The problem with negotiating with a car salesman is that it is his job.
Haggling is what he does, day in, day out. He is likely to be much better at it than you, unless you work in sales yourself.
Do your research, work out how much you want to pay and be prepared to walk away- cars are not rare, there’ll be another one.

The vast majority of the European heroin trade is run by Turks. They are not to be messed with.

I used to be in a band called “Missing Cat”
You may have seen our posters.

I’ll get my coat…

But don’t feed them after midnight…

Cool? Er, no. 40 something, bald and not as fit as I should be.
However, in real life I am quite a nice bloke- friendly and polite.
On the Internet though, I come across as argumentative, opinionated (although that is because I am correct) and sarcastic.
Having met a few people from various forums I have generally found they are much nicer than their on screen personas.

Remember this ad?

I said you sounded like a townie, not that you were one.
[pedant mode on]
They are not roosting, they are nesting. Starlings roost in huge flocks- if they were roosting in your loft you’d really know about it.
[pedant mode off]

To the Op, you’re not coming across well in this topic I’m afraid.
You sound all too much like a townie who has moved to the country and is complaining about the noises that you get in the countryside.
It’s only for a few weeks, live with it.

£2k for a diesel estate? You are entering a minefield there.
That is just the point where big expensive parts start to fail.
Don’t worry about specific models, buy on condition and service history.
Buy privately and suss out the owner. Look for a big pile of old mot’s and service documents. Read them. Has it already had the turbo replaced? The dual mass flywheel? The diesel particulate filter? If so, all good- it’ll save you doing it.
Good luck!

I sold a Mazda 6 sport estate to buy this Smax as the paint on the Mazda was crap

The paint was crap? In what way? I can’t believe it was rusting (unless it had accident damage poorly repaired in the past).
The paint on mine scratches fairly easily but polishes up with no effort. Certainly not a reason to sell it (and definitely not to swap it for a Ford…)

About a week ago down here in Hampshire. Quite late this year I think.

Fair point. I only do 5000 miles a year so fine for me, but will probably rule it out for most people.
Trying currently to persuade swmbo that an Accord type R is a sensible family car to replace the trusty Mazda 6.

Zafira last version are available for around £10k new with their 100k warranty.

Which you’ll definitely need.
Corolla Verso or Almera Tino will be far less trouble.

Try a Honda type R. Boring they ain’t.

Yes, the yellow one.
Yes, I have been out to a few now with unexplained flat batteries. The official Ford line is they need a “software update”. The issue seems to be the dash doesn’t shut down correctly when you lock the car- apparently due to issues with the can-bus system. Not a diy fix unfortunately- main dealer every time.
Good luck!

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, buy Japanese.
You just don’t get this kind of problem with Toyota, Mazda or Honda.
I am getting called out to increasing numbers of quality European cars* with serious and expensive faults at low mileage and less than 5 years old.
Unless you are driving a million miles then a basic Japanese petrol non turbo car is easily your best bet.

* and Fords…

For 10k a year you don’t want a diesel, too many big expensive things to go wrong at your price point.
As ever, Japanese is your best bet for reliability. You won’t go wrong with a 4 cylinder, non turbo Japanese petrol engine – they go on for ever.
A Mazda 6 is a good shout, dirt cheap, big and comfortable. My 2006 1.8 does 39 to the gallon and has proved faultless in the 5 years I have owned it. For £5k you’ll get one of the updated ones as well- they’re really nice to drive.

“Community”
As in “the increased police presence is causing tension in the community”
It is not a community. It is simply a lot of people living near each other. Just because there are a lot of people who are the same religion or race living near each other does not make it a community. Arrrggghhh.

Rant over…

This sounds very similar to my lad, now 8.
What they choose to put in their mouths is just about the first thing a child can do to exert any control. My son started refusing certain foods when he was about 1 year old, before that he had weened perfectly and ate anything. Obviously he got a reaction from us when he spat out a food he had previously eaten happily- so he refused something else. It got to the point of having a diet consisting of sausages, sweetcorn and cheerios.
We got really worried and spoke to the health visitor – she looked and said “there’s protein, fat, vegetables and carbohydrates in that, what’s the problem? “
And she was right- he was healthy with loads of energy. Gradually we have introduced other foods without making a fuss. He is now 8 and eats much better- texture is still an issue (he won’t eat anything sloppy so pasta sauces etc are out) but we can now take him to most restaurants and find something that he will eat.

His fussy eating was simply advance warning of his personality- he is extremely strong willed and stubborn- his eating was the first way he could express this.

A “mobile” format please. The text is ridiculously small when reading on a phone.
Ta.

And it cuts my face to ribbons every time, no matter what … I want to like it but it takes chunks out of my neck. And the under nose bit end up looking like the first day of the Somme …

Let your stubble grow for a few days until it is long enough to really see which direction your beard grows in- you’ll probably be quite surprised in some places. Have a hot bath to really soften the hair and shave only in the direction of growth. Don’t rush it! Double edge blades are ridiculously sharp, you barely need any pressure on the handle, let the weight of the razor do the work.
It took me a while to get the hang of it, but wouldn’t go back to cartridges now.

Arf!

Battery code?

It depends, if you have to turn the ignition on to get the radio on then as little as half an hour. If the radio can be turned without the keys in the ignition then a lot longer- radios don’t use much current, all the other circuits on the car do.
Some cars are worse than others- the Honda Jazz is particularly prone to this due to its tiny battery- which is ironic really, as it THE favourite car for sitting in laybys, listening to radio 4 and drinking tea out of tartan vacuum flasks.

As above, all modern cars will drain a battery over time, certain circuits don’t turn off. It is usually only a small drain, about a tenth of an amp, but over time that will cause your battery to go flat. Most csrs won’t start if left for more than a month so you had little chance sfter 3.
Be careful jump starting the car, as mentioned above it is essy to spike the electrics. Ensure the keys are nowhere near the ignition when you connect up the jump leads. Run the other car for at least 10 minutes before you try to start yours. If in doubt call the AA. We have anti-spike circuits in our boost packs to prevent damage.
If you know the car will be left for a long time it is worth disconnecting the negative battery lead- this will stop your battery going flat.

The valves themselves are only a few quid, it is paying the mechanic to strip down the top of the engine that costs, it is several hours work. Add on the cost of gaskets, new oil and coolant etc and you are looking at a big old bi?l I’m afraid.

The mot test ramp has a “mechanical jiggler*”, it’s fairly violent- certainly puts a lot more force on the suspension than you can by hand.

*Technical term obviously

Don’t touch the psa 1.6 hdi engine.
Extremely well documented (read the link above) – loads of info out there all saying one thing – avoid.
The petrol engines are reliable enough (although not particularly refined or economical) and the 2.0 diesel is fine.

10 yrs old and 110k miles- it’s just reaching the point at which it will become a money pit. Clutch, alternator, starter motor, wheel bearings. Suspension bushes will all be on their last legs.
Picasso’s aren’t bad cars, but they aren’t particularly good either. Built with typical french care and attention to detail the trim and electrics will be beginning to fall apart as well.
As mentioned above, an Almera Tino is better in almost every respect and will be far more reliable.

Red bull have lost their appeal, thank goodness. Nothing against red bull (except that smug git Horner. Oh and that smug git Vettel) but if they won it would have opened the floodgates for the teams to effectively police the regulations themselves – I couldn’t see that going wrong, oh no.

If you’re in the AA, call them.
People don’t think of calling us for such a small thing but you can’t drive legally in the dark with a blown bulb so technically your car is broken down.

trail_rat – Member
“You’re right, they can suffer from timing chain issues, which are expensive to fix. But most other cars at that age have timing belts- which are just as expensive to fix and more likely to fail.”

No they are not.

They are a service item, anyone who doesnt service their car – banger or not deserves all they get.

True, timing belts are a service item.
But we are talking about a car worth a few hundred quid here. The chances of finding a car in that price range with a full service history including regular cam belt changes are very slim.
Are you really going to spend £300 on a proper service with timing belt, tensioners and water pump on a £700 banger? You should, but no-one does.
I’d rather take my chances with an old timing chain than an old timing belt.

butcher – Member
It’s interesting you mention the Almera bikemike. I kept looking at them but was put off by the reported timing chain issues, which seem to be completely random, and cost fairly big money to fix

You’re right, they can suffer from timing chain issues, which are expensive to fix. But most other cars at that age have timing belts- which are just as expensive to fix and more likely to fail.

Right then, this topic is right up my street.
As some may know I work as a patrol for a certain well known motoring organisation. So I have a good idea of what breaks and what doesn’t.
If I was looking to buy a 14 year old car I would only consider a Japanese car. They would be your best chance of reasonable reliability.
You’ll get the odd person who will pipe up and say “I’ve got a 15 year old Golf/405/Mondeo and it is great” but they’ll be the exception. Nearly all cars by that age are money pits.
I’d be looking for an Almera, Corolla or Civic, base model and petrol (when it comes to bangernomics simplicity is king- if it hasn’t got electric windows or a turbo they can’t go wrong!).
They are usually dirt cheap, especially in “pensioner pale blue” as kids won’t touch them- not cool.
Hope this helps,
Mike (who drives a totally reliable Mazda)

White smoke is unburnt diesel.
Blue/grey smoke is oil.
Grey smoke that then disappears is steam.
It sounds to me like you have a cylinder or 2 that isn’t chiming in straight away on start up causing unburnt fuel to go down the exhaust. Have you checked the glow plugs? They are the most common reason for the symptoms you describe.

It is a little known fact that the “Q” in Q7 is short for”Qunt”.

letmetalktomark – Member

How safe are the bladed razors above?

Is it much easier to cut yourself?

You do have to be a bit more careful than with a cartridge but the end result is better- and I never suffer razor burn now. There is a knack to it- I got a couple of nicks the first time I tried but you soon get the hang of it.
Some blokes get really geeky about it and there are whole forums devoted to it (badger and blade is about the biggest) but to be honest any decent razor (£20-£30 on amazon) blades from Astra or Gillette and shaving gel/oil of your choice and you’ll be fine.

Annoyingly, despite being unable to grow any hair at all on the top of my head, I can grow a 5 o’clock shadow by midday. I get through loads of blades (manly stubble 😉 ) and I have tried every razor known to man.
All cartridge types are a ripoff (the latest gillette one is £10 for 4 – £2.50 each for a lump of plastic with 5 tiny bits of steel – someone saw us coming..) and don’t last long.
I’ve gone back to Double edge shaving- you get a closer shave and I have just bought 100 blades for £8, yup, 8p each.
I bought a nice razor (similar to the merkur above) for £20 so you need to invest a bit up front but you’ll get a better shave and save a fortune in the long run.

Live in Southampton, support the mighty Leeds. Why? Apparently I’m a (insert expletive here).

Back on topic, I also reckon Titchfield. Most of Locks Heath is red.

My company runs a fleet of 2,500 yellow Transits. These are all fitted with telematic systems that record very accurately all engine parameters including fuel consumption.
A couple of years ago about 100 of these were run on exclusively V power diesel for 1 year, the rest of us used the normal stuff.
The idea was to test the claims of better economy in the real world and see if the extra cost of the fuel was worth it.
They never published the results of the test but everybody is now back to running standard diesel so you can draw your own conclusions!