models of small car without much difficulty.
I don't necessarily accept that having a car bought for you makes you less inclined to look after it. My first (very small) car was bought for me by my parents on the explicit condition that it was to be looked after. This was unnecessary, as the mere fact that someone had spent more money than I myself could have laid hands on at the time, on something for my sole benefit, meant that I absolutely cherished it. But some people aren't as appreciative as me...
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Interesting post, and quite shocking. I want to get a brand new car when I replace my current one partly for this reason. I've got attached to my current (1st) car and wouldn't like to keep needing to replace my cars.
The problem is these things can happen with any car, some cars are more likely to have these problems than others, but it could happen to any. I knew somebody in their 40's or 50's who had their oil get below min, after reallising they filled it well past max, this was a nearly new car and was expensive.
Hot-hatch - quite often floored and moded it
City car - short trips, old people labouring it or young people murdering it
Family cars - could be a good buy, but there is still a chance of problems, and many parents will use them for short school trips etc.
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A nearly new (6-12 months old) ex-hire car is what you want, 8-12K miles of thrashing to bed the engine in, give it a service upon purchase and away you go.
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If you buy s/h from a dealer then get a good warranty, if you buy privately then buy on condition and buy cheaply. Modern cars are far, far better than anything from the mid 1990s or earlier. Compare and contrast Escort and Focus, Mundano and Sierra.
Modern cars are slightly boring perhaps, but infinitely better. Except for TDCis of course ......
I want lots of people to buy lots of new cars; then the new Mundano shall be mine, in about 18 months or so.
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I'll buy a sh CR small diesel anyday: did last year. As long as fsh/reasonable miles and reasonable maker , no problems.. buy on condition as above...
Low Mileage is a nogo imo (less than 10k pa is low...) .
Far too many people wittering about supposed problems. I agree you have to be carefull - but that was always the case... and how many 3 years old cars are stopped broken down? I have not seen one for years..
As for buying second hand cars favoured by youngsters, I agree no...
IF I follow the OP's logic, I would not buy a petrol car from SE England v becuase of Tesco petrol problems.....!
madf
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It's not just the smaller cars - there was a post on here a couple of weeks ago about someone who'd put diesel into his Audi RS4. Jist of the poster's comments were that he couldn't care less as he would be getting rid of it soon anyway. Seem to recall his attitude was as bad as some younger chav and his thrashed Saxo.
S6 1SW
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I wasn't sure I believed him s61... seemed a bit too nasty and silly to be true.
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It's not just the smaller cars - there was a post on here a couple of weeks ago about someone who'd put diesel into his Audi RS4.
How would you do this, surely the diesel pump nozzle wouldn't fit in the unleaded nozzle hole, quite apart from the fact that they have a very blase' attitude towards a £50,000 car !
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How would you do this surely the diesel pump nozzle wouldn't fit in the unleaded nozzle hole quite apart from the fact that they have a very blase' attitude towards a £50 000 car !
He put the fuel in from a jerry can in his garage or something. He also seemed to have a strange attitude to life full stop. Perhaps the two go hand in hand?
S6 1SW
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I don't usually exceed 10,000 miles a year in any of my cars but then my shortest journey will always exceed 20 miles.
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If you want to look at used cars this negatively, like my dad, you obviously wouldn't be able to sleep nights unless buying new, in case someone at some time did one or two slightly unsmooth gear changes, or took it past 3000 revs once in a while !
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And the reality :)
Quote, Cut & paste ( from the posts on the other forum)
what I am saying is that pinging the car off the rev limiter and then catching the next gear should not hurt it. The 16v has peak power at 6000 rpm and max torque at 4500 so with a close stacked set of ratios you should be able to nail it in any gear, ping the limiter snatch the next and be at peak torque,
end cut & paste
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>>ping the limiter snatch the next...
And once the engine is properly warm, what's wrong with that?
Number_Cruncher
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I'm glad I'm not the only one to have spotted this!!
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I'm going to become a bore about this, but if you have to buy second hand go for an automatic. I have experimented with Sonia the Sonata and you cannot redline her; the transmission will not allow it, even in the so-called manual mode (admittedly you can hit the rev limiter with Toad but that's a different kettle of fish). Beside, I am not a typical automatic driver, most of them, at least at the family car level, are mild characters!
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Things like this always seem such a pointless waste to me. You take something that even recently could not be bought at these prices, if possible to make at all, then proceed to utterly destroy it.
Guess that's just the way it goes...
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I must admit this question has entered my mind when looking at performance cars. I fancy an Impreza Sti or RB320 but baulk at paying new prices but worry that a year-old one may be thrashed. You don't buy a car like that to drive sedately so a low mileage may include quite a few track days. Although the cars are built to take it to a certain extent, clutches and brakes are likely to be worn and these aren't covered by the warranty. What to do?
I saw an 06 Evo 320 advertised privately in my local rag, 11,000 miles with 'new tyres and brakes'. That would put me off! Better he didn't mention it.
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