Oh my god ... my old RS-Ltd is up for sale and it's changed

Oh my god ... my old RS-Ltd is up for sale and it's changed

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Chris71

Original Poster:

21,548 posts

249 months

Friday 16th October 2015
quotequote all
Back in about 2006 I owned this car:


If I'm honest, I didn't appreciate quite what a brilliant little car it was at the time. But the evening that photo was taken is quite possibly my fondest driving memory. I'd spent a weekend with my new girlfriend (now my wife) and I had to head back to Chelmsford where I was living at the time. Usually I'd take the M25, but it was a mid-summer evening, so I thought I'd try going cross country instead, through the B-roads of Herts and Essex.

I'd never visited the area before and couldn't believe what I found - proper driving roads that were almost completely deserted. It was like I'd fallen into a timewarp, barely an hour away from 21st century London. I drove in no particular direction until it went dark, only stopping to take that photo. It's always been my defining memory of that car and the one that, looking back, makes me want another '5.

The car was immaculate at the time, complete with Kevlar seats and all the other shiny bits you got on arguably the most prized factory MX-5 of them all. More than a few times recently I've kicked myself for selling it, thinking it would be worth the best part of four grand these days in the condition I sold it in. And then I saw this:

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C655077



It seems the car's fortunes went downhill after I sold it. It's now become a sort of Frankenstein's monster of bits from different regular '5s. Yours for £900.

For a second I thought about buying it back, but even looking at the photos makes me feel a bit sad. Perhaps it's better for cars from your youth to stay that way.

J-Tuner

2,855 posts

250 months

Friday 16th October 2015
quotequote all
Thats always a sad thing to see. I've been lucky i haven't seen any of my old cars after i have sold them, but each one i have fond memories of and it would be heart breaking to see how they have ended up.

That said saving the old girl and bring her back to the condition you remember would make an epic story smile

drgoatboy

1,718 posts

214 months

Friday 16th October 2015
quotequote all
Shame. Looks like it's had a front end shunt. Wonder if that's what killed the engine? Maybe someone started breaking it and sold all the good bits and then someone else bought the shell.
Either way it don't look so good!

Chris71

Original Poster:

21,548 posts

249 months

Friday 16th October 2015
quotequote all
J-Tuner said:
Thats always a sad thing to see. I've been lucky i haven't seen any of my old cars after i have sold them, but each one i have fond memories of and it would be heart breaking to see how they have ended up.

That said saving the old girl and bring her back to the condition you remember would make an epic story smile
I've seen a couple of my others, but in very good nick. Last time I saw my beloved TVR S3 it was for sale at substantially more than I'd sold it and they'd conveniently forgotten to mention the fact it was a Cat D...

Anyway, I digress. Would be nice to resurrect it, but don't have the time, space or money. And if I do decide to do that I've still got my first car (a Quantum 2+2), rusting away in my parents' yard. Really should save that before it's too late.