LOL they have to be replaced every 30k or less and go even before them. The old 70s-80s golf gti's are pretty solid when you think the mk1 came out in the 70s and the mk2 the 80s... They can literally be pulled out of a ditch and always made to start easily as with the 80s and 90s bmw straight sixes/v8s are bulletproof as are any old school hondas along with the k20/24 modern stuff which'll happily laugh at 5-600bhp on stock internals boosted.
It isn't N/A though it's twin charged as we said? So a supercharger AND a turbo charger.... They're what 160bhp iirc stock? So 25bhp from something with boost is easy. Hardly impressive when things like the 1.4L turbo starts from the late 80s early 90s made 125-130ish bhp so add a supercharger to that as well and there you go nothing impressive... Or the fact the B16 1980s crx/ef9 made what 167bhp from a N/A 1.6 dohc and literally invented variable valve timing and electronic lift control in cars...
Our last car was a 2006 Daihatsu, my wife bought as an ex-demo, back when we had two cars. Like Toyotas, it was as reliable as the sunrise, until I made the front end more compact last November…
Are you speaking from actually working in the trade fixing them as a vag specialist or just quoting google... Or have you just owned a couple and assume they're all now fine People literally can't give them away, hence why they're stupid cheap everywhere for sale! And they all are on convenient mileage which is always around the change interval when they'll go again based on the previous chain being changed just like with the crappy bmw N series which also uses a junk type of chain that WILL fail again and again... And if you get the 6 pot bmw derv you have to remove the engine to change the chains at they're at the rear. You sound like one of those people who just assumes cause it has a chain over a belt that it's a decent type of chain, when some aren't and do NOT outlive the engine's lifespan. Cars are made poorly and have been for the last 20+ years to be financed/thrown away. Hence why bmw for example did a paint/bodywork recall on cars out of warranty within 5 years old even if bought second hand because they knew they were done on the cheap as with MANY other brands. That's why a Dacia comes in off the boat and has rust on the chassis legs with only 4 miles used to move it from the production line to be shipped over here off the boats... If you think vags are well built/reliable easy to work on you're dreaming - that or you enjoy taking the entire front end off just to change a belt/rad/boost pipe etc etc... All whilst using their own tooling you're forced to buy! Ha! But what would I know, I've only worked heavily in the motortrade/tuning/aftermarket scene laughing at the graveyards of these cars when new on minimal miles such as the N series platform engines failing as long as 8-16k miles even on the revised engines You're dreaming. Unsubbed.
I look after two of them - one on 90k miles, one on 220ish k, both have had one tensioner replaced and have been faultless since. A quick check with VAGCOM of the chain stretch every service shows barely any wear, and they've been running fine. Your assertion that they will all fail after 30k miles is clearly rubbish. Or because they're 15 year old cars which have reached the bottom of their value curve... Not a surprise when they need them every 30k miles by your standard The N47 in particular is dire, can't argue that one at all. The N57 is a mixed bag, lots of them are absolutely fine for huge miles, others not so much. Not at all, dunno why you'd assume that. Very true, and much older than that in fact. The switch to water-based paint was a disaster for most brands, and they've never achieved good paint quality since really. I definitely didn't suggest that, they're a pain in the arse, and my least-favourite brands to work on. I suspect you're someone who thinks every example is a bad one because you exclusively work with the bad ones... Like a Porsche specialist assuming that every 996 has IMS and bore scoring issues. We actually agree on many points, but clearly I've emasculated you by suggesting that reality doesn't follow your opinion. p.s. Sorry to clog up your thread GeorgeStorm
No worries Think we've decided we'd rather go for something 'cheap and cheerful' (relatively, just meaning something for less than we'll get from the insurance company really, 2-3k ideally) or something 'nice' and an upgrade. I just struggle to get onboard with the idea of getting a similar car but having to potentially pay a couple of grand for the pleasure. I would like an electric car but from looking not sure an older leaf would be suitable as would be our only car, so day to day might be fine but any longer trip would be a faff. (closest family are all 100+ miles away, probably a trip every couple of months, even going to the office would be difficult I think at 80+ miles) Newer leaf/ionic look nice (leaf more common it seems), but looking at 10-15k, and the cost of installing the wall charger which might not be great value as potentially moving in a couple of years! So I think the more sensible option would be to buy a cheaper car for now, the heated seats definitely limit options if we want to stick with it though!
......find out what's actually broken on your and see how much it would cost to repair. It's your car, just because someone says it should be written off doesn't mean you have to agree
Would definitely consider buying back your car and repairing it on the cheap as above, depends where the hit was.
That was something a couple of more car savvy friends said might be an option, I didn't get around to asking a local garage what it might cost but probably should have. Photo of the damage below, most obvious is bonnet and bumper damage, the front grill and the left light cluster thing whilst still working is cracked/broken I think. Accident by GeorgeStorm posted 30 Jun 2023 at 17:34
Many moons since I've done spanner werk but, list from what I can see/guess Bumper Bonnet Grill Headlights (if clips/mounts cannot be repaired possible wing panels I can see a bend on the NS Crash bar Slam panel Rad/fan/aircon Key would be having that bonnet open see how far the front end was pushed into the engine bay.You said it seems to drive fine so I would say, get checking scrappies get some prices of parts. I've repaired worse, worth checking if they insurance is going to mark it as cat C/D if so, it may not actually be worth doing it as the resale value will plummet.
I'm going to venture an opinion and say it's not worth trying to fix - the front end is the most complex bit, full of very-breakable bits of plastic bracketry that are hard work to replace with scrappy bits (as they're often broken in small parking nudges etc). That, and you'll need the 4 big items that get damaged in a mild shunt - bonnet, wings and front bumper. If it was a rear or side impact I'd say give it a go because they're easy.
Sooo after some back and forth, went from being offered £5.3ish to £6.3ish so thanks to everyone who told me not to accept their first offer! Whilst we've still gone off the electric car angle, from having had a bit of a look at what's available, we're not sure if the cheap and cheerful angle is worth the saving For example just a quick check on autotrader for golf's based on some of the comments here, within 200 miles of me, petrol, less than 80k, 2008 or newer, only one option under 5k! Even if I expand to national it doesn't fill me with hope, paying £4k+ for a 12+ year old car with 60k+ miles on it!
You'll probably struggle with petrol. That era (around 2010) diesel were supreme. You can consider other cars from VAG group that is essentially using the same parts. This 2015 Seat Ibiza estate looks very tidy, though poorly equipped: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202306238875000?sort=relevance&advertising-location=at_cars&fuel-type=Petrol&include-delivery-option=on&make=SEAT&maximum-mileage=100000&postcode=PA3 2ST&price-to=6000&radius=100&year-from=2011&fromsra Ford Fiesta from that era are quite well regarded, 2012 example: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202306218770261?sort=relevance&advertising-location=at_cars&fuel-type=Petrol&include-delivery-option=on&make=Ford&maximum-mileage=100000&postcode=PA3 2ST&price-to=6000&radius=100&year-from=2008&fromsra If you want to go big on a budget, 2015 Dacia estate? https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202306208733999?sort=price-desc&advertising-location=at_cars&fuel-type=Petrol&include-delivery-option=on&maximum-mileage=100000&page=6&postcode=PA3 2ST&price-to=6000&radius=100&year-from=2015&fromsra For EV, this Ioniq 38 kWh at just £13.7k is a seriously good deal. https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202306309142888?sort=price-desc&advertising-location=at_cars&fuel-type=Electric&include-delivery-option=on&make=Hyundai&maximum-mileage=100000&postcode=PA3 2ST&price-to=15000&radius=100&fromsra
I don't get the need for a shedload of equipment, just more things to go wrong and, nobody actually NEEDS all the extras many cars have these days.
It's all very nice to have. For example, more stain-resistant (p)leather seats, climate control rather than constantly fiddling with hot/cool dial, heated stuff, parking aids, even trip computer. On the bright side, if they do go wrong, it's just like un-ticking those optional extra, they are not strictly require to be fixed. When my top spec Volvo S40 mk1 was written off whilst parked, I got a S40 mk2 lowest spec. Even though it's a newer updated car, it's all round worse experience sitting in it and driving it, I hated it. Since then, I would always try to buy the top trim level. Although I have forgotten not all early 2010 cars had a touch screen, hence the comment about the SEAT. My related car buying pet peeve is the optional extras German cars like to have. Just have simple trim levels so it is super easy to filter. I had a really hard time finding adaptive cruise control back in ~2016 when it was an optional extra in early 2010 cars. I suspect heated seats are similarly hard to find. (sorry I forgot about heated seats requirement) There's three 2015 or newer cars under £6000 with heated seats. All look pretty good: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-search?sort=price-desc&advertising-location=at_cars&fuel-type=Petrol&include-delivery-option=on&keywords=heated seat&maximum-mileage=100000&postcode=PA3 2ST&price-to=6000&radius=100&year-from=2015&refresh=true&flrfc=1#202307079404769
I’m ok having less. Our car has aircon, leccy windows and mirrors, remote central locking, hight adjustable drivers sight and adjustable steering wheel, more than previous cars had. My first car and another later one, had a radio! In my early days of driving you could still buy a new small car without even wind-up windows (2CV). So much kit now seems a bit over the top and, is part of the reason new cars cost so much now.
Oh yes no doubt about it. But on the other hand, many are mandated safety tech, such as AEB and collision warning system. Again, as you said, nice to have, but expensive if it goes wrong. For me, must-have is heated seat and steering wheel, climate control, trip computer and adaptive cruise. Oh, and standard modern car stuff such as power steering, brake assist, ABS, leccy windows, and last but not least, air con.
