Email Matt with your questions
For further buying advice visit Matthew's site: www.UsedCarExpert.co.uk
I have a 2004 BMW 330i circa 59000 miles (full service history), the
extended warranty will expire in the next couple of months. Is it worth
renewing it with BMW at around £500/600 or is it just as good to get one
from a different warranty provider (probably at lower cost) - are there any
that you recommend?
Regards,
Jo, London, UK
Dear Jo,
I think you are wise to ensure you have warranty cover. It only takes one
breakdown on a car like yours for it to pay for itself. My advice is to get
the best level of cover you can. Don’t buy a cheaper warranty unless it
gives the same level of cover.
Tesco, Warranty Wise, and Warranty Direct are the main players in this market.
I know Warranty Direct so asked them for an indicative quote for you. They
said:
“We can do that vehicle for £350. The level of cover we would offer would be
Extra Care which is great for vehicles with that type of mileage as it
covers a great deal of the electrics. Most importantly, for this price, we
will allow him to always go back to BMW for repairs and the labour rates are
uncapped.”
Be protected,
Matt
I am looking to buy my mother-in-law a replacement car as she often helps
look after our 2 year old daughter. The Peugeot 106 I bought her 4 years ago
is a bit small and I think she would have preferred a Clio. Safety and
economy are paramount and Isofix and powered steering are ‘must haves’.
Richard, London, UK
Richard,
When it comes to the wrinklies in my family, I am a bit of a softie. ‘Give
them what they want,’ is my motto.
So to hell with what’s the best car in this segment, buy a Clio. The great
news about them is they are one of the best value cars on the market. There
are loads of incredible deals on new ones (my Mum paid £4,000 under list
price for hers) and used prices are correspondingly soft. Mum’s is a five
door version with the cool pack, which means a lovely big glass section in
the roof and air conditioning. The radios play-up though, so check that
before buying.
Be generous,
Matt
Hi,
After writing off my 1.4l 06 Renault Clio, I'm looking to buy a
replacement. I've got £4000-6000 to spend, would like a 5 door and something
over 1.2l, most importantly I'd like something solid after rolling my old
car. Any suggestions?
Helen, UK
Hi Helen,
Are you planning on rolling your next car too then? I really don’t recommend
it.
That budget, if Superminis are ok with you, means 2007 year cars. Which is
good because most of them have 4 NCAP stars (except the Fiesta, but the 2008
on has 5!).
I think the new-shape Vauxhall Corsa with a 1.4 petrol engine will deliver
exactly what you want. It feels big, is solid (5 NCAP stars too) and within
budget.
You can also think about the VW Polo (4 stars) but I would give things like
the Citroen C2/C3 a miss as it may feel flimsy when doing somersaults.
Be safe,
Matt
What is your view on buying a heavily discounted NEW EU imported car from a
car supermarket type place?
I have been offered a new 2 litre peugeot 407 automatic-with 17 miles on
the clock for less than 10k....On going to my local dealership, they
couldn't get within thousands of this deal!
This 407 was first registered in the UK on the 1/9/08 & at the moment
hasn't even got a VRM/Reg number.I am assured that it has not been
previously registered abroad in any foreign country.
It is a brand new car with 17" alloy wheels, air con, cruise control &
metallic paint finish. However, it is just a 407-there is no spec for the
car i.e an SE/SW or whatever. It is also slightly different from the current
UK Peugeot spec with regard to the spacia-that is the only obvious
difference from a Uk model. In addition it is a 2 litre & UK peugeot's
are only offered with the 2.2 litre petrol engine.
The supermarket does assure me that it has a spare key, warranty book &
handbook for the vehicle.
When I have asked about the warranty, I was initially told it would be
covered under the normal Peugeot 2yr warranty offered to all those buying a
new Peugeot from outside of Peugeot dealerships in this country.
However, when I pressed this supermarket they told me they would contact
Peugeot & call me back with a definitive response. I await this update-I
suspect I may only get offered the 1 year pan european warranty?
Obviously I am aware that the european 17 number vin/chassis plate may put
off future buyers in the UK slightly-but I do normally run my cars for five
years until they are worth only about £1,500 part ex anyway!
I have run it past my insurance company-they seem happy enough.
Any advice you could give would be appreciated-is this too good to be true
or am I just being paranoid?
Regards
Concerned of Aldridge
Dear Concerned of Aldridge,
How have you done it? How have you made something as much fun as buying a car
so scary? Something so simple so complex?
Why not buy a 2008/2009 ‘used car’ with 2-10,000 miles (hardly anything) from
a UK dealer for £10,000 and get the remaining two years and a bit of
warranty? I found half a dozen on the market.
Or you can get a 2006 model with under 10,000 miles for less than £7,000.
You just need to shop about. Email me for the details of specific cars if you
like, via the contact us page on Used Car Expert.
Otherwise, I think this car you have found will see you die young from stress.
Peugeot think that the UK warranty will be void and whether you are eligible
for Europen warranty will depend whether the car is registered in Europe.
But either way, if you get a problem and want to claim I can see it being very
hard work. Big companies all struggle to deal with problems that don’t fit
their processes – any claim from you certainly won’t fit on the usual forms.
Be sensible,
Matt
Hi Matt,
I've recently started a new job which involves a 50 mile each way commute
(Aylesbury to Leatherhead - 20 miles on an A road, 30 motorway). I currently
have a 9 year old mazda 323F glx, which has 130k miles on the clock and has
been completely reliable - no breakdowns or any major faults - and its still
going strong. But I think its time for a change and possibly quit while i'm
ahead. Plus, its not that comfortable for all the miles I do.
I have a budget of £5000 and need something that would be just as reliable,
a better mpg than my current mazda, as well as being a bit more comfy. I was
thinking of a Honda Accord Diesel or a Ford Focus. Do you have any other
suggestions?
Thanks,
Dahud, UK
Dear Dahud,
It can’t have been easy, but you have found two of the least refined diesels
on the market with those picks. You deserve better - hard worker like you.
You need to be looking in the ‘large family car’ section really. MPG will be
similar, but motorway cruising will be a lot more relaxed for you.
Try a Peugeot 407 from 2005/2006 or a Vauxhall Vectra of similar vintage. Or
you could look at Passats from 2004 – or haggle really hard for a 2005 (new
shape) at a great price.
Be savvy,
Matt
Dear Matt,
I'm about to start a job in Southampton and as I live in London, readying
myself to spend a lot of time driving to work. At the moment I don't have a
car, so to cut to the chase I have two questions.
Q1 - The job comes with a car allowance so I have a choice as to how I get
a car:-
Option 1 - go with the company scheme for a car
Option 2 - take the car allowance as cash and lease a car personally
Option 3 - take the car allowance as cash and buy a car personally
Based on weekly mileage of 500-600 miles, which option would you go for?
The job will involve more travelling but I don't know how much.
Q2 - I've had a clean driving license for 17 years, and the only cars I've
owned are VW Golfs. My only preference for a new (or used car) would be a
hatchback or saloon suited to this kind of journey- Sorry I lie, my only
preference for a new (or used car) would be a German, Swedish or Japanese
hatchback or saloon suited to this kind of journey.
The car allowance is around £450 per month, and I have around £2000 pounds
for a deposit. Assuming that I'll paying for the running cost (fuel,
servicing, insurance etc.), what cars would you recommend?
Your advice would be much appreciated.
Cheers,
Chaz, UK
Chaz,
Knowing nothing about your company scheme, I can’t comment.
But with your mileage, if you were to buy a 1.9 TDi Golf for £12,000 (your
deposit plus £10,000 loan based on £450 monthly repayments) you would reduce
the car’s value to nil within a couple of years. Rather than it being worth
£8,000 if it had ‘average’ mileage.
So don’t do that – get a lease – but make sure it allows for your mileage.
With regards what to buy, well I’ve covered the Golf. But I would also
strongly recommend the Volvo S40 and C30 – they float down motorways. Or I
am a Honda and Toyota fan – if only because they never break. But Honda’s
diesel isn’t great in terms of noise, so stick to petrols.
Be truthful,
Matt
Hi Matt,
I’m left feeling aggrieved after buying a Renault Scenic from a dealership
in Belfast. The dealership in question has a bad reputation but is the
dealer for a number of manufacturers. My wife and I went to their Peugeot
showroom and part exchanged our Ford Focus for the Scenic in July 2008. The
warranty was for three months but we received a number of assurances that
the car was sound (we wanted the car because my wife was pregnant with out
second child – born in September). From September/October on the car has
failed to start on occasion – a simple jump start was sufficient. At the end
of November it failed its MOT due to badly worn brakes. We brought the car
back and complained at the start of December – the brakes were fixed but
when we asked about the battery we were told that the cells had failed and
that we should replace it. We replaced the battery and for a week the car
was ok. Since mid-December the car has failed to start, in fact the car
doors now won’t open and even the manual key just turns around in the
passenger door lock. Being out of the three month warranty the dealer refuse
to fix it with out me paying all costs including getting it retrieved. To
add to my problem, garages I contact tell me that they don’t have the
equipment and that I would need to bring it to the Renault dealership.
However the Peugeot dealer is also the Renault dealer so I would be giving
them even more money for a car that I feel was not fit for purpose. Could
you tell me, it there anything I can do?
Regards
Vincent Gribbin, Belfast, Ireland
Vincent,
You’ve been very unlucky here. And it is not got going to get any better very
easily. In our fault guides, there are a couple of faults to do with
different sensors on the Meganes and Scenics that could give these problems
– so that may be of some help - but you do need a diagnosis from a Renault
main dealer. That’s true.
You can check with Consumer Direct, but I think it will be difficult to make a
claim against the warranty now so much time has passed.
When it first broke down, so soon after the end (or perhaps within) the
warranty was the time to pounce. The goods sold have to be in good working
order and fit for purpose for a short time – but not forever.
Was the car bought from a main dealer used approved programme? I’m guessing
not, because I would expect that to include a full year’s warranty.
You could try and get the dealer on side and see if they will do the labour
for free. It may be that you need to grit your teeth and get the car fixed
so you can sell it and then not have to deal with that dealer again.
Be calm,
Matt
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