HFS's Cars

[homeforsummer]

No.

Now I'm really confused.

Dude.. It's a 15 year old Honda we're talking about, it's not a Porsche or a Ming vase. What do you expect anyway, mint condition, immaculate interior, 10k miles, serviced every year, one previous lady owner for under £1k? What are you driving anyway, a brand new car with a 7 year warranty?

Jondot has a point. I don't really want anything that's been modified unless it's really basic stuff like the wheel/gearknob in the Del Sol I drove. I want something that's ideally pretty standard and has been at least reasonably well looked after, which is more than possible within my budget - as proven by most of the other cars I've driven this year.

Basically, I'd like to be able to modify something in a way that I want, rather than remove somebody elses' tat from the car and replace it with things I actually like.

 

[Jondot]

Dude.. It's a 15 year old Honda we're talking about, it's not a Porsche or a Ming vase. What do you expect anyway, mint condition, immaculate interior, 10k miles, serviced every year, one previous lady owner for under £1k? What are you driving anyway, a brand new car with a 7 year warranty?

No... it has a 3 year warranty

Anyway, my point was that the Del Sol he's already looking looks far better and is £400 less. Assuming there's nothing fishy behind the possible re-spray, anyway.

 

[Revheadnz]

Have you bought an MX5 yet? I think take up Famine's offer and just drive all the cars in his household. I recall that he owns an MX5 as well as the MX3.

 

[Famine]

Actually, we don't have one at the moment. We sold Ellie, the Mk1 1.8 Berkeley a few months back, but we're in the market for a Mk2 10th Anniversary Edition at the moment.

 

[homeforsummer]

Decided to run a check on the CRX to determine it's history:

So it looks okay. No record of it having anything dodgy. It's obviously had a plate change because it will have been given any old random plate when it was imported. It's useful to know the actual year of manufacture too (I knew it wasn't a 2001 as stated because they stopped making them in 1998...). And it appears the last owner has had it for 5 years.

Hmm. I'm going to have a look at my finances. Although I haven't sold my car yet I might be able to sort something out...

 

[Keef]

Please don't buy a Del Sol. I have no idea what possessed you to find interest in them. Terrible cars.

 

[Glanza-V]

May I reccomend a starlet gt-turbo ?,i know its probably something yoru not looking for but it's like a glanza, but with a little les of a 'Boy Racer' image.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Starlet_GT_Turbo

 

[Leonidae]

Insurance will be a killer. Also, try to find one that has unmolested engine so you can be even somewhat certain that the engine doesn't blow up on his face.

 

[Glanza-V]

Forgot about the insurance bit yeah.. too many of them robbed and that.

 

[homeforsummer]

Please don't buy a Del Sol. I have no idea what possessed you to find interest in them. Terrible cars.

You forget what I'm driving at the moment. And I suspect "terrible" is much too strong a word.

Insurance will be a killer. Also, try to find one that has unmolested engine so you can be even somewhat certain that the engine doesn't blow up on his face.

^ This. I considered a Glanza for about three seconds and then realised it might be a little more hassle than it's worth. And insurance would be ridiculous. It's bad enough for fairly sensible imports but a turbocharged Japanese hot hatch is like a red rag to a bull for insurance companies.

 

[Leonidae]

Have you considered these? similar performance numbers to the NA 1.8 MX-5's, classic hot hatch, cheap to keep running, doesn't stick out from the crowd..

 

[MarinaDiamandis]

Forgot about the insurance bit yeah.. too many of them robbed and that.

They also are about as much fun as having teeth pulled. No fun, handle like soggy cardboard.

 

[homeforsummer]

Have you considered these? similar performance numbers to the NA 1.8 MX-5's, classic hot hatch, cheap to keep running, doesn't stick out from the crowd..

I considered one for a while but sort of lost my interest in them. Well, that's not strictly true as they're my favourite generation of GTI, but when I did a bit of research into them a while back I discovered they aren't as cheap to keep running as you let on, and many of them are now on the wrong side of "project status" for my liking. If I could find one nearby I'd definitely have a test drive though.

 

[Tornado]

I'm surprised that nobody's noticed the irony that I dislike sunroofs with a passion yet I'm prepared to drive a car on which the roof can be removed entirely...

Sunroofs are for old people and women. Targas are for people who understand how awesome targas are.

 

[homeforsummer]

Sunroofs are for old people and women. Targas are for people who understand how awesome targas are.

That'd be me then. The first targa I can remember being wowed by was the NSX targa. And it was only very shortly after that that the Del Sol came into my consciousness.

NEWSFLASH -

The Fiesta is now For Sale. The eBay listing for the car is here.

NEWSFLASH #2 -

Bugger. The silver 'Sol has been sold. At that price I'm not surprised. In all honesty I was pretty much prepared to buy it too, been sorting out my finances ready for it today. Never mind - on with the hunt...

NEWSFLASH #3 -

This is why we don't wait around when looking for cars. It's a '96 Civic Coupe 1.6 SR (single-cam VTEC, 123bhp), 90k miles, loads of kit, looks in good nick from the photos. All for £995. Spotted it on Autotrader on Friday after I got in from work. Had another look today, and it's already gone. Damn. Knew I should have gone to have a look on Saturday.

Hondas are kind of "leading the pack" at the moment with BMW Compacts in a close second. I've lowered my budget a little to nearer a grand which has knocked the idea of something like an MX-5 on the head a bit, but Civics and Compacts are still realistic for that sort of money. As are Celicas and Preludes, if the right model turns up near me.

 

[homeforsummer]

NEWSFLASH #4 -

Finally managed to have a proper look at a Civic Coupe:

'96 Civic Coupe 1.6 LS. The base model, basically - 103bhp from a non VTEC 1.6. This one had apparently done 81k miles and was up for a faintly ridiculous £585. However, it's condition was a clue. The previous owner appeared to be a "cruising" sort - badly resprayed rear panels, a badly sprayed silver cam cover, nasty aftermarket foglights, aftermarket "performance" exhaust, stickers everywhere saying things like "Edinburgh Cruise", "K&N" and "Mugen"... condition wise the car looked fine and you can't expect too much from a £600 car, but it wasn't quite what I was looking for.

Also had a look around this today:

It's a '99 SEAT Cordoba 1.9 TDI S, up for £1495. Bit of a mouthful and not the prettiest thing ever, but not without merit. The boot (it's a proper saloon despite the looks) is huge albeit not as practical as a hatch. It seems spacious (note how I'm starting with the dull stuff...) and the interior seems ridiculously solid after my car and even approaching stuff like the BMWs I've tried. The engine seems pretty good (can't go too far wrong with VAG diesels) - 90bhp and double the torque of my car, produced at lower revs. The best bit? Predictably, fuel consumption. A quoted 57mpg on the combined cycle.

To put a perspective on this, I did a few calculations. Diesel in my area is less than a penny more than petrol per litre on average. Based on 5000 miles a year and using their claimed average fuel consumption figures, the Fiesta would use 568.2 litres of petrol a year, the Cordoba would only get through 400 litres of diesel. At current prices, this would be £577 in petrol for the Fiesta and only £408 for the SEAT. That's quite significant and more than enough to offset the extra £50-ish in road tax and £50-ish in insurance the SEAT could cost over the course of a year.

In addition, the Cordoba is likely to need fewer things doing to it. There was no rust for a start. It's basically a VW Polo - indeed I've just had to go through my post and change all the times I'd written "VW" into "SEAT". I'll try and have a go in it in the next few days.

And no, even forza2.0 didn't completely put me off SEATs!

-----------

I've been thinking a lot recently about what I really need at the moment from a car. I've looked at plenty of fairly flash or sporty stuff but right now it's just really not wise.

I mentioned a page or two back about a secret "plan B" I had, and whilst I won't reveal the exact car I was thinking of (just in case I buy one I want it to be a surprise...) but the gist of which was that as opposed to finding something to last me another five years, I find something to last me another one or two which will depreciate less in that time than simply keeping the Fiesta, and cost no more and indeed hopefully less to run in that time too. Both the cars above fit into that category after having run the figures through.

I have plenty of time to buy something flash or sporty and it makes more sense to make that sort of purchase when I'm financially more secure. If I get an FTO, or an MX-5, or a nice BMW, I may as well do it justice by buying the best I can find rather than buying from the bottom of the barrel because my budget won't stretch any further.

Bottom line: If I'm going to have something fairly dull still it may as well be a little quicker and more comfortable...

 

[YSSMAN]

It's a '99 SEAT Cordoba 1.9 TDI S

Didn't Brad (Casio) have a Cordoba? Or was it something else? I was under the impression that the car was based on the same Jetta (Vento) that I had, but I was wrong according to the internets.

Anyway, I think your change in rationale is reasonable. Sometimes the boring car is the right idea based on how things are. Insurance prices and fuel costs are always the forgotten add-ons...

 

[Casio]

Didn't Brad (Casio) have a Cordoba? Or was it something else? I was under the impression that the car was based on the same Jetta (Vento) that I had, but I was wrong according to the internets.

Yeah I did.

I had a Cordoba for over 2 years. And it didn't give me one bit of trouble. Not one. Mine only had 80hp, but it was fun to drive, practical, amazing build quality (Not one rattle in a 15 year old car), fuel efficient, and a giant boot. It wasn't even that slow because it doesn't weight much. Mine was hit while it was parked by a 2 ton Ford traveling 60km/h without braking. Considering that it is a pretty safe car too. I would have brought another one if the right one was around at the time. The boot is huge, but like you say, is hampered slightly by the small openning, but the back seats fold perfectly flat, so you can easily get 2 full sized mountain bikes in it.

I like I said before, I had it for 2 years, and 70,000km and didn't have one problem, it got an oil change once every 10k and that was it. One weekend I did a 1000km drive to Sydney on Friday, and a 1000km drive back on Sunday. Didn't check oil, water, tyres or anything before I left, and it was perfectly fine. I'd totally recommend one.

 

[homeforsummer]

I had a Cordoba for over 2 years. And it didn't give me one bit of trouble. Not one. Mine only had 80hp, but it was fun to drive, practical, amazing build quality (Not one rattle in a 15 year old car), fuel efficient, and a giant boot. It wasn't even that slow because it doesn't weight much. Mine was hit while it was parked by a 2 ton Ford traveling 60km/h without braking. Considering that it is a pretty safe car too. I would have brought another one if the right one was around at the time. The boot is huge, but like you say, is hampered slightly by the small openning, but the back seats fold perfectly flat, so you can easily get 2 full sized mountain bikes in it.

I like I said before, I had it for 2 years, and 70,000km and didn't have one problem, it got an oil change once every 10k and that was it. One weekend I did a 1000km drive to Sydney on Friday, and a 1000km drive back on Sunday. Didn't check oil, water, tyres or anything before I left, and it was perfectly fine. I'd totally recommend one.

Firstly, yikes at the pictures. Glad you got away okay from that one 👍

Secondly, that's interesting to hear about your car. I didn't flip down the seats but that they fold flat is very useful indeed, and that it fits a mountain bike is even better news. I know what you mean about the build quality, it seemed really solid inside, but I'll have to drive it to see if it feels as solid on the road. From the road tests I've read it seems like they drive okay, probably won't be quite as chuckable as my current car but then the extra power/torque and comfort should make up for that.

Which engine did yours have then? I'm guessing something like the 1.6 petrol?

Anyway, it's all food for thought. Hmmmmmm.

Anyway, I think your change in rationale is reasonable. Sometimes the boring car is the right idea based on how things are. Insurance prices and fuel costs are always the forgotten add-ons...

It's what I'm thinking at the moment. It'd be daft to put all my eggs in one sporty basket now and end up with something that's feeling rather tired in a couple of years, rather than buying something a bit less exciting that'll go the distance until I have more money and can buy the best of the breed.

All the driving certainly hasn't been in vain anyway. It's been good fun, and now I do have a very good idea of the sort of things I like. Not to mention, I've driven examples of cars I've been wanting to drive since long before I had a licence (the MX-5, Del Sol, FTO, 318ti Sport Compact etc).

 

[Jondot]

Very sensible HFS, I approve

How many miles had that Cordoba done? I spy a 'low milage' sticker in the window. Also a 90bhp diesel will basically be everything you need. I'm driving around with that amount of diesel power (albeit in a car 200kg heavier than the Seat), and it's plenty even for me.

And no, even forza2.0 didn't completely put me off SEATs!

Good Although to be fair, the only ones he ever seemed to talk about were models that his 'source' said were coming. Which never did.

 

[TheCracker]

It's what I'm thinking at the moment. It'd be daft to put all my eggs in one sporty basket now and end up with something that's feeling rather tired in a couple of years, rather than buying something a bit less exciting that'll go the distance until I have more money and can buy the best of the breed.

Or, just to play devil's advocate, why not go for the sporty car now when you have few commitments and pretty much only yourself to please. By the time you have more income you usually have more outgoings too. You have the rest of your life to do the sensible thing - usually because circumstances dictate it.

Just a thought from someone who's in that situation now.

 

[Jondot]

He could always go for the best of both worlds and grab a nice Fiesta Zetec S:

What? It's an upgrade - that's a Mk4 facelift

Admittedly that's a little over budget, and will most probably have been run into the ground by the previous pikey, but still.

 

[homeforsummer]

How many miles had that Cordoba done? I spy a 'low milage' sticker in the window. Also a 90bhp diesel will basically be everything you need. I'm driving around with that amount of diesel power (albeit in a car 200kg heavier than the Seat), and it's plenty even for me.

71,000 miles according to it's ad on Autotrader. Which is absolutely nothing for one of those engines. There's an Octavia with a similar engine but the 110bhp version and an automatic transmission also on Autotrader at the mo which has 250,000 miles on it and still going strong.

You're right though, in a car of that size and weight 90bhp should be able to haul it with very little effort, which also bodes well for the life of the car.

Or, just to play devil's advocate, why not go for the sporty car now when you have few commitments and pretty much only yourself to please. By the time you have more income you usually have more outgoings too. You have the rest of your life to do the sensible thing - usually because circumstances dictate it.

Just a thought from someone who's in that situation now.

You make a very good point 👍 However, given that I'll likely only keep the thing for a few years I can't forsee my circumstances being too different in that time. If anything, I'll be better off - at the moment I only work 25 hours a week and £2k a year has to go towards uni course fees. When I've finished uni I can start doing full-time hours - earning 50% more and spending £2k less a year. As I don't plan on starting a family for quite a while I still have my youth left!

In the meantime, I had a look at this today, a Honda Civic Coupe 1.5 LSi:

Yes, I know it's an auto. With the above in mind, I'm no longer too worried about auto/manual. Manual is still preferable but I'm prepared to make exceptions. 71k miles, one owner, no rust anywhere electric everything and apart from a crack in the rear bumper (should be replaceable) and a little tear on the driver seat it seemed in good nick. The effeminate colour comes with the car

Anyone got any clues about that engine bay? Looks like oil has been splashing over it from somewhere but no obvious signs of a leak.

He could always go for the best of both worlds and grab a nice Fiesta Zetec S:

What? It's an upgrade - that's a Mk4 facelift

Admittedly that's a little over budget, and will most probably have been run into the ground by the previous pikey, but still.

Much as I like the Zetec S, I'm no longer really interested in owning one!

 

[TheCracker]

Anyone got any clues about that engine bay? Looks like oil has been splashing over it from somewhere but no obvious signs of a leak.

Looks like some dullard has tried to top-up the oil with the engine running and someone revving it. Shouldn't have done any damage but it does make you wonder about the technical competency of the previous owner.

 

[homeforsummer]

Being a purple Civic automatic I'm half expecting the previous owner to have been 65+ years old...

 

[Jondot]

Looks like some dullard has tried to top-up the oil with the engine running and someone revving it. Shouldn't have done any damage but it does make you wonder about the technical competency of the previous owner.

That or they forgot to screw the oil filler cap back on. Seems entirely plausible based on homeforsummer's previous owner prediction.

 

[Casio]

Which engine did yours have then? I'm guessing something like the 1.6 petrol?

I had the 1.8L Petrol. Worst Displacement/HP ever, but I guess that my keep it more reliable. Also, the red interior lights are the coolest.

 

[GTP_Ingram]

Being a purple Civic automatic I'm half expecting the previous owner to have been 65+ years old...

Also the fact that the sunroof is open suggests that the dealer is trying to hide the smell of werther's originals and failed incontinence pants, so I'd go with your assessment too.

I quite like the idea of the Cordoba, I really like Seats as a whole, though some (i.e. Ibiza) have gained a rather chavvy reputation, which is a shame IMO.

 

[YSSMAN]

I had the 1.8L Petrol. Worst Displacement/HP ever, but I guess that my keep it more reliable. Also, the red interior lights are the coolest.

Heh, I bet it was the same 1.8L 8V that I had in my Fox. It was impossible to break, as even after my head-on collision, the engine kept running. Can't be too angry though, I managed over 33 MPG in that car with the amazing (!!!) 81 BHP (!!!).

 

[nobuffalo]

Anyone got any clues about that engine bay? Looks like oil has been splashing over it from somewhere but no obvious signs of a leak.

I'm gonna guess it had a busted or cracked pcv hose.