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Purchase help

S

StuH

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Messages
374
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53
Location
Lancashire
Car
Superb Estate 3.6 V6
Hi all, first post so excuse anything stupid I say!

Long story short; I have a 56 Laguna 2.0DCi - don't laugh I bought it new for half price and it was only meant to be a tool for a couple of years but redundancy etc means it's still here. I really shouldn't complain as it's been (touch wood) completely faultless bar a sensor for the xenon adjustment sticking, maybe I've been lucky but it's piled on the miles without so much of a murmur. Anyway, I now have new born twins and of course all the 'gubbins' that go with them, in particular a very large pram. So I need a decent estate, one that can take a decent roof box along with decent boot space.

Everything points to the Accord, only problem is at the moment I don't want to put too much money in so what I'm looking at are high milers; one is an 08 Sport GT with 113k for £7k, it's a one owner with FHSH ect. Another is an '05 Sport with 100k and FHSH ect, this is up at £5k, both are CTDi. I'd love the 2.4 but the running costs even at the 6k a year I do are prohibitive. Reading around throws up many horrors with the diesel so I'm looking for general advice and what to look for if possible.

Thanks
 
Welcome to TA - pop over to the newbies and introduce yourself proper....

Out of those two I would definitely go with the 08 model. Check the car for any recalls with Honda, and what grade of oil has been used. A quick read of the pinned topics will tell you all you need to know.
 
Do not completely rule out the 2.4, yess it gets less mpg but on a higher mileage car possible repairs could get pricey especially as the deisel unit is particularly fussy about its fluids and filters. Petrol engines are Hondas mainstay and even higher mileage examples are likely to be bulletproof if the service schedual has been adhered to. Do not know how the 2.4 and deisel tourers compare price wise but i should imagine there is a
difference in favour of the petrol. plus only doing 6k a year souds to me like frequent short journeys if so petrol is your better bet as the deisels really excel at crunching the miles but are not fans of short trips. Getting a 05 plate or earlier also escapes the higher tax bracket though still not deisel tax its not bad at around 250 a year. Good luck with what ever you decide :)
 
Welcome along fella as Dan said introduce your self in newbies 1st and you will get a better response.
 
Thanks for the responses, I've posted in the newbie section.

I walk to work so for most days of the week the car sits at home and only gets used for trips at the weekend or when we go out as a family. That said, I am aware of the potential problems with low miles and diesels. It's for this reason (as well as performance) I was initially attracted to the 2.4, however I thought the road tax was £450 on all years. I don't think the MPG would be a major issue with the mileage I do and I might not see the benefit vs diesel. I'll look into the road tax. Of course there's the 2.0 but they seem a bit thin on the ground. What's really throwing me is the lack consistency in pricing - I've seen 2.4 53 plates at 5-6k whilst I've seen 56 & 57 plates at only a grand more, it's a similar story with the diesels, anyway I think I need to do some more research....
 
At 6K a year (sorry missed that the first time) then as CJ said a 2.4 might be worthwhile if the facelift features are not necessary for you.

Otherwise a well maintained diesel would be fine.

Most of the arguments over running costs are when you comparing apples and oranges and changing from one to the other - for you, you have a Laguna - so buying an Accord with pedals would be an upgrade.
 
do not know how far this is from you but might be of interest

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201104378384293/sort/priceasc/usedcars/body-type/estate/transmission/manual/model/accord/make/honda/postcode/la11hp/radius/60/page/1?logcode=p
 
It's not too far. This one is only up the road so I'll have a look tomorrow:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201111382062038/sort/priceasc/usedcars/price-from/4000/price-to/8000/body-type/estate/model/accord/make/honda/postcode/pr60lp/radius/40/keywords/e.g.%20tdi%20sport/page/1?logcode=p
 
Good luck in your search Stuart, as CJ has pointed out the 2.4 hike in RFL is only for cars registered after 23rd March 2006.

Personally I would try both and see which you like, as the mileage is low then the 2.4 makes sense.

Many of the issues with the diesel are down to people not knowing how to maintain them, but for complete bomb proofing then a petrol Honda is best placed.
 
That's interesting, I was looking at a 2003 Type-S Tourer and the tax was £425, must be the extra weight! It put me off totally...
 
thequietone said:
That's interesting, I was looking at a 2003 Type-S Tourer and the tax was £425, must be the extra weight! It put me off totally...
Click to expand...


That's interesting

here's the link to the car tax guide and it states
* Band K includes cars that have a CO2 figure over 225g/km but were registered before 23 March 2006
Car tax

did you actual see the car tax disc on it with £425 ?
 
No I didn't, and it looks like I was wrongly put off! I'm happy with my 2006 2.2 diesel though in the end, road tax just cost £165 for the year which is good.
 
As already pointed out, if you're not doing the miles then the 2.4 is the right alternative. Good luck in your search.
 
What is wrong with the 2.0. £200 a year to tax and cheaper to insure than the 2.4 and Diesel.?
 
Autos are generally worse on mpg than manuals. IMHO your better off sticking with a manual
 
I would stick to the manual to - Auto boxes are just not reliable enough!
 
StuH said:
Anybody have any experience with the 2.0l petrol Auto?
Click to expand...

I recently test drove a 2.4 auto and 2.0 auto back to back and in my opinion the 2.0 with auto felt a bit lethargic. I'd probably find it absolutely fine with a manual box.
 
Getting a '03 2.4 Exec Auto with 74k with FSH, it's in a deep dark blue with black interior. It's totally mint, by far the best example I've seen and has obviously been well cared for. I must say the cynic in me says it's too clean but I am an ex car dealer so I do know paint jobs etc and I couldn't see anything sus' plus it's a large well established dealer. Screen price was £4995, eventually got it down to £1300 plus my Laguna. Will get it fully serviced, probably get the A/C recharged and then get going with the machine polisher to get that deeeeeppppp wet shine!
 
top result mate, well done...
 
Well 'tis home, all was fine except; quite a bit of brake dust on the passenger side rear, I'm guessing the handbrake could be sticking due to being stuck on the dealers front and being washed everyday, will investigate. More worryingly, the touch screen has just decided to show a Honda Navigation screen, nothing else works :(
 
If it's a tourer, then it's not the handbrake that's the problem as the handbrake runs off the shoes in the drum. It's more likely a sticking caliper, and in fact a known problem with tourer's is a perishing brake hose which causes the caliper to not fully retract. I'd whip the wheel off and check for binding brakes.
 
Thanks, I'll probably get it in the garage early next week, I'm more concerned by the touch screen system.
 
StuH said:
Thanks, I'll probably get it in the garage early next week, I'm more concerned by the touch screen system.
Click to expand...


Start a new thread in the 7th gen section and someone will be along shortly to answer your question about the Nav. I cant help as i don't have it.
 
What state is the DVD disc in? Can you access the radio and AC controls?
 
Dan Robinson said:
What state is the DVD disc in? Can you access the radio and AC controls?
Click to expand...

The DVD is fine. The radio is working but only off the steering wheel, volume is working. Pressing the AC/Info/Sat Nav buttons does nothing, just a blank screen. Worked fine everytime I went to see the car, worked fine on the way home but now it's gone. Looked closely at the warranty and audio/sat navs aren't covered. I'll start a new thread anyway.
 
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