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Getting a car - best option
Hi, My partner currently has a car on finance that is due to be up next month. The car isn't very good, it's £149 a month and she will owe £4500 if chooses to keep the thing. We need to get her a new car but don't have cash to buy something reasonable. We are also going to be buying a home in the next 1 year. Is the best…
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Second hand vehicle recommendations... help, please
Can anyone help out an old lady who has no idea about cars beyond how to drive? I need to replace my old Hyundai Accent with something similarly sized perhaps. It is a very compact car - to look at it seems in the medium size range but is actually both lower and shorter than many of these, I've noticed, when alongside in…
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Vehicle MOT history check
Just wondering if anyone uses the MOT service check on the GOV website,seems a good idea so you can check what advisories are on the latest MOT. As i was looking at a used car from a local dealer,which looked good with a 10 month MOT,but when i checked the MOT service checker it had 10 advisories. I understand they might…
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Cheap vans for weekend use!
Hi, Just wondering if anyone has any advice on vans and using them as day/night vehicle?. Looking for advice on vans that are cheap to purchase, cheap to insure (as a second vehicle), cheap to run etc. Just to give a bit of background. My main hobbies involve kayaking/canoeing/mountain biking and climbing etc. In a normal…
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Vauxhall Corsa- intolerable beeping!
Good evening all. My mum has got a 57 plate Corsa, and for some unkown reason it has started beeping constantly. The kind of beep it does if your door isnt shut properly, or you havent got your seatbelt on. It does this for the first few minutes when she starts it up, and then stops. It will then go off again for a minute…
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How Long After a bus lane offence do/can they wait?
My wife got a ticket for driving in the bus lane and it arrived over a month after the suggested offence. We can't remember which route we took that day but it's always the same and we can't work out where this happened. Is there a minimum or maximum amount of time they have to send these letters? If it were closer to the…
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DVLA - Car clamping, Surety release & sold car query
Bought a cheap car, last Wednesday - With the intention of sister using it as a runabout as she is currently carless following an accident. Shortly after collecting, My sister decided the car wasn't for her & I listed on eBay. The DVLA clamped the car as untaxed, Phoned and paid a £100 release fee & had to pay a 'surety'…
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Mot
Basic question My engine light is on, my car has reduced power, it's a 2.0 diesel but feels and drives like a 1.4 Apart from that it's all good, it drives well. Had it looked at many times and spend money on it to get the issue repaired and it's still the same...all the garage says is bring it back so we can try this that…
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Why do so few drivers indicate these days?
I've been driving a long time now and have really noticed a trend for drivers not indicating, particularly over the last few years. I can't isolate an age group, gender or type/age of car. It seems to go across the board. Has anyone else noticed this? I see indicating your intentions as defensive and I don't understand why…
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Buying privately vs insurance
This is probably a really stupid question but I've never actually bought a car privately before other than through family/friends. When you buy a car through a dealer, you put down a deposit, the dealer usually preps the car for sale at this point (new MOT and the like), and you come back a couple of days later to pick it…
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Honda Accord exhaust and Kwik Fit
Hi all I'm having to go to Kwik Fit because my exhaust needs attention. It's my last choice in that my usual garage cannot accommodate me until end of next week. I haven't been to Kwik Fit for twenty years. So please help me avoid being ripped off by Kwik Fit. The exhaust is blowing and hanging down at an angle. My last…
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Ford Ka window not opening
Hi- I have an old Ford Ka (2003) with manual winding windows. The drivers window has stopped working and I'm wondering, is this a big job if i take it to a mechanic? Can i do it myself (mechanically stupid) :o The window simply doesn't move when you turn the handle. Thanks
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Car Insurance recommendations
Hi folks, My car insurance via comparison sites seems to go up exponentially year on year, despite 3 yrs no claims. Last year, managed to get a good quote from Aviva, and this year offering me £357 which is way lower than the comparison quotes which start @ £600. Any other companies folks know of that maybe aren't on…
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Temporary red lights & the law?
Got stuck at some temporary traffic lights this morning (both on red), which I eventually passed, in my opinion, by breaking the law. Many others who use the route obviously did the same, but opinions on the legality of passing the light vary. I can’t find anything (Highway Code or other government sites) that specifically…
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Honda 125 servicing
I have just bought myself a Honda CBF125, very very low mileage, 5 years old, no history. I think, as it has no history, I ought to clean the oil strainer, change the brake fluid, check valve clearances and possibly clean up the brake calliper. Am I worrying unnecessarily about these things? Should I just change the oil…
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PCP, lease or personal loan? Car finance
Hi If you're using PCP with the intention of trading in at the end to get a new one, is this better than leasing or not? I'm going to assume there will be no equity above the GFV. I'd probably put down £2-4000 deposit (and use the balance from my car sale to pay off the loan I already have unless it makes more sense to put…
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A diesel on short milage?
I know many say you should only have a diesel if you're covering 100 miles per day because they cost more, but is it ok to have one if it's just a cheap second hand? To explain... I understand to buy a diesel equivalent brand new costs more than the petrol, but if you're going to buy a £1,000 car then it's a £1,000 car,…
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Held policy 2 years but only 1 year no claims? Help !
Hi wondering if anyone can shed light on this. My insurance was due for renewal this month. I had been with octagon (I know!) but I shopped around and found cheaper, so I let octagon know I wouldn't be renewing and asked them to send me proof of NCB. It arrived today and despite the dates on the letter stating 2 years that…
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After Market Warranty
Hi Everyone, I'm looking to take out after market warranty for my BMW 520D 5 year old car. I've heard a lot about warranty companies not accepting claims etc. and I'm getting really confused as to take out a warranty or save up in case something goes wrong with the car. All opinions and suggestions welcome.
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7k to spend on estate car
Hi all, As the title says this is my rough budget to replace my Skoda Fabia Very happy with Skoda so am thinking of getting an Octavia Estate, but what others should I consider? I've also thought of Golf Estate, Volvo V50 estate. Would probably be looking at a petrol engine with emphasis on economy over performance, but…
