MantaGTE85

I do like that! You wouldn't know what year that Malaga was made, by any chance? The interior looks quite well-appointed actually. There seems to be more console and stowage than either of my early Ibiza 1.5 GLX's had. I bet this Malaga has the warning light 'check control' on the instruments as well.

We did get that 2-spoke sports steering wheel in the UK. The 1988/89 pre-VW-dash-yo Ibiza Crono came with one. Nice to see it again.

Tommy Autos channel on Youtube has just uploaded a review on a T-plate 300Tdi Disco 1. I thought the Disco 2 with TD5 came out 1998/R reg.

That white estate would be well worth saving. I'm not sure I've seen one like this. At this late stage of the mk2 production run, was the LX relegated to base-model rank? I'm certain most colour-grilled late mk2's I've seen seemed to be Zetec, but also sometimes Zetec S, ST24/200, or Verona. I've deffo never seen any Aspens beyond around 1998 S-plates. Or even a 1.6.

Any mk2 Fiesta Popular/Pop Plus (and pre-'87 L-models) without trip recorders had to be driven faster than 10 mph before you could read the Fiesta's entire 5-figure mileage. The stubby white speedometer needle would completely mask out the first digit on the mileage recorder when the car was at rest, or moving slower than 10 mph.

My dad's ancient 1.3 Kent-engined '78 mk2 Escort van's speedo went up to 140. It very rarely managed to get over 65.

I'm just catching up with this thread. Nice work. I didn't know the Malaga shared the same paddle switchgear as the early Ibiza. I'm wondering if the Malaga still had the early switchgear at the end of its production, 1992 J reg I believe? I suppose it would do, as the later VW-type dash switches would look well out of place in what is essentially an old Fiat. Malaga hatchback C105ORX is (or was, I should say) the same shade of metallic blue as my first Ibiza, C880RAN. Stratos Blue, nice colour. I'm not sure Ian Seabrook would approve of the wiper pattern on that early Malaga hatchback, the wipers seem to be parked way too high. And I suppose the rear wiper button would be an immovable blanking plate on the Malaga Saloon.

I'm sure DVLA have ballsed up the data for that pair of Porker-powered Ibiza 1.5 GLX's I owned in the '90s. I do know that my blue 3dr C880RAN was condemned shortly after I sold it in 1997. And my gold 5dr G193BDD was scrapped in mid-2004, some 4 and a half years after I sold it. The gold car was actually built in 1988, so I think it lasted daily use really well, despite its premature body corrosion. I can't have been the only person who loved it then. I keep wondering what its mileage was at the end, I took it to 102000 miles. Anyway, for some reason, both cars have SORNs in place, how odd. I've just remembered a work colleague used to own a 3dr 1.5 Crono in (Alpine?) White, another end-of-line special with the quirky switches. His was G98RDV. Supposed to have been scrapped in 2004 also, but again on SORN. Why is that, do you know!

Good question. I can't think of anything else, other than my old 1989 Galant GTi (non-4wd 4ws sadly) that had a very similar arrangement with its two trip recorders.

Very well played SEATMad! I have not seen one in ages. I would like to ask a SEAT-appropriate question, if I may. The indicator and wiper switches look quite unusual, how do you operate them on the Colt?

Still on the road! Taxed until the end of the year and MOT'd last October with 44000 miles, so very likely to still be in the same condition. Thicker side mouldings that continue to the front wings make it a 1995 model.

That's a nice State Blue Ghia without the optional teardrop alloys that the early Scorpio Ultimas also used. It's very interesting that at the end of the mk1 run, it was only the Ghia X that came with alloys as standard.

Bet the Sierra's steering felt very loose and sloppy after forcing the lock.

Some nice pictures uploaded lately. Any pictures of cars taken with Hub Nut?

Those black steels on that abandoned V6 Si could indeed be correct. For reasons unknown, alloys became optional on all Mondeo Si's towards the end of the mk1 run, regardless of engine. The alloys would be the unusual 15-inch six-spoker with a large centre cap that clipped in between each spoke. And the steels would be 15 inch, with heavily-styled six-hole trims that had a centre circle surrounding the blue Ford badge. In November 2020, KGF sold a Cuirass-coloured 5000-mile 1996 Si with those trims, that is well worth looking up if you're interested in what the original Si trims look like. The mk2 Si also came with 15 inch steels, only this time they were with 'star-spoke' trims, also with blue Ford centre badges.

Excellent! That's the very one I was on about. The 24V would have been on sale for just one year in plain flavour.

That's the colour Sierraman was referring to. That estate doesn't really look all that Base with its front fogs, roof bars, rear head restraints and colour coded handles and mirrors. It's still looks flatter than a witch's tits, mind. Dark Aubergine looked especially nice on the sportier mk1's. A mate's dad had a lovely, immaculate Aubergine mk1, private reg'd M99RJR (nee M770BRV), in fact it was identical to the one you've just pictured here (obviously minus the ST24 alloys and LHD). His car was a hatchback 2.5 V6, but it was not an Si or a Ghia. It just had a 24V badge on the front wings and tailgate. It wasn't a Base as such, it was just an un-named version. It had manual rear windows, 15-inch steels with 6-hole Scorpio Executive trims, and velour bucket seats. Spec-wise, I'm pretty sure it was based around the GLX. How many of those 'Base' mk1 V6's are left now?

Indeed, very few diesels were taken up by private buyers until, typically, a 120,000-mile 4-year-old one would have been snapped up by a tradesperson who would run it down, until it would meet its maker. Early KA's were available in that purple as well. Ford called it 'Belladonna', would be a bit grim on an Aspen TD saloon. And was especially appalling on a base mk6 Escort like an Encore or a CL.

Excellent spot, and in lovely condition. I also don't remember seeing any K-reg estates either, apart from press cars. Also, do you know if the 1.8 Turbo Diesel Mondeos became available at launch, or did they come out slightly later, like the estates, and automatic versions did? I understand that the mk5 'smiley-front' Escort buyers were offered the TD option in early 1994, and the Sierra used it since the G-reg 'dark-light' facelift. I don't remember ever seeing a K-reg Mondeo TD, even in the '90s when there were still loads around. I'm asking this because, just today, I was overtaken by a Nouveau Red LX TD (L129PYD) with all-colour bumpers so it has to be a '94MY. I could tell it was a diesel because it had the TD-only top-vented front grille. Alright, I know it's not on a 'K' but I thought it worth mentioning here, because it also could be one of the earliest Mondeos remaining with a diesel engine, and all-coloured bumpers.

My 2nd Ibiza was also a gold one that had an oil leak around the cam box gasket at the base of the rocker cover. Although my car was a 1990 registration (G), it was actually a 1988 build (a new old stock, as it were), so it could even have come from the same production batch as the E reg that danthecapriman described and used to look after. Again, the front wings and bonnet leading edges were getting rather crumbly sadly. I bought it at nearly 8 years old, sold it at 10, and scrapped by someone else in mid-2004 at 14 and a half. Otherwise, it was a great little car. The 1.5 really did rev like that! But they did like to drink the 4-star.

It won't be long before someone starts a 2009 Insignia thread. It's hard to find a nice pre-facelift example these days.

I would love to meet whoever it was who did that.

Are you ready for a long story? Yeah? Great!!! First off, I wish I had pictures of them to upload, that really would have been great, so I'll have to describe them from what I remember about them. October 1985 was when the Ibiza was officially launched in the UK. My first Ibiza, a metallic Stratos Blue (code 038) C880RAN was February 1986-registered, so it was certainly launch-spec. All C-plates WILL be 3-dr. The 5-dr came out in October 1986 on D-plates. My car was indeed incredibly early, with the light grey thickly padded and upholstered seats and very creaky huge full-length door cards that were made of thin wood with what felt like a dark blue vinyl coating. All the rest of the interior was very blue. It was a GLX with electric windows, a hilariously buzzy-sounding central locking mechanism, rev counter and heavily-oxidised 165-wide 14 inch 32-spoke alloys. It also had those cool contrasting silver stripes on the lower sides. The wiper, washer and some of the paddle switches took some getting used to, but they all worked just fine. The indicator switch was a Y-shaped toggle item that stuck out of the left of the console and was always within easy reach. But they were very over-eager to self-cancel, and the indicator ticking was inaudible. The engine was the System Porsche 1.5 with the twin-choke Weber carb. I found it quite a lively and smooth unit, accompanied by a very distinctive constant high-pitched tone entering the cabin when accelerating. It was quick, not R5 GT Turbo or 205 GTi-quick, more like the Nova SR really, just fun and responsive. Fuel economy was not really a strong point. It had to be driven extremely carefully at very low revs to get it anywhere near Seat's claims. To drive, I found the steering to be really heavy when parking, but it soon got really light after setting off. The driver's seat was always set right back as the pedals were high with very long travel. The brakes were really good, and the ride felt very firm and the tall body did lean quite a lot when cornering, but the chassis still held the road very well. Both cars looked a bit unusual from the rear, as the rear wheels had pronounced positive camber making them look a bit too tall and tempting to lower. Now for the interesting bits: I bought the GLX 1.5 C880RAN in late-'94 for £395. It had 79000 miles. Everything inside the car was quite rattly and creaky but I was expecting that. The Stratos Blue metallic body was very shiny but I soon found out that the rear arches were fibre-glass repaired multiple times at various points in its earlier life, and attempting to keep them rust-free was a full time job. The car itself was very reliable, with only the rear wiper and boot interior light that did not work. I finished with the car in October 1997 after the MOT found terminal rust under the floor and sills which affected the rear suspension. By then the mileage was 92000. I part-exchanged it the following month with: Another mk1 Ibiza, also a 1.5 GLX, this time a 5-dr in Kalahari Beige (metallic gold, code 051). The mileage was 72000 and the price was a rather steep £2795 from a small dealer in Crediton with a full year's warranty so it couldn't be that bad. It was G193BDD, a January 1990-registration which I'm sure was made at least two years prior!!! This is where it hopefully gets VERY interesting: Now, unlike your Ibiza Special, and any of them post-April 1989, this G-plater still had the early dash, in fact the entire interior was like the C-reg, except it was very brown and still featured the huge, thick, armchair-type seats that only the early GLX's had, and some traces of old glue from where somebody removed the lower door tape stripes that, again, only the early GLX's had. Kalahari Beige was also not even available on new Seat cars after 1988. Another tell-tale was the bright plastic clip-on trim that runs along the gutter above each door, on either side of the roof (proper '89-on models would have black trim there). My car was a definite 'bitza' Ibiza as it still had the colour-coded grille with the newer-style Seat badge (other Seat badges on this car were the earliest style). Finally, this car also sported a set of six-spoke 185 wide 14-inch alloys that were only used on later 'post-'91 GLX and SXi versions, so the original 32-spokers were clearly an issue to somebody. Still, they were a lot easier to clean and had no damage or corrosion so I was happy. I do actually remember reading countless 'What Car? Helpline' reports in the early '90s about people who unknowingly bought new cars which turned out to be the previous specifications after being stockpiled and tarted up before sale so my 2nd Ibiza must have been one of the victims of this scandal. G193BDD, however, was proving slightly more troublesome than my previous one. My suspicions were confirmed when I found a 'FEB '88' marking on the back of the door card when I was repairing a window that came off its runner. Really, this car should have been a late-E, or early F-plate. Reliability-wise, it was good as gold although the auto-choke not always was. It would sometimes hop along until it was almost at fully operating temperature. It also had an oil weep around the base of the rocker cover which nobody could get to the bottom of, and the oil would occasionally drip onto the manifold directly below so the front of the car would smoke slightly at normal temperature. I sold the car at the turn of the millennium with 108000 miles, for just £500. It was looking prematurely tired by then. The front wings were failing on the front edges and the arch bottoms and along the tops. The plastic rear arch coverings (spats) at the rear of the sills/fronts of the rear arches had no metal behind and the back arches themselves were getting very bubbly and crusty, the arch lips were just falling off. The doors were bubbling all the way along the very bottom edges where the door skins fold over the door shell. The inside of the tailgate corroded and started to leak at the bottom corners of the rear screen below the seal (check yours!) I was starting to think this was getting a bit poor for a 10 year old (or should that be 12?) in January 2000. I put that down to the car's build date and unresolved early quality glitches, G193BDD apparently was to survive for another 4 and a half years before it was scrapped. I then bought a red 18-month-old Punto 1.2 85 Sporting which I ran for 12 years. I know this is a long post, but I hope you enjoyed reading it, and that it serves as a 'what to look for' guide if you are, in the future, considering an earlier example with 'that' dash.

My sister once had an E-plate Lipari Blue Metro 1.0 City 'X'. One step up from the base City. From memory, it had much plusher grey velour with open head restraints, digital clock, rear wiper, nearside door mirror. Still had no radio.

I am so over the moon that 'Peter' the white 1.6 GLX is being saved. I first noticed it driving around Exeter last year when it was mint. I last saw it around October, the lad ragging the tits off the poor little engine, also completely caked in filth with all its wheel trims missing and the front bumper hanging off. It really brought a tear to my eye.