Re: tdi with gti badge ?

>> negotiate a price reduction THEN
>>
>> insist they replace the light cluster (I'm sure its an MOT failure or
>> something.)
>>
>> But have a look and make sure water hasn't leaked in and caused other
>> damage
>
> I ought to have a look at more Golfs and find out all about them before
> i spend this sort of money. It's a fact that the most I ever speant on
> a car in my 16 years of driving is 1600 quid, is this unusually stingy
> do you think ?

Not at all - there are loads of decent cars around for that sort of money.
But sometimes it's nice to get something new, and if you can comfortably
afford it, then why not?

But, get something that's really good, and a lot better than anything else
around in its class - do your homework. Avoid models that, in general, are
dogged with faults. The motoring magazines will tell you what they're like
to drive, and in terms of comfort/practicality and stuff, which is all well
and good, but it's no good if it's going wrong every 5 minutes, warranty or
not, so you want to find out what models (and possibly what particular
features) are generally worth avoiding - www.peachorlemon.co.uk is a good
place to start - also check out the owners' reviews on www.parkers.co.uk.
Honest John (from the Telegraph) has a website at www.honestjohn.co.uk which
is worth a look too (especially at the forums, which give real world ideas
of which cars don't have too many problems).

A lot of problems with cars are easily avoided by keeping a careful eye on
things (like coolant/oil/fluid levels) - don't let people slate Alfa
TwinSpark engines because they run out of oil, because that's just the way
they are, and if the oil's regularly checked and topped up (taking care not
to overfill) then you should have very little problems. Another big thing
that people might tell you to avoid cars for is cambelts - again, this is
just down to maintenance - it's always good practise to change a cambelt
early, with all tensioners/water pump etc, and you'll probably find that
most people who have had cambelts fail on them haven't been all that
diligent in doing this (or just not bothered at all). Most problematic
cambelt designs have since had modified parts fitted so that the problem is
no longer there, but be wary of buying mechanically neglected belt-driven
16/24v Vauxhalls.

So, you've found a model that's good amongst its peers, looks nice (if
that's important to you), drives well, is comfortable and well specced, and
you've done your research and found out that it's generally very reliable
and doesn't have many issues in terms of things going wrong/falling
off/general build quality. And you've looked into how much servicing's
going to cost so it's not a big shock - you don't *have* to use a main
dealer within the warranty period, but it does make it a damn sight easier
to claim if you have - you'll have also looked into things like wearing
parts (brake discs/pads), and roughly how much they cost, including fitting,
and if there are any nasty surprises like brake discs behind the hubs which
are a real bitch to change on anything with that design.

Anyway, having done all that, you'll want to buy something decent at the
best possible price. Main dealers charge more than small dealers, but small
dealers will still charge way over the top compared to a decent private
sale, and most won't be able to offer any decent warranty above the
remaining manufacturer's warranty or the basic warranty required under the
sale of goods act (3 months). So the whole "peace of mind" aspect of buying
from a dealer really isn't there, unless they're very well established and
can provide a decent extended warranty - this can include some main dealers
selling cars on the manufacturer's "approved used" scheme, but these are
usually pretty expensive.

Best way to find out what a good price to pay is to go on
www.autotrader.co.uk, do a nationwide search (you'll need to register, but
it only takes a minute) for the specific model, specifying age and mileage
if neccessary, and see what the cheapest decent ones are priced at. Play
about with the min/max price bands so it doesn't fill the maximum 200 (which
means you'll only see a selection).

Also, look at the completed items on ebay to see what similar models are
actually selling for (compared to asking prices), and you'll have a good
idea of what a sensible price is, and what a "HFM?" price is.

--
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