Going to buy brand new car - any tips?

tomstickland

Xenon bulbs? £200?

jeannieblue

Clever !!!!!!! Yep, once the Vat was on it was over £200 - for a bulb for goodness sake, how long do they last? The car was under 2 years old. I'd be very fed up if had to pay that out............!!

tomstickland

Chav lights. I think I guessed right because a friend of mine works for Vauxhall parts dept and he was telling me about how expensive chav lights were.

jeannieblue

Our standard head light bulbs, 'fit most models' etc are a huge £5.75 plus vat.... Over £200 less than the Lexus one!

jeannieblue

tomstickland wrote: »

Chav lights. I think I guessed right because a friend of mine works for Vauxhall parts dept and he was telling me about how expensive chav lights were.

No - not chav - chav is your peugeot 206/Fiesta etc driver with the baseball cap round the wrong way. Chav is not the owner of a 40 to 50k Lexus surely? Probably both as stupid tho..

kitschy

jeannieblue wrote: »

I don't understand the 'love' for this car? Is because they have made it so that its in demand and you have to wait for it because it is soooo popular?? Its an advertising con more like.

Worse still, its a Fiat.

Please be sensible, don't be a sheep, and buy something that will be more reliable - it can still be 'cute'.

Sorry to be harsh - its your money - but I'm thinking from the MSE point of view rather than your heart...

Compared to what I drive now, it is sensible. I do 0-60 in 6.2 seconds and then some. No, it's not an advertising con. I have a love of retro 60's and 70's cars, used to drive a Figaro for the same reason, and really like this because of the styling.

Fiat - your opinion. Petrol heads always buy Alfas and they're hideously unreliable. Cars are just my 'thing', I like it, and am going to buy it with the money I have saved thinking with my MSE head instead of my heart. So, yes, I may be a sheep, but I'll be a happy sheep in a car I like, instead of some boring little thing that I'll open the curtains to every morning with despair.

kitschy

michaelvintner wrote: »

I like the Fiat 500 and because it is based on the Panda hopefully a few of the niggles have been ironed out.

Fiats are not known as the most reliable cars either. Mind you like anything it is a case of hit and miss. You could end up with the most reliable fiat ever while your next door neighbour has the most unreliable vw golf on the face of the planet.

I would not buy one myself it looks like a girls car to me. Mind you it is very cute and I would rather drive it for the rest of my life than the Horrible Mitsubishi Warrior that one of my work colleges has for a day.

You won't find any deals, it is too new and because Fiat have got it right very much in demand. My advice, hold on for a bit but if you have to have it go and get it. You only live once and if you have the money then treat yourself.

Don't trade in your current car thought. Sell it private, get all the service history together, Make sure it has plenty of tax and mot left and give it a very good clean. Don't go over the top thought, polished wheels just look stupid. You are a private seller not a showroom.

I am a girl!!! I just usually have boy cars!

Yes, will sell mine privately - it's the difference between spending £2500 and about £500 on the new car.

Thank you - cars are my "thing" and I have wanted one of these for yonks, and have saved up enough pennies, so I think I deserve a little treat!:D

kitschy

jeannieblue wrote: »

Its not only old hat, but its not MSE either is it. Expect it would be cheap to run to a certain degree - but if its sooo 'exclusive', parts are bound to be over priced...

Talking of which.......... over priced.......... had to order in a head light bulb - a zenon? xenon? one for a new Lexus today.. go on have a guess at the price! No checking up first Tom!!

£35 a year to tax, £150 a year to insure. From £185/£750. And 53mpg from 20.6mpg.

You don't like the car, we get that. I do. And this thread wasn't intended to be a "who likes my car" argument.

And it's xenon.

kitschy

Thunderbird wrote: »

Hi

I can't remember where I heard or read that Fiat is not planning to give permission for dealers to do discount on the 500 because they want to protect the residual values of the car.

What about the new shape Honda Civic?

Good luck

I have loved my Honda, although I'm a little funny about the levels of hard plastic in the interior of Japanese cars, and as I'd have to have the Type R I don't think it would work out any cheaper! :rotfl:

Thank you

Thunderbird_2

kitschy wrote: »

I have loved my Honda, although I'm a little funny about the levels of hard plastic in the interior of Japanese cars, and as I'd have to have the Type R I don't think it would work out any cheaper! :rotfl:

Thank you

In this case, the 500 is more sensible choice, if you love the car. You will save money on those things you have mentioned. Hopefully, it will keep its second hand value to an acceptable level when time comes again to change your car.

Let us know how get on.