MillsyVRS

If it's a new engine, I think you will get lower MPG. I didn't start to see optimum MPG figures until I'd done well over 30,000 miles in my Fabia.

While I appreciate it can't stop everything George, surely anything that reduces the risk of an accident and claims is a good thing. Especially when a lot of people's commute to work will have an average speed of not much more than 20-30mph. So I was curious to know whether new technologies like the automatic braking for an example, where taken into account. Everyone can get distracted from time to time

Insurers are quick to increase premiums for loads of reasons, but don't seem to keen on lowering them. I think it's good that dashcams are now more widely considered for discounts, but I want to know if any car technology would be considered to lower premiums. For example, my new Volvo has the City Safety feature where if it thinks you're about to hit something at up speeds of around 20mph, it will brake for you. I'd imagine other cars have similar features now, but in the instance you're distracted for a second and don't see the car in front brake, it could really reduce the risk of you going into the back of the person in front. Are these features taken into account? And when giving my vehicle details for example, would they know it had it fitted? I'd imagine a car had some sort of performance package from the factory insurers would want to know. Thanks

PM'd you

You were very competitive in January when quoting me for my modified Skoda Fabia. I've now sold the car and have been charged a fortune to replace the Fabia with my new car. I first had to pay £99 to insure it for a week on a temporary basis when I first got the new car before I sold the previous one, and then just had to pay another £160 including the usual £25 admin fee to insure my new car on my policy until the end of January. Obviously I didn't have a choice so just had to accept it, but for the equivalent of about 2 months insurance, I've been charged more than half what I paid on the Fabia for the whole year. Good for modified cars, but not for standard. I highly doubt you'll be getting my business again at the end of January!

SOLD

Mine has an APR Stage 1 - I'd definitely recommend it. You get 4 different modes on it, all controlled by the cruise control stalk.

I was told by 2 different wheel refurbish companies that they wouldn't be able to get the alloy back to looking like it did out of the factory. Something about the diamond cut polished lip around the edge.

Sure will do. It's still on the car at the moment but it should be coming off this weekend, and I'll send you the information then.

Was offered this when I got my new car on the weekend. Originally was about £500 for 3 years cover I think, then knocked it down to £360. Supposedly it will cover 5 repairs or replacement tyres and up to 10 refurbishment of alloys. The alloys on the car do look like they'd scuff up pretty easily by a kerb! Has anyone gone for this type of insurance and found it was worth having?

I know! :( But at the moment I can't really afford to keep both insured as I'd have to have one of them insured without any no claims bonus, and there really just isn't room in my cul-de-sac where I live to keep 2 cars. I was hoping to use some of my own cash plus the money from the sale of the car to pay for a decent chunk of the new car but had to just use more of my own cash as the Fabia hadn't sold. So ideally wanting to pay myself back soon as I can. But you're probably right about the Christmas point :/ And then January people are generally broke after Christmas so when it might be a while yet before the best time to sell cars picks up again?

Selling my Fabia vRS (feel free to check it out in the sale for sale section, autotrader or eBay) and if it doesn't go by the very end of this week I'm going to have to give it to WBAC which I don't want to do but I can't have 2 cars sat there. So if it does come to that, I'll be taking off the RARB. Widely considered one of the best bang for your buck mods for this car. Collection from Fleet, Hampshire only as I don't really have time to ship/post it. You're welcome to arrange your own courier or something if you wanted too. £75?

Can't believe I'm doing this! PRICE NOW DROPPED TO £4999!

Yeah, I got pretty bored of that last episode. Military thing went on to long and just got a bit silly

I think one of the worst depreciating cars I've seen is the Citroen C6. Not sure if they're made anymore but when they were new they were over £30k, and after 3 years they were said to be worth no more than £10k!

Mine was meant to be around £35k new which I'd have never of paid, but 6 months and 5k miles later, I get it for £24k! I don't plan to sell mine for quite a few years so hopefully the depreciation won't be a massive issue. New cars are so easily available now, cars just don't seem to hold their value for long anymore.

Yeah, I have pics, but last time I tried uploading pictures from my phone they were all upside down and round the wrong way. I'll upload some shortly

I completely agree! I would have refused to pay it

Thanks very much! Now it's sat on my drive I really do like how it looks. Got all the toys on it including parking itself (will always be a bit nervous about that feature!) and am very pleased with it. Although it was still quite a lot of money, I do feel overall it's quite a lot of car for the £24k that I got it for. Lots of kit, good performance and on paper, doesn't cost anymore to run than the Skoda (apart from tyres and insurance). It will last me a fair amount of time, not planning on changing it anytime soon! As for the price of the cars on autotrader, no mine doesn't have an extended warranty as its modified. I thought if any problems were due to arise, they'd have made themselves known by now.

Again, it's more UK Grime but Akala's fire in the booth part 4 was incredible. I'm a big fan of his.

If you don't mind me asking, how much was the admin fee?

Well on autotrader, ones of the same age, colour and mileage are still up for sale for between £5.5-6k. WBAC offered £4635 so I thought I must be able to get at least £5k?! Surely?

It went well! Got there about 10:15, and yeah, everything went smoothly! Apart from when I called up to get the free 7 day insurance, the company the dealer used (RAC) wouldn't give it to me because apparently I'm too young! Salesman apologised and said he didn't know they'd do that which was fine. Bit annoying that I then had to pay a fortune for temporary insurance on it. Car looks great and I'm very happy now Still need to get rid of the Fabia though and I'm just being offered peanuts for it!

So, got some better news. After sending an email last night saying I wasn't happy with it anymore and I was extremely close to walking away, I got a call and email from the salesman. He's asked if I'd like to go Saturday morning to pick up the car and do the handover (much better than after 5pm). He also said 'between you and me' you can pay on Saturday when you get the car and I'll just confirm on Monday with accounts that the money is there. On top of that, the car has apparently been serviced again, he'll make sure there's a full tank of fuel in it and he'll tax it (both of these requests were point blank refused when I first asked). As a 'gesture of good will' they have also applies the 'Gen3 paint protection' which from the sounds of things is like the VW's auto shine/life shine paint protection they always offer you at a massively inflated price when you buy the car. So at least the paint will be protected too, and I can see the car in daylight now. So, better result, even if I had to fight for it!

Currently deciding whether it's worth losing the £500 over the principle of how I've been treated and how the process has gone through. I've sent an email now saying I'm on the verge of walking even if I do lose the £500. Will see how they respond, whether they'll say yeah ok fine and see if I'm bluffing, or try and offer some sort of sweetener. As said, I do like the car a lot and as others have said if anything goes wrong it's under warranty, plus there are others out there but a combination of things now have just seemed a bit odd and left me feeling uneasy. Which isn't a feeling you should have when you're about to part with a large sum of money.