New Car time.. 2 in mind.. Opinions?

Hedge

Hedge

Hedge

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18 Oct 2002
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Somewhere in the middle.
Ive got a budget of around £1500 to buy a decent motor to replace my old Honda accord.

Economy aint that much of an issue and it would be nice to have something fun. of my two current ideas 1 is a fun option, one is a sensible one.

What are peoples feelings on these two?

http://newcastle.gumtree.com/newcastle/20/46219520.html

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/200938341800987/sort/priceasc/search-target/usedcars/maximum-mileage/up_to_80000_miles/engine-size-cars/2l_to_2-5l/price-to/2000/maximum-age/up_to_10_years_old/price-from/500/fuel-type/petrol/radius/30/page/2/postcode/ne332er?previous=/search/results/usedcars/postcode/ne332er/radius/30/maximum-mileage/up_to_80000_miles/engine-size-cars/2l_to_2-5l/price-to/2000/maximum-age/up_to_10_years_old/price-from/500/fuel-type/petrol/page/2/sort/priceasc&anchor=advert200938341800987&logcode=p
 
Which one is the fun and which one is the sensible, they both look pretty sensible (well the cars them selfs are sensible, the Citroen's styling on the other hand is vile!) :)
Go for the Mondeo, though a little to cheap?!
 
I thought a Xsara Vts woulda been a fun (ish) motor to drive. its quick (ish) and handles (ish) haha.

im pretty clueless on cars but with my limited knowledge they seem decent buys in my budget.

Ive emailed regarding mondeo mileage. are they a good engine?
 
The Mondeo is a good car. The engine is fine for a normal car and has enough push for normal use but will never be mistaken for 3L straight six or V6 engine.

If the car is genuine and in good condition then that is a bargain for a good quality car with a decent engine, class leading handling (German cars are not in this class), and good interior specification.

I bought one because I cannot afford the initial cost and the potential costs of a higher class car that I would kind of like to own(ie 3-series, 5-series and equivalents)
 
The Xsara VTS is a genuine hot hatch despite its iffy looks although that one is overpriced. For £1400 I got a 2002 FSH 42k 2 owner one in a nicer colour. Check that all the electrics function and that the cambelt gets changed often and there isn't really a lot to go wrong with them.

Mine is showing 30mpg on the trip computer over the 3k miles I've had it, and I don't drive it sensibly. Its quite fast, stops well and still has the early 90's trademark lift off oversteer that all the current pug/citroens lack.
 
GT3 has a good point. The Mondeo and the Xsara are completely different kinds of car. The Mondeo is a lot bigger (it is a large large/family hatchback versus the medium hatchback of the Xsara) and while the handling is good I have found my Mark3 Ghia X to be a bit more wafty and the suspension less stiff than the Mark2 Zetec I used to drive.

You can get 30mpg out of the Mondeo easily and I can get about 38mpg on long motorway runs driving at sedate, steady speeds at 55-70mph
 
Ill try and get a view on that Mondeo tomorrow.

Over a week ago the same car was advertised at 1795 so maybe shes desperate for dosh!
 
ahh your from the land of 'alreet'...

i'll have a look.

2002 with 54k, FSH and 12 months MOT just got snapped up in Notts for £1000... :(
 
Infact the one you linked first is 34miles away from my RAF base which ill be heading back to on friday. It could be an idea, but ideally i wanna get myself sorted up here for a nice drive back down :)
 
Phoned up about the Mondeo.

Im gonna go view it tomorrow night.

Anything I should be looking out for? its got 106k miles on the clock.
 
Hedge said:
Phoned up about the Mondeo.

Im gonna go view it tomorrow night.

Anything I should be looking out for? its got 106k miles on the clock.
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Listen for clunking from the rear. Generally they're very reliable, just make sure everything works.

Look for rust on the bottom of the doors which has been common on older cars. I wouldnt let it put me off too much provided it's had the relevant inspections stamped in the book - Ford should still honour the warranty if the inspections have been done and normally replace the door
 
Clunking from the rear, hows best to find this ?

Im clueless regarding buying cars. My Accord was a lucky purchase really considering I had no idea what I was looking at when i bought it lol.

106k miles anything to worry about?

priced under 1300 quid seems a lot of car for the cash. I love bigass comfy cars
 
Hedge said:
Clunking from the rear, hows best to find this ?

Im clueless regarding buying cars. My Accord was a lucky purchase really considering I had no idea what I was looking at when i bought it lol.

106k miles anything to worry about?

priced under 1300 quid seems a lot of car for the cash. I love bigass comfy cars
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How best to find it? Drive it! If it clunks over bumps then there's a problem with the rear subframe which is expensive to fix. It affects the estates much more though.

106k miles is nothing for a car like this
 
Ok ill keep eye / ear out for that knocking noise :)

A mate scared me with tales of people being mugged from gumtree so I did some google streetmap detective work and found their house. Had a blue transit van parked outside for sale for 700 quid. Hope they aint ****** haha :D
 
iaind said:
How best to find it? Drive it! If it clunks over bumps then there's a problem with the rear subframe which is expensive to fix.
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It's not that expensive to fix - you can get a set of rubber bushes for £30, (or Poly bushes for £60 which will last forever) and the job is only an hours labour at the very most. Ford used to replace the entire subframe but that's no longer the case.

Early Mk3's had issues with the rear brakes binding and handbrake problems. There was a modification done which was launched in 2002 so look for main dealer service history beyond 2002 and it should have been sorted.

As others have said, check the bottoms of the doors but also the tailgate and bonnet for rust around the sealant beads. Don't bank on Ford repairing this under warranty unless the bodywork inspection history in the service book is totally complete, which it more than likely won't be - I had Ford's for years and never had one stamped.

I had a couple of Xsara's in 2001 and 2002 and they're not bad cars - the VTS is good to drive if a bit awkward looking from some angles. My sister still has my old one and it's never given any major trouble, but things like the heater blower motor have failed. I have heard tales of the VTS grenading engines with snapped cambelts though - if I was buying one I'd get the belt and all the pulleys done straight away unless there is solid evidence it's been done recently (ie not just a sticker on the cambelt cover). Not exactly sure of prices, but I would have thought around £2-300 from a decent independant garage.
 
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