Jump to content

What do you drive?


StefanAVFC

Recommended Posts

1 hour ago, tonyh29 said:

Seeing  the Lancia reminded me , did anyone else collect car brochures when they were a youngster ? My mate and I used to cycle around all the dealerships asking them for a brochure , and trips out with the parents would involve a quick stop at a car dealership if we passed one 

the Lancia dealership in Weybridge being the Holy grail of brochures to get as the salesmen were notoriously child unfriendly , even the Rolls Royce dealership used to let us have a brochure but I think that was to get us out of his showroom so we wouldn’t put our grubby paws on the silver shadow

 

Some of them were quite glossy affairs for their time as I recall 

I had loads. The Ford ones were like full magazines. Always used to pop into the local Ford dealership (Chambers in Sutton Coldfield) and pick one up every year. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 09/03/2019 at 18:56, Davkaus said:

Looking to replace my sadly written off first car, I took an abarth spider out for a spin today. That might be the most fun I've ever had with my trousers on. 

just in case you don't know, the Spider is basically the same car as the Mazda MX 5, which has an excellent reputation

for me, looking at the reliability of Mazda vs Fiat ...... I'd still go for the Fiat, it has something about it

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I actually wanted to have a go in the ND Mx-5 but they didn't have one...So I gave the spider a go instead. I'd probably go with the MX-5 for budget reasons, should be very very similar drives though.

I'm just agonising on whether I can live with one day to day. MX-5's have never been practical cars, but the ND doesn't even have a glove box. :lol:

I'm weighing up the practicality and how often I'd actually drop the roof when 95% of my driving is a commute through the city centre at rush hour. My heart says MX-5, my head says boring, sensible hatchback. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

After scraping through its MOT in October, my car has started to feel/sound like it's on the way out. Torn between picking up another nail or something a bit newer on finance. 

 

I'm torn on getting rid of my current car though, it's the best drive I've had. Drove my sisters fiesta last year and it was good so I might look at getting one of the ecoboost. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, V01 said:

After scraping through its MOT in October, my car has started to feel/sound like it's on the way out. Torn between picking up another nail or something a bit newer on finance. 

 

I'm torn on getting rid of my current car though, it's the best drive I've had. Drove my sisters fiesta last year and it was good so I might look at getting one of the ecoboost. 

I'd wait until the arse falls out of the sub-prime car market, rumoured to be happening for a while now

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I totally forgot about this thread. 

Having owned my 2010 Fiat Grande Punto from new and having just clocked 20,000 miles of motoring between my house, the train station, the pub and Villa Park without a second of trouble I am bored shitless by it. 

Just bought a VW Polo TSI 95 SE in Deep Black Pearl paint which was registered yesterday.  I hadn't thought about asking for a type of number plate but it's just one letter from my initials!  Wish I had asked for them to try now on reflection. 

So looking forward to making tons of short journeys with toys to hand, cars have changed out of recognition in the last 9 years. 

I am determined to acquire an MGB Roadster from 1970 (my year of birth) with Chrome Bumpers. Was hoping to get one before I went grey but alas it will be a few more years yet.  Although I am surprised how cheap you can get a Jaguar XK8 for which for my money looks ten times better than an E-Type. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
On 10/03/2019 at 09:42, tonyh29 said:

did anyone else collect car brochures when they were a youngster ?

I had this brochure...must have been from '83 or '84 time. it was the car my Dad lusted after (we had the standard 2.3L model in Gold!)

Those leather seats look like armchairs!

7481612544_ee6a24cd3b_z.jpg

7481614900_d0c18efefd_z.jpg

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Xela said:

I had this brochure...must have been from '83 or '84 time. it was the car my Dad lusted after (we had the standard 2.3L model in Gold!)

Those leather seats look like armchairs!

7481612544_ee6a24cd3b_z.jpg

7481614900_d0c18efefd_z.jpg

My dad never got beyond the Cortina Estate.  One a quite foul metallic gold and one in an even fouler metallic deep lime green with a vinyl roof.  Vinyl roofs being the most pointless things ever invented of course. 

I hated the Vinyl roof because my dad would never take us to West Midlands Safari Park for fear the monkeys would tear it to shreds. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, sidcow said:

My dad never got beyond the Cortina Estate.  One a quite foul metallic gold and one in an even fouler metallic deep lime green with a vinyl roof.  Vinyl roofs being the most pointless things ever invented of course. 

I hated the Vinyl roof because my dad would never take us to West Midlands Safari Park for fear the monkeys would tear it to shreds. 

My Dad was always a Ford man in his earlier years - Cortina, Consul and the Granada. Although between the Consul and Granada he must have had a episode and purchased a bottle green Morris Marina estate with brown vinyl interior. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Xela said:

My Dad was always a Ford man in his earlier years - Cortina, Consul and the Granada. Although between the Consul and Granada he must have had a episode and purchased a bottle green Morris Marina estate with brown vinyl interior. 

My first ever car was a Morris Marina. It was an ex police car and you couldn't clean it too hard cos the paint would come off.

I used to get stopped quite regular as the police would recognise the number plate and pull me over to have a look at one of their old cars.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 11/03/2019 at 19:49, chrisp65 said:

just in case you don't know, the Spider is basically the same car as the Mazda MX 5, which has an excellent reputation

for me, looking at the reliability of Mazda vs Fiat ...... I'd still go for the Fiat, it has something about it

Go for the Mazzy, every time. I've had 2  MX-5s and they're brilliant fun and well made. I restored an NA, and just drove around in a NC. The ND's are back to the sheer fun of the NA with modern tech and safety etc. FIAT is ...well...FIAT.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 12/03/2019 at 13:17, Davkaus said:

I actually wanted to have a go in the ND Mx-5 but they didn't have one...So I gave the spider a go instead. I'd probably go with the MX-5 for budget reasons, should be very very similar drives though.

I'm just agonising on whether I can live with one day to day. MX-5's have never been practical cars, but the ND doesn't even have a glove box. :lol:

I'm weighing up the practicality and how often I'd actually drop the roof when 95% of my driving is a commute through the city centre at rush hour. My heart says MX-5, my head says boring, sensible hatchback. 

Do it. I did. Though I've now got a boring sensible hatchback, I had a good few years of fun with MX-5s and am glad I did.

Do you even wear gloves :)

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, blandy said:

Go for the Mazzy, every time. I've had 2  MX-5s and they're brilliant fun and well made. I restored an NA, and just drove around in a NC. The ND's are back to the sheer fun of the NA with modern tech and safety etc. FIAT is ...well...FIAT.

Keep looking at old MX-5's as well. The first 2 generations are reasonably cheap now

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm waiting for the insurance to pay out so at the moment I'm driving an '18 plate Fiesta, which is actually not horrible.

I've swayed back and forth several times in the last couple of weeks. I was going back and forth on the GT-86 vs MX-5 2.0l sport. Both rwd, both incredibly chuckable, neither very practical. I'll be trying out the odd track day in whatever I  get so the fun factor needs to be there. I'm more towards the MX-5 I think, because while the GT-86 has the edge in hooligan slides around corners, driving along country roads with the top down is always going to put a smile on my face.

However, the spec of MX-5 I'm looking at is probably going to set me back somewhere from 12-14k depending on the exact year and condition.

For that price, I could have a 10 year old Boxster and enough change to keep on top of maintenance. And the insurance is the same, mind-bogglingly. I shouldn't. Should I? :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, blandy said:

Go for the Mazzy, every time. I've had 2  MX-5s and they're brilliant fun and well made. I restored an NA, and just drove around in a NC. The ND's are back to the sheer fun of the NA with modern tech and safety etc. FIAT is ...well...FIAT.

Yeah my parents have had a few different mazdas and at one point a few years ago when everything had turned to austerity shite I actually had an old Mazda 3 (or 323?) of my dad's to get me out of a financial hole. The car was free and was fine for a year to 18 months. When it did finally break, I was quietly pleased to go get something else.

Personally, I'd get the FIAT because (subjectively) it looks better, and under the skin it is really a Mazda. FIAT skin and Mazda mechanics, what could possibly go wrong? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Xela said:

Keep looking at old MX-5's as well. The first 2 generations are reasonably cheap now

Tbh, the endemic rust issues put me off any Mazda over a few years old. The damn things rot from the inside out, and the daft bastards don't do anything to properly treat the bottom of them.

I guess with an Mk1/2, they're so much cheaper I could afford the body work without coming close to the cost of a mk4. Plenty of cash to stick in a half decent set of speakers and infotainment system too....Hmm. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, chrisp65 said:

the FIAT ... (subjectively) .. looks better

Not to me, but as you say, it's subjective. I'm sure either would be fairly similar to own. Also another thing - the lower powered ones are better. No need for the extra power, fuel consumption, insurance and tax costs of the larger engined versions.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, blandy said:

Not to me, but as you say, it's subjective. I'm sure either would be fairly similar to own. Also another thing - the lower powered ones are better. No need for the extra power, fuel consumption, insurance and tax costs of the larger engined versions.

See, I was leaning towards the 2.0 because it has the limited slip differential, and there's a special edition for sale near me with Recaro seats...

Then I remember that until a couple of weeks ago I was driving a 75bhp peugeot shitbox that didn't like going above 60 unless it was downhill, I'll probably be impressed by anything :lol:

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Davkaus said:

Tbh, the endemic rust issues put me off any Mazda over a few years old. The damn things rot from the inside out, and the daft bastards don't do anything to properly treat the bottom of them.

I guess with an Mk1/2, they're so much cheaper I could afford the body work without coming close to the cost of a mk4. Plenty of cash to stick in a half decent set of speakers and infotainment system too....Hmm. 

I got my NA (a 1990 one) in 2010 and it was pretty rust free. Like I say I restored it, it had been in a friends garage for 5 years. it had some surface rust underneath, but I wire brushed, rust killered, undersealed and it stayed fine. The sills just in front of the rear arches tend to go from the inside on the NA (mk 1). And that's because largely the drains for water from the top of the rear of the car and boot lip etc run down through rubber pipes and in part water gathers in the sills if they get blocked or damaged, which over time they can do. But fixing it is cheap. Mine were just starting to blister when I sold it 3 and a 1/2 years later. The later models don't suffer from the same thing. But for a nearly 24 year old car, when I sold it, it was remarkably intact.

IMG_0555.jpgIMG_1993.jpg

I've had cars where I've had to do rather more fettling

Car4.jpgEngine0.jpg

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...
Â