The new news 24 thread

[fordperv]

Ohhhh yes

[cort16]

It seems the Fiesta is the most crushed car in the UK.

 

It's not all bad though

 

 

Vauxhall Astra, 1,544

 

 

The stats are

 

Ford Fiesta 1,691

Vauxhall Astra, 1,544

Ford Mondeo, 1,439.

Renault Megane 1,238

Vauxhall Corsa 1,234

 

 

http://cardealermagazine.co.uk/publish/ford-fiesta-us-uks-crushed-car-says-remove-car/79887

[MrDuke]

I imagine the Megane is the only one where the owners ask to watch.

[phil_lihp]

More relevant would be the highest percentage of those sold that are crushed each year, otherwise it's just a list of top sellers from the last 10-15 years really.  I suspect that list might look a bit different.

[Ghosty]

I've been seeing loads of Méganes and Lagunas recently, and it's really confusing me after reading this thread and the 'new old shit' one.

[cort16]

That looks great. It must be a mega bogo spec to have those seats?

[trigger]

That looks great Hirst!

[panhard65]

I am saving this one. I have only had it 3 years (probably the longest I have owned any car) and in that time it has done 600 miles and got through 2 engines and 3 turbo's. At the moment it is hiding round the back in my yard so I don't have to look at it and remind myself how much it has cost me. A part of me thinks just keep it, considering how fast they are disappearing it will become the new Renault 14 in 10 years time. Only not even the most die hard shitter would want to try and run one as a daily by then.

[stuboy]

popped to a friends to drop off something, and ended giving him a hand changing the front spring on his missus c-max

[Pillock]

I imagine the Megane is the only one where the owners ask to watch.

I've just doovla-checked my ma's old 2003 Megane dci and amazingly it's taxed till April. I honestly thought it would be a Beko fridge-freezer by now. 11 years old for a diesel Megane..... There is hope.

[Lord Sterling]

$(KGrHqZHJEEE-nbG5wqKBPycbT7W9g~~60_58.JPG

A friend of mine has one of these, a 1.4 RT, 3-door and same colour. It's needed recovering twice after heavy rain and basically going wrong.

 

The first time we recovered it I brought my along my jump leads and my mate took me upto Telford in his rented Astra. I was chosen to drive back the stricken Renault if we could get it going. The car was very restricted on power, not because it's a 1.4 but because it was in limp-home mode, then as I was driving about, the dashboard lit up and the wipers came on of thier own accord on the only day it was dry.

 

Then, the day before my Sterling came off road, mate_lad phoned me again to ask if I could help him recover his car, again. Thankfully it was near by and took all of 10 mins to get it recovered and taken to the garage.

 

Fun cars these Meganes/Lagunas if you like a bit of adventure and have money to spend.

[MrDuke]

Fun cars these Meganes/Lagunas if you like a bit of adventure and have money to spend.

 

Personally, if that was what I looked for in a car, I'd rather have something 80s and Italian. Or 70s and British. Hell, even if I had to inflict a modern Renault on myself I'd rather have a Vel Satis or Avantime.

[HillmanImp]

They are smart looking though. However i am not that shallow.

[Mike D]

I seem t have caught Billyitis... the last 2 things i've bought have been from his favourite brand!

 

To be fair, every time I own a Vauxhall I promise myself I will never have another, but the Corsa was a steal, 55 plate 1.2 twinport with 40K for £775, and the Astra coupe was my workmates from brand spanking new, full history, full test and 6 months tax for £500 They're both actually pretty good!

 

Sadly, the same cant be said for my camera

 

[cort16]

What engines in the Astra ?

[dollywobbler]

Discovery scared the sh*t out of me today. There was a slight scuffing noise. I put it down to a stone caught in a disc or something. Then it started making a really, really horrible noise. Like a pneumatic drill. I stopped at a handy garage. They were clueless. I limped home. Then I stopped. I put it in low range. Noise gone! I drove home at 30mph.

 

My first thought was the transfer box had taken a burton, but speaking to the specialist I'm visiting on Tuesday, he thought this unlikely. My next though was something caught in the handbrake drum, which is on the back of the gearbox. So, off with the rear prop and off with the drum. There was a little dust in there, as you'd expect, and one tiny metal filing. I tipped this out. No signs of anything scraping though. Gave it a run without the rear prop - ie without going anywhere. Didn't sound very nice in fifth gear, but this is probably due to there being no actual load on the diffs. Bolted the rear prop back on and went for a drive. Beautiful! No untoward noises at all.

 

I think it only fair to report this little story (a PM also sent) given than Catsinthewelder has agreed to swap a BX for it. I believe this is know as 'the joy of old Land Rovers.'

[HillmanImp]

As much as I hate those DisAstras due to getting bumraped by one many moons ago, that is a steal for that money shirley?

 

In other news the stickers on the headlights worked. Result. I CAN HAZ MOT! And for the first time since forever I have actually managed to get a car MOT'd prior to it expiring. GET ME, I AM ORGANISED!

 

It has some advisories on the rear tyres which I will change next week and also that the CV boots are deteriorated. I looked at the boots, they are just old but are holding out. Will just keep an eye on them. 

[Mike D]

What engines in the Astra ?

It's the 1.8 16v

[wuvvum]

I've just been for the longest blat so far on the Cagiva.  Draining the tank and refilling with lovely fresh unleaded seems to have done the trick as once warmed up it ran fine.  I did a few miles on it and for the first time ever it was actually still running properly when I pulled back into the drive.  Oh, and it really does f*cking fly for a 125.  Turning circle is still utterly shit though.

[Sloth in a bowl]

The V40 has had its first wash in 4 months and about 7000 miles, it was a bit grubby.

[Cavcraft]

Oh, I do like the Astra and Corsa, but you won't be surprised by that. The Astra looks a steal, they're getting really well priced these days so will have to keep an eye out for one at some point.

 

Right, today I took a deep intake of breath and went to the garage I dropped the 306 off at for a MOT a good few weeks back now. They're a great set of lads, with a decent, honest boss and I'd told them no rush on the car. Anyhow he said it wanted a rear seat belt, a very small bit of welding, and some drop links and roll bars or whatever these things are. Asked him for a quote and he said it wouldn't be too painful, but I'd happily spend £300 on it if it needed it as the economics make it worth while. 

Anyhow when it's back I will probably have a fleet clear out and get shot of Cavalier, the Corsa auto (though hoping that will be gone soon anyhow) and my lad's Corsa C, leaving me the other B (the 1.0) and the 306.

[hairnet]

i almost bought a motorcycle from northern ireland for 245 quid

 

massive willpower was needed not to bid

 

even for that money it pwns all over my current chariot (320) (and the givi wingrack and boxes it came with are worth half the price of the bike)

 

NOT happy

[cort16]

It's the 1.8 16v

 

What do you think of it? I had a black 1.8 Coupe and thought it drove nice nice but it wasn't that quick. I was asking incase it was the 2.2 or the turbo as I'd be interested to hear  what they're like.

Your one looks like a bargain. Mine cost 500 quid but it needed an mot, which it obviously failed.

[Lord Sterling]

Popped into Oldbury for a quick recce of Train Station for Ma, spotted some shite in the carpark including a Green Triumph 2000. As we made our way back, I spotted a 1969 Riley 4 Seventy-Two, lovely car but it was in Arnold Shark showroom. I decided to turn around and brave the cheap suits and cold atmosphered showroom to snap a picture:

 

 

Soz for the shonky picture.

 

Apparently, the Riley belongs to Arnold Clark himself. It came as a part-exchange some years ago, it was then restored for old' Arnie. Or at least thats what I understand of what the saleswoman told me.

[derskine]

Drove the renault on the road for the first time yesterday, indicators stopped working literally the second I got off the driveway.

Was also still misfiring, today I decided to check the valve clearances and discovered the pushrod for cylinder 1 inlet wasn't there, a feel around in the black oil revealed a pushrod lying at the side. The adjusting rod on the rocker was extremely loose so the pushrod just fell out as soon as I tried to put it back in.

 

I reset all the inlet and exhaust rocker clearances to 8 and 10 thou respectively, and RESULT! The car runs absolutely fantastic now and has a great amount of power.

I've ordered a new flasher unit as the fuse was intact and I was getting 11V at the connectors the relay plugs into.

Strangely though the relay operated when out of the car with a 9V battery.

I really hope its the relay because the wiring under the steering cowling is a total nightmare.

[vulgalour]

I've been wanting a tow bar on the Princess, it's a handy thing, but getting one made new is out of budget at the moment.  Then I spotted this on eBay...

 

After getting confirmation it's for the correct type of Princess - was fitted to a 1979 1.7HL - I've stuck a bid on it.  Should be a very useful bit of kit for when I move house later this year as I should be able to get nearly everything I own in Dad's trailer and the Princess in one trip so no need to hire a van.

[dugong]

I thought that was some kind of hydrogas displacer until I saw the ball and realised it was a tow bar. 

To be honest, I'd copy the design with new bar sections - I've seen a 'good as new' tow hitch fail on a roundabout and it wasn't pleasant to watch. 

[vulgalour]

I'm planning to strip and rebuild it before it goes on the car, it's a really simple design so should be easy to copy if I need to go that route.  Really, if I put new fixings and make sure the old bar isn't rotten, how can it break?  I shan't be towing cars around with it, just a dinky box trailer.

 

Okay, maybe I want it to do at least one A-frame adventure with.  Be rude not to.

[Mr Lobster]

Apparently, the Riley belongs to Arnold Clark himself. It came as a part-exchange some years ago, it was then restored for old' Arnie. Or at least thats what I understand of what the saleswoman told me.

 

Arnie has a classic car collection of sorts - some of them get farmed out to various showrooms and theres a load in a museum up in Glasgow iirc.

[Jim Bergerac]

I remember him having some of them up for sale a few years back. One of which was a Facel-Vega.