Hi everyone, I’m looking to buy a reliable used car and have come across these three options. I’m not sure whether they’re good, reliable cars or likely to turn into expensive nightmares down the line.

I’d really appreciate any advice or experiences from anyone who has owned these car,especially regarding common problems, reliability and maintenance costs.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Edit: Thank you, everyone, for taking the time to share your advice and experiences. I really appreciate all your help!

Hey fellow car fans, does anyone daily a Audi TT? What's your thoughts on them? Been looking at a 2016 tfsi 227 with the wet clutch dsg in, only 2wd drive though, if your tall like myself, I'm 6.2 110kg is their plenty of room in them ? Mpg isn't a great issue I only do 14 miles a day so around 36mpg is ok for me, and the girlfriend wants to know can you get 2 suitcases in the boot for holidays, cheers for any advice.

Me and my wife are going to test drive and Audi A4 Avant, and a Volvo V60 tomorrow. Both are 2016 plate, with around 55000 miles ok them. Both are automatic.

The Audi is the 2L TDI ultra SE the Volvo is 2L diesel r-design lux nav

The Volvo is definitely a higher spec, but the Audi feels a lot more modern

I just wondered if anyone has owner either (or even both) of these, and would share their own experience?

Both are from the same dealer, look clean, have good service history and clean mot history (minus tyres a couple of times)

Any advice or insight would be much appreciated

Hi guys, I need some advice. My 2012 VW Polo has been involved in an accident with an ambulance, which has accepted full liability. My insurance company initially said the car should be repairable, but they’ve now decided to write it off and are offering me £3,000. I’ve had the car for seven months, it drives well mechanically, and I was planning to keep it for another three to four years. However, a few body shops have quoted me £200 to £400 for the cosmetic repairs, so I’m wondering whether to push for an independent garage to repair it instead.
I’ve also noticed that insurance quotes increase by around £700 if the car is recorded as a write-off, compared with around £200 for an accident claim without a write-off. I’m considering getting an independent assessment before deciding whether to accept the payout or buy the car back. What would you do? I also want to know I bought the car without knowing it was Cat S or Cat N so my friend was saying that may be why the premiums may be higher. There’s also a lot of rust under the car but again i’m not a mechanic so i’m considering taking it to a mechanic to get it checked to see if it’s worth it’s just hit 100,000 miles. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

Hi everyone! 👋

I’ve got a 2010 Toyota RAV4 2.2 sr D-CAT diesel AWD 4x4 (reg Yb59fys) I’m looking to upgrade the suspension for rough roads in Africa I’d ideally like to give it a 2-inch lift for extra ground clearance. one of my shock absorbers is leaking, so I’m thinking of replacing all four shocks and springs and fitting a suitable lift kit at the same time.
I’m new to all this, so I’d really appreciate some advice!

Which shocks, springs and lift kit would you recommend for this exact model?
Are there any other parts I should replace at the same time?
Where’s the best place to buy good-quality parts online at an affordable price? How much am I looking at?
Is a 2-inch lift safe and practical for this RAV4, especially for rough roads? What should I know about when changing springs and shock absorber and a lift kit as i have never done this before.

I’m looking for something reliable and good quality without spending a fortune but will last. Mainly to be strudy and deal with rough roads without being very uncomfortable to drive. If anyone has done this to their RAV4 or any 4x4. I’d love to hear what parts you used, roughly how much it cost, and any tips you have.

Thanks in advance for any help! 🙏

How much time does a dealership have to repair a car if the issue develops within 6 months of car purchase from them?

My car developed an issue at 5th week of purchase and it has been more than 2 months that they are trying to repair it but they cant find the issue.

As the title suggests my 2023 Vw POLO’s heating does not turn on whilst on idle, it turns on maybe 30 seconds to 1 minute after driving.

This could be a pain in the arse once it starts getting frosty in the morning. This is my first car so I am not really to knowledgeable about this.

I think the coolant level might be low, so I will check tomorrow morning and buy some at Halfords. but if it is not what could it be?

For the last few years I’ve had a Volvo v40 t5 Cross Country, it has a lovely engine and has been generally reliable, apart from the suspension breaking a few times when hitting potholes, but as a tall man I’ve always struggled to fit in it! As the title suggests, are modern Subarus still rugged? They don’t seem cheap so I assume the parts are well made? Or is that just because they have a small presence in the UK? I’m considering a 2022 Outback, as it’s quite a simple car seems like it should be pretty reliable, what do people think? thanks!

I’m just looking for something to use for a year or two without too many potential headaches. It’s about all I’m willing to spend (£2-3k roughly.)

From some searches here the Octavia seems to be pretty well trusted, so this is the one that’s at the top of my list for now.

EDIT/UPDATE:

Went to see the car. Drove it. It was immaculate inside and out, and engine sounded great. However, I lifted the engine cover to reveal a BXE engine. After reading about some of the horror stories (especially around the 50k miles mark) with this model engine, I decided to walk away from it.

Hi all,

Anyone got any experience in buying a CAT S or N car from Copart in UK, fixing it up or getting garage to do some repairs and using it as their own daily car?

Looking at CAT N car and tempted to bid in on it (plus £100 membership fee).

Thanks

Hey everyone, I'm looking for some honest advice on whether to sink some money into my current car or swap it out.

The Car: 2.0 TDI 170ps Audi A3 Black Edition.

Mileage: 125,000 miles (I've owned it since 2020 when it was at 90k).

To be fair to the car, it has never let me down once, but it’s now racking up a list of jobs that need sorting.

The Current Issues & Maintenance Needed:

Thermostat: Takes forever to warm up (currently getting around 40–50 MPG on my 12-mile round trip to work).

Fuel Injector: One injector is playing up, making it juddery on cold starts.

Preventative Maintenance: Due for a full service, plus the cambelt and water pump need doing.

My dilemma, getting her healthy again is going to cost a couple of grand. Because hard times have wiped out my savings, I’m going to need to take out a loan either way—whether I pay for the repairs or sell up and finance a newer, more reliable, fuel-efficient car.

Is the 2011, 2.0 TDI 170 engine worth saving at 125k if it's been looked after, or am I just throwing good money after bad?

Appreciate any thoughts or advice!

Anyone know where I can pick up part references for a Kia ceed?

Just curious if any users on this sub have managed to grab a hidden gem off marketplace or similar sites, and for how much.

I tried to add my 17 year old to our small i10 insurance so I can give him a few extra hours over his instructor lessons but Aviva don't want to know unless you're over 21.

Who have others with kids learning to drive used?

I have a quote from Marmalade and they give 30 day increment pricing, obviously the quicker you pass the cheaper it is, but you have to guess in advance and it isn't what would call good value.

There has to be better options out there, anyone...

Had the opportunity to have a decent length drive in a Cupra Raval today and it's restored my faith in hot hatchbacks. Is it a great car? Not really, the infotainment system is arse, there are too many buttons on the steering wheel, it doesn't look very exciting, the cup holders don't hold cups and the heater is useless. It also doesn't really have enough range for me. HOWEVER you don't care about any of that when you hit a twisty B road. It's the most fun car I have driven in a long time. There's just enough power, it's just small enough and light enough, the steering is telepathic and it doesn't get upset on potholes. There is a fair bit of torque steer but that all adds to the fun.

I won't be buying one as the cars I have are better at what I need from a car but if you want a relatively inexpensive car that will put a smile on your face then you could do a lot worse. Get the base model with the 18* wheels though, bigger wheels would ruin it.

Didn't take a picture of the exact car because it had dealer branding all over it.

I recently received a formal 7-day Notice of Cancellation (policy due to end at 23:59 on 23/10/2026). The official email stated the cancellation reason was "3 separate red driver rating weeks in a 3-month period."
Here’s the problem and why this whole thing seems completely wrong:
1. The "Red Week" was triggered by a 0.6-mile drive: My weekly score for 09/10/2026 to 15/10/2026 was rated red (35). Across that entire week, I only drove under 4 miles total. The trip that gave me a score of 14 was a 4-minute, 0.6-mile journey where a single routine braking event skewed the entire algorithm because there was no mileage sample to balance it out. 
2. Contractual Low-Mileage Exemption: Section 4 of QuoteMeHappy’s Safe Driving Terms explicitly states: "If you have low mileage (below 25 miles) in a week where your driver rating was red, this will not count towards cancellation." My weekly total was under 4 miles, so this week shouldn't contractually count as a red strike. 
3. They shifted goalposts in chat: When I disputed this on live chat, the agent completely ignored my contract points and claimed "only 3% of your trips have been recorded due to disabled permissions."
4. The "3% recorded" claim is mathematically impossible: My app history logs daily trips
5. Breach of their own alert procedure: Under Page 5 of their Safe Driving Terms (App or Device Mismanagement), QMH explicitly states they must send alerts/reminders to fix permissions or Bluetooth drops before taking cancellation action. I never received a single alert or email warning.

What should I do? Should I wait until the weekday to see if they responded to my email? This all seems very unfair

Hi, just hoping to check im doing everything correctly right now.

I bought a used volvo xc40 2019 from a reputable dealership with 84000 miles. The same day while driving home from the dealership the eml illuminated, this was present at test drive but was gone along with a service light at time of purchase. I called the dealer and was told to take it to a garage on Monday, I took it to halfords who advised the fault codes where to do with fuel trim and fuel too lean but they couldn't fix. I booked in with volvo to fix the following week and drove a minimal as possible while waiting. Volvo identified the fault as a broken seal, I picked the car up and within 1 minute of driving away the light returned, back to volvo and they repair again stating it needed a diag reset, picked it up and within 10 miles light back on.

At this point I called the dealership and told them I can't keep going backwards and forwards to a garage and relying on taxis (they still owe me for the taxis and work at volvo) and I would like to reject the car as I cannot trust any fix as the light keeps coming straight back on.

I emailed them a formal rejection email and followed up with a phone call today, they said its been passed on and they have 7 days to reply. I followed this up with an email asking for the contact details for who is manging this and asking for contact regarding refund and collection on Monday.

I sense my bad luck will continue and they will try to make this as difficult as possible.

Any advice or anyone delt with similar? TIA

Who in there right mind needs there fog lights on when there's no fog, I mean come on people it's only just got dark and you put your fog lights on. I can't be the only one to notice this.

Consider this a question from a rookie

What are the pros and cons of buying an imported 2nd hand card

I'm talking spare parts, insurance, resale etc...

For clarity im looking to get a 1 series (2014ish) and most of the ones i find -at least the good ones- are imported

Any advice would help

Thanks

I have a 2021 Renault Captur with 18" diamond cut alloys which are all noticeably corroded with the dreaded white worm. I want to part exchange it soon but am torn as to whether I should spend £400+ on refurbishment if it only increases the PX value by much less than this. Should I do it, or do you have your own 'wheel guy' who does it fast and cheap after a PX?

I changed the ignition components for my car, a 2011 petrol fiesta. Ran beautifully after that, for about 140 miles ish, or about a week. Started running like shit and rumbling tonight, but disappeared when lifting the clutch. Had no clue what to do other than check my work. No codes, just a slight rumble and slight loss of power (noticeable because tiny engine)

Long story short, i hadn't pushed cylinder 3 and 4's HT leads in properly.. They were seated just enough, and there's no physical damage/burning. But there is some white powdery thing on the tips of the boots. Wiped off well enough, gonna drive it tomorrow and see what happens!

This time, I pushed them in till I heard a click. I didn't realise they were supposed to click! What kind of idiot must I be!

^(Sorry if wrong kind of post/not wanted here)