Decent used car dealers in the Teesside area?

Decent used car dealers in the Teesside area?

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Discussion

PeteG

Original Poster:

4,274 posts

217 months

Thursday 27th September 2007
quotequote all
Ey up

My mate's after a first car - budget around £700, up to £1000 at a push... he's got another £1000 and a bit set aside for insurance.

He's looking at mid-90s Polos and Ibizas, possibly a 93-99 Micra... any recommendations where we should be looking?

Regards

Pete

whygee02

3,389 posts

206 months

Thursday 27th September 2007
quotequote all
Autotrader Private sale at that price I'd suggest.

designer

610 posts

220 months

Thursday 27th September 2007
quotequote all
Check ebay too. I have just bought a runaround for winter so I dont use my Lotus. I looked on Autotrader and ebay. Just bought Pug 106 diesel last night that I saw on ebay. Very low mileage and excellent condition. I would stay away from the used car dealers, unless they advertise a part ex they have taken in Autotrader. I just missed out on a cracking deal as a used car place had taken a Pug 106 diesel in part ex and wanted it shifted. They advertised it in autotrader, but someone was picking it up when I rang.

www.ebay.co.uk
www.autotrader.co.uk

whygee02

3,389 posts

206 months

Thursday 27th September 2007
quotequote all
ps Pete - I'll not get into the full story on here, but PLEASE tell your mate to avoid the old shape Renault Clio's, which maybe tempting within that price range. Its been in the press a bit but theres a design flaw with the bonnet catch, seriously nearly cost my dear missus with her life doing 70 up the A1 and you can guess the rest!!

Friendly advice - stay clear !!

Wedg1e

26,850 posts

271 months

Friday 28th September 2007
quotequote all
Doh! My mate just sold his father-in-law's Fiesta as the old guy can't drive any more. M reg, 1.4 petrol, 18K miles and one owner, garaged all its life... £400. I almost bought it myself smile

WorGC

336 posts

235 months

Friday 28th September 2007
quotequote all
I'd be going private with that sort of cash. Think about what the likes of my side of the trade pay for cars to retail them!

Old Micras are the best cheapie by far. Good luck! thumbup

MonkeyHanger

9,233 posts

248 months

Friday 28th September 2007
quotequote all
whygee02 said:
ps Pete - I'll not get into the full story on here, but PLEASE tell your mate to avoid the old shape Renault Clio's, which maybe tempting within that price range. Its been in the press a bit but theres a design flaw with the bonnet catch, seriously nearly cost my dear missus with her life doing 70 up the A1 and you can guess the rest!!

Friendly advice - stay clear !!
Spot on with the Clio.

Local IAM type had the same thing happen to him a couple of weeks ago.
http://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/news/Driver-tells-...

Mrs Designer

27 posts

207 months

Friday 28th September 2007
quotequote all
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...

Sorry for the really long hyperlink but dont know how to shorten it. Went to look at this little T reg corsa diesel for Mark. Very tidy little car, runs really well only 65,000 miles. The guy wanted at least a grand for it to stop the auction. Was a little more than what Mark was wanting to pay but would be a good buy for someone else. Think it has 2 days left to run. The seller may be open to a private offer, have his number if you need it.

Dawn

whygee02

3,389 posts

206 months

Saturday 29th September 2007
quotequote all
MonkeyHanger said:
whygee02 said:
ps Pete - I'll not get into the full story on here, but PLEASE tell your mate to avoid the old shape Renault Clio's, which maybe tempting within that price range. Its been in the press a bit but theres a design flaw with the bonnet catch, seriously nearly cost my dear missus with her life doing 70 up the A1 and you can guess the rest!!

Friendly advice - stay clear !!
Spot on with the Clio.

Local IAM type had the same thing happen to him a couple of weeks ago.
http://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/news/Driver-tells-...
Thanks for that link, that SERIOUSLY make my blood boil though. How renault can say its a maintenance issue rather than design issue. I mentioned it to watchdog at the time but the missus clio - she'd picked it up ater a service when it happened 10 mins later, so if they're technicians can't close it properly, what chance to the public have.

WorGC

336 posts

235 months

Tuesday 2nd October 2007
quotequote all
Just my 2p's worth, but I spent 4 years selling Renaults, and sold around 900 Clios myself. The bonnet catch issue really is a matter of maintenance. The design hasn't changed since the 'Papa/Nicole' shape, but the problem was caused by a build-up of cr*p stopping the spring from moving up the plunger enough to allow it to catch properly.

All Renault did when the Watchdog issue kicked off was write to the owners and offer them a check-up of the catch. This involved a clean and a squirt of WD-40. If there was a design fault, they would have had to recall and change the catch.

They probably should have included it in the service schedules though...

whygee02

3,389 posts

206 months

Tuesday 2nd October 2007
quotequote all
Hear what you're saying worG, not much comfort though when

a) Clio has a FSH
b) Had JUST been picked up from a Renault dealership for a service
c) The missus phones very upset after the bonnets flipped doing 70 up the A1, smashing the windscreen into her face and crumpling the roof of the car. She gets escorted home by the BIB and for days after is picking glass out of her face.

If its a build up of crap then maybe you could still argue its a design fault, its the real world and car bits will build up with crap, when was the last time any of us purposely gave our bonnet catch a good old clean, not often. Yes renault adding this maintenance to servicing may have been a solution)

(I'm not pointing this frustration at you BTW matey, just when Renault gave their initial response the public aren't shutting the bonnets properly made me slightly mad... as you can image)


WorGC

336 posts

235 months

Wednesday 3rd October 2007
quotequote all
I can't imagine what it's like to be on the receiving end of a bonnet at 70.

Personally, I think Renault were too lax about the whole issue. It's one thing to say it's not a design fault, so tough....but it took quite a while for the letters to be sent to the owners. It should have been made a point on the service schedule from the first instance.

And if you know main dealer technicians, there are very few who will do anything outside what they're told, no matter how small a job.