Opinions on some cars

[Benno]

So my little Micra, after giving me nearly four years of loyal service and being my first car, has failed it's latest MOT. Pretty dramatically as well, it's hilarious how dangerous this car has become without my knowledge.
So, we've been to look at some other cars. My max price is only £1000. We've narrowed it down to two options:

A 2000 Fiat Panda, ~62k miles on the clock. £600 if I give them my Micra as well.

A SEAT Ibiza, ~ 83k miles on the clock. £800 if I give them my Micra as well.

Haven't test driven the SEAT yet. On the Fiat it irritated me how close the brake and accelerator pedals were and I kept tapping the gas by mistake when I tried to brake. Also it apparently had a leaking "rocker head gasket" or something, there was some oil on the front of the engine. Apparently this isn't much of a problem and I think they said they'd fix it if I decided to buy.

I know these are pretty basic cars, but does anyone know anything in regards to their reliability or longevity? Or about servicing costs? It's pretty much come down to a choice between these two cars. Both are from local dealers who will service it before I go home with it, and both have an MOT for almost a year.
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[0l0dom0l0]

What engine does the Ibiza have in it?
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CBT Passed: 30/08/2009, Theory Passed: 31/08/2010, Mod 1 Passed: 6/9/2010, Mod 2 Passed: 13/09/2010. Restriction ended 13/09/2012.

Bikes: 2007 Derbi GPR 50, 1998 Yamaha Fazer 600 (written off), 2002 Yamaha Fazer 600, 1994 CBR 600F, 2003 Triumph Daytona 600, Kawasaki ZX6R J1.....Current: 2006 Yamaha FZ6, 1998 Suzuki TL1000R and a Honda VFR 400 NC30.

[Benno]

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If I was looking to spend under a grand on a car I'd pick up a Suzuki Vitara. You're getting a bulletproof engine, simple engineering, cheap to run and properly useful 4wd.

Just my 2p.
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[Benno]

[Chalky.]

Condition and the way they've been treated will be more important that anything else with those two.

[unitynotsocri...]

think the fiats are flimsyer,freinds newish panda had front right cross member\Engine mount pop of clean,eight spot welds popped when pottering along,not sure if seat engineering has a lot of volkswagon in it.
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nearly a normal tax paying tosser.......with ferrileness suzi100,cg125,cb125scb100n,cb175,cd100,cj250t,kh250,c15,125 bantam,super 6,rickman gs750,xt500,250rs,dt175,lifan125,dolomite1850,metro,Morris220ld,morrisfg,leyland princess,range rover,corsa,vw camper .now struggling with legs. MORE ORDER = MORE CHAOS

[Benno]

[Shaft]

Forget the FIAT, sounds like it could be suffering, or starting to suffer, from the gasket failure that is a common affliction; it can be fixed, but there's no knowing how long it will last and, by the sound of it, you aren't in a position to fix it yourself, so it's going to cost you.

The Ibiza is a pretty solid car, just check on when it last had a timing belt and water pump (you should change them together) as it should have had at least one change by now, probably in the last 10K.

If it hasn't been done, budget for doing it, as failure will be terminal.
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20 RE Interceptor, 83 Z1100A3, 83 GS650 Katana
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[Misc]

Look at a Ford Fiesta Mk5, brilliant little cars.

They do like to rust but very reliable and cheap for parts.

[0l0dom0l0]

Go for the seat and check the timing belt as stated

They share most of the components with VW, just are assembled in a different place
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CBT Passed: 30/08/2009, Theory Passed: 31/08/2010, Mod 1 Passed: 6/9/2010, Mod 2 Passed: 13/09/2010. Restriction ended 13/09/2012.

Bikes: 2007 Derbi GPR 50, 1998 Yamaha Fazer 600 (written off), 2002 Yamaha Fazer 600, 1994 CBR 600F, 2003 Triumph Daytona 600, Kawasaki ZX6R J1.....Current: 2006 Yamaha FZ6, 1998 Suzuki TL1000R and a Honda VFR 400 NC30.

[jimspeed]

SEAT every time, they are pretty solid motors and don't give much trouble at all, basically a polo with a different dress on.
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Hyosung cruise 125(passed test on, sold) Kawasaki el 252 (better than expected but sold on) Kawasaki GPZ500S first "big"bike.(sold) ZZR600 E5..Z750 2007,ER5, currently on a 2008 Enfield bullet electra x and loving it..
,"Alpha-9: Is there any correlation between dyno rod and dyno kits?"

[andyscooter]

them choices the seat

we have the fabia and its never let us down 2004 though
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gilera runner vxr200 (chavped)
if its spelt wrong its my fat fingers and daft auto correct on my tablet

[Benno]

Good advice, thanks

Hopefully will be able to test drive the Seat tomorrow, depends on whether the guy is in at the garage, will definitely ask about timing belt and how much it could cost to replace. Hopefully he'd do it as part of the service before I take it home.
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I'm autistic. That means I'm smarter than you.

[0l0dom0l0]

[yaigi]

FIAT - Fix It Again Tomorrow, as I believe they are known in the motor trade
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What would you do in life, if you knew you could not fail?
Currently own - Fazer 600, 2000, Red. (But no riding as baby on board atm)

[Shaft]

Originally, Fix It Again Toni, with reference to Italian mechanics, every FIAT dealer seemed to have one.

Right up there with Fix Or Repair Daily, which was OK when you could buy a cheap part for a Ford in very street corner spares shop, not so good now, when they are still just as prone to breaking, but the cost of parts has gone up considerably.

Pattern thermostat for a 2ltr Mondeo, 120 quid?

In the words of Eddie Murphy, getthefuckouttahere!
____________________
Things get better with age; I'm close to being magnificent........
20 RE Interceptor, 83 Z1100A3, 83 GS650 Katana
WooHoo, I'm a Man Point Millionaire! https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=234035

[D O G]

[Shaft]

Trouble is, when I needed one, Euros didn't have it, so it was Ford (£140) or another supplier for 20 quid less.

Bottom line is, modern Fords drive very well, but fuck em if they go wrong, you'd be better off with a BMW or Merc.
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Things get better with age; I'm close to being magnificent........
20 RE Interceptor, 83 Z1100A3, 83 GS650 Katana
WooHoo, I'm a Man Point Millionaire! https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=234035

[stinkwheel]

I wouldn't touch a Seat with a shitty stick.

Get another micra.

Also don't feel you have to buy locally. Get on autotrader.

EDIT: Quick scan on autotrader found these:

Nice little Suzuki Wagon with 36k miles on for £995

Fuck yeah. Hyundai coupe with 33k for £895. Sure it's an auto but look at it this way, you could be driving a suzuki wagon.

Low mileage polo. 14k miles. £999
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I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[ocatoro]

i have one of those ibizas with that engine. parts specific to this engine seem to be expensive for some reason. spark plugs for this model are £45 for a set whereas the better 16v engine in the skoda fabia and some polos are like £4 each. i've just changed the shocks too, which were also more than 4 times the price of a pair for my t4 van, EACH....

so that's something to consider.

but hey, it IS a VW polo, it's not "quite a bit vw"... the only difference are the badges, styling and dashboard design. and even then, if you pull the seat badge off, it has a VW and audi badge on the back of it.
very reliable and built to last, if that's what youre into, less prone to rust than the older vw's, but not immune like the fiat should be (i believe they started galvanising their cars in the late 90s?)


oh, and another thing, the ibiza is crap on fuel. the fiat will knock it for 6 in that regard too.


despite the seat probably being a better, and more reliable car... i'd go for the fiat in your situation... or find something else.
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CBT - 17/09/12 * Theory - 23/10/12 * Mod1 - 05/03/13 * Mod2 - 25/03/13 * BOSH!
Current - None but shed project H100 (first bike )
Past - ER5, '93 ZZR600, '92 CB400 SF, ZZR600 (again), yellow Monster 620, Blackbird - black Monster 620ie - '96 ZZR600

[haroman666]

There's no choice in my opinion... It's the SEAT.

It's a Volkswagen and in my opinion (Which is echoed by many) you cant go wrong with a Volkswagen.
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The mistresses: 2000 Honda CBR600f, 2000 Honda VTR1000

[Frost]

I expect the panda will be the same as my 1.2 punto. Very very sloooow. Seriously rag the arse off it and you might just hit 60 in 15 seconds.
I did the rocker cover gasket on mine a few weeks ago. 3 bolts to take off the air box. 8 bolts to remove the rocket cover. slapped some sealant on it just to be sure, have a look at the cams just to check them and put it all back together again. Took an hour tops and it's a job that could be done by anybody. The gasket itself was £8.

What did the micra fail on? Willing to bet it can be fixed for very little money. My last micra was £6 for both wheel cylinders. I had an AX aswell that was £26 each!

[st3v3]

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