MrGTI6

Seems about right...

The rapid rise in scrap value over the last few years hasn't helped. As recently as 2016, I bought a running car for £25. That same car is still showing as taxed and tested! I've just put that car's reg into the CarTakeBack website. They offered to come and collect it from my house for £450.

That reminds me, I ordered an Escort off that website and they mistakenly sent me a toy car.

A colleague with a 16-plate Audi A3 often tells me that he'll never buy a French car because they're unreliable. This evening, a small queue had formed on the way home from work. I thought perhaps there were some temporary lights in place. Got to the front of the queue and saw my colleague's A3 was the cause of the obstruction, just sat there with its hazard lights flashing. It turned out his state-of-the-art dual-clutch S-Tronic gearbox decided to completely lose drive and he has no breakdown cover. I towed his car back to the yard using my unreliable 25-year-old French car. Only just got back home having dropped him off at his house.

Probably shares a very similar level of build quality.

1981 Ford Escort Ghia on AutoTrader for £750. MOT until May but "exhaust has snapped". Very vague ad. Dodgy or genuine? https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202212292833802

I think it's a phase 2 but I'm not entirely sure! It's a 1998 if that makes any difference. Objectively not the best car I've owned, but definitely my favourite!

Started the year with 2 cars. My 306 that I've had for several years, and a Roffle-win Vectra. In January I swapped the Vectra for a C70. Soon after that I sold the C70 and bought a Golf which I planned to use as my main car. The Golf was excellent, but as used car prices peaked, Phillip Schofield offered me £2,500 more than I paid for it. Safe to say it didn't hang around for very long after that! Then I realised we needed something sensible to replace the Golf, so bought an Outlander. It was cheap, but it soon became apparent that sixth gear didn't work. The previous owner had put a five-speed gear knob on it! Then it used to randomly go into limp mode and throw up the EML. I had no faith in the car whatsoever. It was too temperamental to sell privately, but thankfully it behaved impeccably when I took it to WBAC, and the inspector didn't pick up on the lack of gears. Had a very lucky escape and avoided taking a bath with that one! In the summer, I won a tatty Renault 19 in a Roffle. The drive home during a heatwave was unpleasant as the driver's window didn't open! Despite that, it made for very reliable transport for a couple of weeks, after which point I sold it. I managed to refrain from buying any more cars right up until November, when a 9-3 Aero convertible came up for sale locally. It was a lovely car and I set about fixing various little niggles. The plan was to keep it until at least next summer, but earlier this month I passed my motorbike test and had to sell it to free up some funds for my first bike (which I'm yet to buy). Now I'm left with just the trusty 306, which is soon to begin its 7th year in my ownership. Currently on 182k and used every day. Not the most practical car in the world, but it handles everything that gets thrown at it and was unstoppable in the snow last week! Unlikely that anything else will join it for the remainder of 2022.

Spotted this morning on a Lexus 4x4.

The clock spring for my Saab arrived this week, so I set about replacing it this morning (with a bit of help!). My airbag light has now gone out, the horn works perfectly, as do all the buttons on the steering wheel. Result! The unsightly switch wired into the dash by the previous owner for the horn has now been removed and blanked off. BEFORE AFTER The car is now coming up with a message about the stability control. After asking around on the Saab UK Facebook page, it turns out that when replacing the clock spring, you have to re-calibrate the steering wheel angle sensor using a Tech 2 scanner. I've got it booked in tomorrow with a Saab specialist.

Passed my Mod 2 this morning! Much easier than the Mod 1 although I was shitting myself just before. I now have a full motorbike licence! Now I need to get myself a bike. Which means I'll probably need to sell a car (or two).

2022 VAUXHALL CALIBRA 2022 VAUXHALL FRONTERA 2022 VOLVO C30 2022 MAZDA RX8 2022 NISSAN PRAIRIE

I can relate! A couple of weeks ago I bought a Saab 9-3 Aero convertible. It's a lovely car but I have no need for it and it's hardly getting used. Today, someone at work mentioned that she's looking to sell her Citroen C1 to WBAC. I asked how much they offered for it. I thought it seemed cheap so offered a little bit more. So I think I've just bought that as well...

Wouldn't touch one outside of warranty. I briefly owned a Focus estate with that engine and it was fine, but it was less than two years old at the time. I see you've already discovered how much of a ball-ache the cambelt is on a 1.0 Ecoboost. Ford originally said the (wet) belt never needs replacing. Now that early examples are a decade old, it's clear that they're not actually that durable. Ford has since introduced a recommended 10-year interval on new cars sold with that engine. Getting the belt replaced will likely run into four figures. If you're after a mid-range petrol Focus of that vintage, I'd be looking at the naturally-aspirated 1.6. Not as high-tech, but much more robust.

I am relieved to say that I passed the Mod 1 on my third attempt! Going to celebrate with a Burger King on the way home.