HI All,
What a mammoth journey it turned out to be, everything was going to schedule then P&O announced the 3am boat would be delayed to 6.30am so a lot of waiting around but all in all well worth the journey :grin:
When I tested the car there were good and bad points but decided to go with the purchase so got the oil/filter/flush done at National then got 4 new tyres on her but when travelling back on motorway to Liverpool from Stoke the steering was vibrating which resulted in plenty of noise in the cabin especially the door cards, at that point I was on a downer and was thinking I had bought a rattling bucket so was planning what to do once I arrived in Dublin, get tyres rebalanced, tracking, check brakes, suspension etc.
As ferry was behind and got to Dublin at 4pm was too late to drop into a garage for the checks so decide to drive straight to Londonderry and take it easy below 50mph but to my surprise whilst driving to Derry all seemed fine, why was this, im not sure but dealer did say car was lying for a number of weeks so maybe puma needed a good drive or tyres needed to settle.
The journey from Dublin to Derry was the best driving experience I've had in my life I am a careful and calculated driver but this Puma had changed me into a boy racer...I read a few posts and reviews with owners saying the car puts a smile on their face but at one point I was actually laughing out loud it was that good...so not me but enjoyed every minute.
So all in all happy with the purchase, few things annoyed me about the dealer, car just passed MOT in Dec but all tyres were pure baldy, paintwork a lot worse than was said on the phone, car was stinking inside, that old car smell as if a rat had been rotting on the floor and petrol tank on empty, not professional.
The good news is a Ford Puma thunder 1.7 with a new clutch 2 years ago, service history till 2012 for £499 :grin:
I would have said the MOT history check looked very good but this whole baldy tyres thing has me wondering that you cannot trust the MOT centres in mainland UK as the guy who changed my tyres said he could get any car through an MOT in his town (Tunstall) even if it was a rust bucket so beware...here in NI it is government run and they are very very strict.
Thanks for all the support on my purchase :wink:
Brian.
What a mammoth journey it turned out to be, everything was going to schedule then P&O announced the 3am boat would be delayed to 6.30am so a lot of waiting around but all in all well worth the journey :grin:
When I tested the car there were good and bad points but decided to go with the purchase so got the oil/filter/flush done at National then got 4 new tyres on her but when travelling back on motorway to Liverpool from Stoke the steering was vibrating which resulted in plenty of noise in the cabin especially the door cards, at that point I was on a downer and was thinking I had bought a rattling bucket so was planning what to do once I arrived in Dublin, get tyres rebalanced, tracking, check brakes, suspension etc.
As ferry was behind and got to Dublin at 4pm was too late to drop into a garage for the checks so decide to drive straight to Londonderry and take it easy below 50mph but to my surprise whilst driving to Derry all seemed fine, why was this, im not sure but dealer did say car was lying for a number of weeks so maybe puma needed a good drive or tyres needed to settle.
The journey from Dublin to Derry was the best driving experience I've had in my life I am a careful and calculated driver but this Puma had changed me into a boy racer...I read a few posts and reviews with owners saying the car puts a smile on their face but at one point I was actually laughing out loud it was that good...so not me but enjoyed every minute.
So all in all happy with the purchase, few things annoyed me about the dealer, car just passed MOT in Dec but all tyres were pure baldy, paintwork a lot worse than was said on the phone, car was stinking inside, that old car smell as if a rat had been rotting on the floor and petrol tank on empty, not professional.
The good news is a Ford Puma thunder 1.7 with a new clutch 2 years ago, service history till 2012 for £499 :grin:
I would have said the MOT history check looked very good but this whole baldy tyres thing has me wondering that you cannot trust the MOT centres in mainland UK as the guy who changed my tyres said he could get any car through an MOT in his town (Tunstall) even if it was a rust bucket so beware...here in NI it is government run and they are very very strict.
Thanks for all the support on my purchase :wink:
Brian.