Buying a used car

[Flow-Rider]

I worked for a BMW, Merc and Jaguar specialist many moons ago. If you want to buy exotic, you want to be someone that earns heaps . It takes a few years for the copy rights of certain parts to be sold for aftermarket production, things like filters and oils are easily found after market but other things can be many months of waiting. I can remember quoting on a top radiator hose for a Peugeot, only listed genuine for $290.00, specially moulded with 3 outlet hoses and strange size diameters.

 

[stirk]

I worked for a BMW, Merc and Jaguar specialist many moons ago. If you want to buy exotic, you want to be someone that earns heaps . It takes a few years for the copy rights of certain parts to be sold for aftermarket production, things like filters and oils are easily found after market but others thing can be many months of waiting. I can remember quoting on a top radiator hose for a Peugeot, only listed genuine for $290.00, specially moulded with 3 outlet hoses and strange size diameters.

Sell car cheap with shit proprietary designs and rake it in on spares, that's where the money is.

 

[MARKL]

Sell car inflated price due to snob value, with shit proprietary designs and rake it in on spares, that's where the money is.

Fixed it for ya...as I stare at the French hatchback in the garage:tsk:

 

[Haakon]

If you take it to a dealer for servicing, my sympathy is minimal...

Dealer prices on anything are massivly inflated - for any marque. Surely this is common knowledge...? Use independants, use a bit if common sense, use a bit of initiative and research stuff yourself.

 

[foxpuppet]

If you take it to a dealer for servicing, my sympathy is minimal...

Dealer prices on anything are massivly inflated - for any marque. Surely this is common knowledge...? Use independants, use a bit if common sense, use a bit of initiative and research stuff yourself.

Yep, just had Vw dealer quote $1500 for front and rear pads n rotors on my van.
Parts are $400 from the supplier they use and $300 fitted from local mechanic.... Or I could do it myself, I've done them on my bike, how hard could it be?

 

[Haakon]

Yep, just had Vw dealer quote $1500 for front and rear pads n rotors on my van.
Parts are $400 from the supplier they use and $300 fitted from local mechanic.... Or I could do it myself, I've done them on my bike, how hard could it be?

Exactly. I just did all the rotors and pads on our Reno Megane - Was about $450 in bits for German made parts (rears ones are a bit exxy because they're a one piece hub/disc with the bearings included...). Spent another $20 on the special tool to wind in the rear caliper pistons (can do it without but its fiddly and it was an excuse for a shiny tool purchase!) and $8 on a female Torx socket in a size I didnt have. Job took a lazy 3 hours one Saturday arvo with beer breaks and allowing for my OCD tendancies to scrub everything clean before reassembly, even brakes.

Or I could have spent $1500 at the Renault dealer and have them do it roughly and carelessly while making wild generalisations about the expense of european cars...

 

[scblack]

Exactly. I just did all the rotors and pads on our Reno Megane - Was about $450 in bits for German made parts (rears ones are a bit exxy because they're a one piece hub/disc with the bearings included...). Spent another $20 on the special tool to wind in the rear caliper pistons (can do it without but its fiddly and it was an excuse for a shiny tool purchase!) and $8 on a female Torx socket in a size I didnt have. Job took a lazy 3 hours one Saturday arvo with beer breaks and allowing for my OCD tendancies to scrub everything clean before reassembly, even brakes.

Or I could have spent $1500 at the Renault dealer and have them do it roughly and carelessly while making wild generalisations about the expense of european cars...

Or we could have bought a Ford Focus for example, had the same service done for about $500, and be sitting by the BBQ, laughing at some random who thinks its worth spending their Saturday afternoon buggering around fixing their car.

 

[Haakon]

Or we could have bought a Ford Focus for example, had the same service done for about $500, and be sitting by the BBQ, laughing at some random who thinks its worth spending their Saturday afternoon buggering around fixing their car.

Cool story. But I'm happy to spend a couple of hours at the $100 an hour a mechanic charges.

Buys a lot of beer.

edit, checked my parts prices they were under 400. reno/peugeot/focus/astra/vw etc etc etc same same prices for basic service parts, all come from the same set of suppliers, just choose your price/performance compromise. Focus might be cheaper for rear discs if they're seperate hub and rotor is all.

 

[foxpuppet]

Or we could have bought a Ford Focus for example, had the same service done for about $500, and be sitting by the BBQ, laughing at some random who thinks its worth spending their Saturday afternoon buggering around fixing their car.

But then you'd have to drive a focus

 

[scblack]

But then you'd have to drive a focus

True. But they are actually a bloody good chassis and fun to drive. The engine is gutless and lacks torque though, that's the 2.0litre.

 

[Haakon]

True. But they are actually a bloody good chassis and fun to drive. The engine is gutless and lacks torque though, that's the 2.0litre.

Agreed. I looked closely at them when I bought the Megane, really wanted to like it but it left me cold. The Megane won despite a clunky and average autobox for its considrably better engine, only slightly less good steering and better ride (actually my partner's car, I'd have gone for the Sport turbo manual version myself!). The Focus drivetrain was very uninspiring...

Confusingly, I quite like the current Corolla to drive - just had one as a rental in Queensland and its actually a decent driver's car (at last, none of its ancestors have ever been!!). And I am now a CVT convert....

 

[fatboyonabike]

and what does your 'Renault Minger' run on, sunflour oil?

 

[Haakon]

and what does your 'Renault Minger' run on, sunflour oil?

huh?

6char

 

[fatboyonabike]

what type of fuel does the minger run on?...easy question

 

[Haakon]

what type of fuel does the minger run on?...easy question

Umm. 98 octane from Costco at present. It will take 91 but loses torque. The sunflower oil bit threw me...

 

[scblack]

And I am now a CVT convert....

And so am I.

I have a 2015 Forester Turbodiesel with the CVT and it is a bloody good gearbox. It even engine brakes (very gently) as you pull up to lights. Tows excellently with it. And it has a function with flappy paddles to utilise 7 gears manually, which works very well - very useful for towing.

 

[Haakon]

And so am I.

I have a 2015 Forester Turbodiesel with the CVT and it is a bloody good gearbox. It even engine brakes (very gently) as you pull up to lights. Tows excellently with it. And it has a function with flappy paddles to utilise 7 gears manually, which works very well - very useful for towing.

Given Toyota owns Subaru, it's probably the same transmission. I also liked the intergration wth the cruise control - it up shifts to engine brake if a decline sends you over the set speed.

French cars have had the upshift/engine braking as you slow to lights for 25 years, it's a feature I always missed driving non French autos!

 

[frank_n]

Given Toyota owns Subaru, it's probably the same transmission. !

??

Subaru (スバル?) is the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI), the twenty-second biggest automaker by production worldwide in 2012.[1]

FHI is 16.16% owned by Toyota.

Not exactly "owned" by Toybota

 

[slowmick]

At what point do you phone a friend?

Bit of a grave dig but there is lots of good information in this thread.

My question is where in the process of buying a used car do you call in the experts to inspect the car?

i am looking to buy an older VX-VZ wagon to replace my VX that died after new years. i think i can get a half decent one for around 5K from a dealer.

My last car died as i elected not to fix a radiator problem that came up at it's last service. it was on top of a long list of things that needed doing.

On this basis i know the sorts of things that can be wrong with the car but i have no aptitude to check them. A pro check is in the order of $250 so i don't want to do too many.

do you have to by a car and make the check a condition of sale? If so then if i don't go ahead it costs me $250 for the check and $100 deposit for pulling out of the sale.

Any advise would be appreciated - i have a few cars to go look at on Friday.

 

[richie_gt]

Bit of a grave dig but there is lots of good information in this thread.

My question is where in the process of buying a used car do you call in the experts to inspect the car?

i am looking to buy an older VX-VZ wagon to replace my VX that died after new years. i think i can get a half decent one for around 5K from a dealer.

My last car died as i elected not to fix a radiator problem that came up at it's last service. it was on top of a long list of things that needed doing.

On this basis i know the sorts of things that can be wrong with the car but i have no aptitude to check them. A pro check is in the order of $250 so i don't want to do too many.

do you have to by a car and make the check a condition of sale? If so then if i don't go ahead it costs me $250 for the check and $100 deposit for pulling out of the sale.

Any advise would be appreciated - i have a few cars to go look at on Friday.

If you're not competent or confident with picking out with identifying any problems yourself I suggest you do need a second opinion.

Doubt a condition of sale would be worth negotiating given it's a $5,000 car, just a case of buyer beware!