Mr Laurence

https://m.facebook.com/marketplace/item/2087324951616903/?ref=search Not exactly shite, but 30 odd thousand miles every year since 2013! Must be the highest mileage Type r anywhere in the world

They discontinued it in about 2020. When you could still buy them, I test drove one, along with a Fiesta. From what I remember, the price difference wasn’t a lot, and because of the depreciation on them, that difference was made even smaller on PCP/leases. I never see anyone actually driving them, only parked outside of retirement bungalows and garden centres, normally in that bright yellow. I thought they were great though. They drove and felt a lot like a modernised version of the Mk5 Fiesta my mum owned at the time. New Fiestas seemed huge in comparison. A bit of shame they dropped it, as I think production continued for elsewhere…

I wonder what this will do for used Fiesta values. It’s definitely still the default choice for anyone who needs a small car, and I can’t see that changing any time soon, so all that demand will still be there, plus there’s now all the people who would have bought a new one and aren’t interested in a Puma. Apparently since Ford announced they were discontinuing it last year, values crept up, but that may just be reflective of the used car market as a whole

wow: I didn't realise it had been so long. I've been back for a few months now, albeit just lurking, so it's probably time I update this thread with what's been going on. Firstly, the MX5; I've had it 3 years now, and it's still yet to let me down. Last summer noticed it was starting to get pretty close to overheating when I was stuck in traffic, so I've replaced the radiator with a new one. I forgot to take a picture of the old one, but it was well past it's best and had a crack forming along the top, so I was lucky to catch it when I did. This was a nice easy job that I don't think took me more than an hour to do, and now the temp is much cooler. Almost too cool, to the point where getting it properly warmed up seems to take ages. I think that the thermostat may need looking at too. It's also had a set of new tyres, along with other little bits and bobs here and there, but on the whole, its wanted almost nothing but petrol. it's due an MOT in a few months time, and last year it got some advisories for rust (somehow the first ones its ever had I think), I've been keeping it clean and doing what I can to slow the rot down, so hopefully I won't have to worry about it just yet... and the Mini: Not long after my last post, I put down a deposit to finally sort out the bodywork and get it solid again. The garage had a bit of a waiting list, so I wouldn't be able to drop it off until June, which gave me a bit of time to sort a few little things out, and sporadically use it in the meantime, or so I thought. I had the old pepperpot wheels professionally refurbished and some new tyres put on, which honestly worked wonders. No idea why I hadn't just done that in the first place. I also decided that it was finally time to do the London to Brighton run, something that nearly all Mini owners seem to do at some point, but despite owning mine since 2016, I've never bothered with. I think the distance between me and London has always put me off. Unfortunately, I never made it. About halfway down the M1 it just cut out and wouldn't start back up again. The AA towed me to the services and neither they nor me could work out what had caused it. Their best guess was an ECU issue, which they wouldn't be able to solve there, and as it was fairly late into Saturday afternoon by this point, nowhere that could fix it was open, so all they could do was tow me back home. I then arranged to have it taken to a Mini specialist with a MEMS tool to work out what was wrong with it. turns out that missing engine mount bolt from the last post was one of two that were missing, so the engine was just being slammed against the bulkhead, basically destroying all of the ancillaries on the back of the engine. As far as I can tell, in doing this, it had sliced through part of the wiring loom, and just shut it down completely. All in, it's cost me about £1,700 to put right, and left an awful taste in my mouth. It runs much better now, but I've lost most of my faith in it, especially for longer journeys. right after it was sorted, it was dropped off for the restoration work in about Juneish. The guys doing the work have made a few Youtube videos with it in, which are just below if anyone's interested. It's had some more work done since them videos, including new door skins and a few other repair panels put in, but I don't think that they're finished with it just yet. There's been a fair few delays since I dropped it off, so for now I'm just sitting tight and waiting to get it back. So the plan going forward? I the short/medium term, I'd like to get the Mini back, keep it for a few months and then sell it on before the summers over. I've had it for 7 years now and while it's been away I just haven't missed driving it all, so I think the time is right to say goodbye. once it's gone, the MX5 will probably take its place as the 'fun' project car, and I'll find some ULEZ compliant porridge with a bit more space inside to take over daily duties. In the longer term, I'd quite like another classic. I was lucky enough to have a test drive of a 2CV recently, and absolutely loved it. But with the Mini still being away, I wasn't able to get the money together for it in time before it sold. I've still got my eyes out for another though, so hopefully this can happen eventually.

One of my favorite films too - seems like the 2cv looks pretty different these days though in 2003: and in 2012: (presumably it still looks like this)

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202206106674717 I’ve checked and somehow that’s not a typo; 214,000 miles in an Elise(!)

An update from a few months ago. I didn’t seem to do all that many miles over lockdown, but it’s starting to creep up now. Still running just as well as it did when I bought it though and I can’t see any reason why it won’t make it to 200k

Right, it’s been over a year since I last updated this, but after a bit of a break from posting on here I think it’s time to come back. Here’s a brief update of the last year and a bit: Mini Still looking pretty much the same as it did last year, with the addition of some extra rust. A bit more digging into the idle issue found that the plastic housing had been broken by the engine rocking into the bulkhead; the engine mounts were replaced not too long ago, and the garage that did the work forgot to put one back in, so there was a LOT of play. Sorted now and the car seems noticeably better than before. The high idle on startup still persists, but it settles within 5 minutes or so. A bit more investigation is needed I think. ~£300 in welding saw it through another MOT in December, but really it’s reaching a point now where it either needs selling on or a proper restoration. I feel like I’ve had my fun with it now and I’d rather move onto something else, so I’m leaning pretty heavily towards selling. MX5 Now at nearly 170,000 miles and still going strong! Since last posting I’ve fitted a front lip, spoiler and a set of Tein coilovers. It sits a little bit lower and feels better round corners now, but thankfully not at the expense of comfort. Otherwise just little maintenance jobs here and there.

£11,000 for an 80’s Mayfair(!) These prices are before ACAs fees as well aren’t they?

That looks great! The matching hardtops a great bonus too. how does the 90hp 1.6 compare to the one in your last mx5?

You could still get one of these on a J reg?!

£50 Mk1 Punto https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/731406330851243

That’s looking nice now. You’ve done a ‘stellar’ job of tidying it up. Were those Ford wheels also used on Cortinas? I think I’ve seen a few with them. They should look good on the Hyundai.

I’ve never driven a mk3, but the general consensus is that they’re more liveable than earlier cars. Ignore any ‘comedians’ calling them boats. They’re barely any heavier than Mk1s or 2s. I think that the engines in a mk3 are more prone to failure though. On the flipside, you’ll get a newer car without as much rust to contend with. I personally don’t like the idea of buying a car as an investment, but Mk1 prices are rising fairly quickly without any sign of slowing down. Even rusty MOT failures are starting to make actual money now, so a solid one might make you a profit when you come to sell. Mk3s don’t quite seem to have reached the bottom of their depreciation curve yet. They’re still comparatively quite a modern car. Take a look at both and see which you prefer before commiting to buying either. In many ways they’re very similar cars, but depending on what you’re planning on using it for both have their benefits.

Did comforts ever get offered as a civilian version, or were they just sold to buisnesses/governments? I think I’ve heard of a hot TRD version, but every one that I’ve seen has been a cab