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Welcome to Mumsnet's shopping board. Whether you are after a new family car or a great new coffee machine this is the board for you. Share product recommendations and reviews here. Related: Discuss clothes and fashion on our Style and beauty forum. Check out Swears By to find the products Mumsnetters love and our reviews section to see the best baby and child products put through their paces.
Shopping
Calling all car buffs...
frogs · 23/02/2005 17:29
Okay all you people who know about cars, which of these two should I go for?
Both cars are V-reg V70 diesel Volvos, manual transmission, with 7 seats.
One is £10995 with 67,000 on the clock, the other is £8650 with 90,000 miles, and they'll throw in 12 months road tax for free.
Which is the better deal? I have to let them know by tomorrow morning.
TIA
MaggieW · 23/02/2005 18:20
We had a similar dilemma with buying a Volvo. We were trying to choose between lower mileage/more expensive one and a higher mileage/less expensive one. We were advised by dealer (not the one we ended up buying from) that higher mileage isn't really an issue with new model cars these days, esp Volvos. They're all so sophisticated mechanically that they're more durable. We plumped for the higher mileage (88,000 miles) one and it's been great. You could always pay a deposit and say you'll take it subject to an AA or similar car check.
lilsmum · 23/02/2005 18:26
my dp said a similar thing...go for the £8650 one, the mileage wont really matter on a volvo as they such good cars, are they giving you 12 mth parts and labour warranty? if they aint might be worth negotiating that as volvo parts are sky high in price!!!
frogs · 23/02/2005 19:50
Hi, RTKM, I thought this might draw you in!
Our mileage is likely to be low, less than 10,000 a year. I'm not planning to change the car very soon, just want something that will keep going for as long as possible before it dies.
I'm def. planning an RAC check, esp as the car is not in the same town as me (listed on internet, through main Volvo dealer). So the parts and labour warranty won't be that much use. I'm hoping to beat them down a bit more in the morning, if I can play them off against each other. But it's looking like the cheaper one might be the one to go for.
frogs · 23/02/2005 20:05
They are, RTKM, but you might not be able to work out which ones they are, 'cos the prices have been adjusted to allow for fitting the extra seats in the back. The cheaper one is in Peterborough, the more expensive one in Eastbourne.
Was trying to buy a much, much nicer one in Yeovil -- spent most of the day to-ing and fro-ing to the dealer. Then just as I was about to get my credit card out for the deposit, it turned out that the price had been listed wrong on the website, and was now £13495 instead of £9995 or thereabouts. Curses.
hub2dee · 23/02/2005 20:19
Hallo,
That price error must have been gutting.
Might a stern fax to head office / volvo PR possibly get you a totally exceptional 'OK, we screwed up, you came to view, we were about to sell it, you've had volvo's before, you'll pay for some extra warranty and as we love you so much, we're gonna do you a deal.'
Just to be irritating (and hopfully not rude) > are you sure you don't want an auto ?
Is the service history on both cars the same (main dealer, regular ?) Would a main dealer familiar with each car provide a written 'not in a major accident' type of certificate ?
Will the 67,000 one need any particularly expensive work at next service ? I don't know about this car, but some timing chains / cam belts etc. are expensive to replace and need to be done between 60 and 80K miles...
Does either car come with any expensive optional extras which may swing it ? Leather, sunroof, etc.
Ask about tyre tread depth too: A new set of tyres all round could cost 350 - 400 quid perhaps, and if one car will need this noticeably sooner than t'other....
If you're being a pain in the ass (and you should, it is 10 grand), ask about the state of the exhaust system. One may be more rusted through / nearer the end of the line than t'other.
RTKangaMummy · 23/02/2005 20:40
are they both midnight blue?
diesel
caffyns one auto and peter one manual
When we are in sussex caffyns do our servicing
They have been in businesss for years and years
frogs · 23/02/2005 20:45
Thanks for these inputs, everybody!
I have an initial preference for a manual, simply because that's what I'm used to. Also I drive in hilly rural areas with lots of hairpin bends and like having the control of being able to take evil bends and gradients in 1st. But I accept that's probably just prejudice, since there seem to be more automatic Volvos than manuals around. But I did think manuals were meant to be slightly more fuel-efficient.
milge · 23/02/2005 20:47
I completely bow to RTKM's encyclopaedic knowledge of Volvos, but we bought a higher mileage Merc estate as it was cheaper and a better colour/spec, and it hasn't put a foot wrong 50K miles later. I think modern european cars aren't properly run in until they are well onto 200K( with proper, regular servicing). FSH is a must for either, i would say
hub2dee · 23/02/2005 20:50
Manuals will be more responsive, and possibly more fun if you love your hairpins, but an auto box would probably be easier to sell on as (a) anyone can drive it (b) easier in traffic for city folk / commutes (c) it is an expensive option when new and hence slightly more 'posh,' IYSWIM.
Manuals generally are more fuel efficient, yes. Infact you should probably try and test drive an auto diesel (if you wanted to buy one) just to check you were happy with the performance.
frogs · 23/02/2005 20:51
No, the blue Caffyns one has been sold. It's the silver one, the manual one with 67000 miles on.
RTKangaMummy · 23/02/2005 21:07
96,000 or 8 years
renew petrol filter
6 cylinder engines renew cooling system thermostat
renew petrol timing belt tensioner
10 years or 96,000
renew petrol timing & auxilary drive belts - check mileage/date decal
renew diesel timing & auxilliary drive belts & timing belt tensioner
hub2dee · 23/02/2005 21:19
OK, both lovely cars. (If I'm looking right - Silver reg V683 at £10995 and Blue reg V485 at £7995)
FWIW, I think it looks better in silver. The blue one looks a tiny bit older for some reason. That might affect resale (were other punters to agree with me).
RTKM's servicing info is extremely important: The higher mileage car is going to shortly need an expensive service to do the specified work.
Also, if you only do, say 8 - 10K miles per year, and you sell in 2 - 3 years, there's a teeny chance the silver car will be sub 100,000, which is nice. The blue one would be at 120K+ which sounds tired.
(I note what milge says though... I'm referring more to buyer mentality)
hub2dee · 23/02/2005 21:22
Oh, and if I'm looking at the right one, the blue one has been towing. Maybe you don't care, maybe it has had no impact, maybe you'd want to fit a towing eye anyway.... but possibly is has had to work harder than the lower mileage silver one (I know, I know, someone may have just unscrewed it...)
RTKangaMummy · 23/02/2005 21:23
just to complecate matters I would never buy a silver car
I just don't like them
Also I heard or read that dealers do not like silver cars there are just too many of them
but my BIL has a silver car
frogs · 23/02/2005 21:37
Oh fab, the volvo experts are on tonite!
I think the Peterborough dealer said that the 90K one had had a new petrol filter fitted, but I'll check tomorrow -- I've talked to so many different people today I've lost the plot a bit!
I had noted the towbar on the blue one, but hadn't brought it up with the dealer. Will enquire tomorrow am, might give me another bargaining chip.
Interesting what milge says about mileage, and hub2dee seems to be agreeing, if I've understood right the implication seems to be that £2500 is a lot extra for 23K of lower mileage. I'm not too fussed about resale value, tbh once I've bought the thing I'm planning to keep it until it goes to the great forecourt in the sky. I just want something that will keep doing its stuff in a happy way for as long as poss.
Really appreciate having someone to run this past dh is being very grumpy about it, as I think he's just realised that his secret dream of a natty little TVR has been shelved for ooh -- about twenty years.
RTKangaMummy · 23/02/2005 21:50
Have you driven either of them yet?
AND
8 years or 96,000
turbocharged petrol engines check and clean crankcase ventilation
hub2dee · 23/02/2005 21:53
LOL that RTKM and I stand opposed on silver cars. I think my pov reflects the average punter better , and we all know that RTKM's BIL is a chap with taste
"I think the Peterborough dealer said that the 90K one had had a new petrol filter fitted, but I'll check tomorrow -- I've talked to so many different people today I've lost the plot a bit!
Petrol filter = £5 part. Quick fit. "renew diesel timing & auxilliary drive belts & timing belt tensioner" = EXPENSIVE (pls. check with garage incase I'm talking pants).
"Interesting what milge says about mileage, and hub2dee seems to be agreeing, if I've understood right -- the implication seems to be that £2500 is a lot extra for 23K of lower mileage"
I agree that cars last for ages, mileage-wise, these days. I don't think, however, that I would be as tempted to get a 90K miles car as one at 67K, but that's just human psychology for you. Also, this is a reasonably big difference in a car that has only been on the road 5 years. One did just over 12K per year (average), one did 18K per year (well above average, some towing).
Gutted dh's TVR is out of the window. You know the Cerbera has two itty bitty seats at the back... That's what I'll try and get dw to agree to in a few years.
frogs · 23/02/2005 21:54
Haven't driven either of them, as opposite parts of the country from me -- was going to get RAC in to do full check. Tbh, since I've never driven a Volvo before I haven't really got anything to compare it with.
Is that a really bad idea?
Easy · 23/02/2005 21:59
Frogs
Listen honey don't buy a model you have never driven, just make sure you like it.
Go to your local volvo dealer. Make eyes at a V70 any (V70 about the same age) on the forecourt, tell the salesman you're interested, get a test drive in it.
Then, if you like it, make bids on the ones you've seen.
8 grand is a lotpend if you hate driving it when you have bought it.
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