Second hand cars

[Icy Gull]

I've always fancied an Alpha but they seem to fall apart very quickly

Total urban myth these days, a properly maintained ( and that is the important bit)Alfa is as reliable as most cars on the road. The big advantage is that the quality of car you'll get for the money will save you a fortune on Duller BMW's and Audis.

As I say though I know I'm wasting my time here

 

[surrey jim]

i'd be torn between the Pug 607 (got lots of kit and has probabaly lost the majoroty of deprecation when it let the forecourt) or the mondeo

 

[Badger]

It's boring but you will probably get the best value for your money on the Mondeo. (I am assuming that because you are going to do a lot of mileage, residual value isn't going to be a lot on anything you buy)

ps - it looks like honest johns mondeo review above agrees !

Agreed, as long as you don't mind being labbelled "Mondeo Man", they are proven to be reliable and good performers

 

[Skint Gull]

Depends what size car you need, there is a Saab garage around the corner from where I live and judging by the age and price of the cars on their forecourt I would say they hold their value about as well as a colander does with water...that comes as a surprise because I had always considered them to be a bit of an upmarket version of a Volvo.

New Saabs are rebadged VECTRA'S! Need I say more

 

[steward 433]

New Mondeo is fantastic as i have the 1.8L as my company car and way better than any other on the list

 

[Jello]

Total urban myth these days, a properly maintained ( and that is the important bit)Alfa is as reliable as most cars on the road. The big advantage is that the quality of car you'll get for the money will save you a fortune on Duller BMW's and Audis.

As I say though I know I'm wasting my time here

I've got 156 2.4 diesel and do about 25k a year and not had any problems other than normal wear and tear. It has not broken down once and still drives welll. It's now done about 115k and as Icy says as long as it's serviced well they are good cars. Though I recomend you don't use Sidlow Horley for service as they are a complete bunch of chumps. I use a small local garage that specializes in Alfas and is half the price.
I'm thinking of getting a 147 next time as 156 is just a bit too big.

 

[John Byrnes Mullet]

Toyota or Volkswagon if you buy one of these your never buy
another make of car

 

[BensGrandad]

Aren't Alfa Romeos reknowned for rust or is that an old myth that perhaps was true.

 

[bhaexpress]

For that sort of money I would you no further than a Mondeo or a Focus.

 

[Icy Gull]

Aren't Alfa Romeos reknowned for rust or is that an old myth that perhaps was true.

70's and 80's Alfas dissolved faster than dispirin and it goes to show that a bad reputation is really hard to overcome, as it seems most people think the same as BG nearly twenty years after the problem was rectified. Modern Alfas are no more likely to rust than any other decently built car.

All this is good for Alfa fans though as new Alfas shed an eye watering amount of money, because of their old reputation, which means well maintained 2nd hand Alfas are absolute bargains

 

[bhaexpress]

Few cars rust in this day and age. However, whilst Jeremy Clarkson waxes lyrical about Alfas he is always going on about their unreliability (based on his old Alfa GTV which was pretty nototious. I owned two Alfa suds, the first rotted but the second one did not.

Mind you there are still people who knock Seats and Skodas, rather silly when they are rebodied Volkswagons and represent very good value.

Cheap though is a Rover, really a Honda which can't be bad.

 

[Gully]

Toyota or Volkswagon if you buy one of these your never buy
another make of car

I would agree with you totally there, have driven a Golf for about three and a half years, it is a really good car and if I were to replace it there is little chance that I would consider anything other than another VW. The only other car I have had that comes anywhere close was a Honda, at the time I replaced that I would willingly have bought another one but was looking for a new car and found their range uninspiring.

 

[Skint Gull]

Toyota or Volkswagon if you buy one of these your never buy
another make of car

My mums 2003 Polo Sport was the biggest heap of shit ever, we couldn't wait to get rid of it! Would NEVER buy a VW again now so I don't think that statement is entirely true

 

[Gully]

We could probably have another thread about which cars you wouldn't buy, I have had two Fords and would never have another one. Granted that the first one was already a bit of a clunker when I bought it and just went downhill (literally) until I offloaded it two years later, the second one was brand new and was easily the most unreliable car I have owned, it let me down time after time.

 

[Foolg]

not a car, but thought this is quite funny

 

[crodonilson]

I don't think you can go wrong with this beauty, I've had one for 10 years now and it's still going wrong and because of it's size it means I can do airport runs for a bit of extra cash. You should be able to get one with your budget and a little bit left over.

 

[Scarface]

I've got 156 2.4 diesel and do about 25k a year and not had any problems other than normal wear and tear. It has not broken down once and still drives welll. It's now done about 115k and as Icy says as long as it's serviced well they are good cars. Though I recomend you don't use Sidlow Horley for service as they are a complete bunch of chumps. I use a small local garage that specializes in Alfas and is half the price.
I'm thinking of getting a 147 next time as 156 is just a bit too big.

I bought a 2 year old 147 just over 2 years ago and it hasnt put a foot wrong so far (touches wood). Only had a few thousand miles on the clock too, no signs of any rust and only general maintenance required. As long as you dont take the financial hit on a new one and if it has a full service history you can see that its a reliable one as most problems will have surfaced by then.

 

[Beach Hut]

Just downsized from a Vectra to a Meriva

 

[csider]

Aren't Alfa Romeos reknowned for rust or is that an old myth that perhaps was true.

I had a 156 2.0 twin spark with 13k on the clock..........Had NO problems with it at all, aside from the usual tyres etc.

 

[John Byrne]

Why don't you look at hire purchase....thats what i've done...no hassles and a brand new car.