Nutmegger

My 1990 Miata (picked up in August 1989, the day the pre-orders became available!) is still going strong, despite having been the victim of benign neglect for the last decade. Sits outside in all weathers, only gets oil changes, and starts right up (unless it's had a lengthy down period under a pile of snow, in which case we have to re-charge the battery). So I can certainly recommend them in terms of reliability!

PetrifiedExPat

These could be taken as perks during a stressful Pike commute...

Steerpike

I had a CR-V in the US circa 2013, and was very happy with it, and I thought the seat was probably the most comfortable I'd ever encountered in any car. My nephew in UK had one and felt the drivers seat was uncomfortable. Obviously seat comfort is subjective, but - I had the higher-end leather seat which was fully adjustable (motorized, 8-way adjustments I believe), he had the lower-end trim where the seat could only be 'pumped up/down' using a mechanical lever at the side, so I suspect the seat comfort is a factor of its adjustability.

Also, a co-worker was very tall (can't say for sure if he was 6'4" or not, but tall) and was shocked to find that a 'mini' was his best option! Obviously that's just a bit of anecdotal info, but you never know!

Pulaski

Yeah, the original minis are remarkably roomy on the inside, at least in the front seats. My father (who was much shorter than me) had a mini van for a year or so, though he sold it shortly before I had the means to buy it, but I would have happily driven it while I was a student.

I got a lift some years later ftom a colleague driving a Rover 800/ Acura Legend, which is much larger than a mini, but much less roomy on the inside!

nettlebed

Talking about tall people in small cars, I remember once seeing Phil Lynott driving a 1977 Civic down Ken High St. I *THINK* he had someone else in there, but I can guarantee that there was not much excess room, for sure.

Pulaski

Yes, Japanese cars of the 70's into the 80's were seriously small, inside as well as out. I got a lift from someone once in a small Datsun, and I would have struggled to sit straight up in the front passenger seat even if I didn't have my head on my shoulders. I had to sit twisted at a very awkward angle, with my head leaning over sideways towards the door. Looking back, I think if we had been in any sort of accident I would probably have broken my neck.

Steerpike

To clarify, I'm talking about a mini circa 2006, so one of the 're-imagined' minis . They bought it and he absolutely loved it!

Lion in Winter

Was he wearing his shiny red lycra jumpsuit?


Brilliant musician.

Lion in Winter

Question - do people selling used cars in the UK expect you to haggle on price or not? Is their asking price inevitably over what they hope to get, or exactly what they will accept? And is this different between dealers and private sellers?

spouse of scouse

The Peugeot SUV we liked was priced at 10,999 pounds in a dealer's yard, we haggled it down to 9,500 pounds. The dealer didn't seem at all put out so it must be a common thing to do (that's me, common!) I'm sure they paid a lot less than 9,500 for it!

spouse of scouse

Anyway, I'm off cars. Mentioned my Ford Ecosport a while back, and how I'd discovered (after we'd bought it) the multiple known problems with the Powershift DPS6 auto transmission. It shit itself the other day, clutch has gone. 2016 model and only 56,000km on the odometer. Ford dealership said Ford won't pay for the fix so have spent a very pleasant 2 weeks arguing the toss with Ford Australia's 'Customer Relationship Consultants'. They've already been fined $10,000,000 by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, for 'unconscionable conduct' towards their customers but have they learned? No they f**cking have not.

Class action may finally be due for judgement in March 2023 - it was commenced in 2017 We'll probably get bugger all anyway, if the judgement of the US class action is anything to go by.

There's ample, verified evidence that Ford knew of the transmission problems before the vehicles went into production. I hate every one of the mofos.

Lion in Winter

Let nothing get in the way of their profit.

Pulaski

Auto transmissions in small cars/ cars with small engines, have never worked well, and I wouldn't touch one with a barge pole. Smaller engines seem to do better with CVT transmissions (the Powershift DPS6 is not a CVT), which bring their own issues, and I would avoid a CVT no matter what.

Caveat emptor.

lansbury

The Texas Highway Patrol has added a shiny new toy to its fleet of police cruisers: a tuned, 1,080-horsepower 2020 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye seized from an accused street racer.

https://www.thedrive.com/news/texas-...l-the-highways

Lion in Winter

Sorry, I know this thread is in the US forum, but incredibly there is only one car thread on BE

Anyway, since I know nothing at all about cars other than how to check the fluid levels, I plan to get a mechanical check of any car before I buy (used). Is getting said check from the RAC or AA in any way any better/more reliable than getting it from some other company?