Car (or bike) Chat!

[Ali Tait]

I doubt it!

An S Type R - 4.2 V8 Supercharged - has a better consumption than the Alfas.

[shane]

Currently running a 2003 Punto 1.3 diesel. Good points are average 63.5 MPG without really trying, and accelerating rapidly up Devon hills in 4th. Bad points? Since last Christmas 1 new injector pump, £700, one new horrid electric steering column, with new clutch at the same time, £950, one broken front road spring an associated strut top bearing, £150. Best part of two grand on a car worth £1500. Madness...

All time favourite:


Greatest regret, not buying this for £850:



What I'd have now if I could:


and



Ask me tomorrow and you'd get a different set of answers, except for the E-Type!

[walpurgis]

And all of the above need constant fettling, especially the Mini, they always need something doing! Bits for the Citroen SM ain't cheap.

[shane]

True, but apart from the SM they're all pretty simple. I had a mate who could take the engine out of his mini and replace it in his lunch break.

[walpurgis]

Bit like me. I had thirteen Minis of one sort or another and rebuilt nearly all of them to an extent. Tuned many of them too.

[Reffc]

I used to do the same with Mk1 VW Golfs...had a few starting with a 1979 1.1 Golf, then an '83 Scirocci 1.8GTi. All of the early VWs used to crack/warp the heads eventually and I got tired of having to skim the heads and rebuild the things once they'd covered 80K miles or so. Great fun to drive though and at least all the work I could do myself bar sending the heads off for professional skimming.

I then moved to tinker with Opel Mantas and had several including the original Manta GT followed by the later fuel injected GT/E. Lovely cars to drive, simple but bodywork not so good and they all eventually rusted away!

The rest have been fairly boring/competent...a lot of volvos, a few mercs and several years ago, an E46 BMW 325 as I wanted one of the last proper 2.5 litre 6 cylinder machines. That was lovely to work on, dead reliable and drove like new up until the day I sold it to swap for a car easier on my ailing back and hip (before surgery intervened on my behalf!).

I've ended up with a D5 S60se, the very last of the old shape from 2009, mildly tuned it kicks out well over 400 ft-lbs torque which is a huge amount for a 2.5 turbodiesel and over 200BHP. It's way quicker in a straight line than my old 325i...surprisingly so, but it has an appetite for tyres which the Beemer never did. The BMW was far better balanced and being RWD helped too. The S60 can be made to hustle across country but it's a bit hairy if pushed too hard on the twisties. For all that, it has to be the most comfortable car I've ever sat in, and also the most reliable....utterly bomb-proof unlike my wife's Merc 220Cdi which seems to go through sensors like they're going out of fashion. Mechanically very robust and has done big miles, but sensor failures have been very expensive so not the most reliable motor on the market. Most Merc owners I know who've owned them for big miles as we have also say the same. We wouldn't own another for that reason.

For fun, the motorbike gets the vote every time, but the roads are becoming more lethal (condition and traffic) every day so how long I'll continue to ride a litre sportsbike I don't know.

[Canetoad]

I have a 400 cubic inch small block Chevy motor in a crate in my garage looking for a home. One of these days...

[shane]

Got to love the Americans. When we were all running around in 850cc minis (that's 52 cu in to the imperialists), they go and make a 6 litre v8 and called it small!

[walpurgis]

I then moved to tinker with Opel Mantas and had several including the original Manta GT followed by the later fuel injected GT/E. Lovely cars to drive, simple but bodywork not so good and they all eventually rusted away!

I had a few Mantas and as you say they were nice to drive, good Recaro seats, lovely handling balance and quick enough to be fun. Big heavy engine and gearbox, if you pulled the gearbox out from underneath onto your chest you knew you had a big lump of metal there. They were somewhat prone to rust, but all treatable. Very reliable car though. A Manta would make a good choice for a modern Classic.

[Stubies]

If I think of all the cars I have had - it's a bit nuts

At a school I fixed up cars to make some cash - so had lots.

Mercury marque - engine the size of a small planet. Press the gas and it sounds like a jet engine- straights were ok but didn't do corners - 500 usd - mine was canary yellow w avocado green seats! Sold for 800!



Chrysler convertible - bought this from a guy going bankrupt for 2000 usd to fix it up and make a bit of cash - fixed up the broken seat and other stuff - very quick with a turbo - Stolen and used in a bank robbery, yes they got away! It was found in a river and totalled - insurance paid 5k so that was probably my best cash project deal!



Mercedes 200D 1969 - just ran and ran, had original Becker radio - everything worked! Even original AC!
only Sold it at break even after 1 year, after replacing the window seals and welded some new floorboards in.


Audi 5000 (100 in Europe) bought it at an auto auction for 500 - everything fell apart, replaced the head the power steering rack - the master break cylinder - made no money at all, in fact lost in the end...


Polski fiat - modeled on the fiat 500, worked mostly, but someone bumped it - leaving just a small dent but it ruptured the gas tank! - leaked when more than 1/2 full - never knew if it would be a pile of cinders when I returned. Gave it away!