Old shite departs, time to consider some new shite.

[Spiny Norman]

Well that's the Saab gone to its new home in sunny Newcastle.

 

I've been advertising it on and off pretty much since I bought it. It's been the most 'marmite' car I've ever had, some things about it I loved. The quirky design, general usefulness, reliability, speed and economy all scored high as did the general driving feel but it was one of the most awkward and uncomfortable cars I've ever owned.

 

I'm a bit of an 'Italian Ape' shape with long arms and short legs and I just didn't fit the thing at all well. I never got used to the pedals being in the middle of the car or the hopeless ergonomics that put the controls for things you used once a year within a fingertip's reach of the steering wheel but the electric window switches on the floor just in front of the handbrake, just where the bottom of your jacket would get in the way, or the armrests that were too low to rest an arm on...

So it's gone to a Saab nut who will hopefully look after it and keep the old bus on the road, which is good.

 

And now the non-urgent quest for new shite begins, and this time I fancy something smaller, maybe supermini sized, over 20 years old so I can keep it on my classic insurance and in the lower old car tax bracket. (Under 1549cc, isn't it?) The more local to Glasgow the better, and I'm thinking Italian, French or Jap? It's to be used as a daily town car, saving the Merc from plodding 3 miles down the road to Asda/B&Q etc and doing sub-20mpg in the process.

There was a decent looking beige Fiat Uno on Ebay until a few days ago that would have fitted the bill so that's the sort of thing I'm after, the nearer Glasgow the better, I'm too lazy to go 'darn sarf' to look at a sub £1000 motor.

 

Any suggestions fellow shiteists?

[Skizzer]

 

http://www.autoshite.com/phpbb3/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=16062

 

 

Edited to add - oh, it's in Reading. Potential for a great collection story, though?

[Jim Bell]

 

 

309 XUD9.

n/a diesel.

Full MOT, no idvisories.

125kish FSH.

53ish mpg average.

 

Has been untastefully modded with stickers, 106 Rallye steel wheels, Goodwood leather interior, Steering wheel made of dildo, Coilover suspension, wanky coded wingmirrors.

Had new driveshafts, suspension, exhaust (dp back), greenstuff pads, disks, front to back brakeline done in the last 6 months. Along with a full service.

Have all origonal parts to return to shite (apart from touching-cloth interior).

 

In Newcastle.

Move info in sig link below \/

[Guest]

What is yer top whack, spendage wise, for this admirable project?

[Spiny Norman]

309 XUD9.

 

Move info in sig link below \/

 

I'm generally allergic to Diseasels but I might make an exception for the PSA XUD.

Sadly, and no offence, but for me that car looked better at the top of that page than it did at the bottom, sorry.....

The roads up here are shocking and one of the key benefits of an old Frog motor is the loping ride quality, which the slammage will have curtailed somewhat I'd imagine.

 

Budget is fairly open but 'around' what I got for the Saab would be the most logical answer, just under a grand. (-ish...)

 

I'm not in a desperate hurry, the endless hours wasted on Ebay/Gumtree etc searching is half the fun.

[Jim Bell]

No probs fella. Everything is "return to normalable" apart from the suspension.

Ride height is now near normal level. But its still no where near "standard" ride. You can feel the white lines you pass over on smooth tarmac, so maybe not the best set-up for poor roads as you say.