Cheap Runaround

Soldato
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Phil W said:
Crash repaired?
ye definately just pay close attention to all of the panels and that they match up and they are the same shade of colour, because if they dont then it is most liekly that it has been crashed and had some work done to it and then sprayed
 
Soldato
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Well....been to view the car and not overly impressed to say the least. The service in his terms of been partial are, well....lacking to say the least! There is no sign of the timing belt done which I thought, erm...no thanks, should have been done by now. However the fact there was a set of crappy alloys, sony xplod stereo and seatbelt pads kinda lead me to think it might of been owned by some sort of boy racer. There was some scratches down one of the sides which didn't look too healthy.

Took it for a quick spin though, as soon I put it in reverse and started to raise the clutch, I thought "wait a minute, where the hell is the bite!?" It was right at the top :eek: either clutch needs replacing or at least needs adjusting regardless. Brakes seemed fine, phew! The engine was nice and quiet and seem to perform fine for a 1.4 which I now know.

Might be cheap but I feel without the adiquate service history it's not worth the risk :)

Cheers for advice though, will apply it to the next car I come across....

BeatMaster :D
 
Soldato
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Kudos for walking away though - it's always tempting just to go for it even with it's faults! :)

It does sound like a bad one though - I'd have avoided it at the first sign of the stereo, alloys and seatbelt pads! That with the non existant history, clutch, condition etc is enough to walk away from!
 
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ajgoodfellow said:
Kudos for walking away though - it's always tempting just to go for it even with it's faults! :)

It does sound like a bad one though - I'd have avoided it at the first sign of the stereo, alloys and seatbelt pads! That with the non existant history, clutch, condition etc is enough to walk away from!

This is very true and especially with them *fabulous* modifications to make uberly nice :p

The search goes on :) Incidently just come across the following:

1998 R Reg PEUGEOT 306 1.9 D Turbo3 Doors, Manual, Hatchback, Diesel, Metallic blaze gold, MOT-01-2007. ABS, Adjustable seats, Adjustable steering column/wheel, Air conditioning, Alloy wheels, Computer, Driver airbag, Electric windows, Foglights, Front armrest, Head restraints, Folding rear seats, Immobiliser, Power assisted steering, Rear armrest, Remote locking, Sports seats, Anti theft system, Central locking, Cloth upholstery, Colour coding - Body, Colour coding - Interior, Electric mirrors, Full service history, Locking wheel nuts, Lumbar support, Metallic paintwork, Spoiler, Rear headrests.Insurance Group:5, this very popular sporty hatch is a rare ac/and sunroof model . it comes with fsh including timing belt and is in excellent condition inside and out.
£1,795

Now to me it seems overly priced at £1,795 and there is no mention of tax or even mileage. Garage is closed today but will give them a ring tomorrow and find out the mileage and if there is any tax.

BeatMaster :D
 
Soldato
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OllyM said:
That's not bad at all - D Turbo with aircon... hopefully it's not been to Pluto and back.

Hopefully the mileage will be around 90,000 or less with any luck. I can't see it been much lower since it's had the timing belt done so probably upwards of 70,000 on the clock at least. Also got to hope it hasn't been modified :o

Had a look at some Blaze Gold D Turbo's on the bay and it looks really nice, including the interior :) Just keep fingers crossed for this one and hope for the best...

BeatMaster :D
 
Soldato
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We you are on the right track. Why waste 5k on a focus when you could spend 1k on something that will do the job just as well and have a similar spec. I have no qualms about spending 5k on car but I wouldn't spend that on a Focus.
 
Associate
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£650? That is silly cheap... As for the clutch having a high biting point, thats quite normal tbh, my 306 had the clutch replaced (official peugeot stuff by a specialist) and still bites very high, you can change gears without having the clutch all the way in (have only done it by accident).

The interior will hurt with mileage, and you'll have to accept that they often look tatty, but the engines are v.reliable, I was poor and didn't get mine serviced whatsoever for 22k miles, no problems at all.

Don't be scared of these cars with over 100k miles, though the Turbo's rarely do more than 150k without some kind of overhaul. And if you're after a bargain, look into the saloon, a phase 2 saloon in good nick should be cheaper, have a 3 point centre seatbelt and a bigger boot.
 
Soldato
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mattpc said:
We you are on the right track. Why waste 5k on a focus when you could spend 1k on something that will do the job just as well and have a similar spec. I have no qualms about spending 5k on car but I wouldn't spend that on a Focus.

Thats correct but why not spend £5,000 on a Ford Focus? :confused:

richolmes72 said:
£650? That is silly cheap... As for the clutch having a high biting point, thats quite normal tbh, my 306 had the clutch replaced (official peugeot stuff by a specialist) and still bites very high, you can change gears without having the clutch all the way in (have only done it by accident).

The interior will hurt with mileage, and you'll have to accept that they often look tatty, but the engines are v.reliable, I was poor and didn't get mine serviced whatsoever for 22k miles, no problems at all.

Don't be scared of these cars with over 100k miles, though the Turbo's rarely do more than 150k without some kind of overhaul. And if you're after a bargain, look into the saloon, a phase 2 saloon in good nick should be cheaper, have a 3 point centre seatbelt and a bigger boot.

Are you sure it was high after been done? I mean I had a 306 D Turbo on a M plate which had a new engine and the bite as I remember wasn't that high :confused: Maybe it was but it's hard to tell since it's been over a year since I sold it...Perhaps some other 306 owners could shed some light upon this issue and put it to rest.


Might be cheap but on the otherhand it has an unknown past, as there seems to be missing 50,000 miles worth of history! :eek: The typical chavtastic modifications are a sign of a harsh past plus I forgot to mention that there was wires dangling under the glovebox! Nicely looked after clearly. There's plenty of choice around, I mean I saw a 1998 Peugeot 306 LX Diesel for £999 which fair enough is quite slow but still quite a bargain.

Just hoping this D Turbo is non-chaved and not been around the world 20 times :o

BeatMaster :D
 
Associate
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I'd go for the first one with only 80k miles it cant be that bad (thats good regular milage at least). All depends how good the car is originally, a Honda would be good for it.

Sounds like your going to avoid your ideal car and the bargain banger and end up somewhere in between and not particularly enjoying it ?
 
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Infinity said:
I'd go for the first one with only 80k miles it cant be that bad

With people with your sort of viewpoint around no wonder dodgy dealers make such a fortune out of crappy low mileage cars.

'omg it cant be a shed, its low mileage'
 
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I was going on his description and for 650 it still sounds ok to me, haggle it down maybe and sell the hifi equipment thats not wanted. It doesnt sound like a fortune is going to be made or lost there
 
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Infinity said:
I was going on his description and for 650 it still sounds ok to me, haggle it down maybe and sell the hifi equipment thats not wanted. It doesnt sound like a fortune is going to be made or lost there

It's far, far too cheap so it's clearly a dog.

He went and viewed it and... guess what, it barked.
 
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Infinity said:
lol
I think he just found out why its cheap but some people dont want to own a cheap car, thats fair enough


There is a cheap car and then there is a cheap lump of junk that is more trouble than it's worth.

You need to be able to spot the difference else you'll end up in a world of arse ache.
 
Soldato
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I went to look at a car advertised as low mileage the other month.

70,000 was showing on the clock (and the clock wasn't illuminated correctly). The engine bay was in a right state - worst I've ever seen, covered in dust/mud and grime - obviously not been touched or serviced for a looong time. The engine was also caked in oil and gunk around the sump, and from the headgasket and rocker covers. It was dripping oil out the bottom onto the forecourt. The clutch was slipping and "slipped" (it certainly didn't bite!) very low down. Gearbox was floppy and felt horrible to use. The interior was a state, leather torn and worn out, drivers seat had rusted to it's runners and didn't move. Boot was full of leaves and gunk, exhaust was blowing. It had no history at all, not even the original handbook. Added to which, the dealer had warmed the car up before I got there - I rung to see if it was still there before leaving, arrived and it was sat idling, at operating temperature. And he asked me not to take it above 4,000rpm on the test drive (because the cambelt might be on the way out).....

But yes - 70,000 miles on an R plate, well below average mileage, so must be a bargain! 170,000 and a screwdriver more like....

Needless to say, I chuckled and walked away.
 
Soldato
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I remember looking at an ST185 GT4 a year or so ago, I drove to london to see it.

The dealer was all over me, asking how much deposit I would like to pay and how he had a buyer for my prelude who wants it tomorrow etc. etc.

whoa boy!

He had steam cleaned the engine bay (which is a big warning sign) and after a 5 mile drive to bring the car to me from the other showroom there were massive splodges of oil around the turbo.

needless to say i drove home in a prelude.
 
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