expensive business this car malarkey!!!

[scooters]

Motoring mayhem at my end - XM going well - 3000 in January - 2 new firestones up front - exhaust blowing badly form cat though and gets a bit monoxidey in the cabin over time - also blow from the manifold gasket whch needs sorting - I have identified the ABS issue - only happens when wet so dirty sensors suspected. Is due to be MOT'd on 16th - may well shell out for a service - this is a wonderful long distance machine.Golf - well - the MOT is up in March - the golf has suffered this winter - I have discovered that whoever put the new roof on 2 years ago fited it wrongly which has caused the car to leak bady this winter - Last weekend I noticed 3 inches of water in the passsenger footwell - carpets soaked - seats damp and with mould growing on them. I am going to get it into my new lock up pronto and remove the carpets and give it a good dry. Am in 2 minds what to do with this - am tempted to flog it on the cheap as is but also may well keep and sort....needs a new battery....Daihatsu - keeps going on and on and on - bullet proof and tough as you like - the wife loves it!! - needs an MOT this months - only the horn isn't working but I suspect a dodgey fuse as the fuse box is missing it's lid and lives in the engine bay and is filthy - I bought a good 2nd had one which I will fit at the weekend. I most say it is a cracking carVolvo - going ok but the clutch needs looking at as now juddering and very high bite point. Nicky drives on the clutch so doesn't suprise me.Morris - has suffered this winter with a few bits of rust bubbling through - on the roof gutter - very small bit of bubbling and the bottom of the boot lid - the near side front wing is suffering a bit and the floor has some surface rust it dien't have in the summer. I have replaced the choke cable and given it a tune up. It also needs a new battery and I need to get the front and rear seat belts fitted properly and to start using the car...Daf 44 - needs new clutch shoes and a dry afternoon and the assistance of 2 members of the Daf owners club who understand the mechanics of these wonderful wacky cars. TBH once I sort the Daf I may well sell the Moggy - the Daf is a more practical classic for a family man.oh joy....It will be an expensive few months:Golf - moth ball till the spring then sort - costs - £50 new batteryXM..Exhaust sorting - £200, Window repairs - £200 - Tyres £420Daihatsu - MOT - £50 (hopefully)Volvo - Clutch - £200Morris - Battery £35, clutch cable £14.50, Daf - clutch shoes - £85 - MOT - £50so....ouch!priority are the tools - the XM and the VolvoMorris and Daihatsu next good news is that I now have 3 lock ups - one in Luton (Daf) 2 in Edinburgh (Moggy and Golf) although one of those is full of rubbish at the moment.

[dollywobbler]

Add that all up though, and it's probably a lot less than a numpty spends on ONE car that's got a nice new number plate on it.

[Justin Case]

Add that all up though, and it's probably a lot less than a numpty spends on ONE car that's got a nice new number plate on it.

Yes, a touch over £1300 may seem a lot to shell out, but it will keep not one but five interesting cars on the road for a while, whereas I can't think of many new cars that wouldn't lose that amount the minute they are driven off the forecourt. Enjoy them

[scooters]

ok - rationalisation is coming....

 

here is the plan

 

- XM is coming off the road - quote for service and repairs (these are very complex cars and beyond me) will be around a grand - no point in skimping as they need fettling. So I will mothball until I can afford it.

 

- Volvo - Clutch is a Priority so wil be doing that

 

XM being replaced in the short term with this beast which I bought today -

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... K:MEWNX:IT

 

will keep the XM but I can't afford to do the work at this stage.

 

Toys

 

- the Moggy is up for sale that will a/pay for a new interior for the Golf and help towards the cost of a respray and b/free up the couple of hundred I need to get the Daf up to condition 1.

[ChinaTom]

Hope you've got a substantial petrol budget!!!

[dollywobbler]

Wouldn't leave the XM too long. Hydraulic Citroens do not respond well to lack of use...

[scooters]

naah - it will only be for 4 weeks or so - after that the novelty of tank driving will have worn off I can assure you!

[whitevanman]

So having bought a big 4x4...are you getting rid of the little 4x4 ?

[scooters]

I think for the time being we will hold onto the Daihatsu - the missus likes it and we do need a reliable runabout up here for the weekends when i leave my vehicle i the south and fly up -serious rationalisation of the fleet needs to happen - I just do not have the time to run all the toys - in 8 weeks time i want to go to:volvodafshogun or XMdaihatsu- manageable and some shite - the 44 being the toy

[UglyAmerican]

Funny that this thread would be up today. I just picked up the Civic from the mechanic. Previous owner totally f'ed up the last brake job. I needed new pads and rotors up front, new drums in the back, new brake shoes in the back.$450 including labor!I hope this thing lives up to Honda's rep of living forever.

[Andrew353w]

Tell me when you're planning to do the Daf clutch-I'd love to help/watch/make tea etc. I really miss those cars!

[UglyAmerican]

XM and Daf... You're a hero. What kind of Daihatsu is it? Charade?

[STUNO]

Last weekend I noticed 3 inches of water in the passsenger footwell - carpets soaked - seats damp and with mould growing on them.

It takes a lot for this man to notice things are DAMP!

[scooters]

XM and Daf... You're a hero. What kind of Daihatsu is it? Charade?

XM - Daf - Mad more like! The XM has caned 4000 miles since I bought it in November and now requires some serious fettling which with XMs means you have to be an Electro Physisist with a passing interest in hydraulics. (spelling boy!) - the Daf is actually quite simple - only you have to learn lots of stuff you don't find on other cars - flat 2 aircooled engine for starters, then there is the variomatic, the vacuum system, the complex centrifugal clutch - there seems to me lots of opportunities to loose fingers working on a Daf - whereas most cars you just scrape your knuckles - the Daf is all springs and nasty ones at that!The Daihatsu is a Sportrak - Daihatsu's attempt at a hairdresser's car - only they forgot to remove the hay bale, the dog and the pikey blue plastic string holding the number plate in place - but wait....it is a soft top! - yes if you have a socket wrench, a strong friend and 1/2 an hour the roof does come off to enjoy the "lifestyle" - cant wait to take it down the Kings Road in augustI believe that the Sportrak qualifies as autoshite mainly because it failed miserably in the role it was marketed to do - ie transport urban hairdressers with an interest in sport and utilities....the main reasons why it failed is that it is still a truck under the 'leccy windaes - this makes it quite a good if slow lightweight 4x4 optionlol