What do you drive?

[Davkaus]

21 minutes ago, blandy said:

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.

 

 

That looks spot on, nice. I'm willing to have a crack at some stuff, but I know I'd just screw up bodywork, so I'd be looking at paying a pro to take care of it.

Unbelievably, they haven''t really learned their lesson, the mk2 still has issues with the sills rusting from the inside out, which is still not a particularly expensive job, but they also have problems with wheel arches (still fairly cheap), but more worryingly, the chassis rails which is often an economic write off. 

I think the mk3s  are meant to be better but still have issues with the wheel arches, kind of disappointing it's been such a persistent issue for them. 

It is perhaps madness to spend so much money on a relatively new, still depreciating car to avoid issues with older cars that could be fixed for the depreciation costs alone, though. Certainly something to think about. Keeping an eye on the OC for sales of well looked after ones might be the way to go.

Edited March 23, 2019 by Davkaus

[sidcow]

24 minutes ago, blandy said:

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.

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

My brother in law was well into customising VW Beetles when he was younger. 

My wife has fond memories of pushing them along many a road. 

His last project before he gave up on it was a beach buggy which was fitted with a VW camper van engine. It went like the clappers with a fibreglass body.  It was supposed to have a concrete block in the front to keep it down but he took it out which enabled him to pull wheelies in it when he put his foot down. 

 

[sidcow]

Speaking of Volkswagen my first foray into their world is going swimmingly.  I think I've got a handle on the technology now and so so happy to have my whole music collection in the MP3 and a DAB radio. 

Took it on the motorway for the first time today. It's no performance machine but was so pleased to put my foot down in 5th and get a response.  My old Punto would gently coast a bit faster usually leading to abandoning overtaking manouvers at any kind of speed. 

I found myself following along behind a Golf and thought "Why would you?" The new Polo is plenty big (bigger than a mark 4 Golf) for even family use and is loads cheaper.  

I'm delighted with it and the pearlescent black paint looks mint. 

[chrisp65]

We've been sorting the attic and I found our photo folder for our old Beetle.

Started life as a 1300, we had a new engine and they sent a 1600cc. We told them and they said it wasn't worth their while returning it, so we could keep it as an upgrade.

We did, and it made braking much more exciting.

There's a running joke in our house about my missus 'helping'. I was out on the street changing the exhaust, I was taking the old one off and I was under the car contemplating life. Next thing I know, she's stood in the road and asks if she can help. She stood on my hand which was on gravel. I yelped, jumped up and head butted the open end of the exhaust.

I had a perfectly circle cut, like a cookie template, smack in the middle of my forehead for about a month. 

[Xela]

On 23/03/2019 at 18:36, 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. 

If you get a Jap import Eunos then they won't have been exposed to as much salt as UK models. Plenty of grey imports for sale. 

[Xela]

On 23/03/2019 at 16:43, 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. 

Back then the working class and lower middle classes mostlt drove Fords, Vauxhalls or Austin/Rovers. The German marques and Jags were for the company directors and the upper/upper middle classes. It wasn't a consideration for my Dad to get a BMW or Merc! He upgraded his Granada 2.3L to a Vauxhall Senator 3.0CDi and he thought he was the bees knees! The digital dash was rare for cars during this era

[Xela]

Car gone into Audi for a full service and to sort out a misfire (they're keeping it overnight. Plus few other bits and pieces. Bill currently £1.3k. 

[chrisp65]

25 minutes ago, Xela said:

Car gone into Audi for a full service and to sort out a misfire (they're keeping it overnight. Plus few other bits and pieces. Bill currently £1.3k. 

Have you given them your address?

[Davkaus]

I'm going to see a few cars tomorrow, got my eye on some 10-12 plate in sport tech trim. I'm undecided between the electric retracting roof and soft top so I'm going to look at some of each. 

[Xela]

1 hour ago, chrisp65 said:

Have you given them your address?

I don't think they have my address or any of my correct details (except mobile number) as when I dropped it off they said "Hello Nigel"

I'd like to think even at approaching 40, I don't resemble a Nigel. 

[chrisp65]

This week, I haves been mostly driving.... a Mitsubisihi Outlander PHEV.

Far nicer than I expected. Very smooth, very quiet, loads of power even in eco setting. Plenty of toys. Too big for me to consider as my own car, but very nice to ponce up n down the motorway for a few days and to see over hedges in lanes where I don't normally get to see the view. I can understand why people go for these lumps of cars. 

I didn't check the mileage when I started, but it's a big old lump and I've taken it from Cardiff to Brum to Luton and back to Cardiff via Swindon and I've just filled it back up and it's cost about £55 which is pretty bloody good. Would've been even better if I'd remembered to charge it over night.

It did take me a day to work out how to open the boot. 

Last week was a Seat Arona, which I'd forgotten to mention. Which is a pretty good summary of it. Possibly the most average car ever created. 

 

[sidcow]

On 24/03/2019 at 20:22, Xela said:

Back then the working class and lower middle classes mostlt drove Fords, Vauxhalls or Austin/Rovers. The German marques and Jags were for the company directors and the upper/upper middle classes. It wasn't a consideration for my Dad to get a BMW or Merc! He upgraded his Granada 2.3L to a Vauxhall Senator 3.0CDi and he thought he was the bees knees! The digital dash was rare for cars during this era

My wife has had a "proper" company car for years ie here it is, let us know if it needs anything doing to it now off you go.

She's had about 4 Mondeo's on the trot. 

Her company changed to cash for cars instead and we realised that leasing was the way to go.  I assumed that she would just get another Mondeo (to be fair she had been saying that she really ought to have something different). 

We used Select Car Leasing after I did a bit of research on companies. 

What shocked me was how expensive it was to lease a Mondeo. It is at least the same and in fact a little cheaper to lease an A4 instead. 

But just for a laugh I looked up the price for an A6 and was gobsmacked at how cheap in was.  Much cheaper than the A4.  To be fair it was nearing replacement as a model so I suspect they were chucking them out very cheaply to maintain sales. 

Now people think we are loaded but we're driving round in an A6 for about £100 a month less then we would for a Mondeo. 

Anyway my point is you can see how/why the "premium" brands have destroyed cars like the Mondeo.  I mean the Mondeo is a brilliant car, and is actually more versatile for us as a family car but why would you have a Ford when you can drive an Audi for the same or less money? 

I also suspect that a hell of a lot of people are leasing cars compared to buying.  As long as you accept its all about the monthly cost and you are never going to own it its a no brainer. 

Edited March 30, 2019 by sidcow

[chrisp65]

4 hours ago, sidcow said:

why would you have a Ford when you can drive an Audi for the same or less money? 

I also suspect that a hell of a lot of people are leasing cars compared to buying.  As long as you accept its all about the monthly cost and you are never going to own it its a no brainer. 

I got my first Mercedes because it was cheaper than the Fiat I thought I'd gone out to buy.

[Genie]

Agree on the leasing, and it’s a sign of the times. People happy to lease, loan, rent rather than own.

I do quite a lot of miles, about 18/20k a year which seems to rule out most lease deals so I run an older Diesel 50+ mpg workhorse.

[peterms]

On 23/03/2019 at 18:47, blandy said:

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.

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

Hmmm.  That all looks very clean and well ordered.

My adolescent memories of messing about with cars are more about grease, muck,  lying under Minis in the ice with the spanner slipping so I cut my knuckles on the engine block...

 

[blandy]

1 hour ago, peterms said:

That all looks very clean and well ordered

Kind, but possibly less than accurate.

[Davkaus]

Just bought a mk3.5 mx5, 2013 Sport Tech trim. Buying it privately which I'm a little nervous about, but it seems solid, drives well, the bodywork is the best I've seen from the handful I've looked at, never had as much as an MOT advisory, only 30k miles on it, and the top level kit (for a 2013 model :P) so it's got the heated seats, cruise control, 6 speed gearbox, lsd. The seller is getting it serviced and put through an MOT tomorrow, so the sale's conditional on it getting through without any issues.

I went for the soft top version, it's just far more mx-5.

My tasks for it over the next few weeks are:

• Replace the headunit for an Android Auto one, to bring it in to 2019
• Get it up on some ramps and rust-proof it with some Dinitrol. It looks squeaky clean underneath as the current owner only ever drove it in winter and kept it garaged, but it'll be an all-season car for me so I want to give it a proper clean underneath, let it dry, then do what Mazda should have done in the factory.
• Give it a damn good clean, clay bar, and then machine polish to get out some minor scuffs and swirls.

Then there's one proper scratch on the sills which i'll need a pro to respray, but considering the state of some I've looked at, I'm not too bothered about that.

 

Edited March 31, 2019 by Davkaus

[choffer]

On 30/03/2019 at 21:18, Genie said:

I do quite a lot of miles, about 18/20k a year which seems to rule out most lease deals so I run an older Diesel 50+ mpg workhorse.

I'm in the same boat (or am I mixing metaphors here?). I do about 25k a year and although for a good chunk of that, I'm getting 45p a mile, there's no way I can find a lease deal that's affordable. Hoping to change my job soon though to one with much less driving so maybe I'll finally be able to get something a bit nicer to the environment than a 2 litre diesel.

[supermon]

I want a new car but can't afford it cos i brought a house, have to make do with my Honda Civic   

[StefanAVFC]

I'm taking a car on lease, picking it up tomorrow.

Costing me 150 quid monthly with insurance included, 20000km a year.

Brand new Skoda Rapid. Have been car-less over here for 4 years, decided with my promotion it was time. Had my eye on an Octavia but it was just too big for me (wifeless, childless) so a Rapid was a nice compromise.

So excited

Edited April 1, 2019 by StefanAVFC