Rise of the used car market

bigbob

Member
Messages
8,952
So my very initial thoughts on the A110s are as follows....
  • It really is a good to drive as they say. I spent an hour in it unaccompanied on a variety of roads and surfaces. (Dual carriage ways, A roads, B roads and even some single track lanes).
    • Engine and gearbox - The integration is really good. The DCT is fairly flawless and keep it in either manual or sport and the changes are very crisp and ratios sensible. The engine is a lovely little thing, peppy, quick to respond and has real shove from low down. The small capacity engine with a relatively small turbo and low curb weight means it never felt laggy. This was one of the biggest surprises I had.
    • Drive - It goes really well to the point I would question if you sensibly need or could use much more on the public road. It is a fast car once on the move and the lack of weight really makes itself obvious when pushing on with the full 300 BHP. It changes direction in a really fluid way and never really felt flustered by either the road surface nor changes in camber.
    • Steering and breaking - The steering has a natural weight to it and seems very linear with lots of feedback from the road surface coming through. You can feel the road surface but the steering never pulls or distracts from the driving experience. They have nailed the steering and the wheel itself is the perfect size. The steering weight itself is lighter than the Strad I went in but heavier than a lot of other modern cars Ferrari, Audi etc. The brakes feel ideal for the job and really haul the car to a standstill and the car pleasantly avoids any pithing under braking.
    • Suspension - The S version I drove is the more focussed of the 3 model line up. On a ride/focus scale I would put it at about a 7. It is no Rolls Royce in the way it rides and you are always aware of the quality of the road surface and whilst undoubtedly firm the ride is compliant. It also avoids bouncing and bucking the way a Strad does and the Cup2 tyres were excellent.
    • Fit and finish - Perfectly acceptable with good panel gaps and some lovely design touches. Overall the material quality is good for most of the things you touch and interact with however those who love the bank vault, built to last forever feeling you get from a Porsche or Audi will be left wanting. It's not always the materials but the lightness that probably contributes to the feeling. For instance the interior door handle moves and flexes as you pull it and the centre console moves a little if you push it. I suspect these things could be easily fixed by high strength fixtures and fittings but these would weigh more. None of these things detracted from the overall feel good factor of the car.
    • Technology - How much do you need in this type of car? It has electric windows, mirrors, cruise control, a Focal stereo with CarPlay and a DAB Radio. I don't need anything else however if you value some other toys then I can understand it being a consideration.
    • Refinement - There is a lot of road and tyre noise. I suspect the relatively lightweight materials and lack of heavy sound insulation are to blame. It's not boomy or OTT but its more than your average daily driver. You could however hold a hands free call OK.
  • Summary - The car is a joy to drive and I defy anyone to have a go and be anything other than impressed by the way it moves down a road. Is it good value? Well at the entry point I think it is, at my ideal spec of £70k+ less so, but is it a bespoke sports car and you pay for exclusivity, low volume and the driving experience. I would have probably put a deposit down today but they dropped the bombshell that as I wanted the aero kit the car wouldn't even enter production until September. As we know, time kills deals.....
Any questions please let me know.
Interested in the road noise comment. Have you driven a Porsche 991 or 992? I’m having a wobble on my order for a 992 as every place you look people are complaining about the road noise.
 

safrane

Member
Messages
16,748
Interested in the road noise comment. Have you driven a Porsche 991 or 992? I’m having a wobble on my order for a 992 as every place you look people are complaining about the road noise.
Take a look at Harry Metcalf's review of the Porsche.... he notes the noise levels.
 

Chrisb2015

Member
Messages
538
Interested in the road noise comment. Have you driven a Porsche 991 or 992? I’m having a wobble on my order for a 992 as every place you look people are complaining about the road noise.
Yes a 991 on 20 inch alloys, not a 992. The Porsche was louder from memory, mostly tyre noise whereas the Alpine was a mix of road and engine.
 

Ewan

Member
Messages
6,757
I think at £70k+, an A110 becomes a tough call. Luckily for me, I want the softer suspension of the base car, and think that 250bhp is ample for what I want out of this car. So with “mine” coming in at at not much over £50k, it is easier to justify.

Oh. I was unlucky at the auction tonight. So the Alpine option is back in play...
 

safrane

Member
Messages
16,748
I think at £70k+, an A110 becomes a tough call. Luckily for me, I want the softer suspension of the base car, and think that 250bhp is ample for what I want out of this car. So with “mine” coming in at at not much over £50k, it is easier to justify.

Oh. I was unlucky at the auction tonight. So the Alpine option is back in play...
Another Trident Ewan?
 

Wack61

Member
Messages
8,764
and Audi.
Like many YouTubers who have 'made it', he has lost reality I think on the price of new cars being affordable.
New cars are just crazy money , on another forum a guy is selling this for 5k , it's 10 year old and has done 200,000 miles 520D M Sport
100078

This is a new 520D but 67k dearer

100079

Can you imagine looking at a 10 year old cortina in 1990 and thinking it was still modern

New cars don't age
 

gb-gta

Member
Messages
1,130
Still an odd market I think.
Looking for a car for daughter, probably a fiesta/swift etc. Can’t get my head round how expensive a 10 year old fiesta is at the moment. Should be 2.5k but they are £4K plus! Also 95% of them have huge gaps (or none!) in their ‘full history’, and so far 100% have various versions of mismatched ‘banzai ditchlaser’ tyres, even ones that actually have tidy body/interiors.

I guess people just want cheap a to b runabouts and have no interest in spending anything on them at all.
 

Spartacus

Member
Messages
3,184
I need to replace my old 04 plate Audi Allroad estate (daily) at some point. Need to get my drums or load of logs in the back , and be 4X4 as I've just moved to the sticks.
Do I buy a £5-10K snotter, a Twin cab pick up, or admit that I'm sick in the head and go 6 year old Autobiography Range Rover 4.4 diesel for about £35k? At least I could watch the TV while waiting for the break down lorry.
 

MrRMB

Member
Messages
102
There is something very liberating about having a car that you're happy to chuck the dog, logs, an engine etc in. We have a 2003 3.0 A4 quattro and it's just a great workhorse. Wouldn't feel so relaxed chucking **** in the back of a 35k Rangie. I'd do the the 5-10 option, just my opinion. Good luck.
 

zagatoes30

Member
Messages
20,759
We have an 09 RR which we throw everything in, including muddy dogs. In my head I had it valued at sub £10k but over here two people have offered my over €20k for it, problem is anything else that can do the same is the same money so might as well stick with the devil i know
 

Tallman

Member
Messages
1,833
There seem to be 3 strategies:

  1. buy new or young used and trade in every x (say 2-3) years or 50k miles
  2. buy new or young second hand and keep long term / till shot
  3. buy a banger and replace when shot

Personally I’m a number 2 for most of my cars (young second hand), so I wait till I find the right spec and then keep it for say 8 years. But I buy private.

What do other members do?
 

drellis

Member
Messages
795
I used to be 3, and now 2, decided wait for i3 with full leather in black with the nice bit of wood on the dash
 

Tallman

Member
Messages
1,833
I used to be 3, and now 2, decided wait for i3 with full leather in black with the nice bit of wood on the dash
The full leather is really nice and you don’t see it a lot. Worth the wait - I bought the only one that I’ve seen advertised here recenty.
 

Gazcw

Member
Messages
7,696
I need to replace my old 04 plate Audi Allroad estate (daily) at some point. Need to get my drums or load of logs in the back , and be 4X4 as I've just moved to the sticks.
Do I buy a £5-10K snotter, a Twin cab pick up, or admit that I'm sick in the head and go 6 year old Autobiography Range Rover 4.4 diesel for about £35k? At least I could watch the TV while waiting for the break down lorry.
What, with the price of diesel! Are you quite mad?
 

Spartacus

Member
Messages
3,184
We have an 09 RR which we throw everything in, including muddy dogs. In my head I had it valued at sub £10k but over here two people have offered my over €20k for it, problem is anything else that can do the same is the same money so might as well stick with the devil i know
How much has gone wrong with it out of interest ? Turbos ? Airbags? Compressor ? EGR & DPF valves ?