The Banger and the Beast
Discussion
I think its about time I took five minutes out of my day and told everyone about my cars. As a long time lurker (long time member, very low postcount!) I daily enjoy reading all aspects of the forum, readers' cars included. So I thought I'd tell you a little about mine.
First up a little history so you know the kind of cars I like (hint, this thread and this thread are by far my favourites!).
I started driving not long after my 17th birthday in a simply fantastic MINI One. Now I have to admit, it was bought for my by my parents. But such is life and without that initial car capital to play with, I would never have been able to afford any of the cars I bought later in my driving life. And for that I am hugely grateful to my parents. And they know, I think I'm still saying thank you! I ran the car for 5 years and really look back fondly at it. My mum cried when I finally sold it! Of course as any self respecting 17 year old would do, I took to the car with a few 'choice' items to stamp my mark on it. Chief of which was a John Cooper Works map resulting in circa 130 bhp. It was a bit faster than the standard 90 bhp! It went to the Orkneys, France and Italy and everywhere inbetween. There's no car quite like your first in my opinion:
And so the time came to go off to uni, and thus started my belief that 2 really is the minimum number of cars one can operate with, so the MINI stayed tucked up at home and i bought myself this:
A 1.25 Ghia, all fake wood and beige. I loved it, smoooooth ride and with all the chintz it was like a mini Rolls! Bought on the cheap from an old lady, it hammered up and down the M4 for years, and put up with all the abuse students tend to give cars. Never broke down, only one of my cars to ever achieve that! Very good car, still miss it really.
Meanwhile I also inherited my first proper performance car. A bit intimidating for a young chap (can't remember the actual dates, but I must have been 20/21 at the time) and a sharp introduction to RWD. In hindsight probably shouldn't have been driving such a car at that age, but nothing beats arriving at uni past the security hut backwards with smoke pouring out the rear arches! I give you, a 1990 Alpina B10 Bi-Turbo:
I have to say though, I had superb fun in the B10, it was a proper muscle car and needed to be respected! Sadly it was never well in my ownership and some major work beyond my ability or bank balance saw it being condemed and shipped off 'oop north to a man who knows about these things. As far as I know, its still running, and in far better condition than I ever had it in. I'm glad, they're rare cars and I was honestly very upset at the thought of it being scrapped.
But it had given me the need for speed, so after leaving uni (at I guess around 22) I shipped off the Fiesta to be replaced with a Cooper S. A natural step up from my first MINI, it introduced me to trackdays and driving holidays. It was everything I was used to in a car, but with more power. Only thing is, I still had my first one!
So this is how the drive stayed for a while. Oddly, as I was still very attached to my first MINI, it was the Cooper S that was the daily hack, and the One spared for high days and holidays. Looking back a strange choice but it seemed logical at the time! After I left university I went fully time in the job which had been keeping my car (and beer) fund topped up - MINI salesman. Yes, sorry to say but I did start my career as a car salesman. Have to say though I really enjoyed the experience (but not the hours) and it was a good way to get cheap parts for my ever more costly car habit. As I said, the Cooper S introduced me to trackdays and it could often be found screaming around Goodwood, Brunters and Curborough.
Of course all good things come to an end and the arrival of a third MINI (my company car) prompted me to sell my two and enter the world of the Baverian barge. So if you're still awake after reading all that I'd like to introduce you to my current fleet, newest to me first.
First off is my contribution to the world of bangernomics. Except I think it's a banger with a difference - it's mint! I bought it from the garage where I worked at the time for £600. One owner from new, full BMW service history all done at the garage where I worked and in beautiful condition. And it had only done 80,000 miles. I bought it in June 2008 for the sole purpose of a road trip with some mates around Italy. After buying it and getting it up on the ramps I could see it was a good one and needed very little to satisfy my fussy eye. Infact all I did before the 4000 mile trip was change the water pump to one with a metal impeller, just incase. But the more I drove it the more I loved it and it is now sitting outside my flat with a whisker over 100k on the clock. Apart from routine servicing and the yearly MOT, all it has required is a new ignition barrel. Its whisper quiet at .90 leptons and sips fuel like a reformed alcoholic. I don't think motoring gets much cheaper. Quite simply, I love it!
And a few from its travels. It is a great long distance cruiser and I've done many 14+ hour days in it and always feel fresh and awake at the end. Why don't they build cars like this anymore?!
So that was the banger. And now for the Beast. Excellent.
While I was working for MINI I decided I wanted to realise a dream I had had for many years - to own an E39 M5. So after convincing the parents it was a good idea (very easy - they're big M fans too!) I delved into the savings, set a budget and set sail into the murkey world of the Pistonhead classifieds. There where many cars to choose from within my budget (£12k, and this was 2007) but naturally I chose one £500 too expensive, saw it once without seeing any others and decided to buy it. For someone who sold cars for a living at the time, I should have known better but when it comes to my own cars I've always been very irrational and compulsive. Very Pistonheads in other words!
The car (at the time) was a 2000 pre-facelift example with 88,000 miles, full leather (dash etc), Alcantara headlining, leccy rear blind, Comms pack etc etc. A very nicely specced car. It wasn't the biggest bargin in the world, but it did have the still bomb proof BMW warranty which was fantastic piece of mind. The first few months with the car were a joy, here I was at 22 in my dream car which was all mine. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. But then the troubles started - EML light coming on and off like a bad 80's disco, power loss all through the rev range and more white smoke out the back than a student houseparty with a dry-ice machine. Not good, I was worried. A month at the dealer (where I worked, so the poor guys had me popping into the workshop every 5 minutes!) it had new rocker cover gaskets, new VANOS on intake and exhaust on both sides and new Gruppe M intakes (a last minute addition!) it was given a clean bill of health. And thats how its stayed. Sort of! It still needs the odd new sensor but for a 10 year old car I think I can let it go. Otherwise, its simply superb. I also treated it to a frond end respray and full professional polish so it looks very smart. Handy working for a dealer!
I know many on here champion the E39 M5 and I wholeheartedly agree with them. Mine has now done 108k and I have loved every single second behind the wheel. I can drive it round London (often via some choice tunnels!) and thrash it around a track. It crosses continents and goes to Tescos. With equal ease. It makes a fabulous noise when you want it to and none when you don't. I will never sell it and can't see anything on the market today, both within my budget and outside, that I would rather be driving. Apart from maybe a newer one!
A couple more, one with my friend as his wedding car and one outside my preffered brewer!
Phew. You all still there?! I do love this site, it keeps me amused in lessons and provides me with endless inspiration as to what to do next in my world of motoring. So thank you, to the team that runs it and those who contribute. What a great place this is.
And what next for me? Well my two projects in the coming years (funds and jobs permitting) are a trackday R53 Cooper S and an E34 with an S52 lump in it or such like. The Cooper S because I want a car I can use on trackdays and not have to worry about scratches/chips/general wear and tear. I love tracking the M5 but it demands so much more attention before and after each event in cost and time that a trackday car makes perfect sense. Why a MINI I might hear you ask? Well I've never seen it done before which appeals (Challenge cars aside), I still have contacts at my old work so can get help and advice as well as parts on the cheap, and after driving and working with MINI's for the majority of my motoring life I have a shed full to bursting with parts. And I want to use them!
The E34 is more obvious. To me they are the perfect car. Handsome, well made, not too big, not too small and they fulfull my unhealthy obsession with old Baverian metal. Again, just beacuse its different I fancy a facelift one in Ruby Black with 17" polished BBS x-spokes, set up with a tight but uber comfortable chassis and a big 3.2l M3 lump or blown 330i engine purring along up front. It just appeals.
So there you have it. Probably far too long and now I shall go back into lurking mode. See you all again in another 9 years!
First up a little history so you know the kind of cars I like (hint, this thread and this thread are by far my favourites!).
I started driving not long after my 17th birthday in a simply fantastic MINI One. Now I have to admit, it was bought for my by my parents. But such is life and without that initial car capital to play with, I would never have been able to afford any of the cars I bought later in my driving life. And for that I am hugely grateful to my parents. And they know, I think I'm still saying thank you! I ran the car for 5 years and really look back fondly at it. My mum cried when I finally sold it! Of course as any self respecting 17 year old would do, I took to the car with a few 'choice' items to stamp my mark on it. Chief of which was a John Cooper Works map resulting in circa 130 bhp. It was a bit faster than the standard 90 bhp! It went to the Orkneys, France and Italy and everywhere inbetween. There's no car quite like your first in my opinion:
And so the time came to go off to uni, and thus started my belief that 2 really is the minimum number of cars one can operate with, so the MINI stayed tucked up at home and i bought myself this:
A 1.25 Ghia, all fake wood and beige. I loved it, smoooooth ride and with all the chintz it was like a mini Rolls! Bought on the cheap from an old lady, it hammered up and down the M4 for years, and put up with all the abuse students tend to give cars. Never broke down, only one of my cars to ever achieve that! Very good car, still miss it really.
Meanwhile I also inherited my first proper performance car. A bit intimidating for a young chap (can't remember the actual dates, but I must have been 20/21 at the time) and a sharp introduction to RWD. In hindsight probably shouldn't have been driving such a car at that age, but nothing beats arriving at uni past the security hut backwards with smoke pouring out the rear arches! I give you, a 1990 Alpina B10 Bi-Turbo:
I have to say though, I had superb fun in the B10, it was a proper muscle car and needed to be respected! Sadly it was never well in my ownership and some major work beyond my ability or bank balance saw it being condemed and shipped off 'oop north to a man who knows about these things. As far as I know, its still running, and in far better condition than I ever had it in. I'm glad, they're rare cars and I was honestly very upset at the thought of it being scrapped.
But it had given me the need for speed, so after leaving uni (at I guess around 22) I shipped off the Fiesta to be replaced with a Cooper S. A natural step up from my first MINI, it introduced me to trackdays and driving holidays. It was everything I was used to in a car, but with more power. Only thing is, I still had my first one!
So this is how the drive stayed for a while. Oddly, as I was still very attached to my first MINI, it was the Cooper S that was the daily hack, and the One spared for high days and holidays. Looking back a strange choice but it seemed logical at the time! After I left university I went fully time in the job which had been keeping my car (and beer) fund topped up - MINI salesman. Yes, sorry to say but I did start my career as a car salesman. Have to say though I really enjoyed the experience (but not the hours) and it was a good way to get cheap parts for my ever more costly car habit. As I said, the Cooper S introduced me to trackdays and it could often be found screaming around Goodwood, Brunters and Curborough.
Of course all good things come to an end and the arrival of a third MINI (my company car) prompted me to sell my two and enter the world of the Baverian barge. So if you're still awake after reading all that I'd like to introduce you to my current fleet, newest to me first.
First off is my contribution to the world of bangernomics. Except I think it's a banger with a difference - it's mint! I bought it from the garage where I worked at the time for £600. One owner from new, full BMW service history all done at the garage where I worked and in beautiful condition. And it had only done 80,000 miles. I bought it in June 2008 for the sole purpose of a road trip with some mates around Italy. After buying it and getting it up on the ramps I could see it was a good one and needed very little to satisfy my fussy eye. Infact all I did before the 4000 mile trip was change the water pump to one with a metal impeller, just incase. But the more I drove it the more I loved it and it is now sitting outside my flat with a whisker over 100k on the clock. Apart from routine servicing and the yearly MOT, all it has required is a new ignition barrel. Its whisper quiet at .90 leptons and sips fuel like a reformed alcoholic. I don't think motoring gets much cheaper. Quite simply, I love it!
And a few from its travels. It is a great long distance cruiser and I've done many 14+ hour days in it and always feel fresh and awake at the end. Why don't they build cars like this anymore?!
So that was the banger. And now for the Beast. Excellent.
While I was working for MINI I decided I wanted to realise a dream I had had for many years - to own an E39 M5. So after convincing the parents it was a good idea (very easy - they're big M fans too!) I delved into the savings, set a budget and set sail into the murkey world of the Pistonhead classifieds. There where many cars to choose from within my budget (£12k, and this was 2007) but naturally I chose one £500 too expensive, saw it once without seeing any others and decided to buy it. For someone who sold cars for a living at the time, I should have known better but when it comes to my own cars I've always been very irrational and compulsive. Very Pistonheads in other words!
The car (at the time) was a 2000 pre-facelift example with 88,000 miles, full leather (dash etc), Alcantara headlining, leccy rear blind, Comms pack etc etc. A very nicely specced car. It wasn't the biggest bargin in the world, but it did have the still bomb proof BMW warranty which was fantastic piece of mind. The first few months with the car were a joy, here I was at 22 in my dream car which was all mine. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. But then the troubles started - EML light coming on and off like a bad 80's disco, power loss all through the rev range and more white smoke out the back than a student houseparty with a dry-ice machine. Not good, I was worried. A month at the dealer (where I worked, so the poor guys had me popping into the workshop every 5 minutes!) it had new rocker cover gaskets, new VANOS on intake and exhaust on both sides and new Gruppe M intakes (a last minute addition!) it was given a clean bill of health. And thats how its stayed. Sort of! It still needs the odd new sensor but for a 10 year old car I think I can let it go. Otherwise, its simply superb. I also treated it to a frond end respray and full professional polish so it looks very smart. Handy working for a dealer!
I know many on here champion the E39 M5 and I wholeheartedly agree with them. Mine has now done 108k and I have loved every single second behind the wheel. I can drive it round London (often via some choice tunnels!) and thrash it around a track. It crosses continents and goes to Tescos. With equal ease. It makes a fabulous noise when you want it to and none when you don't. I will never sell it and can't see anything on the market today, both within my budget and outside, that I would rather be driving. Apart from maybe a newer one!
A couple more, one with my friend as his wedding car and one outside my preffered brewer!
Phew. You all still there?! I do love this site, it keeps me amused in lessons and provides me with endless inspiration as to what to do next in my world of motoring. So thank you, to the team that runs it and those who contribute. What a great place this is.
And what next for me? Well my two projects in the coming years (funds and jobs permitting) are a trackday R53 Cooper S and an E34 with an S52 lump in it or such like. The Cooper S because I want a car I can use on trackdays and not have to worry about scratches/chips/general wear and tear. I love tracking the M5 but it demands so much more attention before and after each event in cost and time that a trackday car makes perfect sense. Why a MINI I might hear you ask? Well I've never seen it done before which appeals (Challenge cars aside), I still have contacts at my old work so can get help and advice as well as parts on the cheap, and after driving and working with MINI's for the majority of my motoring life I have a shed full to bursting with parts. And I want to use them!
The E34 is more obvious. To me they are the perfect car. Handsome, well made, not too big, not too small and they fulfull my unhealthy obsession with old Baverian metal. Again, just beacuse its different I fancy a facelift one in Ruby Black with 17" polished BBS x-spokes, set up with a tight but uber comfortable chassis and a big 3.2l M3 lump or blown 330i engine purring along up front. It just appeals.
So there you have it. Probably far too long and now I shall go back into lurking mode. See you all again in another 9 years!
Nice write up...
I turned my JCW S into a track car - suspension, brakes, new mani and exhaust, roll bars, r888s, intercooler etc etc. The car never skipped a beat and was fantastic on track. The running costs made me put it back to standard and sell it on, and I moved on to a Seven, which I love. However, I really... miss that MINI...
Its lives on in a mates Cooper S - he had all the parts from me!
I turned my JCW S into a track car - suspension, brakes, new mani and exhaust, roll bars, r888s, intercooler etc etc. The car never skipped a beat and was fantastic on track. The running costs made me put it back to standard and sell it on, and I moved on to a Seven, which I love. However, I really... miss that MINI...
Its lives on in a mates Cooper S - he had all the parts from me!
First off, thanks for all the positive comments! I enjoyed writing it but its nice to know others appreciate it too. The two Beemers I have at the moment will certainly not be sold but hopefully added to over the coming years. And yes, that is the Hogarth roundabout. I'm from that part of London so am always driving around the Wimbledon/Putney/Chiswick area as well as up and down the A3 and M40. If you ever see me give me a wave!
Hobzy, were you by any chance a MINI2 member? I recognise your name - I spent quite a bit of time on there when I was younger, went to a few South Downs runs amongst others. Your name rings a bell!
Hobzy, were you by any chance a MINI2 member? I recognise your name - I spent quite a bit of time on there when I was younger, went to a few South Downs runs amongst others. Your name rings a bell!
This is all very familiar.
In brief my car history is similar.
At 17 bought a 1992 Escort which was awful. Less said the better.
10mths later I went to the BMW dealer to buy a MINI One and found myself in a Cooper! Great, but damn!
After working every hour god sent it arrived and I was in heaven. Like you, I also became an avid MINI2er. You may recognise my name...25k posts, very sad indeed!
However, had some great times. Went on 20 or so runs including two trips to the Alps, Monaco, Ring etc.
Two and a half years later and 42k on the clock I fell in love with a Cooper S. It was the right spec, right price and right age.
I then had a year out of uni on a job and began to rack up 25k in a year mainly commuting. This took its toll on the mileage, which quickly jumped from 15k to 35k in around 9mths...I needed a barge.
So I bought a 1994 525i Touring with 202k on. It was/is brilliant. BMW to commute in, mini for thrashing the s
t out of. This saw me through uni, and back to the same place working again and the pair were both with me 2 years.
The 525i after flying through an MoT and 229k went in for a thermostat change. It was then pissing coolant everywhere to which I thought it was terminal. Commuting 70 miles per day I didnt want to chance it, so went on ebay and virtually bought a mint 2000 facelift 530i with every toy imaginably and 142k on the clock for not a huge sum...in effect to replace the E34.
The garage then phoned me and apologised. They had cracked the thermostat housing hence the leak. All was fixed and I had three cars on the drive. The 525i I now didnt want to sell as it was even better and more economical than before. The mini I loved, and the 530i was too new to sell after 2 days, and I loved it!
So after much ummin and arring, (and the fact I had bought a house and the commute was extended further) the mini was chopped in. At 4yrs old it needed a set of tyres, was on 49k and I really wanted to extend the warranty. I got offered a cracking price so off, sadly, it went.
So I then had a E34 & E39. E39 for long distances and commuting, and E34 for around town and tip runs. As I had just moved into my house it proved a godsend.
After 5mths I was missing the buzz of a fun car. I had fallen in love with the E39 so that was a stayer. It was with regret I sold the E34 to a friend from work, which I now see daily wishing it was still mine. 232k never had an issue with me, or him.
I then needed a second car again and found myself looking at Honda Integras. Picked up the first ever UK DC2, badge no 00001 and love it. Since October I havent used it to its full potential but cant wait til the weather improves.
The 530i has just had a set of rare 18" BBS black/chrome OEM wheels purchased for it, and soilders on it with the odd niggly fault now on 158k, 16k since May...
Sorry for the lengthy reply, your story reminded me of mine in a roundabout way, even if you have a bloody M5 to my 530i
In brief my car history is similar.
At 17 bought a 1992 Escort which was awful. Less said the better.
10mths later I went to the BMW dealer to buy a MINI One and found myself in a Cooper! Great, but damn!
After working every hour god sent it arrived and I was in heaven. Like you, I also became an avid MINI2er. You may recognise my name...25k posts, very sad indeed!
However, had some great times. Went on 20 or so runs including two trips to the Alps, Monaco, Ring etc.
Two and a half years later and 42k on the clock I fell in love with a Cooper S. It was the right spec, right price and right age.
I then had a year out of uni on a job and began to rack up 25k in a year mainly commuting. This took its toll on the mileage, which quickly jumped from 15k to 35k in around 9mths...I needed a barge.
So I bought a 1994 525i Touring with 202k on. It was/is brilliant. BMW to commute in, mini for thrashing the s
t out of. This saw me through uni, and back to the same place working again and the pair were both with me 2 years.The 525i after flying through an MoT and 229k went in for a thermostat change. It was then pissing coolant everywhere to which I thought it was terminal. Commuting 70 miles per day I didnt want to chance it, so went on ebay and virtually bought a mint 2000 facelift 530i with every toy imaginably and 142k on the clock for not a huge sum...in effect to replace the E34.
The garage then phoned me and apologised. They had cracked the thermostat housing hence the leak. All was fixed and I had three cars on the drive. The 525i I now didnt want to sell as it was even better and more economical than before. The mini I loved, and the 530i was too new to sell after 2 days, and I loved it!
So after much ummin and arring, (and the fact I had bought a house and the commute was extended further) the mini was chopped in. At 4yrs old it needed a set of tyres, was on 49k and I really wanted to extend the warranty. I got offered a cracking price so off, sadly, it went.
So I then had a E34 & E39. E39 for long distances and commuting, and E34 for around town and tip runs. As I had just moved into my house it proved a godsend.
After 5mths I was missing the buzz of a fun car. I had fallen in love with the E39 so that was a stayer. It was with regret I sold the E34 to a friend from work, which I now see daily wishing it was still mine. 232k never had an issue with me, or him.
I then needed a second car again and found myself looking at Honda Integras. Picked up the first ever UK DC2, badge no 00001 and love it. Since October I havent used it to its full potential but cant wait til the weather improves.
The 530i has just had a set of rare 18" BBS black/chrome OEM wheels purchased for it, and soilders on it with the odd niggly fault now on 158k, 16k since May...
Sorry for the lengthy reply, your story reminded me of mine in a roundabout way, even if you have a bloody M5 to my 530i
Edited by matt21 on Saturday 13th February 00:06
OllyBlox said:
First off, thanks for all the positive comments! I enjoyed writing it but its nice to know others appreciate it too. The two Beemers I have at the moment will certainly not be sold but hopefully added to over the coming years. And yes, that is the Hogarth roundabout. I'm from that part of London so am always driving around the Wimbledon/Putney/Chiswick area as well as up and down the A3 and M40. If you ever see me give me a wave!
Hobzy, were you by any chance a MINI2 member? I recognise your name - I spent quite a bit of time on there when I was younger, went to a few South Downs runs amongst others. Your name rings a bell!
Aye thats me Hobzy, were you by any chance a MINI2 member? I recognise your name - I spent quite a bit of time on there when I was younger, went to a few South Downs runs amongst others. Your name rings a bell!
Jon has the majority of the bits on his MINI now, unless he's sold it. Mine was Indi blue with Lohen stickers on the sides.
Enjoyed that.Blimey - this is turning into a bit of a MINI2 reunion! Thought it was you Hobzy, a shame you got rod of the MINI but a Caterham is a very worthy replacement.
Matt, you clearly have very good taste in cars!
Spookily similar history.
And thanks for the continued nice comments! I'll be getting the M5 out next weekend for a trip to Evolve, first time since I got back from my Hogmanay road trip. To say I'm excited would be an understatement! It still gets me going after 3 years. Great cars.
Matt, you clearly have very good taste in cars!
Spookily similar history. And thanks for the continued nice comments! I'll be getting the M5 out next weekend for a trip to Evolve, first time since I got back from my Hogmanay road trip. To say I'm excited would be an understatement! It still gets me going after 3 years. Great cars.
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