What car costs £2.18 a mile to run?...update

[boobydoo]

 

 

Ahhh! A brace of Tagora (Tagori?) freshly MOT'd outside the MOT station last week looking all innocent and lovely!!

 

Don't be fooled...the red one is a MONEY PIT!!!

 

Unfortunately, I am not a practical 'hands-on' person when it comes to car maintenance, so last March (2009), I spent £1555.69 getting it through its first MOT in 7 years...ok, that included 4 new Michelin TRX tyres at £166 each, full service, new clutch slave cylinder and master cylinder, welding of exhaust blah blah....

 

This year, I thought that having done only 1100 miles in it in 18 months and having been tucked up over winter under a nice cover in a garage, it might just pass an MOT with not too much trouble.

 

Errr....just had a bill for £594.26 excluding me providing a new brake master cylinder at £60. It also needed new starter motor and brake overhaul, cleaning of carburettor jets, new plugs, oil and filter. Plus the exhaust is pretty near knackered which means a new one will have to specially made as a Tagora SX doesn't appear on any stockists availability list.

 

So, I've worked out that since March 2009 the car has cost £2.18 a mile to run!! This includes payment for a couple of fuel issues last autumn, plus three RAC call outs...oh and a rear wheel arch repair when I scraped it reversing into the garage.

 

Can anyone beat this?

[dollywobbler]

Look at the picture again. It's worth it! That's a superb shot. Hmmmm. Tagoras...

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Drive them more!!! The cost per mile will come wanging down.

[trigger]

Autoshite Calender's December 2011 photo right there.

[morris_ital_lover]

£2.18 a mile ain't bad, since it enables you to have a third tagora, it might be costingan armand a leg but surely that picture alone just makes it worth it?

 

m0rris

[Pillock]

I did 12,000 miles in a Scirocco only having to buy a header tank sender (£6.50) and MoT it (£40). No servicing (bad Pillock!), no repairs, no parts.

 

By my reckoning, that's a third of a penny a mile

[Guest]

Try not to worry about the cost, just wear a smart suit and drive around with your arm on the windowframe, then you'll feel like whatever it costs is worth it.

[eddyramrod]

oh and a rear wheel arch repair when I scraped it reversing into the garage.

 

I'm proud of you! How many people have enough brain cells to remember what their instructor taught them? And why did he teach us all to reverese IN not OUT? For fun? No, it's a required element for our test. If we were supposed to reverse out, that would be the required element. Now if only we can get architects to design car park spaces that can be used in a legal fashion...

[boobydoo]

Oh! I just realised I didn't include road tax, petrol and insurance in my workings......AAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!!!!

 

I won't even bother!!!

[barrett]

If it cost £100/mile it would still (probably) be worth it.... just look at them! I'm going to make this picture my desktop background if you don't mind!

[Alexg]

U Sir are a legend

[Milford Cubicle]

Including the cost of buying it, and servicing my car has cost about 91p/mile. But it's about 1/1000th as appealing as your Tagoras, so I lose anyway.

[garethj]

The Tagora was personally approved my Mr LJK Setright himself. With that, and the full admiration of Autoshite, any cost is worth it

 

ps if you want a hand doing servicing stuff, why not put a shout up here?

[wuvvum]

If it's any consolation, it's going to cost me considerably more than £2.18 to get the stains out of my trousers after seeing that photo.

[boobydoo]

Drive them more!!! The cost per mile will come wanging down.

You're right...it's just finding the time. If I'm lucky I get to pootle about locally maybe once a week. This year I'm trying to use the Simca more as it got a bit neglected last year. Hence the trip to Belguim in it in May which did it the world of good.

The red Tagora has just stood unused since last November which isnt ideal at all.

[Pete-M]

The Jensen averaged something daft like £5 a mile over the 800 miles or so it was actually used for. Including fuel.

 

When we picked it up it was 70 miles away, broke down six times on route, carb fire in a petrol station whilst on jump leads to a 911 - luckily no damage to anything and made it home, where my mate dropped it into drive at 2000 rpm and shredded the auto box. So £50 in fuel and a £850 gearbox rebuild in the first 80 miles.

 

It then needed a new carb (£350), new starter motor (geared, hi-torque job £350), battery (£100), electric window motor (£100), ignition coil (£15), plug leads (£25), plugs (£32), hazard light switch (£17), drivers door lock (£55), brake pads (£10), master cylinder rebuild kit (£35) and a load of other random sundries.

 

All this doesn't include labour, or the £3500 the insurance company ended up paying to get it fixed after Renaultboy left his handbrake off.

[TagoraSX]

What a sight!

 

You must be beating the ladies off with a shitty stick

 

Whats the SX like to drive?

[michiel]

Ouch, I thought, until I tried to calculate the figure for the Florian...

[FredTransit]

Your tyres cost nearly as much as the Transit Sp*rt van! At least you will get more than 3,000 mile from them.....

[mouseflakes]

If it's any consolation, it's going to cost me considerably more than £2.18 to get the stains out of my trousers after seeing that photo.

ArfZ!!

[scooters]

 

 

Ahhh! A brace of Tagora (Tagori?) freshly MOT'd outside the MOT station last week looking all innocent and lovely!!

 

Don't be fooled...the red one is a MONEY PIT!!!

 

Unfortunately, I am not a practical 'hands-on' person when it comes to car maintenance, so last March (2009), I spent £1555.69 getting it through its first MOT in 7 years...ok, that included 4 new Michelin TRX tyres at £166 each, full service, new clutch slave cylinder and master cylinder, welding of exhaust blah blah....

 

This year, I thought that having done only 1100 miles in it in 18 months and having been tucked up over winter under a nice cover in a garage, it might just pass an MOT with not too much trouble.

 

Errr....just had a bill for £594.26 excluding me providing a new brake master cylinder at £60. It also needed new starter motor and brake overhaul, cleaning of carburettor jets, new plugs, oil and filter. Plus the exhaust is pretty near knackered which means a new one will have to specially made as a Tagora SX doesn't appear on any stockists availability list.

 

So, I've worked out that since March 2009 the car has cost £2.18 a mile to run!! This includes payment for a couple of fuel issues last autumn, plus three RAC call outs...oh and a rear wheel arch repair when I scraped it reversing into the garage.

 

Can anyone beat this?

lovely motors mate,

 

the car needs to be used - if you are having issues with brakes, oil filters, carb jet etc then these are often caused by lack of use in the older vehicle

 

I would seriously recommend getting familiar with a spanner as well - there are jobs that you won't want to tackle but there are many - oil service, brakes, plubs, carb etc that aren't beyond the bodger and you will save yourself many pounds allowing the budget for those parts you have to spend on - like the exhaust - get a stainless one made btw

[boobydoo]

As I had a day off today , I decided to take the Tagora SX to an exhaust specialist in Welwyn Garden City to get a quote for a new one to be made. (You can't buy one 'off the shelf', unfortunately). Here we are:

 

http://www.predatormotorsport.co.uk/

 

Having moaned about the money I've spent on the car I have to say it ran like a dream today. Actually, this was its first trip out (bar the MOT station last month) this year. It was a 30 mile round trip and the car drove the best it ever has! Everything felt tight and it cruised at 90 on the A1(M) without a blip. The car really is more comfortable as an 'autobahn' cruiser rather than round towner.

 

Anyway, they put her on the ramp and with a lot of sucking of teeth reckoned it would cost around £700 for a stainless steel one. I was kind of expecting this so have booked it in for next month. They commented how nice the car was and there was a crowd of about 5 people round it when I came out of reception.

 

On the way back, I spotted a few bits of classic shite, and luckily had my camera on me, so parked up and took a few snaps.

 

I know its a Mazda but not sure of the model??

 

 

 

Fabulous Tranny Camper van!

 

 

Tidy Bluebird

 

Oooh! Tagora!....... Doh! Its mine.

 

Lovely Commer Camper and Herald convertible!

 

Then, as a treat I took the car to Morrisons where I hoped to park it with some other tat, but unfortunately decent specimens were hard to find despite loads of pikeys in the actual shop. However...

 

A Citroen AX "High Light" special edition with typical nineties Citroen sticky-ons!

 

Proton....umm...it's blue.

 

Tagora enjoying stay in Morrisons car park.....

 

Then I spotted this in a garden near where I rent a couple of gargages off the council. I reckon its an eldery owner who has given up driving (and gardening!) as the house looked very old fashioned with nets at the window and old lady type nik-naks in the window.

 

I know this is new, but its my current daily driver and surely has earned the right for a place in Autoshite Hall OF Fame? 3.0 diesel with the economy and turning circle of TITANIC. Cheap plastic interior but I do like it!!

 

NIGHT NIGHT!!

Putting the Tagora away is a bit of a palaver as the garage is narrow and the car wide. I have to line it up so that I know the door mirrors won't hit the entrance (probably an inch to spare each side! and getting new ones is IMPOSSIBLE.. I've tried!). Then push the car into the garage til it almost touches the rear wall. Squeeze past the drivers side to put arm through open window to apply handbrake, otherwise car slowly rolls forward.

[pogweasel]

Love the WANKEL inspired wheels on the Mazda. Nice touch.

[Station]

It's a mk1 RX7?

[dollywobbler]

Aye. Mk1 RX7 with ACE Wankel alloys.

 

I'd be reluctant to leave a little-used car with the handbrake on - can you not just wedge a brick under the wheel for a proper pikey look?

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Yo Dooblyboo, I'd like to buy you a drink. Your devotion to the Tagora cause is an inspiration to us all!

 

The interior of the jeep is spectacularly shite, interior plastics feature nowhere on my list of car priorities but even I would LOL at that if I was eyeing one up in a showroom and the salesman opened the door to reveal that lot.

 

I have just read PJ O'Rourkes story about driving a couple of AMC Jeeps along the Baja peninsula, its caused me to look at Jeeps in a different light now that I have been reminded of their AMC heritage, I want to get an AMC eagle off yankbay and fit a VM diesel out a Cherokee.

[boobydoo]

.

 

I'd be reluctant to leave a little-used car with the handbrake on - can you not just wedge a brick under the wheel for a proper pikey look?

I'm going to do that right now!! Pikey look it is!!

[boobydoo]

Yo Dooblyboo, I'd like to buy you a drink. Your devotion to the Tagora cause is an inspiration to us all!

 

 

Hey, Mr B! Thanks! I feel it's a sense of duty in a way as I'm sure mines the only up and running SX in the UK . BTW, did you know they only ever built 1083 of 'em?

[ashmicro]

Legend. What a photo!!

[Parky]

Its even got a personalised coat! Superb!