Car recommendation

[P]

Been over to France about 9 or 10 times this year and, with the exception of one car, have always had a different type of car from the hire company.

Some have been absolutely horrible. However, one stood out as being exceptional. It had all the toys, drove very nicely, had plenty of power and was very comfortable - some of the cars have made my backache like mad.

The car was a Seat Altena (or is it Althena).

If you ar looking for a car of this sort of size I would thoroughly recommend you looking at one of these.

Paul

[Ford Anglia]

Talking to a Peugeot salesman recently with a view to changing one of the cars. He recommended we looked at.................

SEAT Ibiza or Leon!

Now that's SOME recommendation.

 

[Miki]

[quote user="Ford Anglia"]

Talking to a Peugeot salesman recently with a view to changing one of the cars. He recommended we looked at.................

SEAT Ibiza or Leon!

Now that's SOME recommendation.

[/quote]

What !!!

As against a Mercedes for instance ? Sounds more like a salesman with the bang hump against Pugs !! [:)]

[Tim_Quincaillerie]

We always buy German cars as French cars cost us too much money inthe end.......In fact I know plenty of French that have changed over to German.

[Cassis]

Ooh - German cars - not as good as they used to be relative to every other make.  Have Mercedes gone backwards? Living on past reputations? ....  discuss [Www]

[Ford Anglia]

[quote user="Miki"][quote user="Ford Anglia"]

Talking to a Peugeot salesman recently with a view to changing one of the cars. He recommended we looked at.................

SEAT Ibiza or Leon!

Now that's SOME recommendation.

[/quote]

What !!!

As against a Mercedes for instance ? Sounds more like a salesman with the bang hump against Pugs !! [:)]




[/quote]

No, I mentioned we fancied a small diesel and he said it was hard to beat the VAG engines and that SEAT seemed to have the right balance of price vs build quality, as against VW, who bang on about build quality, charge a premium for it, but can't beat the Japs in reliability stakes.

I know of two people recently who swear that Mercs have discovered the idea of planned obscolescence[:(]

[Miki]

[quote]

No, I mentioned we fancied a small diesel and he said it was hard to

beat the VAG engines and that SEAT seemed to have the right balance of

price vs build quality, as against VW, who bang on about build quality,

charge a premium for it, but can't beat the Japs in reliability stakes.

I know of two people recently who swear that Mercs have discovered the idea of planned obscolescence[:(]

[/quote]

Well that's for sure. Most manufacturers have studied that for donkeys

years, can't have cars lasting forever now can we !! BUT, to put Mercs

firmly in the frame is not unusual, other makers (and now two people

you know !!) love to tie in the German supremos with their own cars

infallibilities....

Have no worries, Seat are a good car...drawback once again....re-sale.

You can't have it all ways, cheaper new car means cheaper re-sale...It

all depends what you want. Toyota consistently win on reliability but

still can't stop other cars still being sold.

Mercs to all and sundry in the trade, is the dealers car ( it was (is) always one of the top sellers

in the "wanna decent car stakes") but still, once again, other makers

still sell their cars.

Bottom line, if SEAT have a decent diesel engine, then 100% for sure,

the Pugs have so much expertise in that department, it would be

difficult to argue that they do not hold sway on that score and I know

for sure which car will have cheaper servicing and spares over the

years ahead !

BUT, as ever, cars are mostly sold on colour & looks.................................pink is nice !! [:)]

[BJSLIV]

pink is nice

Especially on a 58 Vauxhall Cresta

 

[P]

[quote user="BJSLIV"]

pink is nice

Especially on a 58 Vauxhall Cresta

 

[/quote]

 

Can you have the old PA in any other colour????

[vab]

Cheers  !!! Will bear that in mind.

[cooperlola]

Cmon let's face it, as said above, Seats and Skodas are cheapo versions of VAG cars, built on the same chassis with the same engines.  German and French diesels are still both the best, with the Japs only just catching up in this department.  Nissans now have French diesel engines (Renault) so are also a good compromise - Jap build quality and French diesel know-how (also the garagistes know-how to fix 'em).

[Dave]

[quote user="Cassis"]Ooh - German cars - not as good as they used to be relative to every other make.  Have Mercedes gone backwards? Living on past reputations? ....  discuss [Www]

[/quote]

A friend of ours was very dissappointed with his Mercedes 4x4 and he was even more fed up when he found out that it was built in the US by Jeep.......is this true do you think? I don't know but I thought that Jeep were quite good, but it may be that he was fed up because it was US built....[:)]

regards

Dave

[Sunday Driver]

Mercedes Benz = DaimlerChrysler......[:(]

 

[Miki]

Mercedes Benz........................ made in Germany = [:D]

[Ford Anglia]

[quote user="Miki"]Mercedes Benz........................ made in Germany = [:D]




[/quote]

Like Opels...............?[:P]

[Miki]

Nothing wrong with German Opels..........they are just not Mercedes, that's all.

We had a Zafira from new, 5 years nothing so much as a murmour and serviced just once a year.

[sharkhunter]

Subaru imprezza  built by robots...................driven by idiots!!!

i know , i've got one ha ha

[cooperlola]

[quote user="Miki"]Nothing wrong with German Opels..........they are just not Mercedes, that's all.

We had a Zafira from new, 5 years nothing so much as a murmour and serviced just once a year.





[/quote]Once a year?  Once every two years for my Nissan![:D]

[Tim_Quincaillerie]

Good thread this one.

The VAG diesels ie the Pumpe Duse ones  are brutal engines but give excellent fuel economy along with startling performance.

The problem i see with French cars is the fact the engines are very very good but all the stuff surrounding the car tends to fall apart/off within a fairly short peroid of time or things like the ventilation fan stops working ( Im sure someone here has had that happen) with a bill of 400 euros.

The next car I reckon we will have would be either an AUDI A6 or a MERC 220 CDI for the reason that I really dont like getting into a car that half works.

[cooperlola]

[quote user="Tim_Quincaillerie"]Good thread this one.



The problem i see with French cars is the fact the engines are very very good but all the stuff surrounding the car tends to fall apart/off within a fairly short peroid of time or things like the ventilation fan stops working ( Im sure someone here has had that happen) with a bill of 400 euros.

[/quote]Back to my Jap car, French engine argument again.  Yes it is a good thread, you are right - and right up my ally!  We also run a Skoda and the Turbo-Diesel is a stonking engine with a surprising amount of power available all through the rev range - although it's quite clattery if you listen to it when next to the Renault engine in the Nip. Sounds like a London cab, but only from the outside.  Audi and Merc may be a bit pricey for us at present so they're out I'm afraid.  Besides, I couldn't be seen driving around Le Mans in an Audi given that I'm forever whingeing about their boring domination of our great race (and in diesels too -what is that about - sound like the proverbial in a thunderstorm) which I guess is a recomendation in itself.

Given limitless funds - Mitsubishi Evo for me. Or a Saleen but I don't have half a million dollars hanging about.

[Cassis]

[quote user="Tim_Quincaillerie"]

The problem i see with French cars is the fact the engines are very very good but all the stuff surrounding the car tends to fall apart/off within a fairly short peroid of time or things like the ventilation fan stops working ( Im sure someone here has had that happen) with a bill of 400 euros.

[/quote]

Ahem, in defence of Peugeot.  I do not particularly like my wife's car (though it's the only one we have since we moved here, sob) but her 'ickle 306 1.4 petrol is 10 years old and in that time has had no attention other than a yearly service and 2 replacement batteries, one alternator, tyres and an exhaust.  Nothing has fallen off, nothing rattles, upholstery is like new, no rust anywhere, never broken down.  Doesn't mean I like it, mind.

[cooperlola]

[quote user="Cassis"] Doesn't mean I like it, mind.
[/quote]That's a relief.  I had one as a courtesy car once - truly unpleasant, uninvolving chassis - second in horrible-ness (if that's a word) only to a Corsa (the chassis, I mean, wooden is putting it mildly). Ugh.

[Cassis]

Ah, but if you went back to when it was first brought out, it was the bee's knees of suspension and handling, knocking its contemporaries into a cocked hat.  Bloody awful now, though it still smooths out bumps pretty well and I can still feel exactly what the wheels are doing as it has unassisted steering!

[Miki]

It seriously would need to be limitless funds as well to own and run a Mitsibushi over here (not even inc the Evo)

The cost of servicing and repairs by Mitsibushi in France is just

ridiculous. I have taken a friend (and on another occasion, his friend)

four times in total to Rennes and the cost of repairs to their Pajeros

was frightening ! On the last occasion, the chap saved well over two

thousand euros by shipping it back to the UK to be repaired, as against

the cost of the car to be repaired here !

Mercedes 220cdi, our last one (company owned from new by us) did

290,000kms before the clutch went............no oil used, only three

tank fulls of gasoil and a service at every election time, tyres

original, diagonally changed round with the

service....................Nissan, huh !! [:D]

[cooperlola]

[quote user="Cassis"]Ah, but if you went back to when it was first brought out, it was the bee's knees of suspension and handling, knocking its contemporaries into a cocked hat.  Bloody awful now, though it still smooths out bumps pretty well and I can still feel exactly what the wheels are doing as it has unassisted steering!
[/quote]Cassis - I am blushing now - a truly senior moment once again.  I meant, of course the 206 - profuse apologies to 'er indoors's car which was indeed, great at the time.  Sorry.[:$]

Mikki, yes I'm sure Mercs are great but it's a budget thing again.  I didn't say I owned an Evo, only that I covert one.  The perfect woman's runabout, don't you think?