General thinking about getting a grande sporting....

[Munkul]

today i was test driving the car that i have been looking at for a while, the sporting t-jet 120 from the dealers replacement for the vauxhall peice of crap that i own now!

i love it so much!

the only thing is, a new or ex demo car is too expensive for me, even on 5 year finance (the first year of apprenticeship doesnt pay well at all)

so i was thinking of taking out a personal loan and buying a second hand one, eithier privately or through an auction.

the thing is, what am i likely to pay for one, and what should i look out for? its definitely the 120 i want, not the 100, and not the deisel either. since 120 engine hasnt been out for as long as the others, then it will be a nearily new car....

experiences/opinions please?

thanks!

 

[nebrog23]

t-jet 120 not been out long so doubt you will find many second hand ones, maybe an ex demo or pre reg. Haggle hard and you should probably get one for a couple of grand off the list price. However don't stretch your self too far if you cant afford it on 5yr finance doubt you will get a large enough loan. Maybe be a little patient or consider a older stantard 1.4 starjet. At the end of the day its up to you but you will get better discount if you use a personal loan but of course you have the interest. There are a couple of members with the T-jets so they should be able help.

 

[Munkul]

cheers.

i was thinking the same - there wont be many for sale. i wish it was march '08 - people trading their sportings in for abarths

 

[ChrisUK]

Why not a diesel?. Reason I ask is its best bang for your buck and if you search long and hard you can find a good one for £7.5k

 

[jassyo]

Why not a diesel?. Reason I ask is its best bang for your buck and if you search long and hard you can find a good one for £7.5k

yeah you will get the ULTIMATE GP SPORTING THE M-JET a used one for £7-£8k a 06 or early 56 come 2008

 

[JFL]

have a look on ebay see if you can find anything there, i have

1.3 Multijet Sporting (90bhp):-

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FIAT-GRANDE-P...oryZ9843QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Probably out of your price range, 1.9 Multijet Sporting (130bhp):-

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/56-Fiat-Grand...oryZ9843QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

1.3 Multijet Dynamic (90bhp):-

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2006-FIAT-GRA...oryZ9843QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

or a petrol 1.4 active sport:-

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/06-06-Grande-...oryZ9843QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[Munkul]

yeah i have looked long and hard at all of the grandes, and i have came to the conclusion that i want the 120 T-jet no deisel because, well, its not my thing. i prefer petrols, not tractors
the 1.4 100hp isnt too bad, but i feel that i will soon get bored of that amount ofpower, and i want the turbo cos i can! plus now that i have tried the 120hp, i dont really want anything less. (plus the torque is minted)
Cheers for the links, ive seen them all already cos i check every other day for the perfect car!

 

[Venters]

i want the turbo cos i can! plus now that i have tried the 120hp, i dont really want anything less. (plus the torque is minted)

Wait for it!

 

[Schwenck]

no diesel because, well, its not my thing. i prefer petrols, not tractors

Oh dear, you don't know the trouble that little crack will cause. They'll be along in a few minutes...

 

[Munkul]

*ducks down and avoids the bullets*

there is nothing wring with the multijet engines, i have a lot of respect for them, to be fair.
its just.... they arn't very "sporty". by that i mean their sound, the way that their power is at lower revs than petrols, even their smell...
so i aint getting one. ever. (unless i live til 50, then maybe)

 

[JFL]

I must admit i do miss the high revving nature of a petrol engine

But the fact that i can pull out to overtake a car in 5th at 50mph and not have to thrash it to get past is good

 

[jassyo]

oooooh here are the diesel naysayers do and buy whatever gp you want mate good luck with it

 

[JFL]

Yeah, any gp is a fiat after all

be it diesel or petrol.

 

[Munkul]

I must admit i do miss the high revving nature of a petrol engine

But the fact that i can pull out to overtake a car in 5th at 50mph and not have to thrash it to get past is good

its a completely different driving style (to me, anyway) and if you like it, then fair does!
TBH diesel probably IS the future, short term anyway, untill we are all driving fuel-cell cars


anyways, IS there anything to look out for on second hand cars? i dont just want to buy the first one i find if its potentially dodgy.

 

[JFL]

Have a good luck around the car by yourself and see what you think.

Inspect the tires seeing how much tread is left on them so you dont have to replace them to soon.

Get a good test drive in and lsiten for any knocks and bumps etc etc

most garages will do a check on the car to make sure it isnt a write off.

To be honest, the whole fun of getting a new car is just going and seeing whats out there for your money

i looked at within a week an astra, colt, 2 stilos, panda 100, and an old shape golf.

glad i chose the stilo though

 

[jassyo]

its a completely different driving style (to me, anyway) and if you like it, then fair does!
TBH diesel probably IS the future, short term anyway, untill we are all driving fuel-cell cars


anyways, IS there anything to look out for on second hand cars? i dont just want to buy the first one i find if its potentially dodgy.

there is a thread on page 2 of the forum telling you what to look out for on a used gp all you need to know