I bought something sensible instead

[Milford Cubicle]

..

[Chris_W_Q4]

Before I bought my Skyline I rang round loads of companies for quotes and many wouldn't touch it because of the unusual-ness. I ended up with Lifesure who are brokers fixing me with a policy with NIG (part of the RBS). I'm paying about the same as the Alfa 164 cloverleaf I had before. Give them a bash on 0871 726 1235.

[pogweasel]

What's going on with that 524 anyway?The wheels and 'big nostrils' grille are wrong for it being a 524 / 1990 model. Tart-up or something more serious??

[Milford Cubicle]

You're right, I didn't notice the big nostrils. I reckon it's just been tarted up. FSH and only a couple of owners suggests it's been looked after.Ta for the number Chris, I'll give them a bell in the week.

[r.welfare]

E39 alloys would probably be due to the cost of replacing original metrics, so not much to worry about. Different grille might be hiding more serious accident damage mind.Are these 524td's just the same lump as the UK-market 525td's?

[Ross_K]

Same engine that was in the Lincoln Continental diesel I think

[Milford Cubicle]

E39 alloys would probably be due to the cost of replacing original metrics, so not much to worry about. Different grille might be hiding more serious accident damage mind.Are these 524td's just the same lump as the UK-market 525td's?

He said the bonnet was changed when the car was imported, maybe it got damaged on the way over.Those E39 alloys look OK, at least they aren't some blingin' fake M5 efforts.The engine is an 'M21', based on the belt-driven 'M20'. I think the 2.5s are chain-driven and completely different.I got a very good insurance quote from Direct Line, who were the only company to recognise the registration.

[r.welfare]

I should have known this, given I have a book on the 5 series by James Taylor kicking about the house somewhere.It's RHD, which seems odd given they were never imported here...or anywhere else where you they drive on the left. OTOH, seems a lot of effort for a homebrew - was it bought by someone in the Forces originally? Seems to me this car might not totally stack up, in my eyes, but I'm probably wrong as usual.

[Milford Cubicle]

It was imported from Germany in 1997 and converted to RHD.Perhaps I'm crackers but I like the look of it, and I reckon its oddness might put bidders off.

[pogweasel]

I'd probably running away screaming. Or at least looking for a nice TDS.

[scrappylad]

Its an old enough car not to be bothered too much about discrepencies.If the car was converted to RHD when it was imported maybe the appeal of facelifting it to the new type bonnet & grille was too much to resist?We had a LHD 324 td E30 in at work a whilst back. Bodily the car was a bit sad but the engine seemed to be in fine fettle & sounded quite nice for a diesel.

[Milford Cubicle]

Check out this r.welfare mobile, will be mine tomorrow if all goes to plan

 

£300

[r.welfare]

This one has a rev counter then - GTX with those rims?EDIT: Just seen the 'Bay ad, looks a goodun. Hope you'll get on alright with the reduced headroom from the sunroof.

[Milford Cubicle]

Indeed, late GTX with a Bosch pump. Should be lovely!

[VWPowered]

Check out this r.welfare mobile, will be mine tomorrow if all goes to plan

 

£300

not standard rims look either 106/206/306

 

not bad motors the ol' 405 slowly thinning out

[Timewaster]

Check out this r.welfare mobile, will be mine tomorrow if all goes to plan

 

£300

not standard rims look either 106/206/306

 

not bad motors the ol' 405 slowly thinning out

I think those rims were standard on the late 405's

My eerily similar M reg GTX has wheel trims (and is infinately scruffier!)

Best shite I've had in years. I had a 405Mi16 as a posh car back in their day and this one is every bit as good - and not all that slow really.

[kelvin2008]

I think they were pretty late and high spec with the chrome roof rails so those alloys are probably right, I spotted the ad, wanted it too but too far away.

[VWPowered]

405 Mi16's wow another blast from the past...

[Timewaster]

405 Mi16's wow another blast from the past...

It was a great car, Think of a huge 205GTi and you are about thereA very leaky sunroof, buggered rear calipers and the clonkiest suspension mankind has ever devised goaded me into selling it for 10% of what I paid for it. Ironicaly my local freindly MOT tester passed it for the new owner, and failed my latest chariot on REAR CALIPERS! Bastard bastard bastard!What do YOU regret selling?

[Milford Cubicle]

Are Mi16s quite highly-strung and revvy, or have I got them all wrong?

[M'coli]

What do YOU regret selling?

A 13 year old Passat B3 with 175000 miles on it, bought for £295, other than the 4 mile drive home the proper test drive was 220 miles to my then girlfriend's. Ex-company car for a greetings card company, it had fsh up to 120000, which had taken 3 years to clock up. Other than changing the oil, it's the only car that I've done feck all to and put it in for an MOT and then had it pass. I told everyone about it's MOT pass until I realised that the reason that I was doing that was that I wanted to tell my dad, but he'd not long died! Changed the cambelt on the morning of my wedding, sold for £275 after 9 months ownership because I no longer needed a big car and wasn't doing the miles as the girlfriend had become the wife and moved in.Wanted it back, even before we got the dog!

[155V6]

What do YOU regret selling?

My Alfa 155,it was the newest car I've ever had(just over 4 years old in 2000)It was a fairly rare spec(widebody V6 with sportpack),I meant to buy a 2.0 as I had a BMW 528i E28 at the time & wanted something a bit more economical,but once I heard the V6 .....Spent loads looking after it,serviced by an Alfa specialist etc,suspension & brakes uprated,did a couple of trackdays in it,absolutely loved that car.Only let me down once,when the diff disintegrated.Only really sold it as I wanted something faster(the Fiat),should of kept it & put a GTA engine in it .N903 GLX,where are you now?

[pogweasel]

What do YOU regret selling?

Vauxhall Astra 1.4LSi L75SWV, because it was utterly dependable and economical. BMW 318iS H582GWL... fabulous car, quick, supreme handling, beautiful... loved it. Just too small though :(Land Rover SBC619R... most useful vehicle evAr, GR8 for going to B&Q / the tip + ideal for larking about in mud with mates/offspring. Currently on eBay for £300 more than I sold it for....

[Milford Cubicle]

I quite literally "brought" that 405. It's really sound and I think it'll be a keeper. Needs a new clutch though, and a full service in the near future.Has anybody got a combination outside temp gauge/digi clock for a high-spec 405? That would round its understated luxury off perfectly.Also, the front foglights don't work - how do I fix them so I can flash them at mongs who run their foglights in the sunshine?

[Ross_K]

405 Mi16's wow another blast from the past...

Some bloke living around the corner from me has a Mi16 Le Mans (which I think was a 2.0 16v as opposed to the normal 1.9 16v) and a Mitsubishi Starion. Must get some pics...

[r.welfare]

I quite literally "brought" that 405. It's really sound and I think it'll be a keeper. Needs a new clutch though, and a full service in the near future.Has anybody got a combination outside temp gauge/digi clock for a high-spec 405? That would round its understated luxury off perfectly.Also, the front foglights don't work - how do I fix them so I can flash them at mongs who run their foglights in the sunshine?

Clutches are cheap enough on the Bay, never fitted one though but it might be worth checking the cable first as the auto adjustment tends to stop working over time. The full service part is easy enough - you can get Mann oil/air/fuel filters off the Bay for £16 delivered. I've got the service down to about half an hour, start to finish.Does it not have the combo clock/temp job already? Should have on a GTX. Temp gauge is wired - through the n/s electric mirror - to a black bobble on the underside of the mirror casing. I ripped my mirror off backing into the garage and the replacement (pattern part) didn't have the sensor, so I stripped it from the old one and fed it into the door panel. So it now starts off as an external temp gauge then changes to an internal one as the heater starts to work...Fog lights will probably be corroded connectors - you'll just have to bin 'em and look on the Bay for replacements, steady as she goes with removing the old ones though as it's easy to break the spade connectors off into the female holders as you try to disconnect the wires...be wary of "fog lamps" actually turning out to be spot lamps from a 205GTI, I've got one of each now on the front of my estate!I bloody love these cars and apart from the clutch concerns it looks like you have a good buy there. I quite like those later alloys (95/96MY only) which I believe were shared with the 306. My two both have the earlier type of alloy with the centre cap that flies off all the time - I've drilled mine and screwed 'em on. That'll show 'em.

[Milford Cubicle]

It does have the clock/temp gauge fitted already but it doesn't work.I think the clutch is well past it, it hunts like an automatic when I gun the accelerator - surely not something that could be adjusted out?By full service I meant the timing belt - last done nearly 5 years ago so borderline.Why can't Jaeger make instruments properly? The speedo ticks just like it did on my grandad's old 309 which also had Jaeger instruments.Even with the problems I think it is a bit of a bargain - 4 brand-new Michelins and it drives spot-on apart from the clutch.I rate them too, I'd have kept my previous 405 longer if it had a Bosch pump. I'll keep this one a few years I reckon, once I sort out its few niggles

[r.welfare]

Oh. Sounds like a new clutch is in order then.Cambelt needs to be done every 3yrs/36k in my book, although Pug reckoned 6yrs/72k then dropped to 4yrs/50k. About 3.5hrs labour in the book if you're not doing it yourself. If you are going to do it, best to get a new aux belt too, and check the tensioner of that.When you say the clock/temp doesn't work, is it flashing "---" all the time? If so someone has changed the mirror and lost the connection to the sensor. Also, try it at night - could just be dead bulbs. Bit of fiddle though as the radio and heater controls need to come out.My speedos both wobble around like Oliver Reed below 40, but don't click. As long as the tacho works all the time (and the "electronic dipstick"!) then the instruments are fine

[Milford Cubicle]

The tacho is a bit part-time, might be a problem at the sensor end.The clock display is just blank.I best get the timing belt and water pump done at the same time as the clutch then... Bye bye wages!

[r.welfare]

Yup - clutch + waterpump + cambelt (may as well get a full "kit" off the Bay with the tensioners) won't be cheap, but it will be worth it - best real-world car ever.