End of year Tat Accounts.

[The Vicar]

Started the year with this (which I’ve had since 2022):

And subsequently sold it last month. I will miss it! Bought on 55k miles and sold on 68.

Purchases which have come and gone within the year:

‘92 8v GTI with 168k on the clock. A fine car but a bit boring..it didn’t last long.

‘93 Daihatsu Domino with 12k miles on the clock. I recommissioned this after 12 years off the road, got it through a test and used it for a few months in the summer before selling. It was just too small, couldn’t get comfortable and couldn’t bring it on long journeys (because I couldn’t get comfortable in it; it was a great car otherwise).

1 owner 1.7td Astra van with 108k miles on the clock. A fantastic little thing but my classic policy doesn’t allow vans 🥲

A nice little ‘87 1.0 L Metro with 40k miles. A fine little car which was a step up from the Domino in terms of usability. 

This was a bit of an impulse buy when it was offered to me in October. Manual 3sge with 100k km on the clock, long term owner etc. Lovely, but didn’t really gel with it. I sold it and bought…

Its still new to the fold and I haven’t driven it much to comment. 

And lastly the most recent addition to the fold:

[Pauly.22]

Spent about 3000 getting the welding done on my touring, was worse than expected, paid £1400 to re do the interior, 

 

paid £1250 for a Renault koleos as a daily driver, spent £178 on a belt and tensioners, otherwise it’s been good. 
 

haven’t spent anything else as life is expensive atm and I need to calm down, but I’m getting to the point I need to buy something else soon. Cos I can’t go that long without buying something. 

[Marina door handles]

Nothing in - nothing out this year - V poor effort! 

The Honda is still going fairly well, it completed 330 miles yesterday travelling to see my family,  for Xmas dinner (Cheshire to Reading and back!), I am resting today!

My other daily the Forester is a bit broken, I had issues with the ABS being massively over reactive and found one of the speed wheels is mostly rust and some of the teeth are virtually flat.

Compare and contrast!

I suspect this is the culprit. I am still waiting for some bits so I can finish the job but christmas has buggered up the mail it would seem!

Project flat cap and tartan blanket - the Rover 827 has now had its radiator installed and is creeping closer to being road worthy...

The MGBGT  is now slightly more stripped - the tailgate is now off....

The Scimitar is feeling properly neglected.... I did fish a dead bird out of it the other day and cleaned the steering wheel  so its not totally left out of the fun.....

And finally Mrs MDH's mighty steed (the golden Vitara) soldiers on and has been handy especially when both of my dialys broke down....... 🙄

 

 

[Popsicle]

Ins - 2
Outs - 2
Ins & Outs - 1
Non movers - 4

The forum bike SLK arrived in the summer from @garellikatia.

A new family bus also arrived.

Out went the old family bus.

Also out was the black beetle.

In and out was this hateful new MG HS.

Leaving non movers of the couriering caddy.

Constantly needy Qashqai.

Dog dick red beetle

And the forever reliable Swift.

[Matty]

Hero van. Much love.

[Justwatching]

In: Nothing! I managed to restrain myself an entire year. 

Out: Sadly, the '95 Ford Mustang (RIP)

Carried forward:

'95 Jeep Wrangler YJ.

'81 DeLorean

[Matty]

30 minutes ago, Justwatching said:

In: Nothing! I managed to restrain myself an entire year. 

Out: Sadly, the '95 Ford Mustang (RIP)

Carried forward:

'95 Jeep Wrangler YJ.

'81 DeLorean

What happened to the Mustang??

[Justwatching]

2 hours ago, Matty said:

What happened to the Mustang??

Someone dropped anchors and came to a complete stop in the outside lane despite no obstruction ahead. I never got a good explanation why - some BS about the sun and road spray.

Unfortunately, stopping distance isn't the strong suit of old cars. 

[Weird Car]

1 hour ago, Justwatching said:

Someone dropped anchors and came to a complete stop in the outside lane despite no obstruction ahead. I never got a good explanation why - some BS about the sun and road spray.

Unfortunately, stopping distance isn't the strong suit of old cars. 

Probably the same person who did that exact same thing to me earlier last year

[brownnova]

Busy-ish year at Chateaux Brownnova… 

Out: 

First out was the ex-Richard K Volvo Highlander. Sold to release funds to repair the Nova. 

Which it turned out was a lot lot more rotten than initially anticipated. So it was sold to a guy who loves Novas and can weld himself! Whacking loss achieved!

In and Out: 

C4 was bought as a car to lend to a friend. It ran absolutely fine for me… but borked its auto box within 3 weeks of my friend having it! Whacking loss achieved!

In return for the C4 I had this back. Forgot how good a car these E-Classes are. Only lasted a month! 

Saab ‘vert #1 of the year was this 1.8t bought from Anglesey, lovely car, but I lost patience with the roof only being manually operable, and the bolts rounding off. Now with @purplebargeken I think.

Then next came this V70 D5 manual which filled a gap for a while. Took it over 200k. Then moved on to a honey farmer in Cheshire.

In

Saab ‘vert #2 of the year was this diesel. But so far it’s proved to be a superb car, and the ideal daily now my commute is 50 miles a day. 

Still here: 

Nearly 8 years on staff for the 9000. It’s showing its age and 220k more and more. But it still keeps plodding on. This year I’d like to sort a few niggles such as the ABS light, the central locking, the leaking boot and the patch of rust on the lower wing.

6 years of 2CV-ing! I don’t look after this car well enough to be honest, has a few jobs to do this year. Has done more miles this year, but the biggest hindrance to using it more it that it doesn’t have rear 3point seatbelts so car seats don’t fit. So number 1 priority for 2025 is finding a solution for this.

2CV #2 technically returned to the road this year. It passed an MoT, and hasn’t really been used since… 

Project 2CVs: no progress

Yugo… last twice I’ve tried to do anything to it I’ve ended up breaking it worse. Snapped the throttle cable last time I went to try and start it. 

MrsB’s electric experiment is nearing the end. PCP expires in a few months, but we’re already pretty much at the mileage. Been good, but did bork its steering column this year.

XC90 remains, but has recently developed an odd electrical fault which has rendered it parked up.

Net result -1 

[Essex V6]

Final tally for 2024 - out went the Mito Veloce - went over the bridge due to a culmination of issues chiefly rotten subframe and exhaust

[Essex V6]

IN - This Scirocco GTII took over daily duties

[Essex V6]

Non movers

[Essex V6]

Looking ahead - really want another Phase 1 Saxo VTS

[Eyersey1234]

As an update, today we bought a 2017 plate Corsa for the Mrs, pick it up in the new year

[MrGTI6]

2024 has been a fairly quiet one. Kicked the year off with 2. Firstly the Pug 306 GTI 6. After 8 years in my ownership, I sold it in March as it was needing a lot of attention. Here is a photo of it about to set off to its new home. 

 

 

The other vehicle which was with me at the beginning of 2024 was my Triumph Sprint ST 955i. It's still here but currently hibernating in my parents' garden. I'll have had it 2 years in May. Thinking of upgrading next year but realistically I probably won't. Despite being a 25-year-old bike it's a great all-rounder and it's more than quick enough for me. 

 

 

The aforementioned 306 had to be retired from daily duties early in the year, so I needed to buy a stopgap to tide me over. Conveniently, an Alfa Giulietta came up for sale fairly locally. Although a lot more expensive than I was originally planning to spend, I'd owned one previously and fancied another. This was a brilliant car and on reflection I probably ought to have held onto it. It remains in the AS fold. 

 

 

The Giulietta didn't hang around for long though; I ended up buying a Pug 308 just a few days later. It has the infamous Puretech wet-belt engine but, despite that, it's now on 155k and has been faultless. £20 a year tax and all the mod cons. An excellent "an car" but very much an appliance. 

 

 

Around the same time, I also bought a ULEZ refugee in the form of a lovely little R-reg Vauxhall Corsa. I used it as a second car for a few weeks and really enjoyed driving about in it. Sold it in the summer due to lack of use but it's still in the fold. 

 

 

Then I went a few months without adding to the fleet. Or at least I did right up until a few weeks ago when - for no apparent reason - I bought this Mini Cooper. It's a fun little thing to zip around in but was a completely unnecessary purchase. I suspect it will be the first to go in 2025.

[Coprolalia]

Out:

2017 BMW F31 photocopier salesman rep-spec 320d Efficient Dynamics. Efficient comfortable commuter. Averaged 56mpg in my ownership. Handled everything thrown at it. Made the kids sick in the back on long journeys. Was going to need a clutch/ DMF/ timing chain at some point.

In:

2016 Skoda Superb 2.0TDI (190) DSG 4x4 SE L Executive. A lot of car for a lot of money. Quite a bit broken. Ongoing dealings with the selling trader. Will probably clean up alright. More comfortable than the BMW, but less efficient. Radar cruise is fucking awesome. Averaging 45mpg so far. Kiddy vomit TBC.

Still here:

1989 Scirocco GT2 with a 1.6 TDI engine conversion (from a MK2 Jetta maybe). Laid up for a year (and the rest) while we moved house and had another kid. Now in a nice barn. Needs paint and final fettling. Will this be the year it gets it? It's better on diesel than the Skoda.

Plus the wife's MK2 Yaris 1.3vvti from 2006. Which is tough as old boots, has done 134k of hard abuse with binary throttle-brake inputs and is now feeling it. Fresh MOT, but needs a clutch (still original) plus there's some funky bearing/ tensioner noises. Good car.

[Jazoli]

18 minutes ago, Coprolalia said:

 

2016 Skoda Superb 1.9TDI (190) DSG 4x4 SE L Executive. A lot of car for a lot of money. Quite a bit broken. Ongoing dealings with the selling trader. Will probably clean up alright. More comfortable than the BMW, but less efficient. Radar cruise is fucking awesome. Averaging 45mpg so far. Kiddy vomit TBC.

Surely you mean 2.0tdi? Same running gear as my Seat.

[Coprolalia]

51 minutes ago, Jazoli said:

Surely you mean 2.0tdi? Same running gear as my Seat.

Yeah, I do, my bad, getting confused with my old A6.

[Bear]

Basically, all change: Started with 4+1,  7 out, 6 7.5 in, 3 4.5 remaining. What a lot of effort for very little change.

I started the year with a job, a £500 Mercedes SLK of much awesomeness

An XKR-engined Range Rover Classic

A 14,000 mile PT Cruiser, a company BYD Atto (or more fairly a BMW M135i) and ....

A Mercedes campervan.

The job went, then the BMW, so I got a BMW X3 3.0sd (1)  of much silliness from @Robson3022 and the SLK went (-1).

The lack of job meant looking after the Deranged Rover (-2) was giving me the fear - like any sensible unemployed layabout I got a Porsche from @mat777 in case I needed to sign on.

The Boxster (2)  has been made shiny, but I didn't earn enough to spend on tyres and an alignment and I can't sell it in winter, so it's waiting for spring.

I got a Citroen C6 (3 ) in a deal with @ruffgeezer and @GeordieInExile. We joked that the Volvo I drove up was technically mine for that drive) which was supposed to be a daft idea for fun but was mostly just a daft idea. It worked really nicely for long drives despite all that, so cheaper than trains for the trips it did do. Such as checking the contents of a friend's lockup in London...

The PT Cruiser went (-3) (eventually), as did the campervan (-4) (regrettably), and  I rescued that friend's lockup prisoner - an RX-7 FD3S (4)  which is now my long-term garage-occupier and source of stress.

My friend found a cheap Sinclair C5 (4.5) and got it for me, but I needed a car to get it from Brighton.

The X3 was too much tech/too little maintenance in the past, so it went (-5) in favour of another £500 car - the Honda HR-V (5.5) that I'd actually agreed to pay more for but crapped itself on the day of collection, only to be fixable on the drive the following week.

Meanwhile @gadgetgricey's Focus CC won me over so I spent ages looking for one before buying that one, effectively swapping the C6 (-6) for a CC (6).

/

Today the Honda HR-V passed the MOT, so I decided that it would be financially prudent to sell the Focus CC (-7) which needs tyres and MOT in 3 months. By sell, I mean roffle, and by financially prudent, I mean roffle for slightly less than the cost of the new headlight, grilles,  Android radio and window repair parts. BUT, that means it's worth a new winning owner spending on tyres and still getting a cheap car, right?

Guest appearance from a SsangYong Korando Sports that a friend asked me to 'take for an MOT' and the bastard thing failed in a cascade of annoyances and slow-to-get parts, so it hung around for two months. Not all 'take it for an MOT' trips end like that.

Penultimate day of the year and I get TWO 20 year old+ Hondas MOTd!

So the tat accounts are (looks at fingers)

Start of year: 4 working cars, an eBike, and a brand new car that wasn't mine but did all the work (the +1)

End of year: Assuming it roffles and goes the CC doesn't count (I've decided it goes so it's out of my mindset).

I'm at two working cars, a project car I don't own, an eBike that works and an eTrike that neither Es nor Trikes.

Yet.

3 cars then.

Except with less than 48 hours to go there's A Development (7.5)...

So. I may consider the end of year account as 4 cars...

[nev_jr]

This year was a quiet one for me, I was in my Volvo and mum was in her Zaf but then October hit and I remembered what auto trader does to me and now being the owner of an garage something had to go in it. 
 

OUT: Mum’s Zafira VXR (thank fuck) and my TANK Isuzu trooper (very sad day) but I did keep the number plate for memories sake. Big things happened in that car for me.

IN: A Mini Countryman (mum) a Focus ST (formerly in the possession of Nev senior) and a C63. 
 

I will probably* try my best to not get another car for a long time, but the cogs are turning upstairs for what could be next. 
 

Net total: +1

[Spiny Norman]

Started the year with a Mercedes SLK, sold to a fellow shiter who didn't fit in it and immediately sold it onto another shiter.
Who's got this now, still with anyone on here?

And unless this catches fire or gets stolen tonight I'll be finishing the year with this Mk1 Honda CRV,  wonderful car that despite its 24 years has almost totally failed to fail in the 6 months I've had it now.
I say 'almost' because I noticed recently the trip mileage meter has gone all Volvo and the numbers turn when they feel like it  but that's it. I treated it to a full set of decent tyres but so far that's been the only expense.

[Nick57]

One out and One in.

White Corsa went for scrap which i am regretting a bit now.

Needed a automatic as i find it difficult to drive a manual some days and the  the grey Corsa  popped up for sale a couple of miles away.

[jmsguzzi]

Relatively quiet year for me:

Out: 

1991 Mercedes 300E

Overpaid on this, wasn’t as good as it first appeared but lesson learnt. Still glad I’ve owned one, hoping to pick up a 190E at some point in the future.

In/out:

2006 Subaru Forester XTen

Bought to replace my Mk1 Forester but couldn’t gel with it in the same way, ended up selling it and using the money to keep my older Forester going.

 

2003 Subaru Legacy Outback H6
 

Always wanted one, was great in my house move but a bit too similar to my daily,  replaced it with…

In:

2000 BMW 323Ci SE Auto

Slowly getting this to where I want it to be, always wanted to try an E46 and thought it would be a good halfway point between the E39 and Z3 I previously owned. 

Remained:

2001 Subaru Forester 

Starting to show it’s age but I’m going to try and keep this one going as a daily for aslong as I can, took it off-road (nowt challenging) for the first time this year and it didn’t let me down. Have now owned this for longer than I have any other car.

 

[juular]

Not much change here.

Trafic in its natural habitat this year.

The only change this year is the Ami.

And if you count parts donor cars, this one.

BX, still in limbo 375 miles away.

[warninglight]

2024 was a quiet one...

In:

1959 Volvo PV544

2015 Volvo XC60

2004 Range Rover

 

Out:

1959 Volvo PV544

1966 Volvo Amazon Kombi

1979 Lotus Elite

2004 Range Rover

2012 Volvo V70 R Design

I think that's it!

Current fleet is:

2007 XC70 - now my daily, has been with us since 2021 but now semi retired with me.

2016 Crafter - Disgraced itself in France in October, camper conversion unfinished but useable.

2015 XC60 - Basically a new car despite 140k

1966 Amazon saloon - 9 years of ownership, still doing about 1000 miles a year.

1964 Austin 1100 - owned since 2007, laid up covered in birdshit since 2015.

1979 Volvo C202 - coming together gradually.

[warninglight]

8 hours ago, juular said:

 

BX, still in limbo 375 miles away.

If you need it trailered North some day - I owe you a favour!

[LightBulbFun]

in/out: no change (unless you count lightbulbs!)

Still here:

My 1976 Invacar Model 70 REV  

and 447FPH the 1958 Harper Mk6A

the big thing of the year well end of the year is that as documented else 

On 31/12/2023 at 16:29, LightBulbFun said:

I am naively hoping that maybe just maybe in 2024 I might get REV back and on the road? but thats what I said the last 3-4 years LOL

I did indeed get REV back and on the road  right at the end of October  im hoping in 2025 to of course do many trips and journeys with her, especially once the weather improves and days get longer, and with that hopefully take care of her smaller niggles, and also I of course would like to give the Harper some attention, at least get it started/running would be fun  

[mat777]

On 30/11/2024 at 00:04, mat777 said:

So proud you had to say it twice  

It's been an unexpectedly busy year here on reflection, with a staggering 6 in and 3 out, for a net tally of 9 cars overall now - something that nearly caused my colleagues to choke on their lunch when it came up in conversation today on the back of the associated statistic quoted here:

In fairness, of those 9... 2 are going to be for sale once tidied up, one is being broken for parts and one will eventually supersede another... so it's "only really" 5 cars when you look at it.....

I'm also pleased to say that 4 of my 6 incomers have been Autoshite member's cars, and one of the outgoers is also still in the fold  

Well, with a very last minute twist as alluded to elsewhere on here: the Insight becomes another in'n'out for 24 as its temporary holiday with RichardK becomes a permanent move to a loving new home 🙂 

[AndyW201]

My cars.

Out;

Was a nice car, well equipped and went well, with the sports suspension pack but had just a bit too much modern 'complication', and a few niggling faults were starting to loom, not least a gearbag oil cooler that was starting to shit itself.

In:;

More like it! It was nice to go back to dailying an older car, it always gets looks and had quite a few people in car parks and petrol stations giving admiring comments. Having owned 6 190Es back in the day, this has that old school Merc feel with the reliability and indestructability of a 'peak '90s' car. Being a rare manual gearbag example helps. And being low mileage, it hasnt even got the horrendous bodywork woes that a lot of these have. Much.

Wife's.

Out;

Bought as a repaired Cat S write off nearly 6 years ago, it gave me, then the Mrs great service only ever needing routine servicing and a clutch slave cylinder. However we always feared that the previous damage would come back and bite us, and over a few weeks this year, it played up, to a point we had to cut our losses and get rid. A screwed wiring loom turned out to be the cause, but the good news for the car was being bought by a shiter on here who repaired it and it lives again. The £30 a year tax will be much missed...

In;

Soz as its a modern, but it is f'ing brilliant. Big enough to carry out family car duties but small enough to not be a pain in car parks. Gutsy little 1.0 turbo lump that goes well and is good on fuel and has all the toys that she wanted in a car. Could have done without the electric handbrake but otherwise its the perfect "an car".