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Bramz ever changing fleet merry go round.


bramz7

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  • 3 weeks later...

So the Audi sold on eBay today, and the seller has already been in contact to collect it, and it sold for more than I paid for it. That doesn't happen often. It was a good daily for the 1600 miles I did in it, but I won't especially miss it, it was painfully uncomfortable for me and wasn't that great to drive.

The C5 has grown on me in the week or so since I got it. To begin with, the car felt weird, the ride was a bit (modern) off for me and the clutch felt a bit shit in first gear. However, after some research online, the resounding message about the 2.2 HDI was that it needed to be used smoothly, and was more of a wafter than a speed machine. The peak torque is quite low down, and the peak power is quite high up, (2k vs 4k, not seen the latter yet), so it does need some smooth gearchange action or it feels a bit shunty on and off with the clutch, of course this could also be a sign that the DMF is breaking...

I drove it back last night through some magnificent gusts and rain and it was unflappable, tearing past (within speed limits) other cars. It actually gets all rather quiet and peaceful at motorway speeds and rides beautifully. Whilst the steering is a bit wooden and devoid of feedback, it handles quite well for what is essentially a double bed on wheels. I haven't bothered trying out the SPORT suspension yet as I have always been of the mindset that some buttons shouldn't be teased with temptation. 

The interior plastic is utterly crap however and the gigantic blob dashboard is an impressive heat sink giving the car an almost constant stuffy feeling in these warmer months. This one doesn't even have air con so the coldest setting has no impact on the heat, and the huge windows need to be nearly down fully for sufficient ventilation. The seats are good, really good, despite a low level of adjustment available which I suspect is down to the side airbags.....

Some odd features inside it, for example double sun visors, one for swinging to the side if necessary, and the other a back up for the windscreen. The windows go up when the wipers come on too. It does have loads of storage too, there is a hugely deep cubby hole to the right of the steering wheel, door pockets AND pull out bins, and a drawer under the seat! And an actual working cup holder. Yeesh.

Overall it's actually a reasonable car. It has some weird creaks and flapping noises from underneath (I think the sump guard is broken), the fuel economy seems to stick around 40/42 without any change, and I've managed to squeeze 530 miles out of the tank so far without the light coming on, so it could be worse. 

I had some mouth breather on Marketplace trying to tell me it was only worth £200 as its  Citroen C5, how depressing you life must be to barter at the bottom end of the market eh? I find myself wanting to try out one of the fabled AS favourite Lagunas now, and maybe a 607, although they never seem to be cheap. As for the C5, I will keep it until it kills itself. Might be tomorrow, might be months away! 

 

 

Oh yeah and the AX still hasn't been touched. Sigh.

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A young lad in my office has been gifted his elderly granddad's old motor. It's a 55-plate Laguna Initiale 2.0 turbo hatch, black leather and 6-speed box, 44k on the clock.... Jammy bastard. Unsurprisingly he's not even that into it, it's just some free wheels but it looks like my 'dream Gooner'. Why am I telling you this? Basically to say you should get one of these ace motors.

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4 minutes ago, Mr_Bo11ox said:

A young lad in my office has been gifted his elderly granddad's old motor. It's a 55-plate Laguna Initiale 2.0 turbo hatch, black leather and 6-speed box, 44k on the clock.... Jammy bastard. Unsurprisingly he's not even that into it, it's just some free wheels but it looks like my 'dream Gooner'. Why am I telling you this? Basically to say you should get one of these ace motors.

Find him something he wants as a swap.  

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One of those 200hp Laguna's sold on eBay the other day for sub £600. Good length ticket and impeccable history too. Nuts right?!

Sadly most people seem to know that putting one on auction is financial suicide so very few are. My C5 was £448. 

 


http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201908101009750?atmobcid=soc3

 

Sort of fancy this but as per is miles away. 

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5 minutes ago, Mr_Bo11ox said:

A young lad in my office has been gifted his elderly granddad's old motor. It's a 55-plate Laguna Initiale 2.0 turbo hatch, black leather and 6-speed box, 44k on the clock.... Jammy bastard. Unsurprisingly he's not even that into it, it's just some free wheels but it looks like my 'dream Gooner'. Why am I telling you this? Basically to say you should get one of these ace motors.

Also he can have my C5 for the Laguna if he wants. 

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Audi should be going tomorrow. As I agreed to purchase a local BMW off of this very forum, that meant I had to secure some cheap wheels for a month. Doesn't sound too unlike my regular routine. Found something quite easily, and not that far away either. 

Collected today. Being brutally honest, compared to how the Audi feels after 174k (tight as a drum), this feels very baggy and used, there is a very distinctive loose feeling to the front end, probably exacerbated by one shot tyre. It sounds very van like and is slow to accelerate until the turbo kicks in, maybe that's normal for these engines though, I know that emission standards were starting to strangle a lot of the older stuff at the time. 

Yes it's an RXE, yes it tells me when there is anything odd going on, yes turning on the sidelights also turns on a service lamp, yes I've been warned not to use the rear heated window as if interferes with other things....

But

The AC works, and so does everything else. 

It does feel a bit more strained at 70 than the Audi with its extra gear, but it's not too bad. Maybe the throttle cable is stiff. 

 

 

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Things I've noticed with the MK1 Laguna:

-Ventilation is seriously top notch. Even with the air con off, there is an incredible amount of air getting into the cabin. 

-its loaded with toys. Renault seem to do this quite a lot with near end of line models. Admittedly the RXE was top spec. 

-Visibility is second to none. There is a lot of glass. 

-it manages to pair a modern (well, for the era) interior with a clattery diesel in ways I've not seen before. 

-Whilst the slab plastics are a bit kids toys like, they've not worn at all. Aside from the bleached dash top. Even most of the LEDs work. 

I'm pretty sure it will have to be scrapped though, as it's not a great example to drive. Anti roll bar bushes clonking away, possible failing front struts, incredibly weighty steering suggests PAS issues, squeaky pulleys....I mean it could be saved but you'd need to be a pure yellow diamond masochistic individual to do so. If anyone wants it in three weeks, £225 would acquire it. 

Assuming it's not died on me beforehand

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

More fleet news. 

 

Laguna has gone to a new home. Shiter of course. 

AX still won't run properly. Real slow burner this one.

Picking up two new cars from the forum soon.

 

 

Oh 

And I picked this up the other day. IMG_20190915_145439.thumb.jpg.7f38222952fa68ed615002669f44b61e.jpg

MVIMG_20190915_145453.thumb.jpg.842266f304145957ccdb0c09b862fefa.jpg

IMG_20190915_145448.thumb.jpg.183b47eb02c1101be10cd43646f8df3b.jpgIMG_20190915_145510.thumb.jpg.43b3fa16a33cd75a194de090edc825e6.jpg

 

Was it worth the £470? Probably not, as it's got a seriously wobbed rear arch, a massive scar down the passenger side, a dragging throttle cable (which is getting worse!) And very short MOT. 

But by God it rides super smooth, has brand new front discs and tyres, new front spheres and immaculate strut tops. It's a super rare VSXI Turbo, which was a 1997 only model, about as close to an Activa estate as you can get. 

The leather interior is in top shape too, and it's marvellously comfortable. 

The clutch is a tad high but doesn't slip, so not a big issue. 

 

I can't really keep it though. Two is my maximum, here at least, and I've offered it to someone to buy/borrow....but I do already quite like it, it's not quick but it's superbly wafty. 

 

Anyone want to store it for me if my friend doesn't want it? 

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The throttle has begun to stick on the Xantia. Nothing as bad as the 309 which proved difficult not to crash, but the cable or mechanism attached to are definitely sticking. 

Other people have mentioned similar issues with the same engine. 

I accidentally pulled away a bit of sill the other day too, it's not done well on the drivers side. Passenger side is still ok.

 

Best leathers I've ever had though. Better than the phase two as well, as these haven't been hardened by side airbags.

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So this happened:

IMG_20190927_171928_812.thumb.jpg.c408572213933a00579d65c3f15f1e94.jpg

 

Probably a long time coming. I'd seen it on eBay in 2016 or so when the original owner was selling up due to damage caused by an errant bin lorry. I did consider bidding but my living situation wasn't ideal.

I then ended up buying it from MrSchwifty who was the winner of it on eBay, so things came around nicely. 

I've not owned a proper old car like this for a while now, I suspect the much missed R18 diesel estate I had was most similar, although dynamically this trounces it. 

It's very eager to go, but I had forgotten how sensitive carb fed cars are, every breath on the throttle does something, no numb pedals here. 

IMG_20190927_162610.thumb.jpg.12703d8e938e9194f740ac3bf4faa7ac.jpg

 

Probably the best mix of softness and firmness I've had in an old car. I've got it just about right adjustment wise too, so even better. Curiously it smells like a mix of the Saab 900 I had and a 205....

Driving wise it's much like a bigger 205 but with more appeal. I know most of you on here love 205s but I've always been a bit underwhelmed, to me the AX was the better compact PSA car of the era....

Overall, I like it, a lot. As it doesn't seem to have any huge issues urgently needing remedy, it's a much more comfortable acquisition. Long term plans are being formulated, let's see what happens. 

Also, I won a 405 the other day. Does anyone anywhere near me or Mr Kakao have storage I can use for a short while? I'm not averse to paying for storage.....

 

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