It has all gone too far.

[Pete-M]

How much do you expect to get for the 604? It doesn't sound like the easiest thing to shift. Personally, I think I'd keep it in preference to the XJR because it will both (hopefully) appreciate quicker and because you can get rid of the Jag without waiting for ages.

 

Are you mental? 604 or XJR? The XJR will always win that contest, on everything other than rear legroom and probably low speed ride quality. It's probably better on juice too.

 

604 is nice, it's mega-rare and I've always wanted one, but with my 'real world' head on there's no way I'd flog the XJR to keep it.

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

Are you mental? 604 or XJR? The XJR will always win that contest, on everything other than rear legroom and probably low speed ride quality. It's probably better on juice too.

 

604 is nice, it's mega-rare and I've always wanted one, but with my 'real world' head on there's no way I'd flog the XJR to keep it.

 

 

This is the beauty of the "Scooters test" - its a brilliant decision tool!!

[The Moog]

I used the Scootest on my current fleet and explained to to my girlfriend. She agrees with it all and now has mentioned I am missing a toy!

[AnthonyG]

Don't you own a Camry Pete? (sorry to remind you and all !)

[dieselnutjob]

Are you mental? 604 or XJR?

 

I am mental.

[Pete-M]

Don't you own a Camry Pete? (sorry to remind you and all !)

 

I saw it last week! It's green!

 

I am mental.

 

I've still not tried the 604. You never know.

[Cavcraft]

I used the Scootest on my current fleet and explained to to my girlfriend. She agrees with it all and now has mentioned I am missing a Vectra GSi!

 

EFA, easily sorted!

[The Moog]

Ahhh if that was all that was missing from my life ... a GSI ... where could I get one of those bad boys...

[lancashireclamper]

Just to echo everyone elses thoughts surely the lpg'd Heep would be the easiest thing to sell in the current OMG fuel has gone up ANOTHER 0.01 pence of a litre; must sell my immaculate 3.0 and buy a golf buggy mentality.

If you were to part with the XJR would you not be looking for another one in a matter of weeks/days/minutes;

The 604 is a proper old thing but can only be a novelty surely, would you want to hammer it down to Clacton and back on a rainy night (or a fine night for that matter) if there was an alternative?

Don't get rid of the Jag: from what I've read of your tastes and priorities its you to a tee, theres no hope for us spineless bastards who actually worry about the cost of fuel if you give up is there??

[dollywobbler]

The answer is clear. The Jaguar is corrupting your soul and is very bad for you. Ideally, you should replace it with a large, relatively economical barge - perhaps a Swedish one, with a hatchback for practicality and near-full main dealer service history. One located in Wales would be perfect, as it will have been regularly washed by nature and will be sparkly clean.

 

If only there was someone willing to swap such a thing for a lairy Jaguar...

[Pete-M]

The answer is clear. The Jaguar is corrupting your soul and is very bad for you. Ideally, you should replace it with a large, relatively economical barge - perhaps a Swedish one, with a hatchback for practicality and near-full main dealer service history. One located in Wales would be perfect, as it will have been regularly washed by nature and will be sparkly clean.

 

If only there was someone willing to swap such a thing for a lairy Jaguar...

 

Power corrupts. It'd have to be a Saab Turbo. Sorry!

 

Actually, I don't have the Saab thing so I doubt that would be enough.. If it was a nice Alfa 164 V6 with the leather Recaros I'd have been tempted.

[Pete-M]

Don't get rid of the Jag: from what I've read of your tastes and priorities its you to a tee, theres no hope for us spineless bastards who actually worry about the cost of fuel if you give up is there??

 

Heh, well. I wouldn't want to let the side down.

 

My view is this: people look at me as being mental for driving large engined stuff and 'not giving a toss about the fuel', yet they spend £200 a month buying a three year old Golf TDi or whatever because it'll do 50 mpg instead of the 20ish I get on a run, and 35 mpg in town when I'm getting 15 mpg. They take said Golf to their VW dealer to get it serviced, spending £200 or whatever every few months servicing and fixing faults and £80 a month on insurance if they're under 30. They save £50/ year on road tax but lose £1000 a year in depreciation. On average they'll spend £2-300 a year on tyres if they do enough miles to justify buying a newish turbodiesel and doing 14000 miles a year.

 

So, call it around £7200 a year to pay for, insure, fuel, pay for credit and service a three year old Golf TDi on finance doing 14000 miles.

 

My insurance has to be paid anyway, but it's not furiously expensive because I'm involved in the motor trade. Road tax is just something that has to be paid if you're going to drive anything built after '73 so that's £205 (I think) a year for the Jag. Servicing I do myself using proper Jag parts bought at trade price. Last year it cost me £40 in maintenance plus £40 for the MOT. This year it'll be closer to £200 as I'll change the plugs, change the supercharger oil and do a few other bits. Rear tyres are getting a bit low, but I'll get good part worn P-Zeros or Continentals for around £35 each. The brakes were new when I bought it and still have around 80% of their pads left so they'll last til next year. It'll need rear shocks soon, so I reckon I'm looking at £100 for the pair for OE spec jobs. Depreciation? Nothing to worry about. I've done around 7500 miles in it and I reckon it's had about £2.5k in fuel.

 

So, not including fuel (or 'to do' servicing) - £295 so far.

 

The Jeep has done around 6000 miles since I've had it. I've spent £60 on a tyre, £40 on the aircon (which needs doing again) and about £30 servicing it (bits are dead cheap). It's cost me £120 for six months tax, £35 for the MOT and £4.50 in random repairs. Depreciation? £0. It has been superb for dragging stuff up and down the country, 100% reliable, and it's a comfy old thing.

 

We'll call that £300 in Jeep running costs, not including fuel. £595 with the Jag.

 

The 604 has just swallowed money all year, but it was always going to and I've not driven it, so running costs - £0... restoration costs are different...

 

The Escort is pretty much the same as it was, so that hasn't cost much yet.

 

The Mondeo cost £113 to tax and £35 to MOT. £60 for a wheel bearing. It needs £42 for a VIC check. I've fitted part worns to the front that cost me nothing. Depreciation? £0.

 

So, Jag, Jeep and Mondeo = £803 for essentials - not including fuel.

 

Fuel?

7500 miles in the Jag, mainly longer runs at around 18 mpg average = £2500.

6000 miles in the Jeep, on LPG, so financially around 30 mpg avg = £1200

I've only done a few hundred miles in the Mondeo at 30 mpg avg = £100.

 

So, including insurance, to run all of 'em for 14000 miles has cost me around £5000. Which is £2200 less than Mr. Average pays to run a diesel Golf TDi for a year.

 

What would you rather have? A "gas guzzling" XJR along with an LPG Jeep, or a three year old Golf on finance?

 

*All calculations on this page are approximate. I imagine it's £200 a month to buy a three year old Golf on the drip over three years?

[scooters]

Hmmmm...

 

well, tool wise I'm running the Scooby which the wife loves and is indeed fun but is a tad too modern for my liking even though it is a 1997.

 

The 306 is more my kinda shite but is also a tool and I am being strict on myself in running it - it is, afterall reliable and very good on fuel

 

In October I have a Gen 4 1988 Celica GT turing up - original, no OMG HALFORDS MODZ and one owner mintness - not sure if this will be a keeper purely because it may well be too sensible. We will see....

 

I kinda have a thirst for a nice 240 GL or GLT saloon but ideally want an earlier one. You may recall that gorgeous beige 1977 244 DL I owned - the one with the vinyl roof....lovely car BUT it had the early autobox with the shit axle ratio... Thing about 240 Saloons is they are a bit like the W123s - solidly crafted and usually bought and owned by very anal folk - it is no coincidence that two of the 240 Saloons I have owned came with history files so complete they recorded every journey and every gallon of petrol used - indeed the total cost of running the car from new. Because of this you can find those minters out there - yes there are other more engaging cars to drive - actually - most other cars are more engaging to drive. But tere is somthing rather solid about these cars which also allows one to have retro motoring usually without any mechanical trauma or unreliability They are carved out of stone and papmered like a throughbread by their owners - I am sure that there are still dozens sitting in dead old giffer's garages waiting for their widows to either croak or sell them. The same cannot usually be said for the owners of the highly practical estate whic is of course, the sensible option.

 

horrible volvo like itch.....bugger....I just know I am going to end up buying one somepoint soon and my missus will give me a very hard time because although I wil see it as a toy - she won't understand as it doesn't look like a toy and it takes a particular type of deranged pervert to see the beauty in owning a 240 Saloon.

[Pete-M]

You know when you've just made your mind up about something then some sonofabitch screws it up?

 

Mate of mine saw the Rangie earlier, declared it to be "a proper nice one", and "Exactly what I'm looking for" then made me an offer on it which had me tempted. Fortunately, he doesn't have any money for a week or so, so I declined. If he waves the same amount at me in ££££ I may just have to accept.

 

Dammit.

[scooters]

face it buddy - we are hopeless cases! So much for my test theory....can't even stick to it myself

 

if we were Victorians they'd lock us up in bedlam...gibbering about post chaises with beige interiors

[eddyramrod]

A load of extreme good sense, with figures...

 

I'm with you all the way Pete, bravo!

 

My late father-in-law (company cars until he retired, then small used hatchbacks) constantly berated me, even when I wasn't there, for running "all these big expensive cars; why can't he be like Mike and have a nice one?" Mike being his other son-in-law, who bought brand new 1.2 Fiestas, and most recently a VW Fox. He could never understand that my hulking V8 Cadillac was a) what I like and want to drive; and paid for, in cash, with none of the depreciation Mike has to endure. The glow I got from driving The Standard Of The World in favour of some crappy anonymous hatchback was part of the fun for me, but just another aspect that Bill simply didn't get. Sorry Bill, I just don't do ordinary.

[Pete-M]

If I was doing 10k miles a year it would be a totally different story.

 

Exactly. I do around 15k a year in my own cars. Sometimes a bit more, sometimes a bit less. If I was doing 25-30k a year I'd probably be driving a big, five year old turbodiseasel estate.... or an LPG Range Rover.

 

As my private miles are about the average, it works out better for me to run a load of old oddball cars than to buy something 'sensible' for £7k.

[cort16]

It's a disease too which there is no cure.

[Justin Case]

The different views held by Pete-M and Sir T are not the contradictions that they appear to be. Everyone I have ever met can justify their choice of car and in fact find it difficult to understand why anyone should ever want to choose anything different.