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Guides and Reviews on New Cars, Used Models and Classics.If you are looking for a family car then the Mazda CX05 SUV is a great choice. It has large seats in the back and lots of boot space meaning you can easily fit in your food shopping. You can get a slightly older model Mazda CX-5 (2011-2013) for around £8000 depending on mileage.
The CX-s comes with the option of a number of different engines. The petrol models are either a 2.0 litre or a 2.5 and the diesel models are 2.2 litres. They also do a front wheel drive and an all wheel drive model along with manual or automatic. The fuel economy ranges massively depending on what engine type you opt for and gearbox.
Most of the models have Sat Nav and a Bose stereo system giving great quality sound. The Sat Nav is TomTom and will need to be upgraded over time.
There are a number of quirky features on the Mazda CX-5 that can be very useful such as the speed limit warning and the speed camera warning system. These can be turned on and off as you desire.
Mazda bought out the newer CX-5 in 2017 and proved a big hit with families and individuals. The SUV is nippy and also looks quite stylish although some feel that the older versions are becoming a little dated now.
Tyres are an integral part of a vehicle. They are used in all aspects of driving and are play a huge role in safety.
There are many choices available when it comes to choosing tyres for your car and this can change the price you pay for each tyre quite drastically. Firstly, you need to consider what type of driving you do and if you want your tyres to just be suitable for winter or summer or if you are looking for an all year round tyre. Sometimes winter tyres are not great in the summer so if you do not want to have to have two sets of tyres then you are better to go for an allrounder.
You then need to decide if you want budget tyres, mid range or premium. The price will increase as the quality of tyres goes up. Choosing budget tyres does not necessarily mean that the tyres will be poor quality. In fact some budget tyres have great ratings making them a good buy. Each tyre has a rating for road noise, fuel economy, wet grip and it all depends on what type of budget tyres you go for.
Tyres are rated on wet grip, road noise and fuel economy. These ratings will help you chose a good budget tyre as some perform way better than others.
When you are considering buying a used car it can be a stressful experience as often you do not know whether you are buying a reliable car or one that is going to have one problem after another. A solution that many people find to this problem is to buy a used car from a dealership as they often come with a three month warranty or even six months if you are fortunate.
Another advantage of buying from a dealership is that the majority of vehicles will have twelve months MOT so you will not need to think about getting this done and will hopefully get a year of worry-free motoring. Some used vehicles will also have s level of service history which is a useful advantage although it is now possible if you have the vehicle number plate to look up online information such as past MOTs, advisories from those MOTs and details of any category insurance claims.
The main disadvantage of buying a car from a dealership is the cost. You will probably have to pay more than you would pay going for a private vehicle sale but for peace of mind many people feel this is a price worth paying.
There are many risks involved in buying a second hand car. One of them may be the service history. Older vehicles are often sold without the handbook meaning you may not be able to check if it has any service history and must take the word of the seller. If the seller has taken the vehicle in part exchange, then they may not know if it has any service history. If the car you are buying or have bought a car which is ten years old for example, the chances are it will have had at least a few services. You can look through receipts (if you have any) to see if you can find one for a service or if all the repairs seem to have been done at one or two garages, it may be worth giving that garage a call to see if they have any history for you.
You can also have a look online through previous MOT’s and find out garages that have carried out repairs. If it is a main dealer then they may well have carried out the servicing of the vehicle too.
Buying a car with no service history isn’t necessary a bad idea, but you need to be aware that it may of missed a few and be prepared to service it as soon as you have bought it. You should also be aware that cars with little or no service history tend to be worth less money, so when it comes to selling it you will not get a premium price.
We all hate it when our cars start to make strange noises or have to go in for an MOT and we get the dreaded call that it’s failed. Car repairs can be very costly with the average garage cost of around £150! If you want to try and cut down on car repair costs then you may want to look into sourcing the parts yourself. If the repairs are extensive and going to need a lot of parts then you may not wish to get involved, but if there
Even if you do not choose to go ahead with buying your own parts, telling the garage that you can source them much cheaper will sometimes prompt them to drop the price slightly.
Some garages will not fit parts that have not been purchased by them but many will, on the understanding
Before committing to a purchase, be sure that it is definitely the right part and be very cautious about buying second hand parts as you may not be able to test them prior to fitting them.