[daveG]

yeah wasn't him driving

it was this fella James Nash

http://www.jamesnashracing.com/gallery/ ... ideo-shoot




was told tomatos on a polystyrene stall
got pumpkins pineapples pot plants on a solid expanded oasis foam stall, you can't really say no as the crash is the last bit filmed

pushed back front bumper
smashed grill
smashed lights off mounts
smashed indicators
crushed nose cone
crushed air dam
£3400 worth of repairs....its better now than before we started

thats me in the harrington jacket with the grown-out bald-mans hair style in the last pic
chokeing back the tears...couldn't actually speak for about 1/2 an hour, was an emotional rollercoaster of a day.

Dave

[daveG]

^^ thats your car...?!!

my once a week car it does about 15 to the gallon... the others are boring

D

[dimtimjim]

Velly niche! Love the old Yank stuff like that. Kinda puts my Octavia into the shade, although I'd get twice as far on my tank o fuel (and be able to go round a corner, but lets not start the Euro V's Yank car debate here!)!

An old school friend of mine, his older brother used to have a 'Cuda (in vomit-yellow), what a car... Slow as feck (compared with a modern German saloon) but sounded like Gods Orgasm, such a sweet off-beat V8 warble.

Good stuff DaveG, good stuff.

[daveG]

got an octavia myself couldn't do without it just the right mix of go, saftey and toys...this is just a daft thing for high days and holidays..its an aussie valiant charger R/T 4.3 litre went to oz on the proceeds of a V-Dub split screen van sale to get another, acidentally stayed 3 years and came back with this instead, needless to say all subequent accomodation has revloved to some extent around garage size, the aussies made these handle, but the cuda and challenger (longer and wider) were saddled with a huge 7 litre monster in the front, hence more like driving a cannon ball rather than an old tractor like mine.

[dimtimjim]

Ah! An Aussie Charger, I stand corrected. Still, lovely motor mate...

I think the phrase is 'well jel'.

[MK Chris]

James Nash was a couple of years below me at my school and is friends with my oldest friend who also races cars.

[Yudster]

Ok geeks, I need your help. As you may be aware, I have been car shopping - currently the initial stages of car shopping anyway. Yesterday we went out and found three cars, any of which I think I would be happy to own, but I can't put them in order of preference.

Bear in mind that I am looking for a reliable family car which will be economical to run and will happily do up to 15,000 miles a year. Also bear in mind that our original budget was up to £8k.

Option 1:
Peugot 308, 2009.
29,000 on the clock, one owner.
1.6 diesel
Plenty of luggage space, very comfortable, resonable spec but not spectacular (good enough for us though)
Road tax £30 per year
£7,495

Option 2
Kia Cee'd, 2011 (61 plate) - ex demo (old shape but still nice all the same)
Less than 3,000 miles on the clock
1.7 diesel
Loads of room, really comfy, very good spec including sat nav, rear parking sensors, bluetooth etc
Road tax £30 per year
£9,995 (on special offer!) PLUS 6 YEARS WARRANTY LEFT ON IT

Option 3
Honda Civic, 2006
Only 30,000 miles plus change on the clock - I know!!
1.9 diesel
Possibly the most comfortable and glorious car I have ever sat in, so much space, top end spec and BEAUTIFUL.
Road tax £120 a year
£7,500

I know which one I WANT - I want the Honda. I know which one is the best deal - the Kia. And I know which one is what we thought we were looking for - the Peugot.

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!

[neilt0]

Civic.

[Yudster]

I need to know why you think that?

[neilt0]

I need to know why you think that?

I've owned two Japanese cars and one Italian car. If it's not German or Japanese, forget it IMO.

[Yudster]

I deeply want to go with you on this but if I go for the Civic I have to justify it against the others. I am aware that by reputation it won't break, but I want you to give me sound reasons based on my criteria for choosing it! I'm worried about how much the tyres might cost. Servicing etc. It is a fantastic car, but I have to have my boring head on to an extent here...

[neilt0]

No idea on those. Other peeps might know.

[fatboydave73]

I would plump for the Honda. Dealers are no mugs; you can see from the prices versus age (ie £7.5k for a 2006 versus the same price for a car 3 years younger) that they can see what is the better car....

The Peugeot will be nice, and will do the job, however if they go wrong they are generally a pig to get parts for, and also can be costly to repair. Depending on which way the engine sits, it can also mean major costs for servicing (the French love tranverse mounting with extra stupid ideas, which can mean just changing a glow plug can be a major mission).

The Kia is a nice car, and like most Korean cars they will have blown most of the budget on the engine and chassis, and then run out of money by the time they come to the body. So in no time at all the body looks like it has been peppered with shrapnel, and that is just from parking it in the local Sainsbury.

The Honda all round will be the best value in the long run; however you can always go onto a car parts website and check out some basic bits (ie service parts etc) and then some costlier bits (fuel pumps etc) and do some cost comparison. Also check out costs for "everyday" things such as tyres etc. I am a bit of a nerd when it comes to this, so I always do the maths before I plump for a new car !! A good all round site to do that on is Euro Car Parts usually; they cover most cars I think. Also you can find out basic servicing costs from places like Kwik Fit etc....

[Yudster]

Thanks Dave, much appreciated.

[dimtimjim]

Sorry Yuddles for the late reply. I suggest Opt 2 or Opt 3, depending on weather heart or head are buying. The Honda will undoubtedly be the better car, better built and with a better engine, although with slightly low quality plastics used inside. But, the Kia and its 7 (6 for you) year warrenty is not to be sniffed at. They know there is money to be made in the sector and are currently doing pretty much everything they can to impress and build a customer base. Dave has already higlighted the major flaw with Peugeot, i'd steer clear of that one.

The Honda will be pretty much bomb proof, the Kia less so, but Kia will be more keen to impress if something does go fzzzt.

Plus, not to state the obvious, one is a Kia. How much that bothers you, I cannot say, but.

Yuds, outa those, I think I'd go Honda. What extra you'll pay in Road Tax you're saving on the purchase price.

[MK Chris]

The tax cost is the only thing that would put me off the Honda - I know nothing of these things, but dimtimjim - surely the tax is an ongoing cost, whereas the purchase price is a one-off one.

[Yudster]

The Honda road tax is more than the Kia, but a lot less than we have been paying. So its still a step in the right direction..!

Tim you are absolutely right about it really being head v heart. My head says that if we can raise the extra money we ought to go with the Kia. But I WANT the Civic, the difference between sitting in a perfectly comfortable, serviceable, basic yet adequate car interior and sitting in a high-spec Civic was enormous. I really want to be able to justify going for the Civic, because I fell a little bit in love with it.

[MadTheEddos]

I'm no expert on this stuff, but having considered and weighed up all the info you've posted, common sense alone tells me that the Honda is the right choice. It seems to be the best overall package. The only thing about it which *might* have put me off would've been the road tax, but if as you say that's not a problem, then cool.
One advantage of getting an older car too is that it'll be more of a bargain, because they depreciate so quickly in value when they're newer but by 6 years old the price will be much more "stable", so to speak, and it'll be better value for money.

Also - this'll sound cheesy, but trust your instincts, because they're probably right. If you're drawn to the Honda, chances are it's the car you should get.

[dimtimjim]

The tax cost is the only thing that would put me off the Honda - I know nothing of these things, but dimtimjim - surely the tax is an ongoing cost, whereas the purchase price is a one-off one.

Based on the Kia's 6 year warrenty Yuds was mentioning, assuming she'd run the car for at least that period of time, so 6 years road tax at £30 is £180. The same 6 years road tax in the Civic would be 6x£120, so £720, an additional £540, but the Kia will cost £2,500 more to purchase...

So, you already have an 'account' of £1,950 to service the Civic over those 6 years before you become even £1 down. I'd put an approx guess on 6 years servicing costs for a Honda (2x£500 and 4x£200) at £1800.

So, looking at the vehicles like that Toph, the Honda, once all accounted for, could still come in at £150 less over 6 Years (based on all non-servicable consumables, like tyres, being equal).

[MK Chris]

Fair enough.

Speaking of tyres, does anyone use blackcircles.com? Any good?

[dimtimjim]

Yes, used before on mail order tyres, no complaints.

[Yudster]

Wow - food for thought.

[dimtimjim]

[Yudster]

The bloke at the Honda garage was saying that he can get tyres at trade for himself and friends and family, but that his brother still uses blackcircles.com and its only a couple of quid per tyre more.

[James H]

Fair enough.

Speaking of tyres, does anyone use blackcircles.com? Any good?

Yeah I've used them numerous times with no complaint. Before you do though, compare them to MyTyres.co.uk and also give your local garage a call, sometimes they can price match!