RB - I have exactly the same car as you as well as an A6 Estate with a big engine. The Fiesta is a hoot around town, has never let me down and if you'd told me before I got it that I'd say such a thing I'd have raised an eyebrow.
The fact is that unless you do really frequent serious M/way trips, then take the advice of someone a few posts above me and spend your money on much more important things like beer, birds and travelling the world rather than lining the pockets of some insurance company (any woman worth the time of day will be more interested in driving with you in an old Fiesta to the airport than driving to Halfords to buy some Simoniz!)
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>>>>>then take the advice of someone a few posts above me and spend your money on much more important things like beer, birds and travelling the world rather than lining the pockets of some insurance company (any woman worth the time of day will be more interested in driving with you in an old Fiesta to the airport than driving to Halfords to buy some Simoniz!)
LOL, splendid advice and it looks like I could have some serious competition......mothball your car for 3 months, come to the Far East and have a fabulous time broadening your horizons. You will still go home with change from your pot. It may even be you find a beautiful companion who will devotedly go with you anywhere be it to buy Simoniz or a walk up the aisle.
...Growler (Ann Landers) out.
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RB - I have exactly the same car as you as well as an A6 Estate with a big engine. The Fiesta is a hoot around town, has never let me down and if you'd told me before I got it that I'd say such a thing I'd have raised an eyebrow. The fact is that unless you do really frequent serious M/way trips, then take the advice of someone a few posts above me and spend your money on much more important things like beer, birds and travelling the world rather than lining the pockets of some insurance company (any woman worth the time of day will be more interested in driving with you in an old Fiesta to the airport than driving to Halfords to buy some Simoniz!) Dear Boy,
I think we clashed ages ago over a volvo thingy but never mind that. I have to say that the last few lines of your post are sooooo true and have made me grin and I can't stop grinning and probably wont. Just brilliant and soo true. Ha ha! Listen to this man. He is RIGHT.
Regards.
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"..the temporary pleasure of something newer and different."
Of course, that can apply to women, too... ;-)
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Yes, completely stark staring bonkers! Stick with your old, trouble-free fiesta. If you really want to blow some money on a smarter car that impresses the birds occasionally, then there's something called something like the classic car club.co.uk (I'm sure somebody else could tell you exactly what) that would let you borrow one of theirs a dozen days per year in exchange for a membership fee. Much swankier than one of those bland repmobiles you have tried...
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If you actually have the money, I suggest putting it as a pile of used notes on the kitchen table and consider whether you really want to convert it into an unknown and possibly less entertaining quantity than what you already have, for the temporary pleasure of something newer and different
ROTFLMAO!
HEAR HEAR!! [ or is it Here Here!]
Bonners, you should copyright that sentance - top class.
I apply the same philosophy to socks - i've had the same solitary pair since 1962.
CF.
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Well, speaking as someone who had a nice 1.25 Fiesta Zetec and fancied something a bit larger, I went and bought a 1.8TDI Focus and have regretted the day since
Fiesta had 1 fault in 4 years (dodgy heater valve-very common on this generation) and the Focus has been off the road for 2.5 weeks in the last month with a list of problems
The Fiesta was a 98 and the new(er) Focus is an 02, so I'm massively disappointed with my choice!
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Thanks for all the advice!
One thing I should have mentioned though. The reason for me looking at cars with boots is because I have a rather special mountain bike that folds up to be small enough to fit in a good size boot. The problem with the Fiesta is that the boot isn't big enough so I have to put the rear seats down, which I don't like doing because my bike is very valuable (one off concept, patents pending valuable). So really I want to be able to store it in a secure boot area, where any potential theives won't have any idea what's in there. Currently I just cover it with a large sheet, but I'm always worried that might make potential thieves curious.
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I used to drive an Audi A4, previously a BMW 3 series and switched to a 1.6 Fiesta (Y) because of the driving experience.
Best thing I did...
Most larger cars are carp to drive....Puma would be good but boot small..
If you are worried by sheet cover, throw on a couple of empty fertiliser/garden compost bags which look old and tatty.. makes it look as if car is full of rubbish...
madf
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Keep the Fiesta! I had a 1998 model and regret swapping if for a 2001 Punto which is giving me problems with head gaskets and is no comparison in driving pleasure.
I reckon your Fiesta should last for a good while yet with clean oil - in reality it's a Japanese engine (Yamaha design?) combined with great handling and ride. What more could you want, only perhaps more space?
The grass is always greener with cars, and swapping is an expensive exercise to find out you regret the choice. At least the test drives have given you some idea of the other alternatives.
As suggested - how about foreign travel or get a motorcycle licence and then the fun will start....
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If you need a car that handles as well as the Fiesta but has the required space, and is also even cheaper to insure, then how about the Focus 1.6 Saloon?
I would imagine that the boot might be big enough, probably best check first, and it's only a group 5 insurance, the Fiesta is a group 6 I think.
Stacks of driving fun, secure, and even cheaper to insure than what you have now! :-)
Blue
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Folding mountain bike....No Dosh will be along shortly me thinks!!
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www.streamload.com/AfterDark/Photos/concept.jpg
Not your average folding bike... you might have seen it in some of the technology magazines.
The front wheel quickly releases, then flick a switch under the bike and the rear wheel can be folded up to 180 degrees under the bike to swap ends. Full front suspension and we're working on full rear by improving the strength of the springs in the pedal area. Also the bike doesn't use a chain, instead thats been replaced with a zero maintenance toothed belt. Carbon fibre and disc breaks all round.
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What - no wicker basket for the shopping!
Looks a pretty serious piece of kit there RB - What sort of material do you use for the toothed belt if its not top secret and how do you prevent it stretching / breaking?
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It's actually based on the average cars cam belt... can't really say more than that. So long as no one sabotages it or it receives some major damage, it should last longer than the rider! The main problem with using a belt is that it limits how many gears you can have, so that bike has 7 gears and 3 tension levels for each gear.
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Didn't car manufacturers change from (cam) chains to belts, and find out that the thing about runner is that it snaps a lot easier than steel...
Aside from that, looks the business (and I'm sure that you've looked into the chain/belt issue and chosen belt for a good reason anyway)
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Oops. I was a little late with my last post, oh well.
I bet the belt's a lot quieter than a chain though.
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I really need an edit button on here....
As you probably guessed, runner=rubber
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An edit button would be good.
As for the belt... the rubber is moulded around something a lot stronger, but still remains flexible and yes it is whisper quiet!
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>>it is whisper quiet!
At last...an end to the misery of noisy pedal cycles!
Only joking - it looks sensational!
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Nsar - Didn't you ever hear of 3 in 1 oil?
Talking of whisper quiet wasn't there a thread recently concerning bringing in a law about having a bell on a bike.I didn't notice any lights on it either....Sometimes the noisy pedals are all the warning you get....
This is truly the stealth bomber of bikes.
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Rust bucket, out of curiousity may i ask how you have come to be involved in a project such as this? As a uni student studying product design and manufacture it sounds like the ideal kind of venture!
Oh and other than for the storage reasons and lack of motorway ability, stick with the Fiesta, nothing else truely warrants the £7000 unless its burning a major hole in your pocket
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The original design was done by a friend of mine in Australia for a project (incorporating technology from another device or something along those lines), given the design (the shape has stayed the same) I suggested that the rear wheel could pivot round. It's now being developed in Australia and I've got the job of trying to sell it to Europe. So it was really just good luck, if he hadn't asked my opinion of the design nothing probably would have come of it.
As helicopter rightly said, a road legal version would require reflectors or lights... they're not on the bike at present since it's just to show off the design (although it is fully working, just don't try any bunny hops on that back wheel!).
I was looking at getting a new car anyway... as I say the Fiesta is a very good car, but I wouldn't mind a bit more street cred as well as a bit more refinement on motorways and such. I just didn't appreciate just how much fun and feedback the Fiesta gave unil I started testing others as I've had nothing to compare it to up until now... I've just got to find a car that gives me a good balance of everything really.
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Thanks for the explanantion RB
Car-choice wise, it seems like the Focus would be a logical choice, or perhaps a SEAT Leon? Both look ok and drive ok, and are the next size up
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An edit button would be good.
I'd like one for use in real life as well as online discussions. If anyone finds one then please do let me know!
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The bike sounds truly awsome!
As far as the car goes, You've got a number of options here.
If you genuinely like the fiesta and don't want to give it up, then to get over your security problem, may I suggest folding the front seats down or even taking them out and fabricating a large parcel shelf to cover the whole loadspace. In addition think about a reasonable alarm system (you would probably want one on any car with that thing in it).
If you seriously want to upgrade then go for something with bigger boot space. Don't just go for a larger car. Possibilities include:
Astra estate (with parcel shelf)
Golf estate (ditto)
Renault Megane
Peugeot 306 estate with parcel shelf/screen
...
You get the picture.
H
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