Used car buying advice

[The Duke]

I’d always go sensors over camera. I can’t get use to the camera. Much prefer the beeps. The viewing angles just never feel right for me. Also looking forwards whle going backwards just doesn’t fit well with me.

[PlaneMan]

The sensors only come on the bog standard Swift, option IIRC. Every other variant gets the camera. The camera is a wide-ish angle one so it works well. It’s very handy for me as twisting my neck can really hurt. The sensors would be handy though.

[Bob Williams]

My son has a Vauxhall Combi diesel van and has tricked it out with all kinds of gizmos, including an after – fit camera that also came with a sensor kit. He also made his own immobiliser with an alarm of his own design: any potential thief getting into the van would have ruptured eardrums and the whole village would hear it!

That van is perfect for him now there is only our No.2 gson at home, and he has his motorbike. Son’s hobby is Stationary engines and he can get two engines in the back, whilst towing the 1999 caravan that he rebuilt from a derelict ‘van and newish furniture from an accident – damaged and scrapped mobile home.

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[The Duke]

I’ve had trouble with my neck for years. I’ve not long started using a chiropractor and in the first session he cured my stiff neck. Could only get it 45 degrees to my left, he had a fiddle with my head, prodded my neck and full movement to the left, the rough doesnt go all the way to my sholder but the left now does.

Still not sure if he is doing any good with my lower back, but fixing my neck went along way in instill a bit of faith. Or enough for me to give him 12 weeks, to see how we get on.

Ive been enjoying it too. I was terrified before my first session, as I thought he would kill me and put me out of action for a fortnight. But (touch wood) it has been fine. Not cheap, but I think worth it. Shoidl of started it 20 years ago!!!

[PlaneMan]

My old car is now for sale at the dealers. £100 more than they gave me and they’ve done the (minor) bodywork and the (slightly more serious) paint work. It looks like new.

I’m well aware that they won’t show a loss, they’ll juggle the figures on what I paid for the Swift Sport and what they gave me for the old one so it all looks brilliant on the official records.

[Bob Williams]

I am always amazed to see my 2001 Focus buzzing around locally. Of all 3 later Focus models, that was the best I drove and it was an ‘LX’ which was the basic model at the time. It survived junction interventions by 2 batty female drivers*, both incidents ripped the nearside wing and doors, which did not please my Gert much as she was in that front passenger seat. The 51 Focus has been with a guy around my age in Sutton on Sea ever since I left it at Motability and they moved it on. Must have clocked up some yardage in it now, but it still looks good.

*Not attacking all female drivers: my daughter is a very good driver, although she does tend to shout at other road users a lot. Granddaughter and my Gert reckon she gets that from me, rubbish say I, I am Mr Cool n the road.

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[PlaneMan]

Drove past the local Suzuki dealers on Saturday only to find it empty and deserted. All the stock from their little overflow area was gone also.

After a bit of digging I found their Facebook page. On the 29th of November (Friday) they announced that they’d been sold and stopped trading. There was well over 100 cars to shift so the new owners must have moved quickly!

[Ed P]

They probably used a car auction to shift them.

In the past the police were known to use auctions to sell off  their old cars, and stuff they had seized. Not sure that is the case now as they make a big play of crushing cars instead. Seems a waste of potential income to me, but there must be good reasons.

[Wheels-Of-Fire]

I have a mate who is mad keen on bikes, in fact he is just mad 😁, he lost his license for 3 months but decided to keep riding on false plates because his job is motorbike courier.

Anyway he got caught and his 8 month old Honda Fireblade was impounded. Even though he paid the fine the police would not let him have it back because he did not have a licence or insurance to ride it.

After 3 weeks or something he got a notice saying the bike had been crushed.

[Bob Williams]

Blimey Graham that was excessive by the law, a very expensive, very fine bike. Probably broke his heart: I remember when I wrecked my Ducati a few months before going to sea. Repaired very well by a mate with a bike shop using all Ducati parts, then  I joined the Merchant Navy, then pit, then Army, when I sold it at last. Was never homesick for home, just the bike, but never had another after my first car. One of the first Ducati 250’s in the UK and it blew the socks off big Brit bikes. Didn’t leak oil, either like Brit bikes. This is same model but mine was a lighter blue iirc. I loved that bike! “Diana Super Sport” in Asia and USA, “Mach1” in UK.

Nolan, we had a Suzuki car dealership here until about 4 years ago, between Louth and Grimsby. Suzuki gave it up over a weekend, all stock gone by the Monday. On Wednesday the same staff restarted the place with the ex-manager as the new owner. He bought back a lot of the used Suzuki’s and it always looks busy. My attention as an ex-workshop foreman is always drawn to the stock and there is always newer stock there, always “Sold” signs on cars. It has a thriving workshop, MOT station and the best drive-through carwash I have used: part drive-through, part jetwash, does full valets as well. I always use that just before I take back a Motability car at end of lease. It’s always well attended, think Suzuki shot themselves in the foot there.

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Les.]

Bob, I think you are just a bit off with your Ducati Dating. Fairly certain the first UK 250 was the light blue “Daytona”. That would be about 1962. The Mach 1 followed shortly afterwards. I bought my first Duc in 1960, a 6 month old 1959 200 Super sports. Long time ago, but still riding rather bigger V twin Ducatis.

Les.

[PlaneMan]

Now Facebook says there’ll be new dealerships in 2020. (They did Mitsubishi as well).

The dealership did need some money spending on it, nothing major but it would all add up. Things like new signs, a better waiting area and some behind the scenes stuff like new car lifts. I wonder if that was part of the decision to start over?

Sytner BMW have just opened a very swanky, massive new dealership just around the corner from me. I dread to think what it cost as the site was razed to the ground and rebuilt from the drains up.

[JayCeeDee]

Bob Williams wrote:

One of the first Ducati 250’s in the UK and it blew the socks off big Brit bikes. Didn’t leak oil, either like Brit bikes. This is same model but mine was a lighter blue iirc. I loved that bike! “Diana Super Sport” in Asia and USA, “Mach1” in UK.

 

Les. wrote:

Bob, I think you are just a bit off with your Ducati Dating. Fairly certain the first UK 250 was the light blue “Daytona”. That would be about 1962. The Mach 1 followed shortly afterwards.

 

That’s right, Les, but not far off. I had a 1964 Ducati Daytona 250, as a first bike – I did a lot of learning very quickly on that, in fact most things happened very quickly on it!!! Beautifully engineered bit of kit. I wanted the MachIII Desmo when it came out a few years later  ( late 60’s early 70’s ) – but I was an apprentice at the time so couldn’t afford one.

 

[Les.]

JCD, yes, maybe I was a year or so too soon. However, i must correct you on one thing.

It was a Mk.111 Desmo, NOT a Mach111 Desmo.

You realise that make your less than a decade younger than me. you are getting old!

Les.

[JayCeeDee]

Les. wrote:

You realise that make you less than a decade younger than me. you are getting old!

My words from earlier decades were ” You’re only as old as the woman you feel!!” – but even that scale doesn’t allow me to cheat time as she’s just started getting her State Pension – she is one of the WASPI’s – but at 68 later this month I’m still here, and that’s what counts in my book.

 

As an aside, even the proposed £30k gift won’t induce me ( or her ) to vote Labour!!

 

Edit –

It was a Mk.111 Desmo, NOT a Mach111 Desmo.

It felt that fast, the speed of sound just seemed an appropriate accolade for it!!

 

[Ed P]

Mate of mine had a really rorty and macho, second-hand Norton Black Knight (around 500lbs weight). One 1960 icy day while kick-starting, he slipped and pulled the bike onto himself. The foot-rest punched right through his calf. Lucky for him his mates could get him out from under, tourniquet his leg and run to a phone-box to dial 999.

Bye-bye the big black beast, hello the much lighter Duc. The one thing he noticed was getting a lot less ‘helpful’ attention from the boys in blue.😉

[Les.]

Oh dear, i really am going to get it for pedanticism, but once more:-

Ed, if that was a Black Knight, it would have been a Vincent, not a Norton.

Post war, Vincent made 500cc singles and 1,000cc Vee twins. First Series B with “normal ” girder forks, then Series “C” with their patent and rather clever “Girdraulic” forks. 1954-55 saw in the Series “D” models which included the Black Price and Black Knight, which were fully enclosed in a large, black fibreglass fairing. Not many things sticking out on those, so he must have been very unfortunate.

I don’t recall the weight, but 500lbs sounds rather more than it should be, more likely 400lbs I would guess.

They were bikes made to an amazing standard of detail, mostly from aluminium alloys and were surprisingly light all things considered. I could write about the detail points of design all night, so will stop  before too late.

!963, I bought a 1949 Series “B” Rapide (1,000c) for just £35, later fitting the engine unit in a Norton “Featherbed” frame. Fantastic bike. Of course I would need to add up to three zeros on the end of what I paid to get a similar one today!

Les.

[JayCeeDee]

Les. wrote:

Ed, if that was a Black Knight, it would have been a Vincent, not a Norton.

I was almost ready to add ” Unless it was a NorVin Black Night” until I finished reading your post to find you’d added the detail there.

A friend of mine did the same, I seem to recall it had the RoadHolder forks, whether that was standard for the slimline frame, I  know not. That engine went into the frame with the help of a large shoe horn and a larger hammer!!

I was almost tempted down that route, but by the time I had the money to put a 500cc  unit Triumph engine into the Ducati frame, thereby making a TriCati, I’d passed my car test and never looked back.

[Ed P]

Les I bow to your superior knowledge, and I delved into wikipedia images to jog my memory.

As it was a very ‘raw’ 998cc bike without fairings, it was probably the earlier Vincent Black Shadow.The fairings etc would have made him think of a Vespa, so the ‘Knight’ would definitely not have made the ‘macho’ cut, and been too mod-like.

At least I probably got the ‘black’ bit right!

[The Duke]

Our local suzuki dealer amalgamated with a Hyundai dealership about 10 years ago, when we had the financial crash. Basically Slaters the chain that own all the dealerships her, sold off half the showrooms and the put two makes under one roof.

Anyhow a couple of weeks ago, I did notice the lack of swifts at Teh side of the 5 ways roundabout. I’ll keep a better eye out next time I pass.

[Author]

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