Modern shite swap-shop - Anyone fancy my Proton?

[tonedepear]

Afternoon all.

 

Just floating this in case anyone's interested, and before I properly consider the pit of doom that is ebay/finding a new car/managing without a car for a day/whatever.

 

What I've got now:

My proton Impian.

It's mechanically fine, done 101k, 5 months tax, 10 months test (ish) only faults are a slightly squeaky aux belt, a non-operational drivers leccy window, 50% non-illuminating dash bulbs, and a fucked front fag lighter. (Rear one still works for charging things up). It's also grubby as arseholes and has a wee rusty scrape on the nsr wing. It does drive well though, and is a right hoot to bat about in, considering. Think of it as a Lotus Carisma. It also has a numberplate that has succesfully confused every fucker who sees it that it's a 54 reg. Bless.

 

I only bought it cos it was the only thing available within budget and walking distance from my house and I needed a car THAT DAY after the xsara burst, unexpectedly fell in love with it, and have owned it longer than any other car I've had in the last couple of years.

 

What I want now:

Something more economical. The gimpian has averaged just over 40mpg in my ownership (just under 8000 miles), which ain't bad, but I do 2000+ miles most months, and I oculd do with something smaller, or more diesely. It needs to be on the moderner end of the shite scale really, as I do need reliability and I do fucking loads of miles, and don't like hard shoulders all that much. It still needs to be comfy enough for my hours on the motorway, but it doesn;'t need to be massive now ms_tone has aquired a giffer spec Mondeo.

 

Long shot, I know, but anyone fancy mine and/or have something to swap? 1.0 late 90s polo/diesel/106/something else.

 

If/When I get round to it, the Gimp will likely be on ebay as a buy it now at a moderately optimistic £750 with best offer, if that helps

 

IMAG0210 by Tony Lloyd, on Flickr

 

LOADS MOAR PICZ HERE:

 

Apologies for turning this in to RR for the afternoon.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

This looks good, and I bet it's mega-reliable. If I were you, I'd seriously think about investing 800 quid in an LPG conversion as opposed to doing 2000 miles a month in a giffer-spec Polo.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

BTW, if you do end up without a car for a few days, you're welcome to borrow the Accord if you can be bothered to change the oil (it'd been about due when I bought it, and I've done about 1k since).

[tonedepear]

Probably be better off investing less than £800 in an already converted one, but in fairness 3 months is usually my absolute maximum, and I've had this 5 now. I'm not properly bored of it yet, but it's bound to be in the post. If it was red I'd probably keep it forever, mind.

 

Ooh, V kind! On a similar note I keep meaning to mention that I've got a DAB Pure highway at home somewhere you're welcome to have a go on with your super-whizzo ford stereo, but I can't find the bastard, which isn't much use.

[MK5 Escort]

I wouldn't want to be doing 2000 miles a month in a late 90’s 1.0 Polo, that’s for sure... Even the 1.4 I once briefly drove was very sluggish enough on the open road. I thought there was something wrong with it at first.

 

To be honest, I'd much rather keep the Impian and yes, LPG convert it.

[tonedepear]

Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of LPG - I've had a fair few gas converted cars, and I've also done plenty of miles in shit superminis. I hesitate to criticise it, but if there's one thing the Impian lacks it's comfy seats.

 

Underpowered isn't a problem, I'm quite happy sat at 65 on the motorway for a day. Did London and back a fair few times a month in a 1.0 micra and a 1.2 clio. I'm certainly not spending the best part of a grand converting a car to gas when for the same money I could buy something already converted that's substantially more bargey and at home on the motorway anyway. Aside from that, if I had a grand to spare, I'd have bought something already and this would be a "buy my shite" thread.

 

I've maybe phrased the original post badly, I'm not specifically after a 1.0 polo. I'm after anything anyone might have that will use less fuel than what I have now. Be it diesely cruiser or small petrol jobby. I'm just floating the Impian in case anyone's sort of after one and has something that might suit me that they'd be wanting rid of at the same time. Unlikely, I know, but it doesn't hurt to ask. Hopefully!

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

I'm certainly not spending the best part of a grand converting a car to gas when for the same money I could buy something already converted that's substantially more bargey and at home on the motorway anyway.

 

You may be able to get something decent, bargeous and LPG converted for a grand, but by that time you'd probably have spent another one (plus loads of time) travelling to all sorts of weird places in order to look at a number of vile heaps of crap...unless perhaps you wanted a Jeep/Disco, which would make bugger all difference to your fuel bill in comparison with a bog standard petrol Gimpian.

[tonedepear]

I'm certainly not spending the best part of a grand converting a car to gas when for the same money I could buy something already converted that's substantially more bargey and at home on the motorway anyway.

 

You may be able to get something decent, bargeous and LPG converted for a grand, but by that time you'd probably have spent another one (plus loads of time) travelling to all sorts of weird places in order to look at a number of vile heaps of crap.

 

Dunno about that!

 

This was £600:

http://mingebagcitroens.blogspot.com/2011/05/26-1998-ford-mondeo-18-verona-lpg.html

 

This was £750:

http://mingebagcitroens.blogspot.com/2011/05/29-1996-volvo-v40-18-lpg.html

 

This was £750 as well, in fact:

http://mingebagcitroens.blogspot.com/2011/05/28-1999-renault-clio-12-grande-lpg.html

 

etc etc.

 

What did your awesome scorpio set you back?

[scaryoldcortina]

I wouldn't want to be doing 2000 miles a month in a late 90’s 1.0 Polo, that’s for sure... Even the 1.4 I once briefly drove was very sluggish enough on the open road. I thought there was something wrong with it at first.

 

My daughter has put almost 20k on her '99 1 litre polo in just over a year. She seems to like it... having said that, she borrowed a 2.0i sierra off me while I was doing a wheelbearing for her recently and I had a hard time getting the keys back.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

What did your awesome scorpio set you back?

 

Buying it cost me a grand- but the money I 'invested' in travelling everywhere from Leicester to Lille in order to view (or even not view in the case of Leic!) cars was almost as much again.

 

Don't tell me that all these LPG cars you had before were purchased locally!!

[tonedepear]

Lordy. I'd forgotten about your trip to Lille. I'm *definitely* not that ambitious!

 

And mostly local, yeah. V40 was St albans, but that's the furthest! Off the top of my head, Nottingham, Doncaster and Derby.

[504GL]

Glad I'm not the only sad fecker on fuelly

 

 

Subaru hasn't had a fuel up for a while owing to the speedo not working and therefore the odometer not working.....

The 500 has every single fuel up since it was new tracked on fuelly, yes I am that dull......

 

Amazing how little a tidy little thing like that Proton is worth here in the UK, back in Australia it'd be at least two times the price if not more.

[tonedepear]

Fuel geekery

 

<3