Should I get this Marea ? Well, I DID !!!!

[Roberto]

Just dropped the Sei off at a garage to have the radiator fan switch sorted and I noticed a V Reg (1999) Marea Weekend 115 (ELX/HLX..can't remember which), 55K, 12 months MOT, FSH, E/W, A/C, all keys, cambelt done 2K ago, 6 months RAC warranty, excellent condition inside and out (minor dent job on the offside rear door but no exposed metal, probably £100 to fix) on sale for £1995. Colour is the same as Dan's (Skate), whatever that blue is called. Ischia ?

Asked for a quote on p/ex'ing the Sei which is W plate (2000), 28.5K, immaculate condition and he said he'd give me £1350 for it. So I need £650 (think he'd probably take £500, £600 at worst). Got £100 spare at the moment and finance is NOT an option (long story).

I personally think this is a great deal as I need the extra space for kids and pushchairs, plus the estate version has the drop down lip which makes it easy loading for Jackie.

So, provided I can scrape together £500, what do you think ?

BTW, got an 06 Panda Dynamic as a courtesy car. Nice little motor

Rob

 

[Jay]

Re: Should I get this Marea ?

seems to be the going rate for the seicento at the mo, wont get much more than that privately.

definitely bargain him down on the marea though as its a very good car but not worth that sorta price, maybe closer to £1750.

worth doin a bit of bargaining with, best go over the marea with a fine tooth comb and really umm n ahh over the faults but ye knew that already!

Jay

 

[Sven]

Re: Should I get this Marea ?

Roberto - cant say on the price, but if the car is in that good shape as you say and the cambelt is done - I would get it

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[Roberto]

Re: Should I get this Marea ?

Well, I'm probably going to offer him my Sei plus £400 and see what he says. I can probably stretch to another £100 if necessary.

What's the MPG on the 1.8 in general ?

Rob

 

[stephen01]

Re: Should I get this Marea ?

if its in good nick i would imo

Fiat Brava 1.2SX Formula 47.8k
Also trying to fix a 1.4

 

[RR]

Re: Should I get this Marea ?

Sounds OK to me, but they're damn ugly cars the Marea's.

 

[beeson100]

Re: Should I get this Marea ?

they may be ugly but you get alot for your money. I spotted a SWEET 2.4 JTD on autotrader, 30k miles, in metallic orange, leather interior plus all the usual goodies, but it was over £3k

I personally wouldn't chose the 1.8 but at that price and if it's in good condition then go for it.

John

 

[Oz in SERIOUS manic depression!]

Re: Should I get this Marea ?

Go for it Rob but I will EXPECT you to be at EVERY meet!

btw, mpg for the 1.8s is similar to HGT I believe, maybe 2 or 3 more.

"What's the word on the street Huggy Bear? "

http://www.billhicks.com/ New Ozrics Site now up: - http://www.ozrics.com/

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[RR]

Re: Should I get this Marea ?

I think the 1.8 is the best variant to go for as anything less will be gutless and the 2.0 will have the usual cambelt issues and associated high prices for changing.

You can have my ST170 if you can up your budget a bit?

I will have a 147 GTA, I will have a 147 GTA, I will have a 147 GTA, I will have a 147 GTA. But perhaps not today.

 

[Joske]

Re: Should I get this Marea ?

I wouldn't bother with the 1.8 personally. However look at this...

CLICK HERE

But be Quick! Doubt it will be there forever.

 

[RAT20V]

Re: Should I get this Marea ?

Ive got a marea weekend on a r plate mines the 2.0 20v hlx and its an excellent car i went from a mk2 punto 3 door to this and i love it, space is excellent i have had pushchair, suitcase highchair and 2 dogs in the back of mine with comfort, also i did a 900 mile round trip without it missing a beat and cost me £120 in petrol.

You would be mad not to get it!!

 

[OP]

Re: Should I get this Marea ?

I would edit your last post an email it to him.

Otherwise, it will be gone in 10 mins!...lol

OP

 

[Roberto]

Re: Should I get this Marea ?

I'll admit that it isn't the prettiest of cars, although the estate has a cartain "je ne sais quoi", but I am well past the age of prioritising looks over practicality. With two kids and the attendant luggage such as pushchairs and stuff, practicality is the priority. I can get none of that with the Seicento, as much as I love it and as much as I am loathe to get rid of such a reliable, fun car.

I also need something that reliably cruises as my new job will require a lot of travelling and the Sei just isn't built for that.

As for that T plater that Joske posted, for £995, there must be something wrong, and I'm not sure but I don't think that the JTD engine was introduced until a couple of years after that. There was a 2.4 but it wasn't a JTD, just a TD and that unit was akin to a Massey Ferguson or John Deere

I would have preferred an oil burner, but this seems just too good to pass on. Of course, the 2.0L 20v would have been nice, but having owned an HGT I would forever be worrying about a constant flow of cash to keep it maintained. As Rog says, the cambelt issue is still there, which is why I got rid of the last one.

Having seen this one in the flesh and having spoken to the dealer and got a good vibe about him and the car, I will be making an offer tomorrow and I shall be back again in the land of Bravo/Marea !!

Rob

 

[Oz in SERIOUS manic depression]

Re: Should I get this Marea ?

Better get yer name down on the Stanford Hall thread then Rob. I will not accept NO for an answer!

"What's the word on the street Huggy Bear? "

http://www.billhicks.com/ New Ozrics Site now up: - http://www.ozrics.com/

Abarth Valve Caps ; Clear Repeaters; Supersprint cat-back; Headlamp Protectors;
Bonnet Lifters; Personalised High Level Brake Light; Starsky Cardigan

 

[beeson100]

Re: Should I get this Marea ?

I'm also a fan of the Marea 'Weekend'. I think I saw Nige from Angel Tuning yesterday in his Alfa. Looks bloody amazing! The Marea isn't TOO disimilar in looks to the Alfa imo. Not sure if you are one for modifications Rob but I think VERY subtle changes can make the car look really smart.

 

[Richard]

Re: Should I get this Marea ?

Yes i got a marea weekend estate 1.9 jtd 105 elx in march suprisingly quick lots of practicle space same colour as above photo,things to check service history,and knocking noises from front end common faults i believe!ive had my driveshaft replaced as its a complete unit with cv joint attatched!mind you its been 110k.

 

[Ghengis Khan]

Re: Should I get this Marea ?

nice, i intended to get a brava 1.6 HSX to replace by 1.4s sometime this year once i finish uni, graduate and get a job, now i'm tempted to just get a marea 2.0 20v instead seeing as i'll be daddy in september and have a big family as it is.

Ghengis Khan, www.babarmalik.com

 

[Roberto]

Re: Should I get this Marea ?

Well, the deal is done

We haggled for a bit and ended up on him buying my Sei for £1350 and me giving him £400 cash, so I got £250 off Just need to find £100 for 6 months tax now. I will miss the Sei's ability to qualify me for cheap tax

Took it for a spin today and I have to say I was very impressed. It felt like I was driving my HGT again, save for the lack of 5 pot grunt. It handles like the Bravo and doesn't feel like an estate at all. The acceleration is sweet too And I didn't realise it was Climate Control as opposed to just Air Con, which is a bonus

Downside ? Well, it doesn't have alloys, there's some minor work needed on some little dings, some tiny screw holes to the left of the centre console where I imagine a mobile phone holder once lived and the rear wiper doesn't work, but the dealer is sorting it. My insurance will go up slightly as the Marea is a group 11 and my Sei is only a group 4, but with 11 years protected NCD, Esure quoted me £25 to see me through till the end of June and then renewal will be about £440 fully comp. I might just ring round and get a better deal tho'. Green Flag Breakdown cover said I could swap my cover over at no extra cost, which was nice

So, I'll be taking the old Sony HU & tweeters out of the Sei, and hoping I can keep the 6x9's although I'm not sure where I can fit them in the Marea as the parcel shelf is one of those fold up removable affairs. Any ideas (remembering that I need all the space I can get !!) ? I shall fit my other Sony HU that I had in the Bravo to the new car.

At last, I'm back in the fold. It's been over 3 years but I did it Let's keep fingers crossed that this new one doesn't let me down I'll post pictures once I pick it up

P.S. The Panda 1.3 Dynamic they gave me as a loan car today was a bloody good little motor

Rob

 

[Oz in manic depression!]

YAY! Welcome back dude! WOOOO-HOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

"What's the word on the street Huggy Bear? "

http://www.billhicks.com/ New Ozrics Site now up: - http://www.ozrics.com/

Abarth Valve Caps ; Clear Repeaters; Supersprint cat-back; Headlamp Protectors;
Bonnet Lifters; Personalised High Level Brake Light; Starsky Cardigan

 

[Wimmy]

Welcome back.

As well as the extra £100 for tax you will also need to find an extra £5.

Follow the link http://www.fiatboo.co.uk/memberpaypal.htm