Replacing a 106 with a 206

[dancingbear84]

Deterioration of brake lines was pulled up on an old mot I think. I've seen how to remove the valve I just thought I would give it a little clean to help it along, I may blank it off I'll have to see, I did read something about it potentially causing issues if it is blanked off.

[dancingbear84]

Since changing the plugs it is a much nicer car to drive smooth responsive and seemingly more powerful. I can only assume that one of the old plugs were leaking compression somehow. I've put 10 quid in to see me through to pay day. By my maths it is a fraction over 1.5 gallons It'll be interesting to see how far I get before the light comes back on

[frv]

That's good news Ben. Maybe you'll feel better about keeping the car now it's running well

[dancingbear84]

Unfortunately I spoke to soon. This morning I had to take the wife's Picasso as the little pug failed to start. Cranks for 20 to 30 seconds then starts and dies within a second.
Bad times

[frv]

Bugger - are you going to persevere with it

[dancingbear84]

I'm a tight ass. I've just spent 40 quid on glow plugs! I'll have a play around as much as I can at the weekend if the monsoon season has stopped down here that is.
I don't want to replace it unless I absolutely have to but I also need to have a reliable car to get to work every day.

[dancingbear84]

I'm thinking of getting one of the following, seat Leon, Skoda Octavia or superb, BMW 320. All diesel models my top choice at the minute is a Leon cupra followed by the BMW then the Skoda. I know the Skodas are great cars, but my dad drives one which makes it a bit uncool for a 29 year old.

[frv]

I know Skodas are supposed to be good cars but I'm old enough to remember all the jokes

Years ago, I used to have a '93 petrol BMW 318i and I loved it, it never let me down over 4 years, the only thing I didn't like was the higher running costs - servicing and parts.

The Seat Leon is really a Golf or Audi A3 with a different (IMO better looking) body - no bad thing.
Gets good reviews: http://www.carbuyer.co.uk/reviews/seat/ ... ack/review

[dancingbear84]

The only bad thing on the Leon that I can see (with it being a cupra) is the price of tyres, and tax and insurance is higher than it could be. 120 for tax and 430 for insurance. I've just found a few fiat grande puntos with lower milage which are 30 tax and less to insure. They are 1.3 diesel as opposed to 1.9 and lack the sportyness of the cupra. The mpg according to autotrader is up to 80mpg quoted which is bonkers.
I hate buying new stuff ad it is a total minefield, buying second hand is even worse especially for someone with OCD for facts and figures.

[frv]

I hate buying new stuff ad it is a total minefield, buying second hand is even worse especially for someone with OCD for facts and figures.

I would steer clear of the Fiat - they are not renowned for their reliability - this is from a JD Power survey a few years back:

Overall Average Rating: 82.85%
Position in the Top 100 cars: 87th

Grande Punto drivers have reported pleasingly low running costs and impressive braking, but there are few other perks with ownership.

A disappointing 78th position for handling and 86th for performance are poor for a car sold on its sporty image; 96th place for build quality is also a letdown, so the firm needs to boost standards.

My OH had a previous version Punto and it was knackered after 6 years - that's why I got her onto Honda nearly 8 years ago

Personally, I would stick with Japanese or German...