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Thread: Used Car Recommendations.

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    Used Car Recommendations.

    I dont often post on these forums, but after reading most of what is posted your guys seem to know an awfull lot about cars so may I trouble you all for some suggestions.

    My other half is shortly going to be looking for a new run-around car. Nothing excessive, commuting 10mile roundtrip and weekly shopping trip.

    She currently drives a 1.8D Fiesta, which I wouldn't say is fast put it pulls nicely. However having her dad reverse his land rover into it has lead to quite a lot of rust, the timing belt is also slipping(been told it a horrible job on this engine) so she wants something else.

    budget around 2k, nothing more than 80K on the clock really.

    I've been looking at an Fiat Punto, Corsa, Daewoo Nexia, Astra's.

    Anyother Ideas or secret gems I may have missed?
    Last edited by Roach; 04-05-2005 at 06:40 PM.

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    Fox
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    Hi, my name is Mr Predictable and I'm going to recommend - yes you've guessed it - a Ford Mondeo.

    No wait, before you say 'Thats too big!' hear me out.

    You will almost certainly find that £2k will get a newer Mondeo than it will Fiat Punto, Vauxhall Astra or Vauxhall Corsa. You don't want a Nexia becuase its a Mk2 Astra in a new suit. So, yes the Mondeo is a little bigger. But you get the extra space for free so you are not paying for something you don't need.

    Inside you'll find all the stuff you need - air conditioning, electric windows, remote locking, power steering, decent interior, multiple airbags, and there is a decent range of engines as well offering a good blend of performance and economy. Insurance isn't too bad and reliability record is very good.

    I do similar mileage to her, through town, and find my Mondeo to be an ideal companion. It's fully loaded with leather, aircon, cruise, heated seats, ABS, onboard computer and the best bit is it cost less than the same age Fiesta!

    Thats todays Mondeo pimp done. If she cannot park for toffee and absolutely wants a smaller car, take a look at the Citroen Xsara. It's the same size as the Astra but becuase its a Citroen and it looks a bit bland you'll get a newer one. £2k will get an R, S or even T reg one. Go for a 1.6 or 1.9TD SX - you'll get air conditioning and a nice interior.

    BMW 530i Sport | Ford Mondeo Ghia X RSAP

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    www.5lab.co.uk
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    its probably not teh timing belt slipping - if it was the engine would have stopped by now. it will be the altinator belt which should be comparitively easy to fix..

    anyways.. smart car? should be around that price by now. lupo/seat arosa is quite nice, and the diesels do something silly like 75mpg. a rover 200 diesel might seem like an odd choise, but they are cheap and nippy
    hughlunnon@yahoo.com | I have sigs turned off..

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    Quote Originally Posted by Fox
    Hi, my name is Mr Predictable and I'm going to recommend - yes you've guessed it - a Ford Mondeo.
    Made me smile that. Thank you.
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    Quote Originally Posted by 5lab
    its probably not teh timing belt slipping - if it was the engine would have stopped by now. it will be the altinator belt which should be comparitively easy to fix..
    That is probably my lack of knowledge showing, when she starts it up there is a high pitch noise, this is also present when she pulls away, but dissappears once on the move, thats when all the other strange noises start....

    I did consider looking at a Mondeo for her since she learnt to drive in one. However I didnt imagine we'd get a decent one for such a low budget, I shall have to investigate further. Thanks!

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    Senior Member schrickvr6's Avatar
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    If it was the cambelt slipping your valves probably would have hit the pistons by now destroying most of the engine.

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    www.5lab.co.uk
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    yeah the whineyness is nearly always the fanbelt (aka altenator belt) and is quite easy to tighten/replace. timing belt would normally go 'thunk' and then engine would stop in a hurry
    hughlunnon@yahoo.com | I have sigs turned off..

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    Now with added sobriety Rave's Avatar
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    Usually to tighten the alternator belt, you look at the ends of the crankshaft to find it, then move either the alternator itself or a tensioner pulley to tighten it up. On most cars it's an easy job, I used to have to do it fairly regularly on my own Nissan for some reason.

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