Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

Lovely car!

Can you see the xls attachment in this link? https://www.lfgss.com/comments/14759411/

Those are some of the options we looked at below your budget with the same requirements.

From memory I would look at:

• Golf
  
• Skoda Octavia
  
• Hyundai i30? (Good VFM)
  
• Civic (not sure about insurance)
  
• Toyota Auris (drive one to make sure you like the position, I did, OH didn't)
  
  

Also have a look at the Mazda 3, but unless something obvious comes up I'd skip it as imo good ones aren't sold in the UK.

At that budget skip Audi.

Honda Jazz too I guess. I thought it would be a bit small for our long journeys to France. But after seeing a some friends do a road trip to/from Hungary I think that was possibly misplaced. Although the Golf is ultimately a nicer place to be.

IDK how old your kid(s) is/are, but we found you only need loads of boot for the first 0~6m when you've got the stupid basinet attachment. So if the majority of your miles are in a city prioritize parking and maneuverability over marketing-lead aspirations of cruising on the Autobahn.

Don’t listen to Hugo, 400bhp and a cavernous boot are what you need.

For those sweet, sweet 50mph speed controlled sections of the motorway.

No one can beat you to 50.

"Cavernous boot * chuckles *" - E-class

Cheers, a few of those like the Auris I'd looked at but it's added a few more options. The Jazz and the Hyundai in particular look like possibles.

More generally, I assume it's probably wise to steer clear of diesel cars given the current climate. Given my knowledge of cars is getting a hire car for a week, caning it and giving it back, how do you make sure you're not buying something shit that isn't going to cost a load of money? Or is that less of a risk with cheapish, dull cars? What type of mileage/age is reasonable? Most stuff in that price bracket looks to be about 10 years old.

I'm occasionally borrowing a 20 yr old Fiat Punto at the moment. Anything will be powerful and a cavernous boot compared to that.

Spend more and buy from a dealer so there's a warranty and option to extend.

or buy private and look for recently MOT'd cars with full service history.

Maybe approach a few a garages and see if they have can offer accompanying you to the viewing for a small fee to ensure you're not buying a dud? I was planning on doing this with a chap local to me for £30, but in the end had to jump at the chance at a bargain at short notice so didn't get a chance to do that.

TBH I thought the i30 would be what we bought as they suffer from initial depreciation and are excellently spec'd from new. The interior is sort of Skoda standard, but nicer in some places. You've got a bit more than our budget at the time, which means leasing/finance should be a consideration.

In terms of buying. You can pay for AA or RAC checks to look at the vehicle I think. £5k is still a bit low for branded dealers - our experience was £8k was generally the cheapest car they'd sell.

You also have to use your logic and detective skills to some extent. The easiest starting points are:

• MOT Checker online - these are now detailed and will include things like tyre and break wear. As an eg on a GTI you may well expect to see a fail or minors on tyres and brakes on the first MOT - say an enthusiastic driver of what was a new car, but if those type of issues keep coming up thereafter it indicates a lack of care. Do the changes in mileage done correlate to the no. of owners - can that tell you anything, etc.
  
• FSH - if it's got all the correct dealer stamps, or a brand specialist indy it's a good sign.
  
• other visual cues - do the tyres match (indicates care), does the interior wear seem proportional to the mileage (not clocked), etc.
  
  

It is hard though, because you never know. My mum had an A3 that was full of electrical nightmares from new and should have been driven back to the dealer and left there. On paper it would have been mint with miniscule miles, a FSH, and effectively 1 owner.

It's dark, but a good reason for looking at things like the Civic, Jazz, and Auris is the demographic of owners. They've got the time to research what is a reliable car. Plus you stand a good chance of something that's been well cared for, not used too much which the owner can no longer drive due to incapacity or death.

At least you have an advantage over when we were looking as the time of year should mean more people are selling. Altho the CV panic may make people less inclined to sell.

I feel another saga coming on. Our 2006 Outback was recently damaged by another driver while it was parked. I found them and exchanged details, they agreed to pay for the repairs privately.

Fast forward a month and I have quotes for the repair but the other party start fucking me around. I get really angry and consider how to take revenge...... frozen sausages etc. I then call my insurance expecting them to say I'd left it too late to claim but surprisingly they are amazing, take the details of the damage and arrange for the car to be repaired. No excess, no fault or claim on our policy, great I thought.

This morning they drop of an excellent hire car to replace ours (top spec BMW X1 which is a surprisingly good steer).

My wife then calls me at work to say they've collected the car, towing it behind a low loader on a dolly.

I immediately call all the body shop to ask,"have you towed my 4wd car to Perth (40 miles from my house) on a dolly?" To which the woman on the phone replies, "no, these drivers do this every day, they know that towing a 4wd car on a dolly is a major no no." Then she promises to check with the driver when they return.

To her credit she stays at the depot until they return at 6pm and finds they have towed the car on the dolly the 40 miles to the work shop! She then phoned me back and tells me this and that the phone calls are recorded so I have evidence.

The manager will be calling me in the morning.

What are the hive mind's thoughts? My car a permanent 4wd with a LSD in the middle. Will it be fucked?

What if it fails at some future point?

Anyone with experience of this?

Is the centre diff a Torsen type diff or viscous fluid? If it's the former it should be OK, I think.

I believe it is a viscous coupling but I'm still worried, the silicone fluid within the coupling can break down after being overheated. A massive speed differential between the front and rear axles could cause this.

My real worry is that is semi-fucked in a way that is fails at some future point.

Cheers, lots to think about there. Old person car sounds the way forward.

What is subarus advice in how to tow the vehicle?

Never tow it like this.

1 Attachment

Tell your insurance company and say you don’t believe it’s safe to drive?

Not sure any bits will be fucked on collection but definitely shortened the service life.

Might be worth contacting Subaru to see what they say. But no idea who would be liable, the insurance company or the repairer/tow company. In the UK, it is the insurance company as had a car go to be repaired and come back with a damaged headliner. The insurance comapny had to get the car repaired as it was entrusted to them.

I believe it is a viscous coupling

In that case the centre diff is probably shagged by now. On account of the viscous fluid no longer being viscous. Fixable, but it's a big specialist job.

Yes, it will (if I understand how they work correctly) have overheated like a bastard.

That's my expectation!

R56 Cooper S buyers guide?

What to watch out for etc.

Ask @NurseHolliday

On the viscous locker- my understanding is that it contains a series of plates, attached to either axle. They spin in a fluid medium, and if the axles are spinning at the same rate then the fluid is at approximately atmospheric temperature.

If one set of plates spins at a different rate to the other (for e.g. if the rear wheels were spinning) then the fluid heats up very rapidly and this clamps the plates together, which locks the axles rotational rate to one another. The fluid then cools, and the plates unclamp when temp drops below a certain point.

If the vehicle is towed with two wheels off the tarmac and two wheels on then the fluid is going to get very hot, due to repeated heat cycles, and then (I suspect) overheat. Typically viscous lockers fail open, as it were, when they get too hot.

I’d be concerned that the centre diff has been subject to significant over heating, and overall has likely been degraded due to this.

I imagine a Scooby specialist could give you an engineers report to that effect (if I’ve recalled correctly how a viscous locker works!)

I've had a R55 Cooper S for a little over a year (clubman) which gives a little more room and I prefer the looks over the hatchback. Brilliant cars and highly recommend one - replace my mx5

main issues are:-

-timing chain/guides
-carbon build up on valves and intake ports - require walnut blasting
-oil leaks - mainly from turbo oil line
-oil leak from rocker cover