Keep reading all these horror stories on Scoobynet about all sorts of nice cars getting stolen or vandalised or car jacked.

Makes me wonder why we bother.

I’ve got a shiny new Mazda RX8 on the drive. It’s a wonderful piece of kit, the best car I have owned or driven in years (4 Scooby’s and a lot of other nice stuff included) and worth every penny of the purchase price. But already it’s picked up a ding on the door and a chip out of one of the alloys, both of which are precursor to heartbreak.

On the other hand, my smoker, or “station car” as some Scoobynetters refer to ‘em as (a Citroen AX 1.0, a “Debut” no less) never ceases to amaze me. It stands ANY form of abuse and neglect that I can throw at it, and takes it on the chin.

I spend my life covered in crap, and am doing up a house as well. I commute to work in it, jump in it covered in sawdust, and it doesn’t matter. Yesterday I loaded it up with 5 big buckets of wet concrete to cast a fireplace with and some 10’0 long reinforcing rods. If it spilled, it didn’t matter.

After work yesterday I went home, had a shower and some tea, and was ready for the usual Saturday night. Left the RX8 dormant on the drive (as it has been all week). Jumped in the AX. Loaded it up with 4 mates and dumped it in the middle of town. Never bother locking it, it doesn’t matter.

Picked it up this morning. Brick lying next to it on floor. 6 or 7 brick marks on drivers side window, but completely unbroken. Corsa down the road had rear window and both side windows smashed. Bent the AX door mirror back into place and took it home. It didn’t matter. Washed the RX8 off today, cursed when a bird crapped on the bonnet. Hardly ever wash the AX, strangely because it never actually LOOKS dirty. So I don’t bother.

This afternoon I have loaded it up to the top with crap and been to the tip. Filled it up with fuel (£26 quid, lasts 3 weeks) and parked it up. Ready for work tomorrow.

On top of it all, it’s a genuine hoot to drive, a great handler, similar to a slow, rolly 205GTi. Its handily sized so you can dart down the lanes without lifting, unlike the wide Mazda. The ride is brilliant, the insurance is pennies, tax is £100 a year ore something, it does 50mpg, the seats are comfier than anything I have sat in. Tyres are £20 a corner. Most of all its FUN.

Do you see what I’m getting at? I eat, sleep, live and breathe nice cars, yet this little Cit is as pleasurable to own as anything I have had. Mainly because its hassle free, bull**** free motoring, and who gives a stuff about the image? Not me. And all for the price of a nice shirt and a night out. Everyone should have one.

 

Well said Olly.......I've got a 1.25 zetec Fiesta for exactly the same reason.........well I say 1.25 but since the little car left the factory, this engine has pulled harder than any other 1.25 I've driven........

also then jumping into the Teg makes it even more of a special event than it was before........

 

Its a bit like girl friends. You admire good-looking, high maintaince, expensive type but really your most happy with the loyal one that no one looks at
You know its true
Kam-young and lonely.

 

Olly, yep we miss the point a lot on here, spend a fortune on high power expensive cars and keeping them running, upgrading etc when a lot of the time the purest driving enjoyment is from a car you couldnt give a toss about, get a MK2 Golf GTI, make sure its road worthy and then really enjoy yourself.

Example,

Peugeot 309 Look 1.3, 100 quid from a breaker, 50 quid to get it fixed and MOT'd, ran it for a year when skint, left it open everywhere and sold it for 400 quid, enjoyed every drive, it handled in its own special way, it wasnt fast but maintaining momentum is half the fun.

Fiat Coupe turbo, spent every day worrying about it, it drove ok and was fast but i spent a fortune on it, sold it and lost 2 and a bit grand in 7 months, the new owner is putting a new motor in it and turbo, on balance the Peugeot was much more satisfying to own, honest.

 

If you say so

 

AX and 205 do handle very similarly - not surprising given the suspension in both.

 

I do. Own both

 

Scoobyjawa, you still got your Rover BRM, that almost (well mine) qualifies in this category nowadays.

 

Can understand that. A good mate has a 1.25 Zetec powered 4 door Fiesta. Probably the most surprising car I have ever been in- the thing FLIES. He's pretty handy behind the wheel too, so TT's are easy meat to him.

He can afford something tasty, but can't be arsed. Mainly due to the fact that a) his bird lives bloody miles away, so MPG is important and b) he works in the centre of Manchester, so something tasty will only get mashed anyway.

 

Olly - I know mate, but I had to pull you up on that I'm not pointing out they don't drive/handle the same ( peugeot/citreon have been sharing the same stuff for years!). What my point was is that a 205 GTi is hardly slow, and though roll is there, its not that much otherwise it wouldn't be widely regarded as one of the best GTi's ever Mine is just as much fun, if not more, than my GTR and my old scooby at much more sensible speeds!!.........

J4cko - the BRM we bought was for my Ex, and she still has it, it was, and still is for her, a cracking car. It was very underated - I guess thats a good thing if you want to pick one up cheap , and I loved driving it, was wicked fun Leagues ahead of most Rover products And as far as these 80's/early 90's hot hatches go, having driven a fair few of them I'd rate it right up there!!!! I even like the red interior and the grill - but I've always been told I'm a tad strange

 

No no no no no no no.

I meant that an AX could possibly be described as a slower, rollier VERSION of the unnoficial King of Cars, the 205 GTi.

As we both know bud, 205 is still The Daddy.

 

Ive been thinking this, especially when the majority of my journeys seem to involve loads of traffic and narrow, ill kept roads, sometimes I just feel like having a car I dont bother about much.

I had a Clio Cup for a while, and that was such a fun little car, cheap to run, and I never really worried about it being parked outside. So easy to drive and enjoy without pushing any limits, and a lot more suited to traffic and road conditions than the S2000.

I wonder how much the fun factor increases with the cars cost and performance? given the conditions of traffic and roads that we use at least 80% of our driving time, I dont imagine there's that much more satisfaction steering a Ferrari through traffic as there is some other car. Apart from having a certain car you can brag about or pose in, there's not a huge increase in pure fun, although I do appreciate that when you do get to the open road, its a different story, but its becoming pretty rare where I seem to travel.

I recon it wont be long before I get fed up with insurance costs on the wrong side of a thousand pounds, big petrol bills, worrying every time I hit a bump, looking out the window whenever I hear voices (which with my fragile mental state is quite often ), and hating never using the cars potential unless I get up at 5AM on a Sunday.

I drove a Rover 820i that I bought for a couple hundred quid while I waited for an RX7, and never locked it, went off roading whenever possible, and generally had a bunch of fun in it. Easiest motoring of my life that, but at this stage id want to find some sort of middle ground, something with a bit of go, and also like something that I could go out in without cowering. Recon hot hatch is about ideal, not usually scum magnets, and generally designed to be fun rather than serious performance machines.

 

Ah

Bugger me I should learn to read properly

 

Had my lighbulb moment about 6 months ago when I finally realised that I didn't actually enjoy the experience of owning a new car. I thought I did for a long time but it finally dawned on me that I just didn't want the Hassle, worry and expense of owning a decent car anymore. Hearing stories about leaving a nice car on the drive in preference of the station car just brings back all the memories of how stupid my situation with my Impreza was. Having a £21K car just sitting there depreciating while we drove everywhere in my Girlfriends Punto because I was scared to leave it anywhere. Not wanting to drive it hard incase I damaged it and being obsessed every time the car got dirty or scratched.

Sold my decent car and went out and bought a Renault Laguna for £1500. Has everything on it including aircon (Aircon was a £1500 option when I brought my Impreza!) and I don't worry about the car in the slightest. I too am decorating our house at the moment and just chuck everything in the boot to take down the dump. Can't believe it when I see brand new Mercedes and BMW's there with owners taking tree branches off the back leather seats.

Just reading this post http://bbs.scoobynet.co.uk/showthread.php?t=375339 reminded me of my worst nightmare about owning a decent car. I was always worried about having someone drive into it and having to have my perfect car repaired. Then having to pay 3 years worth of finance on a car I was always unhappy with because it had been repaired and not perfect anymore. I used to spend 4 hours every weekend washing my Impreza only to get depressed every time I found a new scratch of dent.

Now if someone decides to drive into my car I know it will be written off and I will just go out and buy another one. I am also having a towbar fitted soon to wreck the front of anyones car who decides to drive into the back of me.

As far as I am concerned unless you have enough money not to have to worry about it owning a decent car is a mugs game. It's a battlefield out there on the roads now with the amount of people who are hopeless drivers so I prefer to have a disposable car.

 

Hiya,

Yep, performance cars are expensive (insurance, servicing and fuel costs etc..) and a right worry (theives and vandals etc..) Most of us don't even drive them as an everyday car, so why do we bother? Mine even seems to be causing grief with my G/F, who just doesnt appreciate it - and what having it means to me. If it comes to a choice between her and the car, though, the car would win immediately.

Why?

There are few things in life that consistently bring you happiness and live up to your expectations. The Scooby makes me feel good whenever I drive it! It's hard to put a value on that, but whatever the car asks of me is worth it.

Best.

 

Have 2.

1 car you don't care much about. Leave it in rubbish places, it doesn't stand out and if it goes wrong....."whatever".

Then the other is cool, always garaged and used for track and posing.

 

2 Quotes from a film:

"Your possesions end up owning YOU".

"Do ****ty jobs we don't like to buy things that we do not need".

 

Gotta love Fight Club!!

 

Another quote from fight club:

"If you do not claim your humanity, you will become a statistic"

Get out there in the Scooby (or other nice car) strut your stuff, make some noise and have fun! :-) To hell with those who would try and spoil it for you; if you spend your life never having anything nice for fear of it getting damaged/being stolen, that's a sad state of affairs.

Best

 

Read an extra L in there the first time

 

I like my BRM, really like it but even though it was less than three grand I am getting quite particular about it !

 

Looks like your driving Saturday night then. reminds me of that work van we had one saturday night and left it in a dodgy carpark in Northampton overnight.

 

Ahhh, the beer van!!

Handbrake turns everywhere. Sold to some unknowing person probably!!

Remember someone that used to do 110 then slam it into 3rd to see how high the revs would go???? lol. (not me btw)

 

Past the time! didnt it

 

This is a very sensible thread.

I just sold my 196,000 miles Diesel Primera for roughly what I paid for it. Enjoyed driving it for many of the reasons listed in this posting, although I did look after it.

Just bought a 1998 Primera 2.0 GT range topper - it drives superbly and is totally great to drive and does 40 MPG easily. The price I paid for it was like a service, tax and insurance on my Impreza - why I even have the Impreza sometimes puzzles me

Brian

 

Certainly did!! Never quite drove the same after that did it, I always opted for the other bright yellow van. Sounded like abag of nails after that trip to Wycombe.

 

who did that? I had some fun in that yellow van