Another Car History - though I also need advice :)
Discussion
Hi All,
Another long time lurker, first time poster. I usually browse this during the train commute on my mobile – best way of killing time on an otherwise mind numbing journey.
I'm always interested to read other people's car histories, so I thought I'd take a chance and upload mine.
I do have a motive. I'm thinking about selling up and starting again – so I'm looking for advice on where to head next.
First to the history.
Peugeout 306 1.9td Meridian – This was my first car. Part financed (and fronted) by my folks. Big enough to fit my mates in, economical and reliable enough to be affordable. Also this WAS the fastest car on earth.... well I thought so at the time.
This car was loved, looked after and driven with a smile for the 7 years I owned it. Never broke down, great fun to drive, carried my mates and I across France and back with loads of budget beer.
Citroen AX GT - This was the first car I fully paid for and insured myself. Cost me £475 and as much again in insurance. I bought it on a whim after reading about it in Richard Bremner's All the cars I've never owned column in Autocar (where has this gone!). Fun little car with a revy carb'd engine. Pretty nippy. Ended up sticking it in a hedge on a slippery (ish) B road driving from Bristol to Bournemouth – I blame it on the over inflated tyres and mud on the road (hmmmm).
Peugeot 205 Gti 1.6 – the biggest mistake I ever made was selling this car. Bought in all the wrong conditions. I had been out all day viewing 205s and they were all dogs. This one was the last I was going to view – it was late, getting dark and starting to rain. We went to a filling station to view it under better light. I handed over £825 and drove it home.
A change of tyres to top of the range Yokohama's solved the interesting ride (I think the remould it came with were rectangles), and a new gasket on the exhaust manifold solved a strange knocking noise. Now, apart from a bit of pealing lacquer on one wing, this was one of the best condition 205s I've seen and mechanically it was in A1 condition. I'm not going to go into detail about the driving experience; if you haven't already heard someone harp on about how good a good 205 gti is this must be your first time on this forum. Again, why I sold it for this <looks at girlfriend> ….... I've never forgiven myself.
Volvo 850 T-5 Estate – Funnily enough this cost me £850! I really didn't expect it to be as fast as it was. It was veeeery fast (see was). On a drive from Bournemouth to Hook on the M27 a Boxter tried and failed to keep up with me (must have been a 2.7), and the Volvo was carrying a full patio set, garden bench, law mower and full size barbecue. After 6 months of carrying as much big stuff at speed as I could the head gasket went. 1000 miles later I decided the risk of getting stranded was no longer worth it and sold it (with the buyer knowing of the fault) for £275. When the buyer was poking around the car he pointed out it was chipped - maybe that was why it was quite quick. Rubbish round corners though. Still loved it.
BMW 320d M-Sport Estate (sorry touring) – The biggest wad of cash I've handed over yet for a car, and I tried to get the most for my money. Bought as a one owner (BMW owned) car from a car supermarket. It had 96,000 miles but I figured this must have been mostly motorway, being ex-BMW owned hadn't skipped a service, and it was mint condition with every possible extra (including a cool panoramic sunroof!). I wasn't planning to put much mileage on it over the year (till the girlfriend started commuting to work in it) so I figured the mileage wasn't a problem. I' ve really enjoyed it – it's fast enough (what am I saying!), economical, practical, and handles exceptionally well – had a great journey racing across France trying, and succeeding, to catch a ferry that the sat-nav said we'd be an hour late for – the rate you can cover ground in this thing in comfort can be astonishing. Though it's never really got to me on an emotional level.
Peugeot 205 gti-6 – so I bought this for my emotional needs. This redefined what I saw as quick – over 170bhp in a tin can does pretty well. It also redefined what I thought was good value performance - cost me £2,200 but I've spent as much again at pugracing bringing it up to spec.
I love it but the girlfriend doesn't; to the point she refuses to go in 'that chav car'; and this is severely limiting it's use. So as gutted as I am it's going to have to go... (the girlfriend refuses to)
So where next? I have a budget of £17-18k ish or two cars. For the first I need a car the girlfriend can commute in, be a little practical (seat 4, ok mpg, boot for shopping), reliable, but still be fun. The second is a fun car – fast, frantic, etc, but still be reliable and, most important, be girlfriend friendly (no more cars that can be mistaken for being chav). I'm thinking towards Renaultsport Clio with Cup packs (or trophy!) and an S2 Elise (with the Toyota engine).
Your opinions, advice, etc would be appreciated..... I open the floor
Another long time lurker, first time poster. I usually browse this during the train commute on my mobile – best way of killing time on an otherwise mind numbing journey.
I'm always interested to read other people's car histories, so I thought I'd take a chance and upload mine.
I do have a motive. I'm thinking about selling up and starting again – so I'm looking for advice on where to head next.
First to the history.
Peugeout 306 1.9td Meridian – This was my first car. Part financed (and fronted) by my folks. Big enough to fit my mates in, economical and reliable enough to be affordable. Also this WAS the fastest car on earth.... well I thought so at the time.
This car was loved, looked after and driven with a smile for the 7 years I owned it. Never broke down, great fun to drive, carried my mates and I across France and back with loads of budget beer.
Citroen AX GT - This was the first car I fully paid for and insured myself. Cost me £475 and as much again in insurance. I bought it on a whim after reading about it in Richard Bremner's All the cars I've never owned column in Autocar (where has this gone!). Fun little car with a revy carb'd engine. Pretty nippy. Ended up sticking it in a hedge on a slippery (ish) B road driving from Bristol to Bournemouth – I blame it on the over inflated tyres and mud on the road (hmmmm).
Peugeot 205 Gti 1.6 – the biggest mistake I ever made was selling this car. Bought in all the wrong conditions. I had been out all day viewing 205s and they were all dogs. This one was the last I was going to view – it was late, getting dark and starting to rain. We went to a filling station to view it under better light. I handed over £825 and drove it home.
A change of tyres to top of the range Yokohama's solved the interesting ride (I think the remould it came with were rectangles), and a new gasket on the exhaust manifold solved a strange knocking noise. Now, apart from a bit of pealing lacquer on one wing, this was one of the best condition 205s I've seen and mechanically it was in A1 condition. I'm not going to go into detail about the driving experience; if you haven't already heard someone harp on about how good a good 205 gti is this must be your first time on this forum. Again, why I sold it for this <looks at girlfriend> ….... I've never forgiven myself.
Volvo 850 T-5 Estate – Funnily enough this cost me £850! I really didn't expect it to be as fast as it was. It was veeeery fast (see was). On a drive from Bournemouth to Hook on the M27 a Boxter tried and failed to keep up with me (must have been a 2.7), and the Volvo was carrying a full patio set, garden bench, law mower and full size barbecue. After 6 months of carrying as much big stuff at speed as I could the head gasket went. 1000 miles later I decided the risk of getting stranded was no longer worth it and sold it (with the buyer knowing of the fault) for £275. When the buyer was poking around the car he pointed out it was chipped - maybe that was why it was quite quick. Rubbish round corners though. Still loved it.
BMW 320d M-Sport Estate (sorry touring) – The biggest wad of cash I've handed over yet for a car, and I tried to get the most for my money. Bought as a one owner (BMW owned) car from a car supermarket. It had 96,000 miles but I figured this must have been mostly motorway, being ex-BMW owned hadn't skipped a service, and it was mint condition with every possible extra (including a cool panoramic sunroof!). I wasn't planning to put much mileage on it over the year (till the girlfriend started commuting to work in it) so I figured the mileage wasn't a problem. I' ve really enjoyed it – it's fast enough (what am I saying!), economical, practical, and handles exceptionally well – had a great journey racing across France trying, and succeeding, to catch a ferry that the sat-nav said we'd be an hour late for – the rate you can cover ground in this thing in comfort can be astonishing. Though it's never really got to me on an emotional level.
Peugeot 205 gti-6 – so I bought this for my emotional needs. This redefined what I saw as quick – over 170bhp in a tin can does pretty well. It also redefined what I thought was good value performance - cost me £2,200 but I've spent as much again at pugracing bringing it up to spec.
I love it but the girlfriend doesn't; to the point she refuses to go in 'that chav car'; and this is severely limiting it's use. So as gutted as I am it's going to have to go... (the girlfriend refuses to)
So where next? I have a budget of £17-18k ish or two cars. For the first I need a car the girlfriend can commute in, be a little practical (seat 4, ok mpg, boot for shopping), reliable, but still be fun. The second is a fun car – fast, frantic, etc, but still be reliable and, most important, be girlfriend friendly (no more cars that can be mistaken for being chav). I'm thinking towards Renaultsport Clio with Cup packs (or trophy!) and an S2 Elise (with the Toyota engine).
Your opinions, advice, etc would be appreciated..... I open the floor
having owned several examples of 205gti and loving there amazing dynamics i think if you are looking for reliable/modern/non-chavvy i would heartily recomend a clio sport 182 ff with both cup packs...all the nice refinements that you pay a fortune for in a bmw along with stunning performance.they really do put down all 182 bhp very well with minimal torque steer and a vtec like step in power at 5000rpm that put a big smile on my face time after time...i now have a very nicely kept low mileage m3 which i am seriously considering selling to go back to a cliosport 182 they are that good! (m3 mpg in town is 10-20 mpg!) do not get an rx8, fuel consumption is worse than a big beemer and at best they are a long distance GT car. check out your clio well mind you as some have been thrashed on trackdays but still polish up well and present low mileage.....best of luck, Andrew.
You need change nothing but your mindset.
Firstly; keep the Pug. They clearly hold a special place in your heart and if you sell, after pampering so much, you will forever regret it. Retire the pug to 'classic keeper' status and care not that the Mrs won't ride with you - this little beauty will be cherished on lone summer evenings for years to come being thrapped to within an inch of the nearest hedge as the sun sets in the distance.
Secondly; keep the BMW. A good spec 3 series derv is about as good an everyday car as you will find, and putting another 100k on it is feasible if you continue looking after it.
Thirdly; get a third car. I've faced the same dilema as you and you just cannot avoid it. The answer is to buy something mundane and girly that the Mrs will see as hers, give a name and drive all of the time, divering her attention from the lump of French metal under the cover in the garage. It cost me a yellow Seat Ibiza but it meant that I got to keep my first MX5.
Firstly; keep the Pug. They clearly hold a special place in your heart and if you sell, after pampering so much, you will forever regret it. Retire the pug to 'classic keeper' status and care not that the Mrs won't ride with you - this little beauty will be cherished on lone summer evenings for years to come being thrapped to within an inch of the nearest hedge as the sun sets in the distance.
Secondly; keep the BMW. A good spec 3 series derv is about as good an everyday car as you will find, and putting another 100k on it is feasible if you continue looking after it.
Thirdly; get a third car. I've faced the same dilema as you and you just cannot avoid it. The answer is to buy something mundane and girly that the Mrs will see as hers, give a name and drive all of the time, divering her attention from the lump of French metal under the cover in the garage. It cost me a yellow Seat Ibiza but it meant that I got to keep my first MX5.
You need change nothing but your mindset.
Firstly; keep the Pug. They clearly hold a special place in your heart and if you sell, after pampering so much, you will forever regret it. Retire the pug to 'classic keeper' status and care not that the Mrs won't ride with you - this little beauty will be cherished on lone summer evenings for years to come being thrapped to within an inch of the nearest hedge as the sun sets in the distance.
Secondly; keep the BMW. A good spec 3 series derv is about as good an everyday car as you will find, and putting another 100k on it is feasible if you continue looking after it.
Thirdly; get a third car. I've faced the same dilema as you and you just cannot avoid it. The answer is to buy something mundane and girly that the Mrs will see as hers, give a name and drive all of the time, divering her attention from the lump of French metal under the cover in the garage. It cost me a yellow Seat Ibiza but it meant that I got to keep my first MX5.
Firstly; keep the Pug. They clearly hold a special place in your heart and if you sell, after pampering so much, you will forever regret it. Retire the pug to 'classic keeper' status and care not that the Mrs won't ride with you - this little beauty will be cherished on lone summer evenings for years to come being thrapped to within an inch of the nearest hedge as the sun sets in the distance.
Secondly; keep the BMW. A good spec 3 series derv is about as good an everyday car as you will find, and putting another 100k on it is feasible if you continue looking after it.
Thirdly; get a third car. I've faced the same dilema as you and you just cannot avoid it. The answer is to buy something mundane and girly that the Mrs will see as hers, give a name and drive all of the time, divering her attention from the lump of French metal under the cover in the garage. It cost me a yellow Seat Ibiza but it meant that I got to keep my first MX5.
Hitch78 said:
You need change nothing but your mindset.
Firstly; keep the Pug. They clearly hold a special place in your heart and if you sell, after pampering so much, you will forever regret it. Retire the pug to 'classic keeper' status and care not that the Mrs won't ride with you - this little beauty will be cherished on lone summer evenings for years to come being thrapped to within an inch of the nearest hedge as the sun sets in the distance.
Secondly; keep the BMW. A good spec 3 series derv is about as good an everyday car as you will find, and putting another 100k on it is feasible if you continue looking after it.
Thirdly; get a third car. I've faced the same dilema as you and you just cannot avoid it. The answer is to buy something mundane and girly that the Mrs will see as hers, give a name and drive all of the time, divering her attention from the lump of French metal under the cover in the garage. It cost me a yellow Seat Ibiza but it meant that I got to keep my first MX5.
This.Firstly; keep the Pug. They clearly hold a special place in your heart and if you sell, after pampering so much, you will forever regret it. Retire the pug to 'classic keeper' status and care not that the Mrs won't ride with you - this little beauty will be cherished on lone summer evenings for years to come being thrapped to within an inch of the nearest hedge as the sun sets in the distance.
Secondly; keep the BMW. A good spec 3 series derv is about as good an everyday car as you will find, and putting another 100k on it is feasible if you continue looking after it.
Thirdly; get a third car. I've faced the same dilema as you and you just cannot avoid it. The answer is to buy something mundane and girly that the Mrs will see as hers, give a name and drive all of the time, divering her attention from the lump of French metal under the cover in the garage. It cost me a yellow Seat Ibiza but it meant that I got to keep my first MX5.
I will have to think long and hard about ever getting rid of my Pug.
Especially since it now owes me so much damn money.
Miami 205 with sl434's..... YumYum!!! 
I'm with the majority on this one. I'd keep the 205 (especially if you're now familiar with it and have solved any minor niggles).
Get a mk1 elise or similar for that weekend car if your missus wants to come along and then something sensible as a daily driver? TBH you probably don't need to spend that amount of budget on these so keep a little in the bank for servicing/MOTs etc.
I'm with the majority on this one. I'd keep the 205 (especially if you're now familiar with it and have solved any minor niggles).
Get a mk1 elise or similar for that weekend car if your missus wants to come along and then something sensible as a daily driver? TBH you probably don't need to spend that amount of budget on these so keep a little in the bank for servicing/MOTs etc.
Edited by MrChips on Thursday 25th February 21:01
shalmaneser said:
This.
I will have to think long and hard about ever getting rid of my Pug.
Especially since it now owes me so much damn money.
Same reason I can't change the girlfriend.....I will have to think long and hard about ever getting rid of my Pug.
Especially since it now owes me so much damn money.
MX-5s? As much as I hear they are great.... I don't like the idea of people questioning my sexual orientation or profession. Also I think they lack the outright pace I'm looking for (unless turbo...hmmmm)
Again I really like the idea of a 182 for the girlfriend's car
I'm all for the idea of a third car... but unfortunately the girlfriend isn't.
Think I've just got the typical PH'er problem of new car need... itchy feet.
mmmm..... now I'm dreaming of 996's. Can you get a good one under £14,500? I think there is a buyer's guide coming up in next week's autocar
champ54321 said:
For the girl friend: £7k Fiesta ST, so it should be pretty fun but also cheap to run.
and for Sir: £10-12k Vauxhall Monaro, 5.7 Liters of fury to put a smile on your face every time you hear the burble.
just noticed this... Monaro with an LS2.. mmmmmmmmmmmmm and for Sir: £10-12k Vauxhall Monaro, 5.7 Liters of fury to put a smile on your face every time you hear the burble.
mpg? should I care?
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