is theer a site that does good buyers guides on cars


im after ins groupsn mpg, known faults and generally as much info as i can get in what i should be looking for


i had a look but not really getting much joy, most seem vague and list the whole range

e.g. escort 1990- they just list what engines was in them and a very basic look out for


car im looking for is a 1996 escort 1.6 auto its only done 20k and would be ideal for the boy,

so if any of you have / had one



thanks

gus

 

www.parkers.co.uk Not sure how old it goes back though mate.

 

Look out for the gearbox mate. That's most likely the CVT box and they are a pain in the arse.

 

thats the ticket


thanks


rhys

 

what goes wrong then chap?

 

Have you ever driven a car with a CVT box?

They are weird as fuck to drive if you're used to a normal one.

They are "Constantly Variable Transmission" and work on the momentum of the car, and it's quite disconcerting when you put your foot down and wait for everything to catch up.

In my opinion, they are a bit like the rotary engine, GREAT idea in principle AND been arounds for donkeys years! but no-one has REALLY been able to get them to work properly and stay working well.

What to look out for.. make sure obviously when you hit it into drive/reverse it doesn't jerk and rev itself. It all works on sensors so revving all over the place and/or a generally jerky/unresponsive drive will show problems.

Look by the lever, if it has just Park, Drive and Reverse, its the CVT.

The Nissan Micras and some Renaults used a similar type box.

But mate, you could have 100k miles of trouble free driving! But if it's for a young lad/new driver.... it's unlikely as they would have less mechanical sympathy than yourself for example

 

cheers for the heads up