HMC- Return of the Cheeky 500

[HMC]

Pictures please! How long have you owned it?

[GrumpiusMaximus]

Always loved them.  Like JoeyEunos, I had an original one with the old engine as my first car.

 

Mine had issues with rust around the suspension mounts.  That's where it starts, structurally with these, other than the sills.  Yours looks quite solid and the rust is minimal.  These seem to divide Autoshite but I'm firmly in the 'love them' camp and throwing mine around country lanes was like no other car I've had.  Not even the Fiesta I had subsequently.  Not great fun on the motorway, though.

[HMC]

This is up for sale as I’ve decided to buy a mk1 focus to go with my ka. Predictable!

 

2003 vw Passat se TDI 130. Mot to end of year. Loads of history. One family owner from new before me. Very high spec. It’s not a “high line” it pre dates those (but is a similar colour) and has far more options.

 

130 pd AWX 1.9 TDI with 5 speed. Punchy, and economical. No dash warning lights. All gauges work properly. It’s done 240k but the engine is lovely- no smoke, runs and pulls perfectly. Gearbox great with no weak synchros. Clutch bites a bit high perhaps but absolutely no slip or wierd noises.

 

Body good, a couple of slight dents and the odd scratch but very tidy and hasn’t been abused. It still looks smart and respectable. Bit of rust of one front wing. Roof rails, tow bar, alloys. Front tyres low but good for a few miles yet. Boot and fuel flap need opening manually/with key, but otherwise the remote locking on both keys and all locks etc function perfectly.

 

Interior has cleaned up really well. Tidy and very high spec- leather, heated front seats including backrest (works) climate control (ac weak but bill for a service last year) factory sat nav (works and has software etc but best viewed as a historical artefact) cruise (works) sunroof- a very high spec sunroof. Solar panel equipped so when in direct sunlight with the car parked up it powers a fan that refreshes the cabin air. TBH seems pointless but presumably expensive when new. Tilts and slides but the fabric cover only follows the roof on the slide and needs reattaching to go up when the panel tilts. Original vw overmats and dealer stuff.

 

Drives ok - engine gearbox brakes perfect. There’s the odd knock over bumps at the front and having driven others I recon there’s a slight bit of slop somewhere too. Perfectly usable but no doubt there’s a bush or ball joint needing replacement somewhere. My wife has driven it and doesn’t notice, to be honest.

 

Lots of history- original books, wads of receipts, every tax disc, all original plates and stickers etc, 2 keys and a Haynes.

 

Located Tavistock, tested to end of the year and I’d like £280

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SiC]

Someone certainly ticked a lot of the expensive option boxes when that was ordered from the factory.

[HMC]

Also no water leaks of any kind into the interior.

[HMC]

I suspect that load liner has been in it since new as the carpet is perfect underneath.

[dean36014]

Have to say if this was nearer to coventry I'd snap your hand off. Anyone fancy bringing it north

[stephen01]

less than £300 -  what a bargain! 

[Jim Bell]

Hyper valu

[bezzabsa]

these do look good in Grey/silver

[Rave]

Very tempted by this as a mountain biking / football away day bus. What tax band is it in? Also doing a bit of due diligence by trying to look up the MOT history, it doesn't like the reg, any ideas?

[HMC]

Hi try kuw285 - that reg was briefly on it and the computer may be slow

[HMC]

Tax It’s band g- 17 per month or 195 for the year.

[Rave]

Hi try kuw285 - that reg was briefly on it and the computer may be slow

 

Yes that works, thanks.

 

Let me think on this some more. I can barely justify it when I already have a Mondeo estate but I reckon I'd save a fair chunk of the purchase price and VED doing an extra 20mpg on long football trips. Or I could just bite the bullet and sell the Mondy. If someone else jumps in and bites your hand off in the meantime that will be my fault for vacilitating!

[83C]

Have to say if this was nearer to coventry I'd snap your hand off. Anyone fancy bringing it north

I might be able to, I need to nip to Smoke-on-Stench at some point in the next few weeks. Quite happy to move this towards the Midlands if need be...

[dean36014]

If HMC can keep it for a few weeks that would work for me. Can take you to Stoke if needed.

[HMC]

SOLD

[dean36014]

Dare I ask if that's to me or someone else as I was to slow to reply lol

[Rave]

Sorry mate, I feel bad, but I pipped you to the post.

[dean36014]

Ah no worries. If you change your mind second dibs please

[mrbenn]

Another bargain! Looking forward to seeing the Focus.

[HMC]

A longstanding itch has been the mk1 focus. Like the ka and puma, it was launched at a time when I was approaching driving age and I read the reviews with anticipation. Rave reviews by all accounts, yet 20 years on the world has moved on and a mk1 focus is just another old car. I could never quite forget the impression it made on me at the time. In recent years I’ve had a puma, and am on my second ka. No foci, until now.

 

I’m not usually all that fussy with spec, but I was determined to get anything other than silver, petrol rather than diesel, 5 door hatch as I prefer the styling over 3 door and estate variants. Ghia would be nice.

 

This giffer owned 1.6 5 door Ghia cropped up and is due to be delivered by the grandson later this week. It’s a hand me down stop gap car until his usual wheels return from the garage later this week.....

 

I can’t quite figure out if they’d gone all tasteful and ebony on the fake wood by this stage or whether it’s still the the full on gopping original MFI- alike stuff. OBVs Im hoping it’s the latter.

 

 

 

 

[BorniteIdentity]

Facelift ponce.

 

They’re cracking cars. I was pissed AF when my parents px’d their MK1 2.0 sport for buttons about 3 years ago.

 

Much like the Mondeo superseding the Sierra, it’s almost impossible to overstate the progress between the the Focus and the Escort. Razor sharp steering, chiselled angular looks, they were a leap forward in every measure.

 

For me, it’ll have to be a Millennium. Finding a good one now is very difficult tho.

[gadgetgricey]

Its a 1.6 Auto, so cant pull the skin of a rice pudding, but love the wifes Mk 1.

It is in silver though, so cant have everything.

 

Pooma is one I need to have at some point, but wife would rightly murder me if I purchased another car before getting rid of one/two/three.....

[83C]

I passed my test in a 1.8 Ghia Focus Mk1 - it was a great car. Mrs 83C has done over 150k in various Focii over the years.

[sierraman]

Had a few of these. Check those sills and trailing arm mounts though, they rot for fun. Same for the boot floor to inner wing seam.

 

Top bombing with a ghia!

[HMC]

En route to collect the latest acquisition.....

[Richard]

That's some set of handlebars.

[HMC]

Fuel stop

Digital photographic image of one’s likeness

[hairnet]

That's some set of handlebars.

possibilty of meeting barrett coming in the opposite direction??