The Joy of Running an Old Shed (Vol 2)

[martin mrt]

Recently Aberdeen ULEZ came into force and it’s made the Touareg I had redundant as my commute takes me through it and my son lives just on the edge. Damn

Anyway this popped up on FB, HUGE gamble, but in for a penny in for a pound. E91 335i

I’ve had loads of E9x platform cars, and this seemed too good to miss. It’s far from perfect, but I’m slowly taking the silly aftermarket add on tat off.

First for the bin was the remap to see if it cures an over post issue, then the number plates, the aftermarket diffuser, black grilles. front splitter, tints and big wheels will follow suit.





It’s ideal shed fodder, but might end up ruinous to use daily maintenance wise, but at the price paid it’s a win win.

[-Lummox-]

Gordon Hill said:

Nope, a pre covid shed was less than a grand, a decent shed is now up to 2 grand, 3-4k is no man's land.

I feel like where you live in the country and whether it's near a Clean Air Zone is a big factor in car prices now at the shed end of the market.

I recall buying a BMW 323i for £1350 6 years ago, 72k on the clock, good condition, no faults or bodywork rot. Granted it was pretty old (W reg) but the equivalent car now (i.e. a 2006 petrol 3-series without a base spec engine) would be massively out of shed budget - there's a 2006 72k mile 325i SE on ebay for £5,500.

Diesels on the other hand are a lot cheaper. But no use to anyone who needs to drive in the ULEZ zone, if it's daily transport and they are shedding to save costs.

[keo]

Just finished servicing my 2008 Audi A3. It’s done 216k now! I service it every 10k ish. Only really used for work on the motorway. Think it might be due a cambelt next year. Will be 5 years and 100k ish since the last one then.

I’d like a new car but think I will probably just keep running this.

[r3g]

7 5 7 said:

I get 50mpg doing just that in my 1.8 petrol Vectra, which is remarkable for a big old N/A, yes it is boring, but I aint in a rush, so works for me, especially if work are paying for my mileage

Is yours 5 or 6 speed? My 1.8 Zafira badly needs a 6th gear! 3500 revs at 70 sounds a bit painful. Thankfully most of my driving is on local roads and probably not more than a few thousand miles per year so won't be an issue.

[7 5 7]

r3g said:

Is yours 5 or 6 speed? My 1.8 Zafira badly needs a 6th gear! 3500 revs at 70 sounds a bit painful. Thankfully most of my driving is on local roads and probably not more than a few thousand miles per year so won't be an issue.

5 speed, I do quite often hundreds of miles a week up and down the motorways - was a shock going from a lazy diesel with 6 gears, but it's not too bad at 65, of course any higher it's a little revvy, but it pulls well as your right on the VVT in that range.

[r3g]

The Civic shed has gone. Ended up doubling my money on that.

[Mr Tidy]

-Lummox- said:

Gordon Hill said:

Nope, a pre covid shed was less than a grand, a decent shed is now up to 2 grand, 3-4k is no man's land.

I feel like where you live in the country and whether it's near a Clean Air Zone is a big factor in car prices now at the shed end of the market.

I recall buying a BMW 323i for £1350 6 years ago, 72k on the clock, good condition, no faults or bodywork rot. Granted it was pretty old (W reg) but the equivalent car now (i.e. a 2006 petrol 3-series without a base spec engine) would be massively out of shed budget - there's a 2006 72k mile 325i SE on ebay for £5,500.

Diesels on the other hand are a lot cheaper. But no use to anyone who needs to drive in the ULEZ zone, if it's daily transport and they are shedding to save costs.

Possibly, but I bought my 55 plate manual 330iSE in March 2019 for just under £3,500 on 107K miles.

After a bump in the rear last year it became a Cat N due to a couple of scuffs and cracks in the bumper cover but I got to keep it plus 50% of what I paid for it, and WBAC still value it at over £800 on 125K miles. So if I was selling it would still be below current Shed value, assuming you could live with a Cat car. And I'm only one junction outside of the M25 so not far from the London ULEZ.

But as my sister lives in a London Borough I'm keeping it!

[bodhi]

Seems the shed life has followed me on holiday - we've hired a car from a local company in Protoras and they dropped it off earlier. We've got a Mazda 2 with 375k km on the clock, which Google informs me is around 232k miles.

Seems in pretty good nick considering, I'm assuming the climate here is a bit more corrosion friendly than back home in the UK.

Haven't driven it yet, but will let you know how it goes! €120 for the week tho...

[Water Fairy]

My E46 320cd Sport. Bought 7 years ago for a 60 mile round trip commute. Paid £2500 with 145k on the clock. Came with very extensive service history. Was extremely tidy with refurbished MV2s, full leather, HK, heated seats and washers, upgraded aftermarket stereo and, as I only found out for sure a few weeks ago, remapped.

Me and the previous owner account for the last 14 years of its life. It's had a few scrapes but I have worked on it myself over the years and now on 207k. Everything works bar the rear pdc but that's not an issue.

Runs very well and returns 60mpg if I try. RWD fun if you want it and 6 speed manual.

Why get rid?

This is a recent pic.

F9551FB0-325D-49DF-8AD4-E733A33E8A2C by James Fawcett, on Flickr

[BenS94]

Back in a shed again with this Mercedes. It arrived today and I put it to work straight away. Drives absolutely fantastic - the odd flare, rough change and (possibly unrelated) has the glow plug light flash on at idle for a few seconds, never to return on that journey.

I'm not doing a Readers Cars etc on it as I won't have many updates, though I may have decided she's a keeper and have bought a plate to go on... yeah I'm addicted.

[Gordon Hill]

BenS94 said:

Back in a shed again with this Mercedes. It arrived today and I put it to work straight away. Drives absolutely fantastic - the odd flare, rough change and (possibly unrelated) has the glow plug light flash on at idle for a few seconds, never to return on that journey.

I'm not doing a Readers Cars etc on it as I won't have many updates, though I may have decided she's a keeper and have bought a plate to go on... yeah I'm addicted.

What engine and mileage?

[BenS94]

Gordon Hill said:

BenS94 said:

Back in a shed again with this Mercedes. It arrived today and I put it to work straight away. Drives absolutely fantastic - the odd flare, rough change and (possibly unrelated) has the glow plug light flash on at idle for a few seconds, never to return on that journey.

I'm not doing a Readers Cars etc on it as I won't have many updates, though I may have decided she's a keeper and have bought a plate to go on... yeah I'm addicted.

What engine and mileage?

OM646 2.1 (122 bhp) on 163,000 miles.

[Mr Tidy]

Water Fairy said:

My E46 320cd Sport. Bought 7 years ago for a 60 mile round trip commute. Paid £2500 with 145k on the clock. Came with very extensive service history. Was extremely tidy with refurbished MV2s, full leather, HK, heated seats and washers, upgraded aftermarket stereo and, as I only found out for sure a few weeks ago, remapped.

Me and the previous owner account for the last 14 years of its life. It's had a few scrapes but I have worked on it myself over the years and now on 207k. Everything works bar the rear pdc but that's not an issue.

Runs very well and returns 60mpg if I try. RWD fun if you want it and 6 speed manual.

Why get rid?

Looks smart, and very well specced too as a Sport with those options.

It must be a facelift model too as a 6 speed manual. My first BMW in 2005 was a 2004 E46 Compact 320td SE with the same engine/gearbox combination, but over 42K miles it only averaged 47.8mpg - I must have had a heavy right foot.

It drove really well, but then it was less than a year old when I got it!

[greenarrow]

Water Fairy said:

My E46 320cd Sport. Bought 7 years ago for a 60 mile round trip commute. Paid £2500 with 145k on the clock. Came with very extensive service history. Was extremely tidy with refurbished MV2s, full leather, HK, heated seats and washers, upgraded aftermarket stereo and, as I only found out for sure a few weeks ago, remapped.

Me and the previous owner account for the last 14 years of its life. It's had a few scrapes but I have worked on it myself over the years and now on 207k. Everything works bar the rear pdc but that's not an issue.

Runs very well and returns 60mpg if I try. RWD fun if you want it and 6 speed manual.

Why get rid?

This is a recent pic.

F9551FB0-325D-49DF-8AD4-E733A33E8A2C by James Fawcett, on Flickr

Those E46s still look so good! A good car and I think it has the M47? (or is M57) diesel engine so no pesky timing chain issues to worry about. The E46 is the last of the classic looking 3s.... the E92 coupe I am not a huge fan of tbh....

I've got an F30 saloon and for me that looks "just right". Its 10 years old now and I think like your E46 will still look good ten years from now. Is it me, or is "every other generation" of 3 series a looker??

[greenarrow]

Just a general question to the thread regulars. Anyone been to or planning to go to the "Festival of the unexceptional"? Its on July 27th this year and I would imagine would be appealing to anyone who likes a shed. I've heard that the emergence and success of this particular car show is one of the reasons for the remarkable rise in the value of 1980s and 1990s bread and butter cars like old Vauxhall Astras, Cavaliers, old Austin Rover stuff and of course the Ford Escorts and Sierras. I think cars up to 1999 qualify so a good buy right now would be a cheap early Ford Focus, as they can still be purchased for buttons, drive exceedingly well and are bound to appreciate in value as the years go by...that of a K11 Micra. I also saw an advert on marketplace for a Mk1 Laguna (£595) and thought that is still a good looking and very rare and under the radar family hatch from the 90s...