Which car?
- Thread starter Red Cat
- Start date
I think I'm going for a Ford CMax. There's a 2005 Honda Civic I really like the look of but I think in terms of camping and moving shit, the CMax is better, and is still supposed to be a good drive.
If a car is on for £3,000 at a dealers, what would you offer? Not sure I feel very confident haggling for a car.
If a car is on for £3,000 at a dealers, what would you offer? Not sure I feel very confident haggling for a car.
not-bono-ever
meh
have you driven one or the other yet?
Errrr, no
But I have a Ford I enjoy driving.
Sounds like the Honda is noisy on motorways, which puts me off a bit too.
Zapp Brannigan
Built like a steakhouse, handles like a bistro
FYI, I spend most of my life on motorways, Civic isn't noisy. About 3000-3500rpm for most cruising, standard road noise. It's fine 
Zapp Brannigan
Built like a steakhouse, handles like a bistro
Does the C-Max have a spare tyre? If it does, score one for the Ford. The Civic comes with that stupid expanding foam shit, now there's a valid criticism.
Vintage Paw
dead stare and computer glare
This was going to be my reply. You stole my thunder.
My mum had a Polo once. Then she had a Golf. (maybe the other way around, can't remember) She used to take the VW badge off and keep it in a drawer in the kitchen because of the fear of some ne'erdowell stealing it like wot the papers were saying they would.
Then she got a pointy car. Then she changed it for another pointy car, same make, different colour. She liked that car.
My dad had a nissan bluebird. I really liked that, because it was my dad's and he could do little wrong. It was white. I remember some discussion about whether it would be the type of white that went yellow. It wasn't. Before that he had a brown car. Corvette? Yes, that sounds right. Used to call it the Chuffette. You'd stick to the seats something rotten if you were wearing shorts in the summer.
Mum and dad's first car was a little blue mini that had massive disney characters painted on the sides.
I have a variety of taxi firm numbers and a decent awareness of the local bus times.
Yes, I think so. I've never even heard of expanding foam shit - does it float?
Zapp Brannigan
Built like a steakhouse, handles like a bistro
It's bollocks. You're supposed to be able to re-inflate even a completely flat tyre to the point where you can travel a reasonable distance at reasonable speed to the nearest Kwik-Fit (other shit tyre places are available) to get a replacement. Except that it's shit, and fuck all use if you happen to be travelling several hundred miles through France, with a ferry to catch, at the weekend, on 130kph roads, where it's reeeeeeeeeeeally effing difficult to find a garage open let alone one with an English speaker. For some reason my French GCSE some 16 years previous didn't really cover this scenario.
el-ahrairah
forward communism, forward gerbils!
my mum loves her skodas. so much cheaper than the equivalent model of anything else, and ideal for transporting a family and a load of dogs and show equipment. cheap to maintain too. i'd happily drive one.
So you don't squirt it beneath the car like a foam hovercraft? Yeh, sounds shit.
hippogriff
Imposter
Vintage Paw
dead stare and computer glare
That's the one. Far more British. 
not-bono-ever
meh
we tested a cmax back to back with a honda- the honda won hands down- and we is big fans of the focus/ focus variants
the cmax was a bit bigger / boomier at speed inside and the quality of build seeemed much sturdier in the Honda. cmax better on diesel as well, but not by much
the depreciation is slower with the Honda, but thats sorta irrelevant as we keep them til they die. either one is a decent choice, but the cmax would allow you to load up with more camping gear/ shite
the cmax was a bit bigger / boomier at speed inside and the quality of build seeemed much sturdier in the Honda. cmax better on diesel as well, but not by much
the depreciation is slower with the Honda, but thats sorta irrelevant as we keep them til they die. either one is a decent choice, but the cmax would allow you to load up with more camping gear/ shite
Thanks, that's very helpful!
So would I, although preferably an old-skool Communist one with the engine in the back:
Mogden
I like tea
They're pretty good these days which makes my brain fart a bit when I remember how Skodas and Ladas were the butt of so many jokes at school.
pogofish
Testicle Hairstyle
Never mind that the Lada has been reborn - as a new class of Russian submarine!:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lada-class_submarine
Chz
Stark Raving Sane
On the cheaper (or newer, depending on how you spend the budget) side of things... The Nissan Note has a pretty generous boot for something supermini-based. It's not the size of a C-Max though. At least they're pretty reliable (or so said Which when we bought ours). It is bigger than a Civic or Jazz. In boot capacity, at least. I think the Civic is ever-so-slightly wider, which helps if you're going for 3 adults in back. The Jazz is smaller in all ways.
Mogden
I like tea
You might get a bit of respect on the road driving thatNever mind that the Lada has been reborn - as a new class of Russian submarine!:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lada-class_submarine
dessiato
🇪🇸 my spirit is crying for leaving
Similar handling to a 911, but slower and therefore safer when it let go at the back.So would I, although preferably an old-skool Communist one with the engine in the back:
Depends on which model it was. The 105/120 models had swing-axle rear suspension and were liable to send you through a hedge backwards if you weren't careful, whereas the later 130/136 and the coupés had trailing arms and were much nicer to drive. Must admit, I'd love a 136 Rapid:
They're virtually extinct now, though - only a couple of dozen still registered AFAIK.
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ChrisFilter
Like a boss.
Mazda 3s are worth a look.
BoatieBird
Well-Known Member
I've been buying Hondas and driving them until they die for the last 20 years or so.
The first was a Civic that I bought at 90k miles and got rid of when it had done 210k miles!
We only got rid of it because it needed too much bodywork to get it through theMOT - the engine was still sound.
Yes, parts can be expensive, but I've driven many hundreds of thousands of miles without breaking down so I haven't really spent much on any of them.
Our current car is a CR-V (bought last year because someone drove into our previous CR-V) and we had no problem with buying one that had already done 130k miles.
Sometimes the windows can let them down so if you are buying one make sure that all the windows go down and back up again!
The first was a Civic that I bought at 90k miles and got rid of when it had done 210k miles!
We only got rid of it because it needed too much bodywork to get it through theMOT - the engine was still sound.
Yes, parts can be expensive, but I've driven many hundreds of thousands of miles without breaking down so I haven't really spent much on any of them.
Our current car is a CR-V (bought last year because someone drove into our previous CR-V) and we had no problem with buying one that had already done 130k miles.
Sometimes the windows can let them down so if you are buying one make sure that all the windows go down and back up again!
Ted Striker
Foot's on the other hand
Never mind that the Lada has been reborn - as a new class of Russian submarine!:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lada-class_submarine
Comes with heated propellers so you can warm your hands when push-starting it
DownwardDog
Riding a Brompton with a power meter.
2,700 is your goal so 2,500 is your opening gambit. You can't just offer less, you've got to find a reason for offering less. I usually say the wheel bearings have gone and tracking is obviously out - whether it is or not. Describe it as the biggest pile of shit you've ever seen but you'll cut your own throat and take it off his hands because you like him for 2,500.
