Not a Lacetti

[BigSilverEstate]

So yesterday we ended our brief but miserable and ruinously expensive relationship with the horrible mkiv Golf bought in May in a moment of desperation after a day's trawling about the seamier side of the SE London used car trade with two children under three in the back of the car. Having spent nearly the value of the car on overdue maintenance and repairs without doong anything to address the fundamental awfulness of the vehicle, the final straw came when the windscreen wipers failed on a dual carriageway in a heavy rainstorm when SWMBO, who is just getting back into driving, was behind the wheel.

So this time we were able to simplify some of our childcare, up the budget and go to a car supermarket. Now the proud owners of... not a Lacetti but a 2008 (old/B7 shape) A4 avant 2.0tdi 140. Got £1000 for the awful golf and frankly nearly kissed the appraiser on the mouth when he told us this -

 

[BigSilverEstate]

So anyway just to share a couple of observations on the experience and the car:

Firstly I think on balance I am a fan of car supermarkets. There are many downsides - premium cars are generally very high mileage, test drive is inadequate, process is cumbersome and the cars are presented very badly - the S203 we looked at had a flat tyre and smelled overpoweringly of Indian takeaway! However for those of us not shopping at main dealers who do not have the time or expertise to navigate the ugly world of Auto Trader it provides a wide choice, sufficient scale to provide a level of buyer protection and reasonable prices.

The car? Well it is very nice - SE spec but still a decent level of toys, confidence inspiring handling and sufficient in- gear pull to be relaxed on the motorway. Nice looking, and comfortable if utilitarian on the inside relative to the E class. Only niggle is that while I am spoiled by the v6, the level of diesel engine noise at low speeds is higher than I would expect. I wonder whether regular driving and a service might improve the refinement

 

[gaz_l]

It's a shame you didn't get on with the Golf - they're actually quite good in my experience. I bought a Mk IV V5 as a stopgap after I sold my C43 and ended up keeping it for 2 years. Quick, comfortable, practical, the only thing I have to say against it is that it was heavy on fuel.. not much better than the C43, TBH.

Hope the Audi works out for you..

Cheers,

Gaz

 

[BigSilverEstate]

Nothing against mkiv golfs in general - we just got a bad'un! To start with the 1.6 engine (8v version) was very gutless when attached to an auto gearbox. Our particular car despite full VWSH had not been cared for and felt unstable, smelt of petrol and fags and had various rattles and noises... And this was after us spending nigh on £2k fixing the obvious mechanical problems.