Redfox

I don't want any sideways action, thank you very much! Btw, VW should make a car called the Wolf! Volkswagen Wolf.............. Yeah!

http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/2001/fo...hesnow40lg5.jpg Damned snow!

I haven't taken any, because I haven't ventured out since it started snowing. I'm not going to snap it in the yard. I'm not going to find out if it's better in the snow than the Fiesta, 'cos I ain't going nowhere! Many moons ago, I got stuck in the snow in my first car (VW Polo C '85 model, btw), and had to pushed out of it by kindly passers-by. Never again! That car didn't have ABS. It didn't even have servo assistance on the brakes! This is the heaviest snowfall we've had all Winter. Great timing, eh?! Waste of a holiday. Supposed to be getting 80 mph winds from Sunday, too. I pity all the poor folk towing caravans this weekend.

Completely snowed in now, and it shows no sign of abating. I'm not driving anywhere like this. Never liked driving on snow, probably never will. At least I'll know by morning whether or not the boot leaks, lol.

"The high level of road noise which we observed on the UK launch cars seems to have been tuned out, perhaps by a better choice of tyres" Interesting. Wish I had a copy of that magazine to take along with me. Actually found some paperwork in the glovebox which suggests that this car was manufactured in October 2007. They had another Fox in the showroom, which also had the same tyres on, though.

Hahaha, looks like it's snowing here now, it's bloody cold, and it's quite windy. Stereotypical Easter holiday weather. A Fox in the snow, eh? Must get my digi. cam. out and take a few snaps of this car in it's prime. Re. car parks. I avoid parking next to:- old dented cars, rusty cars, all vans, large 4 X 4s, badly parked cars, people carriers (mums with kids don't give a damn about other people's vehicles), trolley bays, and any areas where large numbers of people are likely to walk. The list continues to grow.

Pulman. I'm taking her in tomorrow for their service people to inspect. I mentioned the tyres, too, and I'll have a good chat about that tomorrow. Now I'm at the stage where I want to go out driving, but I don't want the car to get damaged/vandalised while I'm shopping or whatever, lol. When you've owned a car for a long time, and it's value decreases to not much, you kind of forget about that sort of thing. I'm going to be on tenterhooks for weeks yet. Btw, the aerial is on the rear of the roof. VW have changed it since the car went into production. Not sure why.

PS Cardaft, I notice that you give your location as NE. I'm actually in NW County Durham.

I've done the car a disservice. The rev counter does work alright. I really was knackered last night, lol. Very low revving engine, mind. Tyre noise. It depends on the road surface. I've been all over the place in the last hour, and there is one particular dual carriageway where it's really bad, some middling, and others where you can hardly hear it. I don't, in retrospect, think it's going to be a real problem. ANyay, I haven't put my "lucky carpet" in the boot yet! That might make all the difference! Tailgate fit. Had a good look at it, removed the parcel shelf etc. Still not happy about that. It's as if the rubber seal is thicker at the bottom of the hatch than it is at the top, thus pushing the tailgate out a bit at the bottom. I'm going on the phone now to see what they have to say about it. Driving schools, eh? I can understand that. As I say, the gearhange is great. Brakes are very good, too, and the steering is light. It's comfortable enough, even if the suspension doesn't always behave itself.

Well, I'm going to make full use of this warranty. I'm going out now to try it in the (clear blue sky!) daylight. I wonder if I will just get used to this tyre rumble with time? Like at work, where you sort of mentally block out background machinery noise, you know? We shall see. If I have to take it back for the rev counter etc., I will definitely mention the tyres, though, and see what they say. Btw, when I was out, these "kids" in a Golf spotted me on a roundabout, and one of them actually shouted, "FOXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX!" out of the window, lol.

Now taken delivery of siad Fox. Dramatic introduction to car, as the salesman whipped a cover off it in the showroom. I'd already mentioned the fact that I hadn't seen the car on the way in, lol. Took it to the nearby Sainsbury's carpark to get used to it's handling at low speed, and the view from the driver's seat was almost alien at that point. A few Corsa/XR3 tyre burning idiots turned up so I got out of there and headed for home. Noticed that the glove box is so small as to be useless (yes, I know about the box under the seat!), the gearchange is superb, it hates speed bumps with a passion, and that the pillars restrict the view a bit. Then I headed for home (about 15 miles)........ Once on the open road things improved. Very good acceleration, engine is much quieter than my old Fiesta's, but the wind was very strong tonight so I'll hang fire on it's stability until it's calmer. Intrusive tyre noise on most surfaces, quite irritating. Hope that dies down a bit as the tyres wear a bit (it does have Kumho tyres, btw). Enjoyed the drive home, anyway. Performs well on roads such as these, with speeds between 40 and 65 mph. Possible problem with the rev counter, though. I'll have a better look tomorrow, but I don't think it moved above 2000 RPM! Could well be stuck. Got home, noticed that the tailgate lower left and right edges have different sized gaps from the tail. The tailgate metal edges are far from a snug fit. You have to look closely to notice, but the Fox cars in the brochure I have show a snug fitting tailgate. If it doesn't leak, it might not matter so much and I could possibly just forget about it, but if it does leak................ So, a bit of a mixed initial report there. Definitely good to drive, though, which was my major concern. This tyre noise, the rev counter, and the tailgate, are all giving me cause for concern, though. VW quality not in evidence? PS It does go round corners alright!

Would I have to take the wheels off to fit them? Sounds like a bit of a faff, if I have to. I would rather let their trained staff do the job. Too late for any haggling now!

Cheers again. The Fox flaps are on here http://www.pulmanvolkswagen.co.uk/shops/accessories.html That must be cost price. The front ones are actually £45 fitted. I never asked about the rear ones, but I assume they'd cost the same to be fitted. So, £90 all in, £52 DIY (nah!). I'll mull it over, and I can always book it in some time soon. What about drag, though. They must knock off a couple of MPG? I guess that's the trade-off?

Mud flaps........... I did think of this, and mentioned it to the dealer hwen I was reviewing my options. He reckoned almost no-one gets them fitted any more, and sort of gently talked me out of buying them. Of course, I could get them fitted at the dealership any time. A couple of things.......... 1) Does fitting mud flaps require holes to be drilled in the car? 2) Are they likely to scratch the paintwork around the wheel arches? I remember my dad mentioning how one of the mud flaps fitted to his car was actually torn off completely when driving over snow. I think that was on his Maestro diesel, many m,oons ago, but that doesn't sound too healthy. If it stops the tar and chippings, though............

Hello again, cardaft. Part of the deal with my Fox is a free Autoglym Lifeshine treatment (ie Exterior, Upholstery, and Glass), plus a Lifeshine Care Kit. It's supposed to last for ten years, but there's no Bug and Tar Remover listed in the kit, unfortunately. Do you think use of that would damage the Lifeshine treatment? I'll probably end up phoning them for advice, lol. Gonna make a real effort to keep this car in good condition, winter weather be damned!

Cheers for the link, Mouse GTI. I always have problems with bits of tar spattered on the sides of my doors. Never been sure how to remove them.

Hahaha, no, I'm really not into modifying cars at all. This Fox will stay in it's standard specifiication for the duration of my ownership. All I'm fitting are my funky red seat covers from my also red Fiesta, and my auld piece of carpet can go in the boot (this carpet has seen service in every car I've owned, over 18 years!) Maybe the next owner will hack it up a bit? Do you not have to pay much larger insurance premiums if you change the original spec., anyway? The insurance for this car is only £207, fully comp./protected no claims/legal cover, and I want to keep it like that! All it will get off me is routine maintainence (ie A wash/hoover/tyre pressure check/screen wash top-up every 2 weeks or so) So, ......... Insurance £207 per annum Road tax £120 (I think, shame it isn't £35) per annum No MOT for 3 years No service bill for 4 years MPG? 40+? Reasonable expectation? Tyres should last 3 years, given the low mileage I do Exhaust? Now I just have to get used to driving it, and settle down to steady ownership. Less than 24 hours to collection as I type this........................ I will post on here from time to time, setting out the joys/agonies of Fox ownership. It would be good if other "square" Fox owners also posted on here, so we can compare notes. Btw, do you realise that this is actually the first car I've owned with a CD player? Luxury indeed!

Hehe, for years I'd dismissed Top Gear as a daft, irrelevant waste of time. I used to say they never have any ordinary cars on any more, just supercars that I'll never get to drive. Clips like that, though, have induced me to start watching repeat programmes on Dave, and I love it.

Well, I won't be driving like that! I'm on about negotiating roundabouts, and making turns, not racetracks. Actually, I think I've answered my own question with that video. If he can chuck that car around like that without it falling over, it can't be all that bad on the open road. I never actually drove the C1. I only chose to look at that one because it was cheaper than the 107 and Aygo, but it wasn't to be. Seen the football match? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiBXzMXLeaQ...feature=related Tornado red car at the start, same as the one I'm getting.

Cardaft. I did check out the Citroen C1. I went to look at the C1 Rhythm (I will never again buy a car that does not have side rubbing strips fitted, after a horrible incident some years ago, so the Vibe was never an option), but I didn't like the look of it much (it doesn't have a boot!), and the cramped dealer's forecourt put me off buying a car there anyway. I also looked at a Mitsubishi Colt CZ1, which I quite liked, but the salesman was awful. He got his figures all mixed up, and then kept phoning up trying to lure me back. I don't like that. I would never have bought a Kia Picanto. I did briefly consider a Hyundai Getz, but rejected it for no real reason. Could have gotten another Fiesta, of course, but I fancied a change. Lupostadt. I'll have alook at this magazine you mention (I'll browse it in the shop, anyway!). I've read a few reviews online, which have been rather mixed. Don't know what to believe, really. Sometimes I get the impression that some road testers expect these cheap motors to behave like Formaula One cars. For example:-

You're probably right! I've had two Fiestas over a period of ten years, and the idea of a bargain price VW (I'm 38, btw, and before I learned to drive I always wanted a VW Beetle!) appealed, then this cut price deal suddenly appeared at my local dealer. It's the fear of change. Must stress that I don't need a fast car. I only do about 5500 miles a year, and I hardly ever get above 65 mph. Seem to spend a lot of time tootling along at about 35 to 40, or stuck in an a traffic jam in a carpark. I won't be "thrashing" the Fox for a while, anyway. I'm not supposed to exceed 4000 RPM in the lower gears for the first 1000 miles, to allow the engine to run in properly. It's certainly different. The Fiesta is much lower, has skinnier tyres (165/70 R13, IIRC), and it'll be a relief not to ahve to keep wrapping the spare wheel up in new refuse sacks every few weeks, lol (it's in a cradle, underneath the Fiesta, and it rusts in there. Bad idea!). And I'm rambling on.......... Tell you a couple of things I really like about the Fox, mind......... The space and comfort. I'm tall, and I suffered a lower back injury last year. I love the seats in it. They actually do seem to offer some lumbar support. I like the dark interior, too. I hate light coloured interiors on cars. They're a pain to keep clean. Thatt new FIAT 500's interior must be a nightmare in the winter. As for the styling, I still dunno. Sometimes I think the Fox looks like a miniature old-style Golf (which is cool enough), other times I think it doesn't quite look right. Looks like that woman off the Tom and Jerry cartoons, lifting her skirts from fear of a mouse, if you see what I mean. Jeez, I need to get some kip. Btw, final. Shmae VW couldn't have got the CO2 rating sown to the 35 quid bracket. that would have been great.

Thanks for the speedy reply, cardaft. Yeah,, the Fiesta handles well. Are these Fox tyres not much good, then? The only real issue I had on the etst drive was the fact that I couldn't see the bonnet from the driver's seat (I can on the Fiesta), which might make parking a bit tricky. Hope I can get used to it. Hope I haven't just made a huge mistake! No way I'd ever pay for alloy wheels as an extra, btw. I've yet to own a car with them fitted, and I've heard a few horror stories of winter road salt corroding them, and they're expensive.

and I stumbled on this site while searching for reviews etc. I just went for the basic 1.2 (with the colour kit, though). Hope it's alright! I pick it up on Thursday. Traded in my '01 Fiesta 1.3. I'm not into upgrading cars or anything like that, I'm afraid, just a "square" looking for a cheap car that would be cheap to run. Mind if I fire in a couple of questions? 1) The radio aerial on the Fox. Is it integrated in the windscreen, or is on the back of the roof? I've seen pictures of both, and I didn't even notice where it is when I was in the showroom. 2) Is the handling any good? This one just has the standard steel wheels, with 185/60 R14 tyres. Since I completed the deal, I've found a few reviews that suggest it doesn't go round corners very well! Is this just at higher speeds, or are we talking 40 mph or whatever? This has got me a bit worried. I didn't really try it out properly in the brief test drive I had, more fool me. Still, £5995 otr, with 3 years servicing, and a few other extras thrown in................. That sounds alright, anyway.