MrBiscuits

Skoda Estelle

It might just be because there were millions in the first place but I see a surprising amount of Corsa Cs approaching their second decade. My parents had one from new in 2005 and we ended up with it as a second car from 2013-17. I regularly see it and it's still going several careless owners later though the 'ultra blue' paint is flat as a witches tit now and the top end is knocking nicely. I'm hoping it makes it to its 20th birthday next year.

Ford era Jags were built better than any before or since and the X type was a far better car than the motoring press would have you believe.

There are certainly a lot of buttons to play with. Think I had mine for a year before I worked out it had a little heater at the bottom of the windscreen to stop the wipers sticking in the frost. Yes, Lex-tech is the one I used. Stuart I think his name is, seems to know these cars inside out, so handy if you get any issues (unlikely though!) The carbon build up worried me enough to bung some injector cleaner through every couple of months but I had no issues. What surprised me was how noisy the injectors can be when cold, almost like an old school valve train knock, always quieter once warm though.

Excellent choice - they are lovely cars, mine was an SE-L too, though a 2008. Spec was incredible - does yours have the motorised sun blind in the rear window? Some really nice touches too like auto dipping the door mirrors when you select reverse to help see the kerb. They're better on fuel than you'd think, I got 33mpg round the doors and over 40 on a run. The only things mine ever needed were a water pump at about 100k and a battery because a previous owner had fitted a shitty ECP Lion one. I sold it when I had a 90mile a day commute for a while and often regret it. If you're anywhere near the south coast there's a really good independent Lexus/Toyota guy in Wickham.

Indeed - I did it without dismantling too if I recall correctly. I think some MOT testers were a bit more naive about 'new' technology back then though. I'm pretty sure you sold it to one of Pete's dodgy snooker mates as I saw it bombing around Pompey a couple of times before it disappeared forever.

That looks suspiciously like the nav in my old Lexus - also 2008. I thought at first mine didn't do postcodes. It did, but only if you included the space between first & last bits of the code.

I've got unnatural desire for an overgrown Mini. Especially late Morris flavour with rostyle wheels...

The Hillman Avenger preceeded the Marina I think?

New Toyota Prius looks fantastic in my opinion and apparently is now coming to the UK this year, should hit 250k with no worries. £40k should just get me a plug in version. 1995 - I probably could have got one of the last of these (though I'd have to wait 2 years to drive it and ignore the insurance costs). I'd also need to start a trust fund to pay for the 21st century welding

Charlie Hungerford had a Cloud - it was wedding white though.

I think TPMS was mandatory on a 2014 car. Not sure if they check the warning light at the MOT these days or the legality of removing it?

Following this thread with interest - I had an '83 and an '85 back in the day, they were only 14 or 15 years old at the time and pretty rotten. Wouldn't stop me having another though if I had somewhere safe to keep it, I don't think they can be left on the street anymore unfortunately. I'd stick with the 998. Mine taught me a lot about carrying momentum up hills and through the twistys. With a stage 1 kit it will push the needle round to the backwards '90' on that big speedo. The drums on the other hand taught me all about anticipation and keeping my distance - in the end I could adjust them by feel without taking the wheels off.

"Don't have the ability now to keep on top of things." "I am interested in the following: Classic Range Rover, SD1 Rover, XJ6....." hmm 🤔

Something like this would do it: https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/projects/battery-backup-power-supplies/ You won't need the 7805 regulator as your clock's input already accepts up to full alternator charging voltage. Could connect your stereo permanent live too otherwise you might loose presets etc. Pay attention to the bit about calculating the resistor value though - otherwise your battery gets too hot. I would also rig an extra switch that isolates backup unless the battery is isolated (if that makes sense) otherwise it might drain your main battery after a long time.

Talking of Hampshire zephyrs there's an old boy who lives near Bransbury Park in Southsea who has a blue one as a daily driver (he's also got a P5 for special occasions). Sometime last year it got bent and was looking sorry for itself with a damaged wing & grill. It's now up on stands with a new wing and slowly being put back together

An option befitting the accomplished trouser tycoon!

Never mind Ken. I'm calling you Barry from now. Does it have a glovebox torch and can you get Radio 2?

What's this? Corsa glovebox action and no pictures of the shark?

Like a lot of people I learned to drive in one - a flat red 'sad face' 1.8d that was as slow as a week in jail. Drove a few mk1s & 2s in my teens/twenties as mates had them. They were pretty unremarkable and didn't stop me buying minis. Thinking more broadly part of me wonders if this is the beginning of the end of the cheap basic car. With conventional power trains set to become extinct profit will only be found in the 'premium' end of the market unless or until batteries get a lot cheaper and lighter.

I've got a tin of that 'chemico' grinding paste somewhere, pretty sure I'm the third generation to have custody of it. Did you use that stick with the rubber suckers on to lap them in or cheat with a cordless drill?

The foam might be more to stop it rattling than to form a meaningful seal. Any water that gets in past that rubber round the glass 'should' run into the tray and drain faster than it accumulates. Can you not make one decent cassette out of the two? The tray in the car looks in much better nick. I took one very similar out of a Rover 200 many years back and successfully bodged it with P40 and hammerite. Looking forward to seeing this done. From the pics I'd say grumpy Kev did a decent job for the money.

No XG30 for me. I got all that out of my system some years back in Seoul when I blew my expenses on an airport transfer in a Ssangyong Chairman 😁

Back in 1998 I knew someone who's first car was one of these. Must have been a proper UK car because it was right hand drive. I honestly can't remember seeing one since.