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hire car

Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2005 4:14 pm
by mikegti
I've been driving around in this little beast for a week while the polo gets fixed.

Image

It's a 1.6 LX and doesnt seem to have much 'urge' to get anywhere! Its comfortable to drive long distances in, just feels sorta wobbly through the corners :lol: throttle response is a bit slow too.

It's also got flat spots around 4-5000rpm.

It does have one nice feature - there's a little red arrow that appears when I need to change up a gear!!

ok I'm comparing a base level car to a gti, but why would anyone want to buy a new car like this? Just doesn't turn me on somehow ... I want my own car back!

Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2005 7:19 pm
by SpikeyG40
i had a company car for four days. was a renualt senic! top of the range one at that, half leather, cd changer, climate control, desiel!

was nice at first, having all the gadgets and it did seem to have a fair amount of oomph! but i got bored of it and couldn't wait to get back into my own car! (this was before i have the g40 on the road so it was the 1ltr i am talking about)

Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2005 10:33 am
by 13twelve
i often wonder who buys base model cars


like who bought my, now written off, 1.4 L 1997 polo?

why didnt they buy a 1.4 CL ?

Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2005 10:51 am
by dino
13twelve wrote:i often wonder who buys base model cars
People who dont want or cant afford top of the range models or the insurance on a top of the range car.

Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2005 11:40 am
by GroovyCarrot
Yeah, but if you're strapped for cash then why buy a new car? Buy a nearly new car, get a higher spec or get some money left over for insurance..

Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2005 11:45 am
by dino
Why not buy new? Some people like having a new car rather then second hand.

Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2005 3:33 pm
by 13twelve
lol the same debate i have in my head when i wonder what i wonder on this

Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2005 4:35 pm
by stuart_hatch
dino wrote:Why not buy new? Some people like having a new car rather then second hand.
Some people prefer to yes, but for what reason, best reason i have has so far is "just because it is"

Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2005 4:48 pm
by dino
stuart_hatch wrote:
dino wrote:Why not buy new? Some people like having a new car rather then second hand.
Some people prefer to yes, but for what reason, best reason i have has so far is "just because it is"
They like new cars having the newest reg, Warranty (if 2nd hand car is brought private)

Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2005 5:56 pm
by BLACK6N_POLO
some people dnt like the thought of some thing being used they have to be the first to use it -- bit snobish

Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2005 6:15 pm
by GroovyCarrot
Personally I'd much rather have a nearly new car that I'm really going to enjoy owning than a sub standard new car which has a newer registration number.. why make sacrifices just so you can say you have a newer car than someone else? I guess warrenty is a reasonable reason, but that can be arranged anyway if you're not buying privately.

Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2005 6:35 pm
by SpikeyG40
i wouldn't buy a new car! you just loose so much money off it as soon as u drive it off the forcourt!

ok so u get a warrenty and you don't have to get an MOT for three years and its a car that u can garantee hasn't been missused and thrashed! but personally, i wouldn't buy a new car, nearly new maybe, but i like the older cars! 8)

Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2005 8:38 pm
by Tahrey1043
Does make me wonder too.......

Who bought that Fox I cast an idle eye over, whilst browsing for a "new" car in a forecourt, when it was new at the dealer? Someone so desperate for a brand spanking new motor, and prepared to buy a VW, but not to shell out the extra hundred pounds or so for a clock, centre binnacle and some decent seats (etc)?

Who goes and spends even £7500 on a base spec car when I got one loaded with air con, power steering, metallic paint, alloys and the like, with a good engine, for less than a third of that - fully dealer serviced for all of it's 30k miles (no warranty, but has stayed the course of recalls and early failures etc to not really need it - rust free - and just nicely run in so you dont have to baby it)...???

Wierd. :)

Mind you some of the very, very cheap bargain basement brand-new cars (Kias, Peroduas etc - not the "big brand" jobs like Ford Ka's) actually look alright for the money :D Lets see what the Renault Dacia is like.

Oh and Ford 1.6s? Bobbins, insofar as i've experienced, not much admittedly but enough. The 1.8s seem alright though. (test driving a 1.6 zetec escort vs a mate's old tub-of-lard sierra 1.8, quite a difference... in how slow the escort seemed!)
Hell even the 1.4 seems perkier! Maybe they're just super efficient or something.

Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2005 9:57 pm
by mikegti
Economy wise, it cost me £40 at 86.9ppl to fill it once the fuel light came on, and I'd done about 300 miles (M-way and A-roads).

One of the things that makes a car 'good' in my eyes is the driver involvement and feedback you get when driving it. Thats why I liked my old mini so much, even though it was 998cc, and also why the '94 1.6i fiesta I had afterwards just wasn't so much fun.

I've heard the 1.8 focus is much better, but beggars can't be choosers and I'm glad they didn't send me a corsa or something equally horrid!

Would be nice to try an RS version though!

Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2005 10:39 pm
by dxg
I bought my 9n new 3 years ago just because I wanted the "new car experience" and the warranty (and, boy, have I needed that!).

It does not make financial sense. My car has only covered about 13.5k miles and has therefore lost about 40p / mile in depreciation

Deek.