Advice on car options

Gru14

Hi all,

Just after a bit of advice..
We got a new Fiesta diesel in 2014 (before anyone says buying a new car is silly, we got it as a present and tax free so was good price.. long story) anyway, I love it, I've looked after it like a small child, its got about 30k on clock, was planning on keeping it forever.

However, the last 3 weeks, we've had to take it crappy dealer garage 4 times for warranty repair/investigations (had one part replaced so far but now I keep smelling eggs - which im guessing could either be particulate filter running or issue with the cat). Then I ran over a nail and windscreen got smashed.

All this in space of a month and the level of bad luck has creeped me out and I've convinced myself the car is going to collapse into a pile of crap after the warranty expires in March. So... I am looking for most cost effective thing to do to part exchange it for another car (thinking VW Polo might give better value than Ford ).

Few things:

I can't be doing with hassle of selling privately (lazy i know) even though I know this would give me best price
I have a phobia of finance/debt of any kind but have cash
I heard sometimes you can get finance offers from dealers then pay it off straight away with no penalty?

The aim is to keep this car forever basically,as we'll be getting a company car next year hopefully too to be the main road warrior.

I just am in quandary of where to put my money and get a good, solid 0 hassle nice car.

Feel free to tell me I'm being irrational and ridiculous.

Herzlos

The best value car you'll get is usually the one you've got, unless it's a lemon. I get the confidence shaking thing though, it's normally when I trade up too.

If it's only really for a year, I'd be looking to either hang on to it, or get something like a 6 year old Polo. You might find a dealer that'll trade in and give you cash back, or you might need to sell it to a car buyer separately.

Obviously there's no guarantee that the new car will be any more reliable.

neilmcl

Gru14 wrote: »

Hi all,

Just after a bit of advice..
We got a new Fiesta diesel in 2014 (before anyone says buying a new car is silly, we got it as a present and tax free so was good price.. long story) anyway, I love it, I've looked after it like a small child, its got about 30k on clock, was planning on keeping it forever.

However, the last 3 weeks, we've had to take it crappy dealer garage 4 times for warranty repair/investigations (had one part replaced so far but now I keep smelling eggs - which im guessing could either be particulate filter running or issue with the cat). Then I ran over a nail and windscreen got smashed.

All this in space of a month and the level of bad luck has creeped me out and I've convinced myself the car is going to collapse into a pile of crap after the warranty expires in March. So... I am looking for most cost effective thing to do to part exchange it for another car (thinking VW Polo might give better value than Ford ).

Few things:

I can't be doing with hassle of selling privately (lazy i know) even though I know this would give me best price
I have a phobia of finance/debt of any kind but have cash
I heard sometimes you can get finance offers from dealers then pay it off straight away with no penalty?

The aim is to keep this car forever basically,as we'll be getting a company car next year hopefully too to be the main road warrior.

I just am in quandary of where to put my money and get a good, solid 0 hassle nice car.

Feel free to tell me I'm being irrational and ridiculous.

Then keep this one otherwise you'll probably be saying the same thing about your next car in a few years time.

As far as "smelling eggs" is concerned, how often do you have your aircon switched on, I'm guessing not a lot? It could be, because of the time of year and lack of use mould/bacteria is starting to grow in the aircon system and probably needs a good clean.

Also, how many miles, what type of driving do you do in it?

angrycrow

Windscreen and tyre are just bad luck and could happen at any time. In the last decade I have had 1 broken windscreen and 5 flat tyres its part of owning a car.

Is the eggy smell inside or outside. If inside I am guessing you have aircon which you rarely use so the smell will be build up of bacteria in the aircon system. Clean it with something like a comma air bomb and start using aircon regularly.

If the smell is outside the car check for loss of coolant as burning coolant can smell eggy.

If you can solve the eggy problem keep the car as it appears to owe you nothing.

If on the other hand you just want a new car and can afford it stop making excuses for changing and go for it but except you will loose a lot of money in the first few years.

daveyjp

Punctures and broken windscreens can happen to any car.

The longevity of the diesel engine and its components will depend on how it is driven. 30,000 in almost 3 years is not high mileage for a diesel and the issue over the smell could be the DPF having to be subject to additional regens to keep itself clear.

When the DPF is full the regen will fail and you will need a new one.

I'd research VW - their latest engines are far from reliable due to inherent design faults.