My weapon of choice

[C.A.R.]

So a simple MOT is the most stringent test for a repaired Cat C car in order to get it on the road? That seems bonkers! Considering the loopholes in an MOT that is. They should have a requirement for a proper inspection IMO, with special attention to what has been repaired...

[Dum-Dum]

Yeah not thought of it like that. Gotta take a good half hour to go over all the markers on a car

[1616six]

Exactly why people are recommending not to buy the Cat C'd one - yes it may look fine and be VIC checked, but if Stevie Wonder did the welding, would you want to carry your family in it?

[THE_Liam]

If a car is Cat C'd, it will have to have an MOT and a VIC check before being allowed back on the road.

It doesn't need an MOT if it already has one, just the VIC believe it or not.

[Ruan]

Be aware - the 1.6TDCi is a 1.6HDi.....

[1616six]

If a car is Cat C'd, it will have to have an MOT and a VIC check before being allowed back on the road.

It doesn't need an MOT if it already has one, just the VIC believe it or not.

Incorrect, the moment the car is registered as a cat C, the current MOT becomes invalid.

[Anton]

I purchased a Cat C car two weeks ago, put it through its vic last week. Was £41 and i was there for 7 minutes. As said above its merely an identity check, i carried out the repairs myself and the mot isn't due until october. A car needing a vic is perfectly road legal aslong as it has all the usual things.

Will definitely make me think twice about buying a car that has been written off for whatever reason, if monkeys like me are around fixing cars....

JJ you are WRONG, the mot is still valid. VOSA themselves confirmed this to me.

[swampy]

If a car is Cat C'd, it will have to have an MOT and a VIC check before being allowed back on the road.

It doesn't need an MOT if it already has one, just the VIC believe it or not.

Incorrect, the moment the car is registered as a cat C, the current MOT becomes invalid.

Once again you are wrong.
you really should get your facts right before giving out advice ( mind you wrong information is a common thing with FLUX, that or not being able to interpret basic facts)

if it has a valid MOT on it you can still drive it, like wise if it has tax you can still drive it and dont need to do a VIC test on it until its renewal time

[THE_Liam]

If a car is Cat C'd, it will have to have an MOT and a VIC check before being allowed back on the road.

It doesn't need an MOT if it already has one, just the VIC believe it or not.

Incorrect, the moment the car is registered as a cat C, the current MOT becomes invalid.

If that's the case then it's changed in the last few years, because I confirmed this with VOSA when I was told I couldn't tax the car until it had a VIC check. Also, the Frontera had 8 months MOT and in the 6 months I drove it around after the VIC check, it never tripped an ANPR camera, and it always showed as MOTed when the police pulled me over?

JJ you are WRONG, the mot is still valid. VOSA themselves confirmed this to me.

This.

[1616six]

JJ you are WRONG, the mot is still valid. VOSA themselves confirmed this to me.

Anton, I do stand corrected on that one - The rules used to differ but then again it was quite a few years ago I went through the process.

[swampy]

JJ you are WRONG, the mot is still valid. VOSA themselves confirmed this to me.

Anton, I do stand corrected on that one - The rules used to differ but then again it was quite a few years ago I went through the process.

they have being that way for at least the last 8 years, as my s16 was declared a cat c 8 years ago this month.

[devils_fuel]

Be aware - the 1.6TDCi is a 1.6HDi.....

This !!!

Connor was advised by his work colleagues that I shouldn't get the car due to the milage

I've been looking for 2.0 focus's but not much within 25 miles of me

Looking at mondeos in more detail now and road tax is expensive depending on the model you have and insurance is lol...what a minefield !

A mondeo ST would be nice, saw a tidy black one but the road tax and insurance is a joke .

I want a cheaper car to run not more expensive, I may have a look at pervs - the road tax maybe more than a derv but cheaper running costs, no DMF or DPF

[Anton]

A cheaper car to run than an xud 306? Doesn't really exist tbh!

[Tom]

That mondeo is awesome! Wonder if it has heated front screen <3

[swampy]

Really miss my heated front screen
It's about the only thing I do miss from the Mondeo

[Piggy]

Yeah they do.

That was a lot of babble for no purpose, I wasnt saying he should get the cat C mondeo, it was just an example of a ST I think he should get!

[devils_fuel]

Hopefully viewing this today...


http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/a...obcid=soc3


And yes I know it's not a ford lol.
Yes this is boring
Less DMF and DPF issues than a highly strung 1.6 tdci/hdi
Facelift 307
Got toys
Almost the same road tax as the 1.6 hdi

[swampy]

The 307 is a horrid car to drive!

Glad the one I had was only a really short term measure

[devils_fuel]

I have to buy a reliable, cheap practical family car now

Now looking at a 307sw in an hour

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/a...obcid=soc3

[swampy]

Plenty of far better cars out there that fit the bill than a 307

Id be looking at

Any of the vag diesel range
Volvos
Alfa ( they aren't as bad as people say)

[THE_Liam]

My suggestions:

Merc W124 estate (S124 before anyone gets pedantic)
Volvo 240/740/940
VW Passat B3
Audi 80 B3/B4
Peugeot 306 estate/405/406
Citroen Xantia

All simple, cheap, available for pennies, reliable and good to drive

[devils_fuel]

Another day meeting Arthur Dailey and his apprentice...what a wasted journey to see 2 not correctly listed cars...

FSH - turns out to partial and the other car had massive DMF issues...grinding from the gearbox end of the engine !!

[kentiiboii]

Its a pain in arse to find the right car, so many people lie about their car.

Stick to it, youll know when youve found the right one.

[Toms306]

Lol, I get moaned at for being too honest in ads!

[Niall]

Lol, I get moaned at for being too honest in ads!

Thing is, there is a difference between not mentioning in ads things that people don't really need to know or will pick up them selves but lying about a blatant problem with the car is just wrong. It just wastes peoples time and unfortunately the advertiser is just praying on the sort of people that know nothing about cars and take their word for it.

[C.A.R.]

Noticed that Autotrader now lists whether a car is CAT C/D whether the seller wants people to know or not hehe! (Comes up in the picture in list view etc)

Have you tried owners clubs for the cars you're looking at? Some will obviously have been modified but many will have been very well looked after, especially if the owner has gone to the extent of joining a specific forum....

[Ruan]

Seriously, everyone whinges on about the 307 being god awful to drive, but I think they're just comparing it to the 306... That it isn't..

But take it along the same lines as the Mk4 Golf, Seat Toledo etc... I think it's quite nice, not much steering feedback, but nicely direct, good amounts of grip, relatively reliable suspension wise, doesn't eat bushes etc...

With the 136HDi in I think they go nicely, after owning a car with the 136 in, I think it's a cracking engine, the stark change throttle response once moving is my only gripe with it, but it revs quite nicely, I think it has one of the better sounds for a 2.0 Turbodiesel... The DMF lasts as long as you'd expect a clutch to - mine's on 106k and hasn't any signs of giving up, most people say around 130k they'll be on their way. Super long cambelt intervals (10y or 124k iirc), pretty good economy, does 55+mpg on a run, not great round town in my car (43-45 ish?), but it's a heavy car and thankfully you can quite easily get them without DPFs, but even if they have one, they're not an eolys regenerated one, so they're pretty reliable in honesty.

Whatever you do, don't get a 2.2 16v, they have the Eolys regenerated filter, goes wrong repeatedly and costs a bleedin' fortune.

[C.A.R.]

Aye that's what the boss's Focus has (the 136) and it goes pretty well. He was able to keep up with my old Celica until about 70! Of course we stopped shortly after that as it would have been breaking the law.

You're getting similar figures to him aswell Ruan, he averages 49ish over a tank. Also agree about the 307 not being 'that' bad, yes they're pig-ugly (IMO) but they're a nice place to sit. I know they're more expensive, but a Focus mk2 is still a better car than the 307, especially when you even the playing field with them having the same engine.