messerschmitt owner

He is not a good friend if he hasn't paid what is owed!

Well, it's been a while since I did any kind of fleet update/report and I am sure the fleet has changed considerably since I last did. More importantly, while some of it is post 2000, it is pretty much all shite now. We sold Mrs MO's Pug 306 within this very forum and replaces it with a Mercedes 270cdi CLK, which was a bargainous £1800*, 89,700 mile, two owner from new car in one of my favourite colours (black) and with full and comprehensive service history. What's the Merc like? Well, fwiw, I think it's the prettiest car they no longer make, still complicated but unemcumbered with the modern 'computer says no' engineering. Certainly much less rusty than the model it replaced and a superbly comfortable cruiser. As always, with buying a new car, it has needed a few niggles sorted, the main one of which was an over zealous fan, whch has now been cured by a new coolant temp sensor. It's had a set of glow plugs as one had failed. Got to sort a couple of scrapes on the bodywork, but otherwise it's a lovely clean example. I put my smart roadster light back on the road after a five year lay up and it has gone from old car to shite classic in the meantime, having reached the end of its depreciation curve and starting to head back up. The smart needed a new starter (rebuilt the old one), new alternator (replaced with the spare and had the old one rebuilt - I can recommend the Starter and Alternator Centre in Cinderford - £36 a unit rebuilt). I gave it a full C service, spark plugs, coolant, all filters, brake drums to rear, etc., and it is running beautifully. So much so, daughter and I are planning a 3000 mile round trip to Lublijana and back next year - Alps both ways, and as many countries as it is possible to visit. Messerschmitt requires a new wiring loom fitted (£190 from the owners club and delivered to me at home by a man in a fuel injected, souped up Goggomobil TS400). I have to fit it this winter and then try sort out the gear lever so I can put it back on the road. Fiat 126 has gone from rusting outside to inside the garage. I need to pull the starter (sticking) and get it rebuilt - yep, you know where... It also needs some welding so I have to order an outer sill and an arch repair panel. My UMM has been neglected and I am promising myself to get it back on the road. Ford Transit - the one modern - just keeps going - nothing to see or report here.

interestingly sold at about 2/3 the uk list price too.

I was lucky and got one of the first UK ones as a trial to help promote it. It is a cool little thing.

I’ve a fancy diagnostic called an x-gauge permanently connected via the obd socket. Battery voltage is the one I pay attention too. And I agree on the tip top battery. When I got diagnostics I bought the icarsoft one - which doesn’t do the clutch but does most other things. Handy too as a merc joins the fleet.

I’ve learned that you don’t actually need the adjustment. Third time actuator has been off. Basically, I have always put it back in the same position and within 50 miles it has self adjusted. I have to drive 30 miles to get an adjustment done anyway so have simply saved the money. I’m sure the infinitesimal difference an electronic adjust makes does help the clutch but after a short while the car ‘teaches’ itself the correct position. I’m also sure a knackered actuator does more damage than one that is working fine.

Lol £6-800 for a hardtop, £300 for the bag it goes into and £800-1000 for the suitcase. I find that you have to drive the roadster, actually thinking ahead and making sure it is in the gear you want just as you need it. If you let it do the gear changes it is hopeless but if you choose the correct gear for the roundabout or corner then it is bloody fantastic. Short ratios but intuitive when you have driven it long enough. You know what gear you want and make sure it’s in it. The change is no slower than I can do manually and is often quicker. But I never get caught out by leaving it in auto when it should be in manual mode. The alternator had seized but as it had to come off to fit a new starter it was no issue. I had a spare and had the old one rebuilt so I still have a spare.

the smart was recommissioned this summer after a five year lay up. It’s now becoming proper shite I think and the cheapest ones are at shite prices. To put it on the road cost me an alternator and starter motor fitted at the garage plus brake drums and I gave it a full service. I’ve got some use out of the tyres that were on it but have replaced them all now. One failure to proceed only and that was a knackered clutch actuator. I changed that at £159 and 20 mins of my time. It is as much fun as I remembered and I don’t get annoyed by the gear change like the journalists all seemed to moan about. I love it and if all goes as planned I will never get rid of it. I think it’s cost me about £800 this summer but I think that should be it for a while. I will replace the rear brake shoes at some point soon as they’re getting a bit low. Strangely, it has a hardtop, the bag for the hard top and suitcase for luggage rack and if she broke terminally I could sell just those three parts and be able to afford another roadster. Such is the world of smart accessories.

PM your address and as if by magic ....

Nice to meet you and very happy that she is going to survive. Too good to scrap.

maybe you’ve got my cleaner working for you. I’m sure she won’t like the criminal record she’s going to end up with.

Weather was good and the roof was bone dry so popped hard too on for Tom.

well, I think worst case scenario is scrap and sell the roof for more than its cost. With a quarter tank of fuel, it'll be free to get home. I want to see it saved and for that it needs to go to someone who can do chunks of the work needed themselves. It'll be good for another 50k miles too. With the hardtop on, it'll last the winter and give a chance to do the work needed for its December MoT and fix the roof in the spring. Look forward to seeing it survive. And, like all pug convertibles up to and including the 306, it is a lovely thing to look at.

The CLK is a 2004, one owner from new with 89000 miles. Full service history, and coming with three months warranty, and an oil/filter service. Not the best equipped one I have seen, but like the Pug (bought with 24k miles four and a bit years ago), I do like one owner, well maintained cars for some strange reason. The MoT history is good - one fail on exhaust gases last MoT, so I am assuming a new exhaust is on it. There is but one advisory on the entire MoT history too. Oh, and it's not silver, so bonus colour content! Was £1800 with three month warranty.

Currently provisionally sold.