Dear All,
I am buying a car this weekend and looking for urgent advice. I currently have a nearly non-working Mitsubishi Galant (which has done me well) and it WILL be replaced this weekend.
I do about 40k miles per year and my budget is £5k and am looking at three cars which seem good deal in one being a Honda 2002 CRV with 80K miles and the two- a 2001 Nissan Primera Sport with 36k miles and lastly 2001 Saab 9-5 with 71K miles.
I carry reasonable amount of stuff in the boot and reliability is crucial to me, though regarding the Honda above, I'm concerned about it's current 80k mileage and whether it can cope with myself pushing it to around 200K miles after three years (provided I service it of course).....please advice with whatever opinion you have ?
Thanks in Advance
Dlyricist
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I'd pick the Primera personally. That shape has an excellent reputation for reliability an durability (a million minicabbers can't be wrong), and it's an excellent drive. At 36k, assuming its been well maintained and looked after, it's barely run in.
That said, a 2001 example is nowhere near £5k worth, even with those miles. You should be looking at paying no more than £3k, and ideally closer to £2.5k.
All modern cars (especially Hondas) are good for 200,000 miles if properly maintained and not abused.
Cheers
DP
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04 Grand Scenic 1.9 dCi Dynamique
00 Mondeo 1.8TD LX
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Sorry Chap,
The Honda is £5K
Saab & Primera both £4K
Rgds
Dlyricist
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primera way over priced.
2.5k for a 51 plate.
5k will get an 05 plate
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if you use the boot a lot the CR-V will drive you potty after a while. The sequence of events to open/shut it is no fun in the pouring rain and you just want to dump stuff in and get in the dry yourself. The side hinged section is quite long meaning you have to have a reasonable space behind the car to open it fully and I'd guess the hinges won't last as long as the rest of the car due to the weight. Having said that my folks have had two, the old one and the new shape so they can't be all bad.
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Anymore opinions of whatever slant please?
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Dlyricist, I see that you're new to the Backroom. Welcome aboard and have a look at the "Car-by-Car" tab at the top of this page. This will give you loads of objective info on your potential cars.
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Round The Bend THanks and I have used thre drop down already....very informative, though still undecided so using this thread a "clincher"
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Not the Saab. Primera would be my choice of the other two - you must do your fair share of motorway miles in 40,000 a year and I think the Primera would cruise more comfortably. Lighter weight and better aerodynamics should translate to better mpg over the CRV.
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I like to drive SAAB's, but their reliability can be a bit of a let down.
The Primera is probably the one to go for as a good all-rounder. Take it for a test drive and check out for faults (noisy timing chain or cams/lifter rattle, baulking/crunching on a 1-2 gearchange, clutch gone heavy). If its been looked after is should be fine though..
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And another car into the mix (still buying one tomorrow though)...another Honda CRV 2001 -51 reg with 53k miles(older model though)
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Dlyricist - sorry to not answer your question but is there any reason you aren't considering a Skoda Octavia circa 2002 of some description?
The diesels in particular are very frugal and reliable...and they have a massive boot!
Although there a few things to check for as with any car. And personally I would avoid PD but others will sing its praises.
Edited by mss1tw on 14/12/2007 at 16:35
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Skoda Octavia, haven't found any with low enough mileage on Autotrader......and what is "DP" ?
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Mileage shouldn't be a problem. PD stands for pump duese (Might be spelled wrong) and is an 'equivalent' to common rail, and is in theory a good idea. But in reality is prone to problems unless all service and oil specifications are met to the dot, every time. The 'normal' 1.9 TDI's are hardly lay-abouts, anyway.
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Primera - I have just bought a 2002 Primera 1.8S from a Ford dealer for £4.5k with 43k miles, FSH, immaculate condition. Plus they gave a £200 over book price on my trade-in. Spacious car, plenty of kit, big boot (though reviews say it is narrow). Feels well-built and solid, but you sit quite high and seats are hard.
Saab 95 - we also have a 2001 estate, 120k miles on it, but had a new catalyser and DI cassette (paid by Saab) a year ago. Looks great, seats are really comfy - much better than the Primera for cruising on the motorway, and you feel like you are in an executive car (unlike the Primera). Down side is reliability - problems with sludge in oil sump on many 9-5's. MPG is poor and you need to find a good independant specialist to service it at a reasonable price. However, these are fantastic value second hand (compared to Merc, BMW, Audi - which also have their problems) and if you get a good one it will be a great car. 5 star ncap too, I think.
Honda CRV - my sister has a 2002 CRV, which has had no real faults since new (radio went a bit funny once). She finds boot space plenty big enough for gear from 3 kids. Comfy but poor mpg. 4x4's aren't for me, but if you need that kind of car it would probably be a good choice. Probably keep it's value the best of the three.
Of the three, I find the Saab the nicest place to be for long periods.
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