Jordan

That makes perfect sense actually as when it turns over it sounds completely healthy then just dies without warning. Thanks

My sister is away on holiday and my Grandad was using her Golf Mk4 GT TDI occasionally. The other day he tried to start it up and the engine turns over but then just dies and a warning light that just looks like a car flashes on the dash. Don't have the owner's manual handy. Any ideas what the light means?

Why don't you just run it through a price comparison site rather than get guestimates from people in completely different situations? Confused.com, Gocompare and Compare the Market (in that order IMO). Just plug in the details of what you expect to have when you come to insure it Are you waiting until you have your first full year NCB first? Probably a good step. Might want to phone your insurance company first for a quote for the GTi.

Anyone have any opinions on buying a Cat D? Slightly worrying that it's not mentioned in the description. I could try to haggle the price down but I'm sure they'd rather sell to an unsuspecting buyer for a higher value... I'm not sure exactly which one B12TH M is talking about, though I presume it's the raven blue one.

Oh, which one was this? The blue or silver one? Will that affect the insurance? Silver! - I remember reading about most of this stuff over my time lurking here - excellent recap

Thanks for all the replies guys, you've been truly helpful Is there anything I should look out for when looking at the cars - any obvious signs of neglect/problems e.g. mayo under the coolant cap? I'm sure there will be a thread on all this so I'll hunt around. This is just one guy and he's his own boss with his own "garage" (old horse stables). He drives an Scooby WRX, if that matters...

Just checked out insurance and tax and the GTi will be about another £400/year for me. I take it VW servicing is vital to keep the value? My current mechanic does great work at an amazing price but no stamp in the book... Is remote central locking standard? How effective are the puncture repair kits? Are the stock speakers the same as standard in my 1.0? Was the standard HU just a single slot? Sorry for all the Qs

Another one not too far from the first on PistonHeads 03, 40k @ £6000

It wasn't aimed at one post, person or even thread, just seems to be every time I come here someone always chimes in with a negative. I was just being a pussie I'm not going to get the scrappage deal whatever happens... so I'm looking at Lupo GTis again Will cost a lot more to run than the iQ though - from road tax, insurance and petrol to servicing and repairs so I need to take that into account. Feel out of my depth! Also looking at C2 GTs and VTSs - former is much cheaper than a GTi while the latter I can get much lower mileage. But then they do break all the time...

Cheers guys I have to say I've always fancied a silver one (goes with the alloys!) then black after that. I'd never seen the blue before but I have to say I'm liking it Dunno why they wouldn't mention it was a 6 speed - it's a feature! Going up that way on Sunday to go zorbing, will see if I can get a viewing. Serious question though - I have half the money for the car and will just take out a loan for the rest, but the running costs? Petrol, road tax, insurance... tyres! Also, all you guys with GTis seem to spend a fortune on servicing and if things go wrong it seems to cost a lot to fix. I'm wondering if I'm going into this with too much naivety... Will that be an issue with speed bumps and the like? I have to say I think the GTi looks perfect as it was intended, I'm not all that keen on any kind of mods.

Link 04, 48k @ £5200 (before haggle ). 5 speed, no air con. Seems a good price for the mileage, obviously without knowing anything else about the car at this stage. Worth checking out? I know nowt about cars but I have a mechanic friend who has done all the work on my 1.0 in the 3 years I've owned it who I trust and would come along to check it out I'm sure. Rarely see these come up in Scotland - was interested in NerdyNeal's black Gti but it's just too long a drive for me (I suffer from back problems).

Ummm. Thanks...

If it were that simple garages would be overloaded with people trying to take the piss out of the system, just like you suggested It's just a pain that although this scheme is supposed to go on until early next year when my Lupo will be 10, the cut-off day stays fixed. I swear this place is the most unfriendly forum I've ever used

The majority of the professional reviews I've read were positive, and likewise for the user reviews. Personal taste will come in to everything, especially a love it or hate it cars like this. In all honesty though, I've heard many people say the Lupo looks ridiculous, silly, chubby etc... Annoyed I missed Top Gear again though!

I know, it's ridiculous. But my plan is/was to run it as a two seater. I think the Lupo looks a little untidy with the seats folded down but the back of the iQ is pretty concealed. There's a compartment under the rear seats to keep the rear headrests so I could just put one or both seats up to accomodate moe passangers, which is rare. It's usually just me and the gf.

Thanks for all the replies Good to hear about Nissan but I really don't like the Micra... or Pixo! Some people have said that of the Lupo, you know? **** how? Toyota reliability is considered by many to be as good as if not better than VW. Certainly vs my Lupo it's much more refined, fuel efficient, faster, tax free, not to mention... new Don't get me wrong, I love my little Lupo but my one is so unrefined and basic. One of the main reasons I like the iQ (and I've had it for a test dive) is because it has so much of the charm that made me buy the Lupo as my first car three years ago. It's done me well but I earn more now and want to move up bit. If VW put out something better than the Fox then I might be buying another VW. I did toy with the cheeky idea of getting Lupo Gti - that was my dream car when I got the Lupo! Probably less. I have 84k on the clock and no power steering, central locking, electric windows... I guess that means it's not an E, right? I reckon £1k private at best. To make the whole thing worse I like the iQ best in pearlescent white

I really want a new Toyota iQ (in pearlescent white). If only my Lupo was 6 months older I'd qualify for the £2000 off scappge scheme but she was registered in Jan 2000. I read the scheme could run until Mach next year assuming funds don't run out first (though I personally believe they will) so I thought "great, I'll just wait until Jan and see if it's still going" but then I read this... suggesting the date is fixed and won't include cars that are 10 years old after August this year Unless anyone in the know can tell me differently?

I was just sitting in the Lupo last week making a phone call before I set off and when I started it up the airbag light went out as usual but came back on. And stayed on. I have no idea if this could have cause it, but whilst I was on the phone I was subconsciously prodding at the steering wheel. Anyway, my friend knows a guy with a vag-com but he has to post it out to him. I have no idea what the next step is or how likely it is this could be a major problem. Can anyone offer any insight?

Drat, thought that might be the case. Either of those options sounds expensive and don't have the money... I will keep an eye on the buy/sell forum

My upholstery is horrible light-brownish-grey and whenever it gets wet or damp from people just getting in from the rain it leaves horrible, dirty ring stains It was shampooed a while back but the rings are back again. I should have bought covers straight after the shampooing but it didn't occur to me til I was in Tesco the other day. Any recommendations for a good fit? Not after anything too flashy but black with a bit of red would be nice. Getting new mats, too, but it's easier to find Lupo-fit mats.

Damn I've been without it for over two years now but the other week I got caught in very heavy Scottish rain on the M8 on the way home. Couldn't see a thing going on behind me! It's only now it's coming into winter again I start thinking about it.

My rear wiper has never worked since I bought my 1.0 Lupo second hand. Always thought it was a dead motor and when I took it to my mechanic he said it had just been disconnected but when he connected it back up it just went on and wouldn't switch off. He tried swapping the stalk for one out of a Polo with no luck and he said he had the dash apart looking for the relay but couldn't find it. Does anyone know where it can be found? Also, I noticed my coolant could do with a little top-up. Any specific recommendations or do I just pick up anything off the shelf from Halfords? I read it's advisable to replace it entirely every so often - just like with oil? I only know PC water cooling

That's not what I was implying. Sorry. Never mind, I won't bother posting again if this is what the reception's like from the regulars round here...

Nah this was in the little town of Shotts in Scotland! Wish I'd seen it up closer, don't see many nice Lupos round my parts, all basic ones.

Geez you put a bit of time and effort in and that's the response you get Anyway, it wasn't intended for you and hopefully the OP will appreciate it a little more. No one is forcing you to read it. Yes, I realise the massive differences between the 1.0 and the Gti but the OP was comparing a 1.2 Clio, which I have driven, to the Gti! Like I said, my 2p and that's all it was. I have myself a bit of fun trying to get any decent speed out of a smaller engined car and trying to keep maintain the speed so I don't have to go through the pain of accelerating again. It's what us people who can't afford the costs, insurance or petrol of a higher performance car do.