It's time to let the Salon go

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Ok, not a looker by any means, but another good sensible option I am looking into is a Citroen Berlingo.  Great sized boot on this one.

At least the insurance will be cheap on it then

[Neil]

I'd avoid the Citroens, especially the Berlingo    The Zafira is OK, great internal setup with the seating and can be had for good money, parts are also cheapish.

In reality though you know what you should be getting... anything Japanese

[Benner]

Funny you should mention that as I have had 2 Japanese cars and had quite a few probs, but my Mum has had nothing but Citroens for the last 9 years and hasn't even had a whisker of trouble.

TBH I have moved past brands as you can read one review one minute saying they are all great, then read another saying they are all crap.  This is why I am going to go main dealer.  That way I get a car with a decent warranty and can get the car that suits me (whatever that is) and not get tied up too much by who makes it.

Berlingo's I admit are a bit grim, but I can get one with very little mileage and quite new as well.  Plus with it's huge boot it's a very practical and dirt cheap to run option.  For what they are worth as well, reviews are very posistive towards those.

[Benner]

Oh, and another thing about the Japanese, they are great until they go wrong and then they cost a bomb.  Take this master cylinder for example.  Because I can only go sodding main dealer, it's costing me twice as much as other brands.  My exhaust and my clutch when that was changed cost me silly money because of the parts.  Bit sick of all that TBH.  At least with a cheap Kia or something I'm not going to get completely stung for a run of the mill part (3 years warranty with those as well).

[Neil]

The Kia does seem to offer good value.  I remember looking at them about twelve years back.  They did a basic, but family sized five door back then for under six grand and that's new.  Admittedly you got no mod cons at all, not even power steering.

[Benner]

The Kia I am nosing at, a Carens, has all the usuals like PAS, EW's all round, A/C, front fogs, and leather drivey bits.  Comes with a 3 year warranty, just over 30k on a 54 plate and a 2litre diesel engine that does 43MPG all for £500 under budget.  Looks like a very good option.

[Neil]

That sounds pretty good

[Benner]

Oooo leather interior as well.  I wonder if it's like Leatherman's crappy sheaths. 

[DaveK]

If you're looking at the Citroen Picasso, I'd urge you to look at the Renault Scenic. Comparable cars, but I chose the latter 10 years ago for the missus and haven't regretted it once. It's on it's last legs now, but I bought it used in 2000 and only now are we thinking we should replace rather than fix it.

Those Kia 4x4s seem great value too

[Benner]

I looked into the Scenic but couldn't seem to find one in my price range.  I'll take another look. 

[DaveK]

It's a while (and several new models released no doubt) since I looked, but I remember them being fairly comparable Ben.

Not sure if it's what you're after, but 3 year old Freelanders are bloody cheap at the moment too. Avoid the petrol models like the plague, but the diesels are great cars, and maybe in the same vein as the one you're getting rid of.

[Benner]

I've looked and main dealers generally only have newer models so are steeper prices.

Freelanders are expensive as well.

[DaveK]

I'm afraid sticking to main dealers will mean that.

Personally, I wouldn't go near a main dealer due the extortionate costs. The "car supermarkets" these days have maintenance facilities and offer better warranties than the main dealers in many cases anyway - you've definitely ruled them out? Your money won't go anywhere near as far at a dealers

[Benner]

I have looked, have read so many different peoples thoughts that I officially have a headache  and have decided to stick with a main dealer.  I know they will cost me more, but they are all literally on my doorstep so if I do have any aggro it's an easier process.

I have looked into these supermarket places and actually the prices aren't that much less, certainly not enough to distract me away from what I set out with.  Considering that I do have a number of options from a main dealer (Kia's are looking particularly promising) I'm sticking to my guns for ease of life. 

[thebullfrog]

Whatever you do, do NOT get the Chevy Tacuma PLEASE. It's built by Daewoo, and sold in the U.S. as the Chevy Aveo. I can tell you with certainty that the reason you can find them cheap is because they are garbage.

[Benner]

Cool, appreciate the feedback. 

What you heard problems with?

[thebullfrog]

There can be only one Chariot for the Banning clan, it be


(Image removed from quote.)

The Vauxhall Monaro VXR , Aussie made 2 door V8   .
Just ignore its a 2 door & what ever you do do not tell Mike what the fuel economy is  

Awesome car. Sold as the Pontiac GTO here. Heavier and therefor slower than it should be with the power it makes, but very cool. Especially since you get the Holden/Vauxhall body work which looks so much better than what Ponitac did to the front fascia.

[thebullfrog]

Cool, appreciate the feedback.  

What you heard problems with?

They just have atrocious build quality and won't last long. I had a manger in my last one who bought one and it started having problems in less than 20k miles. It's cheaper brand new than most used cars here for a reason. Every review I've read on the things says the same thing about the build quality. It's made with cheap parts slapped together with like no effort. There is zero GM in the car. It's literally just a rebadged Daewoo, which I don't know if they ever sold those on your side of the pond, but believe me, they don't exist any more for a reason. After they went under GM bought them for the sole purpose of making small, cheap, throwaway cars.

[Benner]

So not a fan then. 

Well you'll be pleased to know that after the Hyundai, that was last on my list.

[thebullfrog]

Hyundai is getting better, don't know about what they sell in Europe, but I know over here they have gone from some of the worst crap on the road (I've worked on a couple older ones) to suddenly being actually pretty decent. Hyundai has suddenly decided that they want to be a serious player and over the last two years has been doing a lot of the right things to acheive that.

[Gareth]

The Kia I am nosing at, a Carens, has all the usuals like PAS, EW's all round, A/C, front fogs, and leather drivey bits.  Comes with a 3 year warranty, just over 30k on a 54 plate and a 2litre diesel engine that does 43MPG all for £500 under budget.  Looks like a very good option.

I'm not at all sure about the Kia range.  The only one I ever drove was a Rio estate and it was a horrible place to sit.  Really cheap feeling interior plus the steering and road holding was so disconnected it felt like you were playing a video game; absolutely no feedback at all.  That said I hear the Cee'd is a pretty good car and the other newer ones might be OK now too.

[Benner]

And here lieth the problem I am having.    You say you weren't keen, however most reviews say they are pretty good.  That's why I am only searching the net for details and not opinions as there are so broad I have no idea who to listen to and who not to.

The Kia will never be a super posh car, but the warranty is a huge attraction.  That and that fact that for the money you can get quite a lot of extra's.  I need to go test drive one.

[Gareth]

Oh yes the other site I tend to look at when buying is this one:

http://www.euroncap.com/home.aspx

For example the difference between a 2004 and a 2005 Zafira is notable to say the least.  I'm not sure I'd want to regularly drive anything with less than 4 stars these days.

[Gareth]

And here lieth the problem I am having.    You say you weren't keen, however most reviews say they are pretty good.  That's why I am only searching the net for details and not opinions as there are so broad I have no idea who to listen to and who not to.

The Kia will never be a super posh car, but the warranty is a huge attraction.  That and that fact that for the money you can get quite a lot of extra's.  I need to go test drive one.

Absolutely right mate, whatever you go look at you'll need to take it for a spin yourself and make up your own mind about how it feels on the road.

[Grant Lamontagne]

Kia is decent, but remember you are getting what you are paying for.  Consumer Reports once said about the Sportage something like this:

"The only thing dumber than buying a new Sportage is buying a used one." 

They are notoriously underpowered, and the f&f inside is pretty bad.  But, I have also heard they are pretty reliable, so provided you aren't worried about details and street racing, it might not be a bad direction to look in.

Def

[thebullfrog]

It should be noted that I never seem to see any Kias more than a couple years old. I've known a lot of people that have owned them, and quickly got rid of them because of all the little problems that quickly add up.

[John]

It should be noted that I never seem to see any Kias more than a couple years old. I've known a lot of people that have owned them, and quickly got rid of them because of all the little problems that quickly add up.

so? 

[MultiMat]

In Oz Kia has a pretty bad rep for reliability.
Might be good having a great Warranty (I agree with you get a good one if you can) , but would be a pain if your car is consistently in & out of the work shop  .

How does the Kia rate on customer feedback surveys in the UK     

[Mr. Whippy]

I say go British.

Bentley, Lotus, Aston Martin, Noble, Trident

Whatever.  They all seem to be pretty well respected. 

[yud]

I say go British.

Bentley, Lotus, Aston Martin, Noble, Trident

Whatever.  They all seem to be pretty well respected. 

if you go British then go Caterham