Whoever posts last is best

[Grahamm]

Well I did my first test drive today, which was a bit of a nerve wracking experience

The lady at the dealers was friendly and helpful, which was a good thing, because I had pretty much no idea what I was doing, so she suggested I sit in it, then have a look under the bonnet, although there was some insulation material by the firewall that looked like it had been pulled about (by rats or something, I don't know).

There was also a problem because she said that when they serviced the car (they'd only had it a week) some water must have got into the electric window switches, so they wouldn't go down. That meant that I had to get her to adjust the wing mirrors because the controls for them were a bit dodgy too!

She said they'd get all this fixed, but it wasn't a great beginning.

I was probably almost more nervous than when I did my driving test, but fortunately I wasn't too bad with the clutch control when I went for a little pootle around some local back streets (although there's barely enough room to get down them with cars parked either side!), fortunately I managed to avoid hitting anything and got us back to the show room safely.

I've decided to have a think about it and if the car is still there in a few days I might give it another try and go out on the A27 to get a better feel for it, also I can check if they've fixed the problems with it.

Oh, and I was so out of sorts that I managed to leave my driving licence there, so I'm going to have to pop round and pick it up on Monday... 

[Dave48]

Just a thought.....depending on the type of driving you will be doing... local,narrow streets,parking issues,with longer distance journeys?
My money is on the Fiat Panda. I previously had  59 reg via the scrappage scheme -these were built inFiats Polish factory.I traded this in for a 2015 new style 1.2 litre popular model(built in Fiat's state of the art Turin robotic factory 2012 onwards). Build quality far better. Have done approx 60000 miles with change of timing belt kit/water pump(based on age rather than mileage). VED on the2015 model is £35. Mpg sometimes approaching 55/60 on longer runs, Light steering,good visibility,easy to get in and out. Amazingly good inside space with compact external dimensions. No wonder this is the second hand car with highest price retention at present.
The Panda is not perfect but extremely good at most things. Who needs a 2ton behemoth SUV in everyday conditions?  A bit like local commuting on a 150bhp superbike!
I am sure you are aware of the issues concerning warping of cylinder head on certain3 cylinder Skodas and my friend had the same electric door/window issues that you mention.
Good luck & take your time.
There is a useful Fiat Panda UK owners group on Facebook.

[Grahamm]

The Panda doesn't seem to score well in the reliability or safety charts that I've looked at. Mostly I'm going to be using the car to drive to East Wittering or similar places so I'll need room inside to put the surf board I'm not riding as I wouldn't want to risk leaving it on the roof.

In any case, I'm probably not going to go for the Fabia I test drove. To start with, the extra cost (including the insurance) is pushing my budget and I'm a little iffy about the faulty windows too, because that could be indicative of other possible issues.

Some people elsewhere have suggested buying private, but I'd much prefer paying a bit more to buy from a dealer with a good reputation and a 3 month warranty, rather than a private sale where I'd have no comeback. Not only can I get Section 75 protection, I'm also going to do some finessing with credit cards and 0% deals which I can't do privately!

I've also looked at reviews of local dealers and made a list of those which have positive reviews and have replied well to customers' comments. Some of the others had zero customer service or posted less than constructive responses... 

Still, at least I know I can drive the thing

[fazerscotty]

Good to see that you're looking at reviews. So many of todays new drivers (young ones) seem to only want to buy whatever looks good in the Maccy D's carpark irrespective of long term issues.

[agricola]

Well I did my first test drive today, which was a bit of a nerve wracking experience

The lady at the dealers was friendly and helpful, which was a good thing, because I had pretty much no idea what I was doing, so she suggested I sit in it, then have a look under the bonnet, although there was some insulation material by the firewall that looked like it had been pulled about (by rats or something, I don't know).

There was also a problem because she said that when they serviced the car (they'd only had it a week) some water must have got into the electric window switches, so they wouldn't go down. That meant that I had to get her to adjust the wing mirrors because the controls for them were a bit dodgy too!

She said they'd get all this fixed, but it wasn't a great beginning.

I was probably almost more nervous than when I did my driving test, but fortunately I wasn't too bad with the clutch control when I went for a little pootle around some local back streets (although there's barely enough room to get down them with cars parked either side!), fortunately I managed to avoid hitting anything and got us back to the show room safely.

I've decided to have a think about it and if the car is still there in a few days I might give it another try and go out on the A27 to get a better feel for it, also I can check if they've fixed the problems with it.

Oh, and I was so out of sorts that I managed to leave my driving licence there, so I'm going to have to pop round and pick it up on Monday... 

Walk away from this one Graham. I'm not sure how you can water into the door panels giving a service (garage service is just an oil change these days), and I'm surprised a reputable dealer would let anyone test drive a car knowing it has faults

[Grahamm]

Well, I've put down a deposit on a 2010 Fabia 1.2 2 HTP which has done 118,000 miles and is priced at £2245.

I rode to the dealership (pretty much just a gravel area on a farm that is next to another dealers/ workshop) although it wasn't until I was halfway there that I realised I'd not brought my driving shoes    but I found that if I just undid the zips and velcro on my riding boots, I had enough freedom of movement to control the car.

I had a bit of a chat with the dealer first, then took it for a test drive (he didn't even ask for my driving licence, but I was hardly likely to leave my bike there and vamoose with the car!)

It was a little tricky to drive to start with as the height of the brake pedal was much greater than what I'd got used to in the Corsa I'd learned on and, of course, the clutch feel was different, but I drove it around (mostly on 30 and 40 mph roads) for several miles.

The only real problem I had was on a single lane hump backed bridge with traffic lights at the top. I had to stop, so I figured I'd be able to practice a hill start, unfortunately I got the clutch/ accelerator balance wrong the first time and stalled it, much to the annoyance of the BMW driver behind me who decided beeping his horn was the correct way to help...

Anyway, the second time I got it right and then I tried some reversing in a car park which went pretty well and on the way back I got onto a 50mph road and tried out 5th gear.

From my (very limited!) experience, there weren't any nasty noises, although the Check Engine light was on, however I was told that it was an issue with a filter that they were going to fix. There was also a "clunk" when I tried a hot start, but (supposedly) that was a loose exhaust bracket which, again, would be fixed.

Once they say they've sort those out, I'm going to pay for an RAC inspection and the dealer has signed up to the AA Car Standards code. It will come with free AA cover that actually makes no difference to me as I have Any Vehicle RAC cover, but WTH! Also the MOT runs out in September, so they're going to do a new one for me.

The tyres are only about a year old and barely worn, so that's ok.

One thing I have discovered is that the Fabia needs the Timing Chain, Tensioner and Water Pump replaced every 60k miles, so I guess someone decided to flog it off before they needed to pay for between £500 and £800 of work, however, on further reflection, even including that, it still bring the car in at a maximum of £3,100 so that's well in budget for me.

It comes with a 3 month guarantee, so fingers crossed everything goes smoothly...

[agricola]

Well, I've put down a deposit on a 2010 Fabia 1.2 2 HTP which has done 118,000 miles and is priced at £2245.

I rode to the dealership (pretty much just a gravel area on a farm that is next to another dealers/ workshop) although it wasn't until I was halfway there that I realised I'd not brought my driving shoes    but I found that if I just undid the zips and velcro on my riding boots, I had enough freedom of movement to control the car.

I had a bit of a chat with the dealer first, then took it for a test drive (he didn't even ask for my driving licence, but I was hardly likely to leave my bike there and vamoose with the car!)

It was a little tricky to drive to start with as the height of the brake pedal was much greater than what I'd got used to in the Corsa I'd learned on and, of course, the clutch feel was different, but I drove it around (mostly on 30 and 40 mph roads) for several miles.

The only real problem I had was on a single lane hump backed bridge with traffic lights at the top. I had to stop, so I figured I'd be able to practice a hill start, unfortunately I got the clutch/ accelerator balance wrong the first time and stalled it, much to the annoyance of the BMW driver behind me who decided beeping his horn was the correct way to help...

Anyway, the second time I got it right and then I tried some reversing in a car park which went pretty well and on the way back I got onto a 50mph road and tried out 5th gear.

From my (very limited!) experience, there weren't any nasty noises, although the Check Engine light was on, however I was told that it was an issue with a filter that they were going to fix. There was also a "clunk" when I tried a hot start, but (supposedly) that was a loose exhaust bracket which, again, would be fixed.

Once they say they've sort those out, I'm going to pay for an RAC inspection and the dealer has signed up to the AA Car Standards code. It will come with free AA cover that actually makes no difference to me as I have Any Vehicle RAC cover, but WTH! Also the MOT runs out in September, so they're going to do a new one for me.

The tyres are only about a year old and barely worn, so that's ok.

One thing I have discovered is that the Fabia needs the Timing Chain, Tensioner and Water Pump replaced every 60k miles, so I guess someone decided to flog it off before they needed to pay for between £500 and £800 of work, however, on further reflection, even including that, it still bring the car in at a maximum of £3,100 so that's well in budget for me.

It comes with a 3 month guarantee, so fingers crossed everything goes smoothly...

I hope you'll search for the list of possible cause for the check light to come on.

[Grahamm]

I hope you'll search for the list of possible cause for the check light to come on.

As far as I can see, it's usually something to do with the emissions system, but (unlike my FZ6 which puts the fault codes on the display), you've got to plug in a diagnostic reader to find out what the cause is... 

[robbo]

The timing chain (or belt on other makes) change is a normal service requirement, and to not change the water pump would be a very false economy. I'd explore the cost of this, when you want it done, of using a home visit mechanic, whose rates would be far less than a traditional garage. Hope they sort the check engine light, because this, I'm fairly sure, is an MOT failure. Good luck, enjoy your cage .

[Grahamm]

I've looked at one Home Mechanic site that says they can do it for £500, £800 was in a garage, but I'll do some more checking if and when that becomes necessary.

I've been through the MOT records and it's had a few fails, usually for tyres at or below the minimum tread depth (and one with a nail in it!).

Also I found this from September 2020:

Repair immediately (major defects):

    Engine MIL inoperative or indicates a malfunction (8.2.1.2 (h))

Repair as soon as possible (minor defects):

    Registration plate lamp inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (4.7.1 (b) (i))


Both of those were fixed immediately as the car then passed the same day, although why on earth someone would not check and get these basic things fixed *before* the MOT, rather than getting a Fail first, beats me... 

[robbo]

I used to think that paying for a pre MOT was a waste of money as I was quite capable of checking a lot of the points myself. However, nowadays if a car fails on a major it can't leave the MOT station until it's fixed. My next door neighbour was in a situation only a week or so back, where his car failed on an anti rollbar bush, had no money, travelcard or phone on him, and was faced with the dilemma of how to get home, as the mot guy said the car had to stay in the workshop until he'd fixed it the following day, even though the current mot had not expired. He eventually relented, no doubt not wanting an 80 year old customer to have a heart attack on the long walk home. I use a guy who is a home mechanic, so he comes to the house, pre mots the car, then takes it for its mot, and delivers it back home. I always get this done a week or so before the mot is due in case he comes across a problem during the pre mot, although this precaution has never been needed.

[tommyardin]

Hey!
My understanding is that it is the most recent MOT that stands.
I believe that if you take your car or bike in for an MOT say 3 weeks early before the existing one has expired and it passes the MOT, the 3 weeks are added to the MOT. ie:12 months and 3 weeks MOT length, but if it fails with 3 weeks left on the current MOT, it is the most recent MOT that is valid IE: the failure.
If the last statement is correct you can not drive the car until it has a pass certificate
Can someone confirm if this is right? Or am I way off key, would not be the first time.
tommyardin

[robbo]

Yeah, quite correct. The mot guy cut my neighbour a bit of slack, as he had no way of getting back home. Moral is, make sure you’ve got money, credit card, bus pass and mobile phone when you’re going for an mot in case it all goes bandy. A few years back I had to get the bus home to get a legal numberplate for my Fireblade, after the mot guy decided to fail it after years of passing it with the moody plate.

[Grahamm]

I can understand getting a pre-MOT check on a car, because there's things that may not be obvious, eg the bushing mentioned, but it's not like a Check Engine light is easy to miss and simply checking if the lights work is not rocket science!

[robbo]

I can understand getting a pre-MOT check on a car, because there's things that may not be obvious, eg the bushing mentioned, but it's not like a Check Engine light is easy to miss and simply checking if the lights work is not rocket science!

That was my point. The days of just checking the lights,indicators,horn,washer bottle, give the tyres a kick, are long gone with the advent of engine lights etc. All mechs now will have the magic box of tricks to diagnose any lit warning lights, and in some cases just perform a reset. Having a vehicle fail its mot has a lot more ramifications now, than only a few years ago.

[Grahamm]

I remember chatting with an RAC guy who said that, these days, for anything more complicated than a flat battery or tyre, it was becoming almost impossible to do roadside repairs any more...

[robbo]

I remember chatting with an RAC guy who said that, these days, for anything more complicated than a flat battery or tyre, it was becoming almost impossible to do roadside repairs any more...

Ain’t that the truth……sadly

[agricola]

Engine light staying on is a failure, and could have a number of causes. Time for a cautionary tale. We bought a Discovery 2 some years back and took it for several MOT tests over the years. One year, we took it to a different garage. which failed it as none of the warning lights were illuminating at switch on. I nearly fell over. I didn't even know it was modern enough to have warning lights, but it had 3 that needed to come on and then off after the systems check is completed. (search the three amigos). I explained that this was a new one on me, but it was a major. Long story short, previous owner wouldn't spend money on correcting the faults, so removed the front dash and covered up the three lights. With the covers removed, the lights were on all the time, so another investigation ensued, resulting in  another ABS unit being fitted, all three lights now off.

[Grahamm]

Yeesh! That's worrying on two counts: Firstly that someone would be stupid enough to cover up warning lights on safety critical systems and secondly that it could get through several MOTs before someone noticed that the lights weren't coming on when they should...!

[robbo]

Have you got your car yet Grahamm?

[fazerscotty]

Yeesh! That's worrying on two counts: Firstly that someone would be stupid enough to cover up warning lights on safety critical systems and secondly that it could get through several MOTs before someone noticed that the lights weren't coming on when they should...!

Unfortunately, the people(?) that carry out this sort of fraud are not stupid. More likely to be a second hand car dealer that's been left with a pig on the sales lot. Paid a couple of hundred quid for the lights "too go away", then sells the vehicle onto unsuspecting innocent punter.
As for the testers? Do they pay attention to that detail every time they put a key in and turn on the ignition? Unlikely - you only tend too look after the engine has started to see if there are any fault lights illuminated.

[Grahamm]

Have you got your car yet Grahamm?

Not yet.

The Dealer wasn't sure how long it would take to get the things I mentioned previously fixed as local garages are pretty busy at the moment, so I booked the RAC inspection for the 24th (ie a week tomorrow)

But what I'm going to do is call the RAC again and see if they've got an earlier date and, if that's available, check if the car's back from the garage and try to move the inspection up a few days.

[fazerscotty]

Have you got your car yet Grahamm?

Not yet.

The Dealer wasn't sure how long it would take to get the things I mentioned previously fixed as local garages are pretty busy at the moment, so I booked the RAC inspection for the 24th (ie a week tomorrow)

But what I'm going to do is call the RAC again and see if they've got an earlier date and, if that's available, check if the car's back from the garage and try to move the inspection up a few days.

Lol - I maybe joining you in the hunt for a suitable vehicle (only this one is for the wife). Her SAAB died spectacularly a week or so ago and I don't really have the time to spend repairing it) 

[Grahamm]

Unfortunately it looks like I'm still going to have to wait until next Monday

[fazerscotty]

Have you got your car yet Grahamm?

Not yet.

The Dealer wasn't sure how long it would take to get the things I mentioned previously fixed as local garages are pretty busy at the moment, so I booked the RAC inspection for the 24th (ie a week tomorrow)

But what I'm going to do is call the RAC again and see if they've got an earlier date and, if that's available, check if the car's back from the garage and try to move the inspection up a few days.

Lol - I maybe joining you in the hunt for a suitable vehicle (only this one is for the wife). Her SAAB died spectacularly a week or so ago and I don't really have the time to spend repairing it) 

Yep, as I thought. SAAB has gone to the big recycling centre in the sky - now looking for a second car for SWMBO.