90's cars with no particular following

[paulscavalier]

Here is a very, very typical example.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The car has reached this extremely dangerous age that most 90s to early Noughties cars have reached now. It can be bought for very little money, but if it is supposed to seriously grow old, it requires a substantial investment straight away. Bodge repairs on the cheap will not help, this needs to be done properly and if serious preservation is desired, one would have to do a lot more to it than merely fix the immediate defects. It needs mechanical work, cosmetic work and interior work. Tucking the car away and deferring those bills will have no other effect than making them a lot higher at a later time. There are only very few people out there who are idealistic and enthusiastic enough to actually clap together their arse cheeks and pull out the debit card, fully aware that there won't be a ROI for a long time, if ever. At the same time, there are fewer and fewer garages that want to carry out such work, let alone understand the desire to have this work done to tip top standard. At least that's the experience I have when I want such work done on my worthless chod.

That’s why my Cavalier Colorado has lasted as long as it has. Bought as a family car in 2000 when it was a mere 7 years old it has been serviced on the dot every year and through the years has had work done on it when it’s needed it. It has been reliable and hasn’t had a big failure so has rolled its way through the years. It did earn a semi retirement when mrs car got a small runaround of her own. It’s finest moment has to be a family holiday in 2016 to Devon when it did 1000 miles in a week with no problems.

[xtriple]

For cars on the endangered list...do the MK2 MR2's have any following much or getting restored or tucked up in nice garages?

Hell yes, especially the turbos!  My lad is active in their group and owns a lovely mk2 turbo that he uses infrequently (I've never even seen it!) and prices are on the up.

[xtriple]

I'd like to add 'cooking' Mercedes, CLK' seem to be worth the square root of fuck all and I can't understand it. I really like mine: it is comfortable, well equipped, fast(ish) and does everything pretty well and parts prices are reasonable. Maybe a bit too 'sporty' for my taste, but for values, I would have thought that was a good thing?

[John F]

paulscavalier, on 07 Jan 2019 - 4:39 PM, said:

That’s why my Cavalier Colorado has lasted as long as it has. Bought as a family car in 2000 when it was a mere 7 years old it has been serviced on the dot every year and through the years has had work done on it when it’s needed it. It has been reliable and hasn’t had a big failure so has rolled its way through the years. It did earn a semi retirement when mrs car got a small runaround of her own. It’s finest moment has to be a family holiday in 2016 to Devon when it did 1000 miles in a week with no problems.

 

Cavaliers are truly ace cars. I only got rid of my 1994 2.0 SRi back in 2007 when my current Calibra turned up at a price I couldn't resist.

[Tamworthbay]

They probably won't bring the name back now or even make an equivalent ford coupe because we get the mustang on these shores.

I keep hoping for a Fiat 500 treatment but I doubt it will ever happen.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

BMW 8 Series? An odd mash up of saloon/coupe/ sportscar with the then modish pop-up headlamps. Does anyone cherish these apart from dealers trying to flog them?

 

I'm sure there are a select few who keep theirs. E31s never pretended to be cheap to own or run, and they never sold in anything like the kind of numbers that its predecessor shifted.

[sierraman]

They did, but soon learnt new skills and adapted. Now, when a flippin' battery needs coding to a car, (and there's not an easy work around) I can see people just giving up and scrapping 2010+ cars for the most minor of issues.

Give it time and you’ll be able to get the software to re code it. Same for EPB, years ago it was a dealer job, now you can buy the software to retract the pads on your Passat that 5-6 years ago you couldn’t.

[John F]

I'd happily lick an 8 Series, although it would have to have a manual gearbox.

 

Someone sold an 840 in here years ago on behalf of a friend, they only wanted around £2k for it. I missed out on it by 12 minutes, and still regret not being a bit faster at spotting the thread.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

I'd happily lick an 8 Series, although it would have to have a manual gearbox.....

 

That limits you to the 6-speed 850CSi. Very expensive.

 

The 840 was an automatic.

[John F]

Tadhg Tiogar, on 07 Jan 2019 - 5:31 PM, said:

That limits you to the 6-speed 850CSi. Very expensive.

 

The 840 was an automatic.

 

Nope, IIRC a 6-speed manual box was an option for both the 840 and 850. But I'll have an 850 CSi if you insist (and are buying it for me, lol)

 

EDIT: Yep, see e.g. https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C897644

[AlabamaShrimp]

[Partridge]

Ahem.

[bramz7]

Hey there's an FB page for 605s you know. With about 15 members?!

 

Fuck why I did sell mine?

[Junkman]

Theres plenty of tidy old Rover 75’s about that fiscally speaking it makes no sense chucking hundreds at a clapped out one. Better to use it for parts.

 

It doesn't matter whether it's a Rover, or anything else. It doesn't matter whether it's tidy(er), or not.

90s cars now have a quarter century old suspension bushes, seals, gaskets, gaitors, whatever, that need replacing.

They have a quarter century old wiring harnesses and connectors.

They are comparatively complex and need their cambelts and other stuff serviced, like auto boxes and God knows what.

After having bought my tidy 49,000 mile estate I had to sink 800 quid into it immediately, not counting the paint rectification I had done.

Since then I had two more bills of that magnitude and it will eventually need the dreaded rear axle overhaul.

Again, the paint rectification is not included in those sums and it still needs the roof repainted next, also a new headliner.

The maintenance backlog of the saloon is equally not unimpressive and it, too, needs paint rectification.

Nobody can convince me it isn't the same with the chod that's attempted to be qualified off as 'desirable' here, just the bills will be even higher.

Rear shocks, a set of tyres and an exhaust system of a Ghibli anyone? And have fun finding a garage willing to work on it.

[Partridge]

15 isn't a following, it's more of a crowd that's just to big to host at home. I was on that page but left - too much "willy waving" for me.

I thought you would regret selling it. It's probably the best one left!

[Kringle]

Until he drove it into a post you mean?

[Cheggers]

I'd happily lick an 8 Series, although it would have to have a manual gearbox.

 

Someone sold an 840 in here years ago on behalf of a friend, they only wanted around £2k for it. I missed out on it by 12 minutes, and still regret not being a bit faster at spotting the thread.

That was me helping a mate shift his 840. I wonder what became of it...?

[bramz7]

Until he drove it into a post you mean?

 

Yeah I did do that, and it was more of a train station car park support pillar than a post....

Pretty sure it still has the paint on it.

[mat_the_cat]

Omega diesel was not pleasant..pez ones are lovely..............

 

Agreed. My FIL had an ex-police manual MV6, used as a training car so only had 60k miles when it come out of service. That went and handled better than you'd expect for an estate of that size. I would wax lyrical about the huge loadspace, but the only photo I can find of it was when we went to collect a hen house and didn't manage to fit it in!

 

[Split_Pin]

Rover 75s have a big following, some just choose not to acknowledge it because that's what suits them. Look at the prices for decent examples nowadays.

 

I'm sick and tired of everyone trying to shout the loudest these days. This started as an interesting thread which appeared to be about cars which were truly Autoshite but now it's just become strongly opinionated, generalised and boring.

 

If my opinion were ever to count for anything, life is too short to preserve every car we like. Follow whatever marque you like, drive, enjoy and then bin it or roffle it so you can move on.

 

Junkman and one or two others tried to make good points but to no avail.

[John F]

On 1/7/2019 at 7:04 PM, Junkman said:

 

 

...

[John F]

That was me helping a mate shift his 840. I wonder what became of it...?

 

No idea, the buyer faded from sight almost immediately afterwards. The git...

[Eddie Honda]

Blah, blah, blah, not counting the paint rectification I had done.

Blah, blah, blah, the paint rectification is not included in those sums and it still needs the roof repainted next, also a new headliner. Blah, blah, blah, and it, too, needs paint rectification.

Are yer well? All this paint retification patter is most disturbing.

 

 

[Snipes]

I think that the 90's, was the first decade that cars had become 'white goods', so unless they were at the two extremes ( luxury / sporty, or expected to be terrible eastern block etc.) then they will slip under the radar, like your old Ferguson Videostar, Hoovermatic washer, Baxi boiler or Cannon misermatic gas fire. The 2000's and the 10's will be the same.

I would say it goes back even earlier, to at least the 70s.

[sierraman]

Rover 75s have a big following, some just choose not to acknowledge it because that's what suits them. Look at the prices for decent examples nowadays.

 

I'm sick and tired of everyone trying to shout the loudest these days. This started as an interesting thread which appeared to be about cars which were truly Autoshite but now it's just become strongly opinionated, generalised and boring.

 

If my opinion were ever to count for anything, life is too short to preserve every car we like. Follow whatever marque you like, drive, enjoy and then bin it or roffle it so you can move on.

 

Junkman and one or two others tried to make good points but to no avail.

So long as you are happy with whatever you are doing then you don’t need to seek other people’s approval.

[Junkman]

Are yer well? All this paint retification patter is most disturbing.

 

donotpaint.png

 

 

It really could do with a complete respray.

[Matty]

Someone's hacked him

[tooSavvy]

Re: ToMM

 

I would love to clog the forum with detailed reporting of bodging NLS parts, trips to WeldingSupplies for moar wire and hilariously contorted FTP shenannigans..

 

End....

[lesapandre]

First series Saab 9-3? I saw a saloon for the first time in ages yesterday. Any following? Looked ok if a little bland. Good condition .

[LightBulbFun]

And vans...Citroen dispatch and equivalents seem destined to disappear- like the Citroen C35 and Talbot...unless its a motorhome. Can't remember when I saw any of these in the wild.

 

I think this is true for a lot of older van types in general

 

unless in camper van form, sod all examples are still around which makes me sad