Car advice

[Guest]

Been given a price for both cats and backbox to be replaced on a Porsche Boxster 986 2000 plate it's the misses car and I think the price is pretty expensive for what looks a not too difficult job. Any mechanics here that could give me a shout as to what they'd expect it to be?

[UsedToGoToCentralPark]

Been given a price for both cats and backbox to be replaced on a Porsche Boxster 986 2000 plate it's the misses car and I think the price is pretty expensive for what looks a not too difficult job. Any mechanics here that could give me a shout as to what they'd expect it to be?

OE parts or 3rd party?

Possible for a bit less than 2k, is it the 2.7?

[Guest]

OE parts or 3rd party?

Possible for a bit less than 2k, is it the 2.7?

It's the 2.7 I think the garage are looking at OE parts, I've found the cats online for £90 a piece and a stainless back box for £250ish (although it's an Ebay part) tempted to get them but I know Ebay parts can be a disaster

[weirdcal]

I said that after the first one I had. Bought another a few years later, all it did was reinforce that view. Stupid mistake.

Aye.. Well I had booked it in to replace its mass air flow sensor as its died so the add on of needing to replace the key so I didn't have to explain why you had to use a knife to start it and to lock and unlock so you can see when you were hitting the sweet spot.
So 180 before it even goes in.
Have decided to skip getting the rear right window motor being replaced at this point as its only the 3 year old who sits there and he's a dick for playing with the buttons (override lock in front, did not spare the motor).
In short, renaults are shite

[RandomGuy.]

On 02/07/2021 at 20:36, Thistle_do_nicely said:

Afaik if too much goes into the air intake underneath it destroys the engine.  

Depends. I've blown an engine up by pouring a cup of water in an air filter then revving it for a minute. I've also seen an engine survive 5 litres of water down its throat.

1 hour ago, Empty It said:

Been given a price for both cats and backbox to be replaced on a Porsche Boxster 986 2000 plate it's the misses car and I think the price is pretty expensive for what looks a not too difficult job. Any mechanics here that could give me a shout as to what they'd expect it to be?

Good luck.

[jimmy boo]

Good luck.

Why would you be pouring water into an air filter?

[supermik]

I see that Tesco are providing free charging points for electric cars. Are they allowed to do that without offering free petrol and diesel also?

[Michael W]

How relevant is the age of the car in terms of wear and tear? 

Looking at getting a new car (well, new to me) and have seen a couple with very similar mileages. 

One is a 2017 and the other is a 2019. The 2019 is naturally more expensive and trying to figure out whether it's worth paying the extra for the newness. 

Appreciate that there are variables here as I'll have no idea whether, for example, the previous owner was a speed freak that kicked the shit out the car at every opportunity. But in broad terms, is the two years likely to make much of a difference? 

[welshbairn]

12 hours ago, Michael W said:

How relevant is the age of the car in terms of wear and tear? 

Looking at getting a new car (well, new to me) and have seen a couple with very similar mileages. 

One is a 2017 and the other is a 2019. The 2019 is naturally more expensive and trying to figure out whether it's worth paying the extra for the newness. 

Appreciate that there are variables here as I'll have no idea whether, for example, the previous owner was a speed freak that kicked the shit out the car at every opportunity. But in broad terms, is the two years likely to make much of a difference? 

I've gone with low mileage and 3-4 years old the last couple of cars and it's worked well, so I'd go for 2017.

[UsedToGoToCentralPark]

How relevant is the age of the car in terms of wear and tear? 
Looking at getting a new car (well, new to me) and have seen a couple with very similar mileages. 
One is a 2017 and the other is a 2019. The 2019 is naturally more expensive and trying to figure out whether it's worth paying the extra for the newness. 
Appreciate that there are variables here as I'll have no idea whether, for example, the previous owner was a speed freak that kicked the shit out the car at every opportunity. But in broad terms, is the two years likely to make much of a difference? 

2019 will likely have some manufacturer warranty left, the 2017 most likely not.

[welshbairn]

17 hours ago, supermik said:

I see that Tesco are providing free charging points for electric cars. Are they allowed to do that without offering free petrol and diesel also?

Yes. They can offer 3 for 2 on cabbages and not cauliflowers too.

[TxRover]

16 hours ago, Michael W said:

How relevant is the age of the car in terms of wear and tear? 

Looking at getting a new car (well, new to me) and have seen a couple with very similar mileages. 

One is a 2017 and the other is a 2019. The 2019 is naturally more expensive and trying to figure out whether it's worth paying the extra for the newness. 

Appreciate that there are variables here as I'll have no idea whether, for example, the previous owner was a speed freak that kicked the shit out the car at every opportunity. But in broad terms, is the two years likely to make much of a difference? 

Impossible to answer as is. Relevant concerns:

1) How far into the model life is each vehicle? A first or second year of model production vehicle tends to be less reliable than the last year of model.

2) What features appeal to you? Various features become more standard over time, although if both vehicle are in the same class, their equipment levels will be similar with only two years difference. The big changes in content often occur with model changeovers.

3) Is the mileage of either unnaturally high/low? Cars like to be driven regularly over a decent distance. Repeated, short trips can cause battery issues and engine/exhaust issues with moisture buildup…not being driven is hard on batteries and wear on startup, etc.

4) Never forget to consider insurance costs, which can vary remarkably between very similar vehicles.

To give an example, a 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia would be a terrible choice over a 2019 model, due to 2017 being the second year of production. The problems found in the 2017 are almost all fixed in the 2019, and the 2019 has a much improved infotainment system. Ask me how I know.

[beefybake]

20 hours ago, Michael W said:

How relevant is the age of the car in terms of wear and tear? 

Looking at getting a new car (well, new to me) and have seen a couple with very similar mileages. 

One is a 2017 and the other is a 2019. The 2019 is naturally more expensive and trying to figure out whether it's worth paying the extra for the newness. 

Appreciate that there are variables here as I'll have no idea whether, for example, the previous owner was a speed freak that kicked the shit out the car at every opportunity. But in broad terms, is the two years likely to make much of a difference? 

Assuming that most other aspects are reasonably equal.., eg., service records, no one's done incredibly above average mileage...

I'd go for the 2017 car.   The biggest chunk of depreciation costs take place in the first 3 years.  The 2019 car is right , bang in the heaviest period

of depreciation. The 2017 one has got through that, while it should have several years ahead of it before it starts costing you money for repairs, and wear and tear.

One proviso... The 2017 car should have had it's first MOT by now.  If it has failed on say a light bulb, and then gone straight through, that's OK. If it's got several

things showing up as fail or advisory points, that might make me pause.   If the MOT looked OK, I'd go for that 2017 car. 

Edited July 14, 2021 by beefybake

[supermik]

44 minutes ago, beefybake said:

Assuming that most other aspects are reasonably equal.., eg., service records, no one's done incredibly above average mileage...

I'd go for the 2017 car.   The biggest chunk of depreciation costs take place in the first 3 years.  The 2019 car is right , bang in the heaviest period

of depreciation. The 2017 one has got through that, while it should have several years ahead of it before it starts costing you money for repairs, and wear and tear.

One proviso... The 2017 car should have had it's first MOT by now.  If it has failed on say a light bulb, and then gone straight through, that's OK. If it's got several

things showing up as fail or advisory points, that might make me pause.   If the MOT looked OK, I'd go for that 2017 car. 

The very first port of call for anybody looking to buy a used car.

https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-history

[Michael W]

Thanks for the advice, everyone. Very helpful indeed. 

Appreciate it was a question that was pretty open and had a number of variables, so really appreciate the help. 

 

[pub car king]

https://www.topgear.com/car-news/first-look/behold-new-vauxhall-astra?amp=1

 

New astra looks nice. I'm in the market for a new car probably in the next year or so. Seat Leon was the front runner but really like the look of this.

[Thereisalight..]

Lads, another problem for you to solve. For the last few months any time I try to put full beams on it takes about 5 attempts, the last few days they wont go on at all. Today as soon as I put the engine on the headlights are on despite them being on the off setting. They go off after about 10 mins or so. Any idea what's causing this? 

My car gets its mot in a few weeks so I'll persevere until then but was wondering if it's a costly fix

[Guest]

Lads, another problem for you to solve. For the last few months any time I try to put full beams on it takes about 5 attempts, the last few days they wont go on at all. Today as soon as I put the engine on the headlights are on despite them being on the off setting. They go off after about 10 mins or so. Any idea what's causing this? 
My car gets its mot in a few weeks so I'll persevere until then but was wondering if it's a costly fix

Write off imo.

[HoBNob]

Looking for some advice if possible. 

 

I've only ever bought cars to get me thorough a year at a time when I thought the house would need two (500 quid ones off Facebook etc) as I've never had much in the way of a commute, however my next job could see me commuting and I'd prefer to have a car where the steering wheel isn't a risk of giving me white finger. 

 

Looking at Google there's a Pcp, pch, hp etc etc. What have people found that's best for them? And then once you decide what's best for you, what are the best sites for finding deals etc? Or are you better going into a dealership? 

[Michael W]

7 minutes ago, Grant228 said:

Looking for some advice if possible. 

 

I've only ever bought cars to get me thorough a year at a time when I thought the house would need two (500 quid ones off Facebook etc) as I've never had much in the way of a commute, however my next job could see me commuting and I'd prefer to have a car where the steering wheel isn't a risk of giving me white finger. 

 

Looking at Google there's a Pcp, pch, hp etc etc. What have people found that's best for them? And then once you decide what's best for you, what are the best sites for finding deals etc? Or are you better going into a dealership? 

It all got slightly heated in the c***s on the road thread all over this! 

I guess the first question really is: what are you looking for? PCH is basically renting the car - you pay per month over an agreed period but you won't It's cheaper than buying the car and you can always get another one once your contract is up. Downside is you don't own the car at the end, so you'll need to take another PCH if you want a similar car (and repeat cycle). 

PCP is a bit different in that you pay the monthly fee and then at the end of the term you have the option to buy the car. You don't have to, but if you've no intention of purchasing the car then PCH will probably work out better. 

Beware that both will have a mileage limit and if you exceed this, you'll pay an excess per mile. Make sure you know roughly how many bikes you'll do if you choose one of these options. 

I personally dislike the thought of having to continue paying for a car for all eternity so would avoid a PCH, but that's only my viewpoint. I'm also not fussed about having the latest car either, and am instead looking at a low mileage car no more than 4 years old.