Estate(s) of the nation - British tourer purchased 05-12-24 - See page 34

[mitsisigma01]

SEFF LOL

 

theres one estate you missed..........

How about rescuing this one , as seen in the eBay tat thread ,

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mazda-626-Estate-/122665741421?hash=item1c8f72ac6d:g:uc4AAOSwefVZnqBF

[Heidel_Kakao]

Top thread, sir! Estates, Volvos, hoonds...

 

My estate thing is long running, too. First car I actually owned was an '87 Astra 1.3L estate. I've had a few since *tries to think*...couple of Passats, V70, 765...there's probably more. They're just good things to have, and perennially popular with friends and relatives.

I kind of agree about autos: part of my problem with the 765's hissy fits is that I can't just phone the garage to drag it in with their four by. Manuals are much more obliging!

A former neighbour has an atmo two litre Impreza wagon, which he loves. It's a manual, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't have the hi/lo box. He can't keep the rain out, and the central locking/alarm took some sorting out/hair tearing, but it's pretty sorted now. Some weird issue with the paint in the middle of the bonnet flatting off too, which we couldn't fix. He got it cheap from a guy who was going to WRX it, but hadn't the heart to ruin a good shell.

 

Look forward to your updates.

 

Cheers dude glad you are enjoying the thread. I think I now like autos when they are working but the fear of them breaking fills me with dread.

 

How about rescuing this one , as seen in the eBay tat thread ,

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mazda-626-Estate-/122665741421?hash=item1c8f72ac6d:g:uc4AAOSwefVZnqBF

 

That is very tempting! I need another car at the moment like I need a hole in the head but still.....

[Heidel_Kakao]

How about rescuing this one , as seen in the eBay tat thread ,http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mazda-626-Estate-/122665741421?hash=item1c8f72ac6d:g:uc4AAOSwefVZnqBF

Well I seriously thought about getting this and I even bid on it (I bid £51 but someone else wants it more badly) but I think rationality is going to have to prevail for now.

[phil_lihp]

No it isn't, get in there!

 

If it helps, I *might* be able to help as I'm passing that way at the weekend.

[Six-cylinder]

There is also the one Quicksilver found.

 

I am very tempted, I am just not sure it will use enough petrol for my liking, but would like to see it saved.

[phil_lihp]

Looking at its history, hasn't been on the road since 2010 at least, only 60k on the clock though.  Doesn't look bad for all that time stood, perhaps it has been evicted from a garage in recent years.

[mitsisigma01]

It's only a 2.0 auto probably not as thirsty as a 3.0 manual Sigma ! Where is it located , hopefully dahn sathhh . does it appear to have an owner or is it set free to decompose .

On another tilt who do we have down Carmarthen way to rescue a sad Mazda 626wagon

[Six-cylinder]

It's only a 2.0 auto probably not as thirsty as a 3.0 manual Sigma ! Where is it located , hopefully dahn sathhh . does it appear to have an owner or is it set free to decompose .

 

 

I like the idea of a Mitsubishi estate, but as I am likely to ever own only one, it ought to be a V6 manual or auto.

 

The car is in Rugby and it is situated behind a house off a service road.

[mitsisigma01]

There was another Sigma wagon for sale up in Yorkshire somewhere recently but it disappeared off eBay and due to eBay's wanky rulings about making contact I can no longer find the details

[hairnet]

id be all over that cardiff mazda if it was a manual

[mitsisigma01]

∆∆∆ did you mean the Mazda 626 estate in Carmarthen ?

[Heidel_Kakao]

∆∆∆ did you mean the Mazda 626 estate in Carmarthen ?

I think he is, the ebay advert says it's to be collected from Cardiff not Carmarthen.

It is current at £114 with four minutes to go, yeah I am still watching it end even though I will not be trying to win it.

 

Edit - And it finished at £114, not bad really.

[Spottedlaurel]

If you’re after an obscure estate, how about a 4wd 626? I saw this one down in Gloucester a few years ago, sadly it seems to have been scrapped since but surely there must be another one out there, somewhere……

 

1991 Mazda 626 2.2GLX 4wd estate by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

[Heidel_Kakao]

If you’re after an obscure estate, how about a 4wd 626? I saw this one down in Gloucester a few years ago, sadly it seems to have been scrapped since but surely there must be another one out there, somewhere……

 

1991 Mazda 626 2.2GLX 4wd estate by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

At the moment I am holding out for a Toyota Crown but if something else Japanese interesting pops up in the meantime and isn't too expensive and isn't a project etc then I may well get it as a stop gap measure. I am probably going to start getting desperate around April next year as I really want something to drive to Japan Classic Sunday again in July and would prefer to have the car acquired a few months beforehand so I can shake it down before driving to Holland.

[Heidel_Kakao]

One advantage I have found from having a car with adjustable suspension height is that when put on the lowest setting it makes it really easy to clean the roof.

[Heidel_Kakao]

 

Doh! Proof that even a simple task like washing a car can be messed up. I think it has come through the scuttle vents when I was cleaning them out with the hose as it didn't leak in the rain before. Damp carpets, joy.

[DSdriver]

Ooops praps next time put the hoover on blow from the inside? Have you got a dehumidifier? Or a bilge pump?

[Heidel_Kakao]

 

Bed is made. Will it be better than the Volvo?

[DSdriver]

Air bed very good, will float on water in footwells

I think the XM has less space between the wheel arches than the Volvo and the slope of the tailgate knocks off a couple of inches for long high stuff. It is certainly easier getting the parrot cage in the Volvo because there is no ridge at the front end where the seats fold flat. What do the dogs think?

Whilst both cars can take a wider load than the DS Safari they have much shorter load bays and with the Safari you could leave the bottom half of the tailgate open for even more length. So in terms of useful load space with seats down I would rank them: DS Safari 1st, Volvo 2nd and XM 3rd. 

The XM was the only one I had with a load bay cover and because of the high window line it gives an enormous 'boot' which could take a lot of cases of wine without worrying the self leveling suspension and without them being visible through the windows.

[alcyonecorporation]

This battered pile o' poo is still doing me proud. 

Surprisingly few takers at the Cholmondeley Shitefest Ride n' Drive. 
Wasn't sure whether I'd take to an old automatic but it's taught me more about slushers than I care to admit. It has a surprisingly flexible four speed 'box and can be chucked around surprisingly quickly once up to speed. I suspect with some manual shifting between second and third and some decent tyres, it'd motor more than happily for me. 



It has an almost perfectly oblong load space because of the horizontal coil / beam rear suspension. 



It swallowed an entire 440 SXi leather interior on Saturday as I put it to work moving parts between Peebo and Stockport units (then on to the buyer of my 460 Turbo, which I've had to part with to cover rent arrears). 
Ended up sleeping in it on Saturday night at a friend's in Uttoxeter (TL,DR: their house is being renovated, their spare room is full of furniture and house bits, and their kids are mental and get up early in the AM) and found that, apart from the metal strip 'twixt boot floor and rear seats, it was a perfectly comfortable place to sleep; I could also stretch out completely corner to corner, something I can't do in my 960. I'll get an air mat for next time. 
Did Cholmondeley on Sunday, then took another load of panels last night with Conrad D Conelrad's help ready for a return trip. Kipped on the way back to Peebo. 

The S2 305 estate was an important car for Peugeot as it debuted a kit of parts that would serve it until the early 200s. It was one of the first PSA models to use XU petrol engines (though the Talbot Horizon pipped the 305 to the first use of the XUD), for example. Furthermore, its rear beam independent suspension was further refined for use in other 05 and 06 models - but also carried on virtually unaltered under the Citroen C15 van until 2005; only the brake drums were changed. If the 305 S2 estate and Talbot Horizon served as engine and suspension firsts, the Visa-based C15 was also where the XUD's story ended: it was the last PSA vehicle to be so equipped, albeit with an XUD-derived DW8. 

305 S2s also used 505 switch gear and previous generation door handles. In many ways it represented a cross roads between the PSA of old (which nearly failed) and the Peugeot of new which strutted on into the 80s with the 205 and 309 GTI. The 305 is virtually ignored today and barely warrants a footnote in Peugeot corporate history. 

[Heidel_Kakao]

Air bed very good, will float on water in footwells

I think the XM has less space between the wheel arches than the Volvo and the slope of the tailgate knocks off a couple of inches for long high stuff. It is certainly easier getting the parrot cage in the Volvo because there is no ridge at the front end where the seats fold flat. What do the dogs think?

Whilst both cars can take a wider load than the DS Safari they have much shorter load bays and with the Safari you could leave the bottom half of the tailgate open for even more length. So in terms of useful load space with seats down I would rank them: DS Safari 1st, Volvo 2nd and XM 3rd. 

The XM was the only one I had with a load bay cover and because of the high window line it gives an enormous 'boot' which could take a lot of cases of wine without worrying the self leveling suspension and without them being visible through the windows.

 

Aye I found that even with the rear seat squabs folded up and pushed forward as far as they would go I couldn't quite close the boot with the air bed in whereas the Volvo didn't have that problem. However the XM has more headroom when sleeping inside and feels roomier than the 940. The speaker mounting ledge things also make pretty good shelves. I am due to be sleeping in it again on Saturday in the field of dreams so I think I may unbolt the rear seat squabs and remove them completely so I can get the airbed in and close the boot.

 

The dogs seem the like the XM as much as they did the Volvo and in theory they should appreciate the XM's ride quality more compared to the Volvo's live rear axle

 

 

This battered pile o' poo is still doing me proud. 

 

Surprisingly few takers at the Cholmondeley Shitefest Ride n' Drive. 

Wasn't sure whether I'd take to an old automatic but it's taught me more about slushers than I care to admit. It has a surprisingly flexible four speed 'box and can be chucked around surprisingly quickly once up to speed. I suspect with some manual shifting between second and third and some decent tyres, it'd motor more than happily for me. 

 

 

It has an almost perfectly oblong load space because of the horizontal coil / beam rear suspension. 

 

 

It swallowed an entire 440 SXi leather interior on Saturday as I put it to work moving parts between Peebo and Stockport units (then on to the buyer of my 460 Turbo, which I've had to part with to cover rent arrears). 

Ended up sleeping in it on Saturday night at a friend's in Uttoxeter (TL,DR: their house is being renovated, their spare room is full of furniture and house bits, and their kids are mental and get up early in the AM) and found that, apart from the metal strip 'twixt boot floor and rear seats, it was a perfectly comfortable place to sleep; I could also stretch out completely corner to corner, something I can't do in my 960. I'll get an air mat for next time. 

Did Cholmondeley on Sunday, then took another load of panels last night with Conrad D Conelrad's help ready for a return trip. Kipped on the way back to Peebo. 

 

The S2 305 estate was an important car for Peugeot as it debuted a kit of parts that would serve it until the early noughties - like its early use of XU petrol engines (though the Talbot Horizon pipped the 305 to the first use of the XUD), and rear beam independent suspension (that was further refined for use in other 05 and 06 models, but carried on virtually unchanged - bar the brake drums - on the Citroen C15 van until 2005). It also used 505 switch gear and previous generation door handles. A proper cross roads between the PSA of old (which nearly failed) and the Peugeot of new which strutted on into the 80s with the 205 and 309 GTI, but virtually ignored today. 

 

Nice write up I think it goes without saying that a proper estate is all the car anyone will need for pretty much all situations. I should have had a go in yours at Chumley but I think a 305 estate is on the list of things that need to be sampled although I would probably prefer a 505 estate because RWD!

[Cleon-Fonte]

The S2 305 estate was an important car for Peugeot as it debuted a kit of parts that would serve it until the early 200s. It was one of the first PSA models to use XU petrol engines (though the Talbot Horizon pipped the 305 to the first use of the XUD), for example. Furthermore, its rear beam independent suspension was further refined for use in other 05 and 06 models - but also carried on virtually unaltered under the Citroen C15 van until 2005; only the brake drums were changed. If the 305 S2 estate and Talbot Horizon served as engine and suspension firsts, the Visa-based C15 was also where the XUD's story ended: it was the last PSA vehicle to be so equipped, albeit with an XUD-derived DW8. 

 

That 305 estate rear axle also found its way under the floor of Citroens with the horizontal coil springs replaced by hydropneumatic struts, featuring in the BX, Xantia and MkI C5 and so it managed to live on until 2008, which is fairly impressive.

[DSdriver]

I've just discovered a cd stacker in the back of the Volvo, does it work? I found it whilst searching fruitlessly for my tyre pressure gauge. I had to buy a new one so it should turn up again shortly.

I think the rear seat squabs might just lift out on the XM.

[Heidel_Kakao]

I've just discovered a cd stacker in the back of the Volvo, does it work? I found it whilst searching fruitlessly for my tyre pressure gauge. I had to buy a new one so it should turn up again shortly.

I think the rear seat squabs might just lift out on the XM.

That CD changer sort of worked (not very well though) and then the head unit it was compatible with got stolen when I left the car unlocked one night and a CD I quite liked got stolen as it was still inside The current head unit doesn't work with that changer. Verdict - bin the changer and probably get a better head unit while you are at it.

 

I know the squabs just lift out on the the 940 but they appeared to be bolted in on the XM but I will need to have a proper look before this weekend.

[Heidel_Kakao]

 

This weekend I spent Saturday night and Sunday daytime in the Field of Dreams, so that is two weeks in a row that I have slept in the XM. While in the FoD I got some general tinkering and pre-MOT work done. The photo above taken by 6Cylinder was midway through checking and cleaning all the bulbs as one of the tail lights was intermittant and only came on with a light tap. I figured out how to remove the rear seat squabs so my air bed fit perfectly this time & I could close the tailgate.

 

I also removed my LHM tank to clean the two filters inside, they were pretty dirty but cleaning them has not made any difference so they evidently were not causing any issues.

 

MOT test is now happening in a few days on Friday, I am getting nervous already lol!

 

Oh yeah & I had a minor fail to proceed when the battery was flat Sunday morning, I was listening to the car stereo over night on ignition position one and surely that should not have flattened the battery? I may have to invest in a bigger batttery, it does sound a little sluggish when starting sometimes and winter is coming!

[DSdriver]

Modern stereos do run at several amps I think so multiply that by number of hours used. I think its a new battery but may be confusing with another car or boat which has three batteries.

[Heidel_Kakao]

Modern stereos do run at several amps I think so multiply that by number of hours used. I think its a new battery but may be confusing with another car or boat which has three batteries.

 

It does look to be a newish battery to be fair. Just looked on the GSF website and it appears to be this one https://www.gsfcarparts.com/971na0370

 

£189! Is that really how much car batteries cost nowadays? I had no idea they had become so expensive. I think I will just keep an eye on it for now and listen to a personal stereo while sleeping in the car rather than using the car stereo.

[chaseracer]

The S2 305 estate was an important car for Peugeot as it debuted a kit of parts that would serve it until the early 200s. It was one of the first PSA models to use XU petrol engines (though the Talbot Horizon pipped the 305 to the first use of the XUD), for example. Furthermore, its rear beam independent suspension was further refined for use in other 05 and 06 models - but also carried on virtually unaltered under the Citroen C15 van until 2005; only the brake drums were changed. If the 305 S2 estate and Talbot Horizon served as engine and suspension firsts, the Visa-based C15 was also where the XUD's story ended: it was the last PSA vehicle to be so equipped, albeit with an XUD-derived DW8. 

 

305 S2s also used 505 switch gear and previous generation door handles. In many ways it represented a cross roads between the PSA of old (which nearly failed) and the Peugeot of new which strutted on into the 80s with the 205 and 309 GTI. The 305 is virtually ignored today and barely warrants a footnote in Peugeot corporate history. 

 

Looking forward to the article/book... 

[alcyonecorporation]

Looking forward to the article/book... 

 

That isn't what I'm making. 

[KruJoe]

... batteries... expensive

 

Ask around at a few local breakers' yards, find the biggest/strongest that'll fit in the hole. Should be about 20-25 quid, and come charged and tested. I've never had a bad one second hand, and they usually tell you to bring it right back to swap for another if it's not up to the job.

Get on it quick before other folk need 'em, the weather's getting colder...