So my German run about is in for a cambelt today, in order to facilitate this I have swapped cars with a mate who works near the garage.

Now normally the thought of climbing into a rover would fill me with a sense of dread, but yet now I find myself looking forward to the drive home....

Its not like its just the change that's got me all fired up as I regularly hire cars with work... but in this case it feels different it feels special.

I think its the sense of adventure and unknown, never quite sure if your going to make where your going without generating a pub anecdote on route. It could be that your in no way isolated from the mechanics of what's actually going on, like you are in a new car. Especially in this Rover where most of the sills look like my Gran's net curtains.

I have decided that its too easy to become isolated in a world of effortless German clinicalness or Japanese efficiency to the point where the journey is no longer an emotional experience.

New rule, the next car I buy MUST cost less then £500

Eddie - Proudly driving a square shape Rover 216 with central locking thats broken in an exceptionally confusing way.

 

It's the way forward. See the Cayenne thread if you don't believe me.

I've just put a '95 Polo "pub car" on the road. Purchased, taxed, MOT'd and a years insurance for £420 quid all in.

Its hghly entertaining in a tyre squealing way, economical, cheap, fun, and when we dump it at the door of the pub and someone leaves a kebab on the roof, it's funny. None of which apply in your new Porsche.

Do a year and throw it away, or more than likely sell it and break even (or even a little profit). No depreciation, no hassle.

 

Eddie - Proudly driving a square shape Rover 216 with central locking thats broken in an exceptionally confusing way.[/quote]

I don't believe it! The central locking has broken on my 216 - and it's an SLi - which is more deluxe
There's nought wrong with Rover's - I can drive the 110 miles a day commute which includes motorways, A roads and B roads without having to change out of 5th gear. OK, so my max speed is 55mph and it takes me 2 miles to get up to speed but I challenge anyone to beat me on roundabouts
I enjoy the looks I get when I am in my two-tone, wheel trim free Rover - in 'chave speak' my Rover is a real head turner

 

£500? Thats luxury

Try £250 and you really start to get more interesting rides.

Like the Nissan sunny 1.3 that would cut out on hard left handers (broken ignition wire from the battery),

People denting/bumping into it, and not having to give a s**t about it. Also how cars that are parked in adjacent spaces give me plenty of room to open my door.

The freezing cold winters (new thermostat...best £10 I spent that winter)

The dread when the loud clatter from the engine grew louder and louder, acompanied by a distinct missfire. With futher power loss until one day when climbing a steep hill it drops to 2cylinders and struggles to get up in 1st gear. Then the relief to find the rocker shaft had come loose (no doubt not helped by me taking it down the motorway at 120mph a few nights before).

The sinking feeling when you turn the key and get nothing except a faint "click"

The looks of passers-by who see you rocking the car back and forth in gear and hitting the starter motor with a wheelbrace whilst cursing. To be followed during the next few weeks by asking random people to help push start it, then the final day where I was forced to fit the spare starter motor I was given...on a client's car park.

That "Rally stage" sound track made by the gearbox when hammering down the country lanes.

The induction roar that would turn the heads of kevs and neds everywhere when I floored it (lost the nut for the air filter housing, so I ran it for a bit with no air filter).

The final day of road tax, where we try and blow it up.

A modern car wouldn't deliver these life experiences

 

Nissan Sunny 1.3, 120 Mph, are you sure yours isnt reading in kph.

I do understand the delight of running a banger, I remember my Metro GTI, actually trying to kill the engine by going for a fair distance in second on the rev limiter on several occasions, could I kill the bloody thing, no.

 

Only ever really driven my Impreza.

Got a chance to have a go in a C reg Honda Civic. It was great! Gears were like 2 foot apart, manual steering, wheel spinning.

I vowed to buy one! It really was refreshing not to have to give a sh*t about the car.

 

Downhill stretch of the M5 at 4:00am It would hold 110 on the flats though (before the rocker shaft came loose), which is still good going

 

I've been driving my £350 Rover 420SLi fro 2 1/2 years now and it's been brilliant, I love it. Much better than my money grabbing Subaru ever was

 

So, everyone is loving their Rovers, I suppose its too late now.

Or is it because they are alright at < £500

 

Borrowed a metro for a couple of weeks after selling my car and I was car-less.

First thing that struck me was the smell.Smelt exactly the same as my Metro Turbo from years ago and brought back instant memories.

(Oh,and a worrying smell of petrol too)

 

I bought my (late) Grandad's 216GSi to replace my nissan for £300

It was perfect condition, nothing wrong apart from a fuel pump relay, some brake pads and rear trailing arm bushes. Just it was Automatic, so it was slower than the Nissan 1.3 (even though it was a 1.6 Honda engine ), handled like jelly on wheels, not that great on petrol, cost more to tax (1300cc is lower tax bracket), and more to insure.

So sold it for £500 (bloke who bought it didn't haggle ) and went back to using the Nissan

 

have been driving a 1999 1.8 mondeo for the last year, cost me 800 with 12 months ticket. it's great, 12,000 miles and just a broken wire to the coil that left her on 2 and she still got me home i also park it next to the oaf who works in the warehouse who leaves a mark on the passenger door at the rate of one a week, still it saves someones pride and joy getting dented.

 

Oh yes i love the bangers!
I work at a car auction so i get my fair share to drive around! Since being there i have driven countless subaru's, evo's, skylines, s2000's and M3's but nothing can compare to driving around like a dick in a 1.4 auto metro which my mate was selling there for £200! I had a drag race with a 4.0 V6 Ford Explorer and the metro left it for dead!(to 40mph anyway)

We get loads of smoking corsa's, knackered astra's and wrecked hatchbacks of all shapes and sizes and i love them!

When my MR2 turbo got written off i bought a 1994 honda prelude with T+T for £350 from work. It got 4 weeks of constant abuse and everyday i found another bit that had fallen off or rotted through but it all added character! I then bought the Scoob, stuck the preude in the auction again and got £400 for it! I miss that car!

 

1996 diesel escort, no power stearing, no elcetric windows or central locking, does about 60mpg, wont go over 80 and is currently running on 30 ltrs of crisp and dry


top stuff

 

This is you lot....

YouTube - John Shuttleworth - Austin Ambassador Y Reg

 

I was running around in 50 quids worth of Peugeot 106 for a month there. Bought off my mate with 6 weeks MOT and Tax and ragged into the ground.

Had a dirty big dent in the drivers door and the arch which meant that a) I couldn't open the window fully and b) the tire scrubbed off the arch when landing it on a jump. slower than continental drift but amusing none the less. I may MOT it and abuse it some more. It needs a back box at the sum of 16 quid from Euro car parts, that's a major investment in a 50 quid motor!

Best thing is it's worth about 80 quid in scrap value if I decide to get rid

Brian

 

mondeo sailed the mot today requiring one tyre. so as long as it doesn't pack up another 12 months budget motoring.

 

thats a bit more civilised
all those inbreds going on about rovers

 

is it an ex taxi
i bought one a couple of years ago, stuck in 2nd gear
had to drive it home about 10miles away,
just set the revs at 3000rpm, which luckily was 30mph and went the long way home got there no probs , 1x10mm bolt later,(gearbox out and in bits) and all gear available
fookin great car , dents . scrapes, what are those

 

As opposed to what