June 2020
I remember fondly wandering through the old trade yard at my work sniffing round all the old rot buckets (or cars with character as I called them) which came and went daily. I loved taking in and selling cheap cars, I liked the sort of people who bought them. They were more often than not car people and wise to the utter waste of money the things are. Good conversation was had and an easy sale done if the car was reasonable plus you knew they weren’t coming back to haunt you in most cases. I’d refuse to sell to anyone I regarded as unrealistic.
In those days (late 90’s) cars a decade or so old were rusty and aged. Buying one was a gamble, a bit of fun. You could be lucky or you could expire in a cloud of steam the next day, every journey was an adventure and they did all look like a true banger with crusty arches and wonky electrics. It was also an eye opener how fast things had moved with 1994 Mondeo’s, Rover R8’s seemingly a light year beyond an 1984 Sierra, Montego or Cavalier. I don’t think things have moved as quickly today with cars dating circa 2010 still pretty modern.
We often sold end of life cars to Glaswegians heading to Blackpool on holiday. All they cared about was did I think it would make it. At £300 if it lasted a week they were happy, they’d get £50-£100 scrapping it when (or if) they returned. It was a wee adventure holiday.
Today it’s not so much fun. I’ve several old cars in the family and among friends which are solid, don’t look their age and provide utterly reliable transport. Brother in laws 19yr old Civic is the best example. It’s largely rust free, cost £550 about 3yrs ago and never goes wrong. It would sell for £500 easy enough today.
I remember the true motoring horrors of old Lada’s, Yugo’s and early Hyundai’s all thanks to the Proton franchise we had alongside our Mitsubishi dealership. Folks today have no idea what a genuinely bad car is. Why anyone bought an FSO Polonez I’ve no idea. Awful doesn’t cut it.
I miss the truly awful cars, the bangers and the just downright bad. Today selling cars is easy, it’s all down to finance. Cars are all generally good so buy what you like but real talent came from flogging a 6yr old Montego estate that had been resprayed twice to hide the rot and the best finance available was 20% APR plus. An old Lada with holes in the wings was a challenge even at £300 and it was a nightmare trying to convince someone behind the wheel of an early Kia or Hyundai which were all horrid to drive.
I’ve an unhealthy fondness for awful cars. The sort no one wants. On that note, anyone got a Proton Persona they fancy selling? Read more
A really simple question. Has anyone ever had a puncture and successfully fixed it by the side of the road with the puncture repair kit provided instead of a spare wheel? I don't mean fixed it with the help of the AA/RAC, but actually done it yourself and carried on? Read more
I don't think anybody advocating use of space saver tyres has mentioned potential damage to car braking, stability systems etc. Or, in a rear wheel drive car with a limited slip differential a space saver on the rear can damage the LSD. Perhaps this is why some people wouldn't wish to travel far using a space saver.
News this morning that with more cars coming onto the roads from July 4 the government are reviewing their policy
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BBD, the MOT would have been extended by six months a week before the 8th May (if that is the 3 year anniversary). It is now due in November whatever the changes to the lockdown arrangements. That is why they introduced the rolling extension rather than giving all cars a six month extension - it allows them to stop the scheme whenever they deem it appropriate.
Hi all :) Hope you're all staying safe and enjoying this weather!
While the weather is this nice, thought it would be an ideal time to investigate where the air is getting in, into the fuel lines. ... Read more
The main other work I have had done as of late is another channel at the rear of the motor on account of a coolant spill and since the time then I have had this issue.
That's got to be the main suspect.
I am wondering what long term changes/trends are coming re car ownership following lockdown. Many vehicles have done little or no mileage in three months and apart from fuel savings, owners have still been exposed to the usual maintenance/tax/insurance/depreciation costs.Not to mention the dreaded monthly repayments if the car was not bought with cash. A complete waste of money staring car owners in the face... Read more
The dominant reaction to the chaos wrought by the virus over the next year or two will be a reluctance to upgrade existing cars - economic uncertainty being the main driver.
Keeping existing cars is less of an issue unless personal circumstances force sale. If running costs are reasonable it may make sense simply to hang on to what you currently have until the fog of uncertainty lifts....
Any good/bad points with the Range Rover Sports SDV6 Auto 12 plt to check for of approx 85k miles.
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If it's an itch you simply have to scratch, then go for it....but as Avant says, you'll not get many positive recommendations here for any LR product.
The UNreliability is legendary...and is why I buy Japanese.
My sons 67plt A6 tdi recently had a battery failure where he could not start his car and the RAC confirmed it was a battery fault/failure.
The dealer is saying because he had the radio playing for longer than 30 mins where he waited for the RAC. The warranty for the battery is void because of this.... Read more
Currently there is 54k on the car and its been parked up for awhile as the dealers being closed because of covid and backlog to clear.
It had a service at same time
It was in daily use without any issues travelling approx 30miles daily, then called into for fuel, then would not restart as totally flat.
Most of the time the auto stop/start is turned off as this is the major cause of battery failures.
Hi,
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Has your mechanic actually done a battery drain test to see what current is being taken ? Most common issues I’ve seen with all Hondas of this era , is faulty Bluetooth modules . The dancing satnav screen may be due to a continually flat battery.
Google and Wikipedia are useful tools
The same sub-hominid put a spam link on another thread.
I may have mentioned once or twice how my trusty little Suzuki has never let me down, only ever needed general maintenance but the time has come for it to actually need a repair.
After 10 years of faultless motoring it decided on the hottest day of the year that the A/C would no longer work, I diagnosed the fault as the compressor and contacted my trusted indi mechanic. He confirmed my diagnosis and quoted for the work. I'm happy to pay as I use my A/C all year round.... Read more
Far better bet than buying another old car you don’t know that could’ve suffered the same issue shortly after. Those old A4’s are hardy old cars. Keep it running.
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One of my work colleagues drove a Moskvich home from Moscow at the end of his posting. He told us about the solid Russian engineering and 19 piece tool kit but had to eat his words when the car caught alight when left on the car park.
What UK consumers didn't realise was that all export cars were checked over and repaired before being shipped to Uk importers Satra Motors in Bridlington. Foreign buyers in Moscow were allowed to go to a compound and choose a car which had everything working and this often took all morning.
I spoke to a Lada dealer and he said that Satra Motors were brilliant to deal with and never turned down a warranty request.
An early Which report identified leaking brake unions and sloppy steering joints on the Moskvich whih had to be repaired at the dealers before sale.