Car for life

[Bazfr69]

I was nowhere near finished my mental list of cars I wanted to own when my Beetle came along.

I’m pretty sure I’ll have it until one of us dies or I can’t drive it anymore. 

[GregZX]

2.5 years ago I bought a Citroen ZX on a whim. It's nothing special, probably slightly boring in 1.4i flavour.

However, I don't think I can let it go and I don't know why - maybe it's its 90s charm. It's worth fk all but I've turned it into a really nice, clean example. It has no rust and I've done a fair bit to it, getting it through three MOTs.

The engine has had a slight knock since my first few weeks of ownership and the power isn't as it should be with a little bit of fluctuating temperature.

However I'm prepared to keep it on the road with an engine rebuild or replacement (struggling to find a compatible TU3). Which is probably pretty idiotic.

[sheffcortinacentre]

The fact it's special to you is the most important bit.

I'm always getting the topgear petrol heads saying  Wanna sell it?  Wots it wurf? My reply causes total confusion, no & don't know/don't care . As they can't understand I'm not in it for the money/kudos ,but because  I like cortinas & I'm happy with what I've got.

[ChinaTom]

24 years with this - in too deep to part with it

[castros_bro]

Nott an car but still had it 30+ years.

 

[Bradders59]

On 20/07/2024 at 21:14, Wibble said:

I’ve had my Senator since it was 6 years old, so probably a keeper

 

I envy you. I had my 24v Senator for several years, but rust killed it in the end.  I loved that car. Still miss the digital dash among many other things..

Ive had my 3.2 Omega for about seven years now and dont plan on ever selling it. 

Now that Im middle aged, its a lovely thing to drive and suits me perfectly.

Paid £560 for it, and spent around £3000 in total on it since then.

It will always need bits and pieces doing, as any 20+ year old car does, but as long as Im able to work on it Im happy to do so.

The Boxster will almost certainly be looking for a new owner next year, and the C1 is just a little commute car, which will be replaced if it goes wrong, but the Omega is the one they can bury me in.

[IronStar]

11 hours ago, sheffcortinacentre said:

The fact it's special to you is the most important bit.

I'm always getting the topgear petrol heads saying  Wanna sell it?  Wots it wurf? My reply causes total confusion, no & don't know/don't care . As they can't understand I'm not in it for the money/kudos ,but because  I like cortinas & I'm happy with what I've got.

This is so annoying. I hate getting asked "What's it worth m9?", usually in Mini. I don't know. I don't care. It's not for sale. Yes, really. 

I really don't understand the question either. Do they expect people to keep checking the prices of cars they own? (re)build cars just for resale, not because they genuinely want/like that car? Why does it even matter if it's not for sale? I'm baffled. 

[castros_bro]

Kein Auto.    Number 138 for 20+ years.

[vulgalour]

On 22/07/2024 at 11:34, Urko said:

@vulgalour May I ask where you got the lights from and whether they are any good?  I have an application for some 5.75" lights of that type, but the prices are all over the place.

https://www.originalcaferacer.com/product/5-75-monaco-gp-led-headlight-pair-50w-drl-dot-e-marked/

I've not had them in long enough to say if they're good long term.  So far they've made night driving a more pleasant experience and put a lot less demand on my ancient wiring so I'm happy enough with them, even if they were a little pricey.  They do feel nicely made, no random sharp edges or bad finishing to them, and considering they do all the functions the price probably isn't terrible really.

[24vdiamond]

Had this for 30 years and is mega rare with just under 100 built using the 3.0 24V engine, 2 years old when I got it with 22000 miles, it now has 380000 ish miles on it and is now undergoing a major rust removal operation

 

 

 

[Wibble]

10 hours ago, Bradders59 said:

I envy you. I had my 24v Senator for several years, but rust killed it in the end.  I loved that car. Still miss the digital dash among many other things..

Ive had my 3.2 Omega for about seven years now and dont plan on ever selling it. 

Now that Im middle aged, its a lovely thing to drive and suits me perfectly.

Paid £560 for it, and spent around £3000 in total on it since then.

It will always need bits and pieces doing, as any 20+ year old car does, but as long as Im able to work on it Im happy to do so.

The Boxster will almost certainly be looking for a new owner next year, and the C1 is just a little commute car, which will be replaced if it goes wrong, but the Omega is the one they can bury me in.

They certainly are a nice thing to waft around in and so is an Omega!

[Wibble]

12 minutes ago, 24vdiamond said:

Had this for 30 years and is mega rare with just under 100 built using the 3.0 24V engine, 2 years old when I got it with 22000 miles, it now has 380000 ish miles on it and is now undergoing a major rust removal operation

 

 

 

That looks bloody lovely. Had a Carlton CDi before my Senator.

[sheffcortinacentre]

6 hours ago, IronStar said:

This is so annoying. I hate getting asked "What's it worth m9?", usually in Mini. I don't know. I don't care. It's not for sale. Yes, really. 

I really don't understand the question either. Do they expect people to keep checking the prices of cars they own? (re)build cars just for resale, not because they genuinely want/like that car? Why does it even matter if it's not for sale? I'm baffled. 

Because like most of the population they think happiness is having more money, possessions,status than anybody else.

Plus they think your to stupid to know what something is worth & they'll get it off you for nowt & make a killing selling it on  as that's what social media tells them will happen.

Last year was walking away from my daily MK3 EST (green one in pics) when a group of late teens/20's walked past not knowing  it was mine head knuckle dragger exclaimed look at that id have that kick widows out & race it.

I thought yes you would as you don't have the skill or talent to restore something just to wreck it.

Sure your parent would be so proud of you.

[sdkrc]

The Galaxie because it's cool as fuck and I'm in love with it. Hoping to make some progress with it this year. 

Some cool as fuck cars in this thread. Love to see em.

[GregZX]

On 21/07/2024 at 21:24, sheffcortinacentre said:

Best I can do at minute as it's blocked in by 2 others at moment ( one is mates 4 Dr GT that's mid resto) my daily MK3 GT estate.

It has a restored interior  to std Inc working 8 track ( bout 10 years ago) has a replica RS front blade spoiler darent fit the the real one as never seen another, date/part number correct RS 4 spokes (5).

Ran a 3.2 Essex V6 & 5speed until early 00's then replaced with a recon  302  V8 Windsor & T5 5speed, XR6  turreted & 5 linked rear, 4 wheel discs,6 points cage. Dual fuel equivalent of low 30's on LPG  on a run ( even towing my 80's esteril folding caravan).

The poor trailer is very rough at moment.

Easily done over 50k in my ownership. Will find some more pics & copy them.

Now you see why I'm the "Sheffield cortina centre"😁

Great cars. Get the spoiler 3D scanned so that you can then get one made if you needed it.

[juular]

This, because having something you can comfortably sleep in anywhere is a life changing thing.

Also, it's insanely practical, economical, comfy, and really nice to drive.

I'd bin off every other car if I had to, but never this.

[Dyslexic Viking]

58 minutes ago, juular said:

This, because having something you can comfortably sleep in anywhere is a life changing thing.

Also, it's insanely practical, economical, comfy, and really nice to drive.

I'd bin off every other car if I had to, but never this.

I had forgotten how incredibly nice your camper build is, a great job done on that.

[Urko]

3 hours ago, vulgalour said:

https://www.originalcaferacer.com/product/5-75-monaco-gp-led-headlight-pair-50w-drl-dot-e-marked/

I've not had them in long enough to say if they're good long term.  So far they've made night driving a more pleasant experience and put a lot less demand on my ancient wiring so I'm happy enough with them, even if they were a little pricey.  They do feel nicely made, no random sharp edges or bad finishing to them, and considering they do all the functions the price probably isn't terrible really.

Brilliant, many thanks

[IronStar]

3 hours ago, sheffcortinacentre said:

Because like most of the population they think happiness is having more money, possessions,status than anybody else.

Plus they think your to stupid to know what something is worth & they'll get it off you for nowt & make a killing selling it on  as that's what social media tells them will happen.

Last year was walking away from my daily MK3 EST (green one in pics) when a group of late teens/20's walked past not knowing  it was mine head knuckle dragger exclaimed look at that id have that kick widows out & race it.

I thought yes you would as you don't have the skill or talent to restore something just to wreck it.

Sure your parent would be so proud of you.

I guessed something similar, I hate it. 
Can we not enjoy what we, y’know, enjoy, without being so focused on the monetary value or status it brings? Who gives a flying fuck is it a tenner or a million. A person has it and seems to be enjoying it, that’s all that should matter, right? Not everything in life is about money. 

I get this feeling that even the folks that are genuinely interested in the car(s) I drive also ask the same stupid question. I had a guy talking to me today about the Florida for 20 minutes, telling me how his family had it when he was a kid, and loved seeing one in action, and all the other car stuff, and yet it didn’t stop him from asking how much was it. 0 interest in buying it. Not in the market for one. How does that bear any relation to the chat we were having? Why does it even matter? You like it enough to stop me on the street to talk about it, so how does monetary value come into play?

On the pulling a quick one on you, I really don’t get that either. Do they really believe in all the “reality” shows they watched about flipping cars? Are they that stupid to think that’s how it works? If they are, I have a cheap vintage brick to sell. Top value, saw it on whatever this week’s flavor of pawn shop show on their favorite channel is.

 

/rant

[sheffcortinacentre]

4 hours ago, GregZX said:

Great cars. Get the spoiler 3D scanned so that you can then get one made if you needed it.

It's a basic flat blade style approx 10mm thick, shaped to front valance , I've made two replicas by tracing around it one from plastic sofit lol the other Ali sheet for racer.

[sheffcortinacentre]

2 hours ago, IronStar said:

I guessed something similar, I hate it. 
Can we not enjoy what we, y’know, enjoy, without being so focused on the monetary value or status it brings? Who gives a flying fuck is it a tenner or a million. A person has it and seems to be enjoying it, that’s all that should matter, right? Not everything in life is about money. 

I get this feeling that even the folks that are genuinely interested in the car(s) I drive also ask the same stupid question. I had a guy talking to me today about the Florida for 20 minutes, telling me how his family had it when he was a kid, and loved seeing one in action, and all the other car stuff, and yet it didn’t stop him from asking how much was it. 0 interest in buying it. Not in the market for one. How does that bear any relation to the chat we were having? Why does it even matter? You like it enough to stop me on the street to talk about it, so how does monetary value come into play?

On the pulling a quick one on you, I really don’t get that either. Do they really believe in all the “reality” shows they watched about flipping cars? Are they that stupid to think that’s how it works? If they are, I have a cheap vintage brick to sell. Top value, saw it on whatever this week’s flavor of pawn shop show on their favorite channel is.

 

/rant

Most of them I come across do believe it ( I swear the human race is devolving)  they think it's gospel, several antique dealers I've spoken too say it's the same in that world due to all the bargain hunt type shows.

The repair shop has the best philosophy most of the items are worthless in the antiques world but are priceless to the owners due to the memories they evoke.

I built the MK3 racer from junk , it's rock solid has all new brakes  it is a gen prefacelift 2dr GT & it annoys the hell out of the rivet counters ( which I love) it has a fake race history in the window at shows all tongue in cheek which is hilarious to eavesdrop on especially if someone else twigs while the "experts" are commenting.

Example it has a weathered build plate on the slam panel ( mentioned on the window display) that says it was prepared by A.C.M Engineering, elffished, No ts.  Back in the day.

[loserone]

I'm not surprised given it's also your surname.  Looks like a great example 

[barefoot]

The problem with keeping cars a long time is that they become worth more and you tend to use them less. I've had my 1303 since 1985 but it's not turned a wheel in 5 or more years. My 944S just celebrated its 30th year with me by suffering with sticky brakes, after a couple of years of infrequent use. It now requires either 4 lovely new callipers from Porsche at £900 each! Fucking what? Or a bit of a rebuild. The bay has been owned for just 28 years and seems to be OK despite less frequent use at the mo. It only really seems to go out to VW shows and for camping holidays, although I try to use it daily for a week or so before each longer journey. My Scirocco was bought from this very site as a winter beater - just fourteen years ago and continues in daily use, whilst my modern, an '02 Rover 75 has also ceased to be used very regularly, now that the fair wife doesn't take it for a 50 odd mile commute every day.

[danthecapriman]

10 hours ago, sheffcortinacentre said:

Most of them I come across do believe it ( I swear the human race is devolving)  they think it's gospel, several antique dealers I've spoken too say it's the same in that world due to all the bargain hunt type shows.

The repair shop has the best philosophy most of the items are worthless in the antiques world but are priceless to the owners due to the memories they evoke.

I built the MK3 racer from junk , it's rock solid has all new brakes  it is a gen prefacelift 2dr GT & it annoys the hell out of the rivet counters ( which I love) it has a fake race history in the window at shows all tongue in cheek which is hilarious to eavesdrop on especially if someone else twigs while the "experts" are commenting.

Example it has a weathered build plate on the slam panel ( mentioned on the window display) that says it was prepared by A.C.M Engineering, elffished, No ts.  Back in the day.

I love it when people do things like that!

Its so funny when you then get some know-it-all ‘I’ve been to elevenerife’ type standing there telling everyone he’s seen it race in the day etc etc😄

 

I once had some Irish guy knock the door wanting to buy my old Granada, he seemed polite enough but then asked what I thought it was worth as he wanted to make an offer for it. 
I dodged the question because it wasn’t for sale regardless, but he then started rambling off all this absolute bollocks about the cars. And it was absolute bollocks too! It’s almost like these people think you know nothing about your own car and hobby! Apparently the mk2 Granada was a very unsuccessful vehicle for Ford!!

It gets so boring in the end though hearing the same type of people talking the same shite. It’s easier to just let them carry on and get the hell out of there.

[4wheeledstool]

It doesn't see much use, but I can't imagine being without this thing.

I might treat it to an engine overhaul one day, its getting a bit clattery these days.

[MantaGTE85]

On 24/07/2024 at 07:23, Simon_punto said:

Had this 10 years now, longest I’ve ever owned a car, and it has got me through some tough times in my life.

perfect spec, and more importantly colour for me, as I grew up in the back of one and I doubt I’ll find another like this.

plus I’ve spent far too much on it and have no idea what it’s worth. I have thought of selling it to buy a Tipo sedicivavole but can’t bring myself to do it.

That's a cracker, I haven't seen a 5-dr mk1 for many years. I remember that colour on many launch examples, Explosive Yellow I think it was called. The wheels look to be the same as the ones on my previous Punto, a Tizian Red 1998 1.2 85 Sporting, S236EEH, owned from 2000 until 2009 when I replaced it with an ex-demo '08 Grande Punto 1.3 MultiJet Dynamic in New Orleans Blue, which I still own. I did 70,000 miles in the Sporting over my 9 years with it, and aside from the car starting to feel a little 'too loose' in its later years, nothing at all went wrong with it, and it was a good fun car to drive, really quick and economical. The interior was very well-made. My current Grande Punto MultiJet, on the other hand, is coming to the end of its life I fear, as lots of little electrical and Euro 4 diesel-related issues are developing and it's starting to corrode in many important areas underneath, and it's now on 138000 miles. But it's served me very well as these things go and it's never actually let me down. It may have to leave me this year or next year though, I still don't know what to replace it with.

[barefoot]

Something that I don't think has been said in this thread yet; I firmly believe that any car will last for just as long as you're prepared to keep spending money on it. 

Cars in my past have certainly died in short order when I've decided that I'd had enough of them.

[95 quid Peugeot]

On 24/07/2024 at 07:23, Simon_punto said:

 

Exploit yellow mmmmmm

[Liggle]

On 23/07/2024 at 18:30, 24vdiamond said:

Had this for 30 years and is mega rare with just under 100 built using the 3.0 24V engine, 2 years old when I got it with 22000 miles, it now has 380000 ish miles on it and is now undergoing a major rust removal operation

 

 

 

Thats a local plate to me, do you know who supplied it new?

[Liggle]

I am yet to find something I'd hang to long term, my first MK1 MR2 came close and I bought another with rose tinted glasses but it was never the same.

Bike wise, I'll never part with this now its on the road:



Slowest thing on the road being a 49cc but in June it covered more miles than my car pootling around!