Mingebag Diesel Motoring

[CortinaDave]

earlier in the week I bought probably the worst car in Scotland.. no appeal in an autoshite way, just a really crap old car.

 

Vectra LS in a nasty shade of burgundy, N reg, numerous dents (including a nicely crumpled wing) and sporadic rust. Interior dirtier than Courtney Love and 225k on the clock.

 

HOWEVER it has the isuzu 1.7TD in it and i bought it for 300 notes with tax til sept and ticket til december to take over the 200 mile round trip daily commute im having to do from the cortina. Scrap price is 220 a car here at the mo so I cant really lose.

 

It has a burst drivers seat that flaps about and is a thoroughly nasty place to be... but the 50mpg its returning on a run is WIN

 

Despite looking like a bag of crap and being a vectra it actually seems to be fairly reliable - 600 miles in 3 days and no sign of any issues. Its got to be the ultimate in pikey transport... moreso if i can get away with running it on veg oil... anyone know if it will take it?

[Station]

Think those engines/fuel pump will.

 

I agree, my mate had a non-turbo 2.0Di, there was something wrong with it if you like anything more than going to and from the shops. He constantly smoked joints and the ashtray was full of stubs, filling out over onto the floor, gear gaiter full of burn holes, side pockets jammed full of CD's without their cases (most of them mine ). The headlight bulbs didn't work, so he drove round with full beams on. Boot was crammed full of shite. He bought it for 9k nearly new and sold it a few years later for about 500 quid. Not a problem with the car, just with the owner.

Another workmate had identical one you had, N reg in burgundy, never washed. He sold it for a pint of lager.

My sister in law also had one. Equally bad, gearboxes and engine went, things fell off, etc. Surpringly, they feel really solid and well made. Think it's mostly a problem with lack of maintenance from owners, due to the massive amount that was sold!

[Richard]

Should do. Milford has just bought its older brother and it's thriving on a diet of used veg. This flying saucer effort on top of the fuel pump is what you have to look for, that means it's a Bosch and it can take veg.

 

 

I believe you need to carry spare fuel filters and be prepared to change them at the roadside. Milford is the expert on mingebag vegetarian motoring, I'm sure he'll be able to tell you all you need to know.

[CortinaDave]

Ace. I'll be down lidl's this afternoon then. I have to admit I'd have been happier if it was a cavalier... but there is a real appeal in driving a properly manky,shagged looking car. When I picked it up I got a mate to drive it back with me in front in the cortina... I couldnt stop laughing when a bloke pulled up next to us at a petrol station and looked in wonder at the cortina with big smiles, then turned his head to the vectra and visably grimaced. All it needs is a scabby dog in the back seat for full onslow style effect.

[Station]

Do you have any pics, just to see how horrible it is?

[Tayne]

/

[Pete-M]

You shouldn't be a happier shiter in a Cavalier, the Vectra is a far inferior car to the last of the Mk3 Cavs, and therefore supershite.

[Milford Cubicle]

Good work! Vectra must be pretty early as they only had the Isuzu TD for a short while.

What's so bad about a Vectra in comparison to a Cavalier? Aren't they basically the same car?

 

New vegetable oil from supermarkets isn't that cheap any more, they seem to have cottoned on to the fact that people are using it as diesel fuel again.

 

My rotten old Cavalier is indeed enjoying its diet of used vegetable oil greatly, it is a little bit modified though, with a 10mm bore fuel line, massive water filter in place of the diesel filter and a 'pipe in pipe' heat exchanger.

You don't really need to do anything if you're running on new oil in the summer though.

[Station]

Vectra and Cavalier were completely different cars mechanically.

[Milford Cubicle]

According to wiki they're both based on the GM2900 platform, though I believe the Vectra has IRS.

[Station]

That's a surprise, you couldn't swap anything over, the running gear is completely different.

 

You don't see many with this grille!

 

[CortinaDave]

i bought some veg oil from lidls..98p though which hardly makes it worth it. I'll scope out tescos... On the plus side its running on it no bother. How often am i likely to have to change the fuel filter?

 

Was at the scrappy today getting a tyre for it. £7 for a goodyear of some description. Happy days.

 

 

 

 

You can see the interstellar mileage through the thick film of slime

[Milford Cubicle]

The Vectra looks ok! I don't think you'll need to change the filter at all, but keep a spare just in case, tools to remove it with and make sure you can prime the it somehow (eg by keeping a small quantity of fuel in the car to fill the filter with).

 

It might be worth trying wholesalers like Bookers, Makro, etc. as they're often cheapest.

Tesco have just ramped their prices up to about 90p/l, but it's always fluctuating. Looks like Asdais the best bet

This thread is worth keeping an eye on, all the latest oil deals

http://www.vegetableoildiesel.co.uk/for ... 46&page=69

 

Here is my 'jakey' vegetarian transport

[meggersdog]

Looks like they all run on veg http://www.biomotors.co.uk/CarsVansV.html#Opel

 

Tesco's are at the moment doing one litre bottles 3 for two pounds fifty (83p a litre).The BOGOF on 3 litre bottles has finished.

If you're running fresh veg mix it with diesel and filter changes will be normal.As Milf described for used.

[messerschmitt owner]

I've been running fresh veg in the XM and just done a filter change - shouldn't have bothered!!

[Guest]

Doesn't look that bad, just swap some better stuff out of one of the many scrapped ones, see if you can obtain a set of Vauxhall trims, job done!

[Cavcraft]

Mate has a similar one with 270,000 odd on the clock. Never packed up on him even though it looks like a heap of shit and was once a taxi.

Said the power steering has been leaking fluid 'for the last couple of years' but he hasn't been arsed getting it fixed.

Pretty dull (understatement of the year) but should be reliable and good on juice.

The Isuzu is also a cajillion times better than later Di models. Would do a the odd filter change if running on vege oil but as the fuel will be new (not recycled) it shouldn't really be too bad.

[CortinaDave]

sounds like veg is the way to go then.. thanks for the tipoff on that website.

 

As you can see the information display is doing a fabulous job

 

 

The plan is just to run it until it breaks in some major way. Ive noticed it jumps out of fifth on a very odd occasion so i suspect the box will be its downfall... for the meantime though im happy to take advantage of its cheapness.

[Cavcraft]

Ref. the display unit: 'They all do that mate!'.

[dollywobbler]

Just put a post-it note over it saying 'Everything is ok!'

[kevin 900]

Just put a post-it note over it saying 'Everything is ok!'

Seconded.

 

My old one used to spout some TrafficMaster garbage periodically - 'Licence expired, blah, blah, blah, call 081 222****' etc etc

[Pillock]

Mine just used to continually moan about the oil level.

Only shut it up by putting some oil in the bloody thing.

[r.welfare]

My Omega's info display did that, I whipped it out, gave the multiplug a toot with contact cleaner and it all worked OK again. But I like the Post-It note idea better.

 

Can't be a bad motor for 300 sheets.

[Richard]

Just put a post-it note over it saying 'Everything is ok!'

Like this?

 

[MK5 Escort]

It doesn't look too bad at all for the money! I was expecting to see a proper heap! Amongst the first Vectra's too.

 

If memory serves me correctly, that shade of burgandy is 'Satin Red'. If not, it's very similar. It was also available for a few years in the mk4 Astra. That's just a bit of useless anorak information for you...

 

I'd certainly recommend a filter change and only using fresh veg oil. I’ve seen filters used on used oil and are not a pleasant sight after only 6000 miles or so.

 

As regards the information display, indeed, I've seen several that have played up. A few years ago I was in the back of an early Vectra taxi and it wasn't much better than that. You also tend to loose quite a bit of the information if the original radio, which is hooked up to it, is replaced.

 

Watch out for the bulb in the mileage clock. They tend to fade almost into darkness for some reason too, although yours looks pretty much as good as new.

[Milford Cubicle]

 

I'd certainly recommend a filter change and only using fresh veg oil. I’ve seen filters used on used oil and are not a pleasant sight after only 6000 miles or so.

RONG. New veg oil doesn't have anything in it capable of clogging fuel filters.

[pogweasel]

Looks alright to me.

I would drive about in that no bother. In fact it is just the sort of thing I OUGHT to be driving.

 

I am just amazed that you managed to find such an 'old' car in Scotland.

Seriously, I was working between Glasgow & Falkirk the other week and didn't see a motor older than about a "53" plate, even in Cumbernauld.

[Milford Cubicle]

Yeah, I feel like I'm driving some kind of Edwardian throwback in my 1994/M reg car!

The Scottish climate and attitude is quite harsh on old crocks.

[Richard]

The average age of cars is inversely proportional to the pikeyness of an area.

[gearoil]

 

I am just amazed that you managed to find such an 'old' car in Scotland.

Seriously, I was working between Glasgow & Falkirk the other week and didn't see a motor older than about a "53" plate, even in Cumbernauld.

Where were you working Pog?

 

Should have nipped round for a cup of finest slop and a nose at my decrepit Sierra collection.

 

Also, Costco are doing 20ltrs of veg oil for 14.99.