Done with old shit.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

If your old shit lets you down 

 

It doesn't.

[taxi paul]

Well I let my head rule my heart today and went and looked at a xc90..Ended up leaving a deposit so will now look to sell my celica ,corolla and big jap bus. I love buying older cars and messing about with them but having three cars has just got me feeling a bit pissed off the last couple of days because of what is costing me. So I shall have one and do some saving for a while and wait and see. In a nutshell the kids are getting a bit older now and wanting I pads and more after school clubs. Plus it is now costing me £76.00 a month for school meals. So I am back to being a responsible parent again till I can afford to be a bit more selfish. Plus not taking Foster placements cos they still try to send me knobhead teenagers who are a pain isn't helping money wise has its this income I save to pay for my older car fetish. Before its pointed out I do know that one xc90 may cost has much over one year has my other three but it's a bit less stressful so if anyone wants to buy a celica or a corolla then let me know. Sorry to be a bit doom and gloom but it's been a long week.

[Uncle Jimmy]

There you have it, the pitfalls of having timing chains in high places. At least it is a chain though.

I'm something of a fan of the toothed rubber belt having owned Italian and Chapman vehicles; changing said ancillary was one of the few pleasant aspects of maintenance.

[drum]

I have six in storage, none of which have an mot, and a yard full of rusting wrecks. Every one a project and none of them worth anything. The storage costs more per year than they're worth.

 

Problem is I've got a hoarding gene and find it really difficult to part with stuff. I keep flirting with the idea of getting shot of it all, including the storage charges, and buying something decent.

 

I have a 10 year old daily but it hasn't been cheap motoring thanks to dmf going. Next daily will be a small petrol.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

I have six in storage, none of which have an mot, and a yard full of rusting wrecks. Every one a project and none of them worth anything. The storage costs more per year than they're worth.

 

Problem is I've got a hoarding gene and find it really difficult to part with stuff. I keep flirting with the idea of getting shot of it all, including the storage charges, and buying something decent.

 

I have a 10 year old daily but it hasn't been cheap motoring thanks to dmf going. Next daily will be a small petrol.

 

 

You're the exact opposite of me then - I don't like to have more than three, and they must all be working with an MOT.

[83C]

I've recently gone to a low-shite lifestyle too. Sold all the shite cars and vans and bought a BMW E61 525d Touring. The only old motor is the Leyland Tiger and thats SORN until further notice. The bike is SORN for the winter so for the first time in years i'm down to one regular vehicle. I do get slightly nervous as my policy has always been to run at least two vehicles in case one fails or I decide to do some fairly involved work on one of them. However, with a serious shortage of spare time to dick about with the myriad faults on the old chod that was in the fleet, a modern(ish) car became inevitable. I am still half-looking for a cheap car to leave at home for when its needed, but I haven't the time to do anything about it at the moment unless something local or easy to get to comes up. 

 

When I have more space and free time I'll get back into shite, but right now I'm trying to get rid of everything including the parts I've accumulated. That means if anyone wants a new set of filters for a Land Rover 90 2.5D, an oil filter for a Kawasaki ZZR1100, a set of 18" alloys for a Mercedes, a pair of 45 gal oil drums, a track rod end for a Mercedes Sprinter, a couple of sets of spark plugs that I haven't yet worked out the fitment on.....

 

I've dumped over two dozen aerosol cans of paint - all half to two thirds full. I just couldn't see any need for the remnants of a can of Ford Tonic Blue or Jaguar Brooklands Green to continue taking shelf space - the cars are long gone. Same with my big tin of old oil, water and fuel caps - pointless keeping them when I can snaffle one from the local breakers without having it taking shelf space for years on end. I've lost count of how many times i've moved them around or from shed to shed. I'm not even half way done yet, I reckon I can halve the amount of stuff in my shed. The parts for the Tiger have their own storage so they're not a problem, though even here I think I can slim down the amount I have - 4 pairs of complete headlamps (two are new) and a further new pair of headlamp glasses is just daft. I do have some excessive duplicates of some of the body panels and glass too but as mine is the last survivor and no other sources of panels and glass have been found, they'll stay. 

 

In short, getting rid of stuff is good. 

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

One old heap I disposed of around 5 months ago was bought for both the few bits I needed from it, and as a way of binning tons of stuff. Old exhausts, flywheels, blocks, steel wheels as well as 6 out of 8 plastic bins (the blue water paper sort) of old shit I will never use and haven't missed yet were tipped in. In the end I was tipping stuff in through the open sunroof. It was pretty full. I weighed in 12 alloy wheels, 8 batteries (8 - why?) old alloy heads and got a fat cheque for just over 200 quid with 4 old catalysts. I put up racking against the rear workshop wall and the place is now neat and tidy. Compare that to last August when there were four cars crammed in, all the spares and other shit. It was actually useless as a workshop and I was working outside whilst the cars were inside.

 

A car is your servant but too often it's the other way round and I became a slave to it all.

 

Weighing in is therapy. 

[Bobthebeard]

Hmmmm.

My take on this.

You either pay up front for a new and reliable car or you buy an old one and pay out your money in instalments. Either way you will definitely pay. The instalments being repair costs and parts etc. Nobody wins with cars. They all cost money one way or the other. Depreciation being another thing. If cars are your hobby then the rough goes with the smooth. If you just need reliability and have no interest in cars then that's a no brainer. Personally I love running older cars and making them as reliable as possible. Some have been better than others. Fail to proceeds have been evenly split between Japanese and European cars really. Hondas do break down occasionally. Rovers also. Saab have yet to leave me stranded, but do occasionally cause concern and delay. It all depends on what you ask or want from your cars.... Hobby or appliance.

[BavarianRetro]

 

 

Weighing in is therapy. 

 

I love weigh in day. Free money. E38s have the battery (batteries, sometimes) in the boot. They have chunky big long cables running front to back. Strip the insulation off these cables and what are they worth? £5000+ per ton - £5 per kilo. Doesn't sound a lot, but half an hour cutting three out and stripping the insulation off is £120. For nothing. Scrap alternators and starter motors, batteries - even just wiring harnesses @ £1.25 per kilo - it all adds up.

[83C]

Thing is, cars have been a hobby for me for a long time, but I need the reliability not just for getting to work, but also to clients premises when I'm working for myself. Unfortunately it's a hobby I don't have much time to indulge in in terms of spanner time, so I have to be content for a while with a modernish car that is still interesting.

[rickvw72]

I've got 10 cars I think. The newest, a Toyota Yaris, is the only one with an EML light on!

I stick to reliable old stuff really, 18 years in the trade and I've seen really hanging 5 year old cars, with a quick valet these types of things end up on forecourts across the land, and people pay good money for them expecting reliability, and then the issues start.

I kind of go on the thought that if something's managed 12 years or 150,000 miles, it can't be rubbish.

[Captain Furious]

I kind of agree on the mileage thing, there is a distinction between high mileage (i.e. 100k) where it might be on the verge of a major breakdown vs super high mileage (200k plus) where I think if it's lasted this long and is still on the road then it must be a good one!

 

Doesn't always work out that way, but it's not a bad guide

[stripped fred]

I've got 10 cars I think. The newest, a Toyota Yaris, is the only one with an EML light on!

I stick to reliable old stuff really, 18 years in the trade and I've seen really hanging 5 year old cars, with a quick valet these types of things end up on forecourts across the land, and people pay good money for them expecting reliability, and then the issues start.

I kind of go on the thought that if something's managed 12 years or 150,000 miles, it can't be rubbish.

I completely agree. Have you fixed the 406 yet?

[stripped fred]

I'm still running the sharan I bought off Krujoe. It's great to drive and I like it being auto. MOT time soon which will probably throw up a bill. It's on 210k now so I've decided not to pay to change the cambelt (it's a bit out of my comfort zone to do myself) as other things could fail. I will need a reliable car for my work soon as I'll be visiting clients on a self-employed basis. Thinking of something more modern although I know this isn't a guarantee of reliability. Mondeo mk4's are cheap and i like them or spend more for a Toyota Avensis. Will also farm out more jobs to my local garage as won't have the time to fix myself and I sometimes make things worse!

 

My only other car is the mr2 which is sorn and don't use very often. Can't bring myself to sell though as I've had it 14 years and it's a lot of fun. I put that down to my hobby car.

 

I think the biggest problem we all have is browsing eBay/Gumtree/autotrader and pressing the buy button. We're all addicts you see. Have to exercise restraint! I prefer virtual buying now and reading about other people's purchases....

[Stevebrookman]

Old cars are "entertaining".

 

Just got my Range Rover back running after the the big computer under the seat threw a wobbly. Cost £200 to get it fixed. car 18 years old- had it for 11 and this was its first ftp- so not too bad.

 

Royale shit its fuel pump a couple of weeks back but now up and running apart from a dodgy starter motor. Went to Asda yesterday and had to ask someone to turn the key whilst I hit the solenoid.

 

Apart from this the Senator And Sierra motor on reliably. Senator used everyday and Sierra used for 160 mile jaunt the other day.

[RoadworkUK]

I must admit that I'm a little mortified about what might happen should one of my cars go south.

 

The '98 A4 has been a paragon of reliability and does a lot of things at least as well as its 2017 equivalent does.

The '95 306 is simple enough that it could be fixed with implements whittled from bark if I needed to

And I seem to be the only person in the world to own a well-behaved KV6 Rover 800 - which has just behaved faultlessly on a round trip from North Essex to North Wales and back.

 

None were bought for their likely reliability - the 306 came with my wife, she's never owned another car in 13 years of driving. The Rover was inherited from my Grandfather, the Audi is the only of the three I paid money for - A grand in 2007 when I took it in part exchange at work.

 

So, in theory, my luck could continue. My next car could be just as blameless as the others have been, or could be a pit of despair. Audi forums are full of folk bemoaning A4s like mine to have a constant appetite for coil packs and suspension components - maybe I've been lucky or maybe I treat my cars differently to everybody else. Who knows? The only thing 100% guaranteed is that the next car I own will be an unknown quantity.

 

Replacing a car deliberately rather than out of sheer necessity is like Autoshite Blackjack. I look at the combined virtues of my fleet vis a vis interestingness as a ratio against maintenance cost, and figure that I have about 17 in my hand. Do I stick or twist? I could risk it and somehow pick up a 4. That would be fantastic, but the odds seem stacked squarely against it.

[Tamworthbay]

Any car from any era can become unreliable if you don't use it

Any car from any era can be reliable if you use it regularly

Cars don't like to sit period!

Well done that man

That is the key to it, my MGB GT covered 24,000 miles in three years no problem. Routine maintenance was so simple it was a pleasure to do. My present daily is a wee wipper snapper at 16 years old but the electronics are a bit frightening and the only issue I have had has been electronics related. The car still starts, stops and drives fine but has a glitch that means it will fail the next MoT if not sorted (the dash still takes about thirty seconds to wake up after the car has been started). Just waiting to hear back from Bavarian retro on the solution to it, but you wouldn't have that issue on an 80s escort.

[SiC]

That is the key to it, my MGB GT covered 24,000 miles in three years no problem. Routine maintenance was so simple it was a pleasure to do. My present daily is a wee wipper snapper at 16 years old but the electronics are a bit frightening and the only issue I have had has been electronics related. The car still starts, stops and drives fine but has a glitch that means it will fail the next MoT if not sorted (the dash still takes about thirty seconds to wake up after the car has been started). Just waiting to hear back from Bavarian retro on the solution to it, but you wouldn't have that issue on an 80s escort.

I'd put money on the voltage regulation circuit on the dash unit given that symptom. In particular any transistors/MOSFET on the output stage of a voltage regulator. Unlikely given the symptoms, but I'd have a good look at any electrolytic capacitors on it too for bulges. 15 years ago is around the time of the capacitor plague debacle.

 

A thermal imaging camera or even a IR thermometer could really help to quickly diagnosing this.

[SiC]

Really? I beg to differ.

 

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201709109161452?make=BMW&postcode=s89qb&sort=year-desc&model=3%20SERIES&transmission=Manual&price-to=4500&quantity-of-doors=2&onesearchad=Used&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=New&maximum-badge-engine-size=3.0&advertising-location=at_cars&maximum-mileage=90000&radius=1500&page=2

I beg to differ on that too. Firstly the amount of cars that I've seen that look great in the pictures but crap in person means that I put little faith in pictures. I always say that pictures don't lie, except in car adverts and dating profiles.

 

Secondly the MOT history isn't very promising either with corroded brake pipes and knackered suspension parts - even though it's only done under 90k.

 

Don't get me wrong, they're great cars and I was very impressed in my colleagues 2008 330i e92. However the amount of crap modern second hand cars around always disappoints me when looking. It's why I've kept my Civic so long. So many people don't look after their cars. I guess why bother too much if, on average, people only keep them for 3 years.

 

Maybe I'm just picky? However I don't like spending >£5k on cars that have broken trim, stinking of fags (actually don't like this on any car), creaking suspension, rattly engines and missing/no service history. Unfortunately most have many of those things.

[garethj]

However I don't like spending >£5k on cars that have broken trim, stinking of fags (actually don't like this on any car), creaking suspension, rattly engines and missing/no service history. Unfortunately most have many of those things.

 

Yes, that's the worst thing about looking at expensive cars, many are just as shit as cheap ones, just a bit newer.

[Liggle]

Don't bother with a cheap e92, been there done that and it cost me £1.5k in 8 months on niggly items, and then the DMF started to rattle so I moved it on. That was a 325d.

 

The 330i suffer from high pressure fuel pump failure mainly, not a cheap fix.

 

I've had a varied mix now of old, new, petrol, diesel and without a doubt the most robust and genuinely reliable used cars have been the Jap petrols. The problem is with the mileage I do running an old Avensis or Accord petrol even if faultlessly reliable would probably only save me ~5p per mile over my brand new & warrantied leased daily which is better in every aspect (other than noise). I know people think leasing is for entitled millennials but you'd be pleasantly surprised what it costs if you are savvy.

 

That said I still can't resist and regularly browse all the usual sites looking for a cheap 'different' car for a bit of variety, buy one, then realise it's shite and move on

[cort16]

I recently went through this . I was looking at buying a 2-3 year old car over leasing something .

I want something that's a decent size with a good spec . If the 2 to 3 year old car with 30 or 40k on it can make it through an additional 60k with just regular maintenance you're quids in but if you assume 1 serious borkage of a clutch, turbo or dpf then it becomes much closer money wise .

[pompei]

Mrs P had the new car bug for several years until it was driven out of her...

 

Last week she bought a Lexus SC430  -  the 4.3 litre V8 with no room inside.

 

She is now fretting about a tyre pressure bulb which has lit up....

 

Anyway, this thing is 13 years old, has 58,000 miles and history and cost less than 10% of its new sale value which was £63,000.  There will, of course, be expenditure involved, mainly for petrol, but it should last forever.  And by jove, it's quick!

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

I beg to differ on that too. Firstly the amount of cars that I've seen that look great in the pictures but crap in person means that I put little faith in pictures. I always say that pictures don't lie, except in car adverts and dating profiles.

 

Secondly the MOT history isn't very promising either with corroded brake pipes and knackered suspension parts - even though it's only done under 90k.

 

Don't get me wrong, they're great cars and I was very impressed in my colleagues 2008 330i e92. However the amount of crap modern second hand cars around always disappoints me when looking. It's why I've kept my Civic so long. So many people don't look after their cars. I guess why bother too much if, on average, people only keep them for 3 years.

 

Maybe I'm just picky? However I don't like spending >£5k on cars that have broken trim, stinking of fags (actually don't like this on any car), creaking suspension, rattly engines and missing/no service history. Unfortunately most have many of those things.

 

 

 

Then don't buy it. Of course you have to sift through crap, but a nice one is out there.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Don't bother with a cheap e92, been there done that and it cost me £1.5k in 8 months on niggly items, and then the DMF started to rattle so I moved it on. That was a 325d.

 

The 330i suffer from high pressure fuel pump failure mainly, not a cheap fix.

 

 

 

330i's only have a HPFP if it's an 08 onwards model with direct injection. Buying the older N52 engine avoids that.

 

Secondly, old diesels? No.

 

4 cylinder petrols, ditto. 

[John F]

Dunno about the "old diesels" thing. I've just come back from a driving tour of Normandy in a mate's 17-year old BMW 330d estate that's done 245,000 miles on the original engine & gearbox, it still drives very nicely.

[MikeR]

the good old 501 capless bulb , retire it and bring out a bulb that lasts and I wont be spending Sunday getting my fingers behind a headlight again !!!

[gordonbennet]

Osram do long life W5W 501's in twin packs, so far no failures, available on the bay not at stupid prices.

 

edit, called ultra life.

[Bren]

Well I let my head rule my heart today and went and looked at a xc90..Ended up leaving a deposit so will now look to sell my celica ,corolla and big jap bus. I love buying older cars and messing about with them but having three cars has just got me feeling a bit pissed off the last couple of days because of what is costing me. So I shall have one and do some saving for a while and wait and see. In a nutshell the kids are getting a bit older now and wanting I pads and more after school clubs. Plus it is now costing me £76.00 a month for school meals. So I am back to being a responsible parent again till I can afford to be a bit more selfish. Plus not taking Foster placements cos they still try to send me knobhead teenagers who are a pain isn't helping money wise has its this income I save to pay for my older car fetish. Before its pointed out I do know that one xc90 may cost has much over one year has my other three but it's a bit less stressful so if anyone wants to buy a celica or a corolla then let me know. Sorry to be a bit doom and gloom but it's been a long week.

Needs must. You do what needs to be done.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Well! It's been what, 6-8 weeks?

 

I did buy more shit, a 1996 323i Coupe with a borked engine but a really lovely body and leather. It was 200 quid so a 'you just cannot go wrong' price. I did dream romantically for a day or two about dropping another engine in and...........ending up with another 24 mpg BMW I don't really want. And then having to sell it which, as anyone knows, involved dealing with worded of semi literate E36 enthusiasts. Fuck that.

 

So I hoiked the engine and box out, sold the car minus these items (and the Nissens rad, exhaust, ECU kit etc) for £450, stripped the engine to a bare block and am gradually selling the bits. Got £50 for the catalytic converter, sold the MAF and engine mounts for another 50 quid with some geezer coning to night for the rad and fan, another nifty. This pays for the tax and insurance on my daily for a year, plus a bit of fuel.

 

As for the E92 idea. No way. I've just seen what can happen when the camshaft sealing ring wears a groove in the cam carrier - non operational Vanos on that cam,. EML and reduced performance plus a £3000 bill because the cam carrier is integral with the head. Increasingly a common fault and enough to write a £3000 car off.

 

Sticking with the 20 year old shitters!