April 2020
Yes I have been drinking and watching an old Top Gear DVD, a terrible combination to admit to but it gets me thinking of cars I loved yet shouldn’t, cars I know as a salesman would come back to bite me yet I loved them all the same.
Alfa Romeo GTV 3.0 - Based on a Fiat Tipo but with a monstrous V6 lump up front it was a recipe for disaster yet it looked wonderful and sounded fantastic which does forgive the nose heavy handling and terrible quality - sort of. I’d love one now.
Fiat Coupe 20v Turbo - As above but so powerful it literally pulls itself apart. Rust is a major issue now and body panels are unavailable. I convinced a friend to buy one recently just so I could have another shot of one and it was a joy to drive with that charismatic 5cyl burble. You could actually hear it rusting away under you as you drove along but this only made it faster. Sadly his was too far gone to save but it was a joy while it lasted.
Fiat Uno Turbo ie - A lightweight suicide machine. Mad top heavy handling and huge turbo-lag but it had real Italian bravado. I loved them for the ten minutes it would last before breaking.
Alfa Romeo 156 - All were beautiful and all a joy to pilot even the basic 1.6 twin spark. They did fall to pieces by the time they reached 7yrs old (if you were lucky) but it is to date probably the best modern day Alfa yet made,
Rover 827 Vitesse 5dr - Not really that sporty actually but it sounded good and went well in a straight line yet was cheap to buy used. Traction was lacking so front tyres would last minutes if you had a lead lined right foot.
Rover Metro GTi - Modern day Mini Cooper, a go-kart for the road but with comfy seats and central locking. None left so buying one today will cost the Crown Jewels but I had an irrational love for small hot hatches and these were actually very good.
Citroen AX GT - Made from recycled bog roll but so light that 85bhp felt terrifyingly quick. Actually not that fragile despite the initial feel but you did fear that every twitch of the right pedal would end in a call to the scrappy.
Rover 220 Turbo Tomcat - Never lift the bonnet, these were always covered in oil and often suffered from horrible gearbox problems. 200bhp in a chassis designed to handle 100 did result in tyre smoking understeer but it was attractive and fast which was good enough for me.
Renault 5 GT Turbo - Terrifyingly fragile and refused to start when hot but so much fun when it was working well that it was worth the pain.
Citroen BX GTi 16v - Not many left now as most have seen their engines pinched for 205 GTi transplants but these were a joy to drive back in the day. The terror came from the wait until some terminal suspension problem killed it or sent you through a hedge at too high a speed.
Peugeot 205 GTi 1.9 - A bit mad, a paperweight hatch with a stupidly big engine combined with a great chassis that had terrible lift-off oversteer that could (and likely would) land you through the nearest hedge. I loved these but never could figure out whether the 1.6 or 1.9 was the better car.
Vauxhall Astra GTE 16v - A car with a terrible chassis and a brilliant and hugely powerful engine = much hedge skimming terror. These were fast, even today with some testers getting sub 7sec 0-60 times from them back in the day. It would be quicker if such wonders as traction control had been invented but despite the coal age tech the digital dash made you think you were in the space age. To be fair they were very reliable but most buyers were back looking for a replacement soon after as they’d killed the thing by going unintentionally off-road.
MG Maestro turbo - Stupid, just stupid. A turbocharged car with a carburettor! Wouldn’t start when it was hot but when it did go, boy did it go and only in a straight line. These didn’t do corners well but it was insanely fast in a straight line.
Fiat Tipo 16v - Actually very good, had soul and worked well. None left so all proof has sadly gone to dust. Read more
If you feel up to it check out images of the above car, i thought Toyota's recent Lexus offerings were dire looks wise, particularly with nose treatment, but the Avalon takes things to a whole new level way beyond ugly.
Another factor, to add to those mentioned by Alby, is the poor decisions all too often made by an excess of meetings of men in suits.
If you look at the designs by Harris Mann and Pininfarina which Badbusdriver very kindly shared with us on the 'Defending BL' thread, there's nothing about them that suggests impractical or uncommercial. Yet the results were the Allegro and the Princess. ...
Hi everyone. The one rear wheel arch on my car has been cosmetically rusty for some time, and now I feel that I need to remove the rust before it becomes more of a structural problem. The rust starts from where the arch meets the rear bumper and goes half way along the arch. The metal body behind the rusty exterior is solid enough. My question is, is it significantly cheaper to repair the arch at home, than getting a professional to do it (estimates for how much doing it at home vs how much a professional would charge would be appreciated)? Also, for those who recommend repairing it at home, any tips for what I should use or any videos on youtube which give good advice?
Thanks in advance. Alfie. Read more
I've had very good results abrading with aluminium and then binding with sunflower oil.
I used the latter because I found a lot of it that probably wasn't fit for human consumption, and I dunno where to get better alternatives in Taiwan....
If Avant continues to "tolerate" a certain recent poster,
I will not make any future comments/suggestions or give advice.... Read more
Sam - you have found your answer by going on the gov.uk website. As you are at university, you are intelligent enough to understand what it says, and why. You have had similar advice from people on here, and there's nothing more to be said.
I'm closing this thread now.
If any of us needed to get a car now it would be a difficult task I guess. Can't get out more than once a day and have to keep local....would be a nightmare if someone stole your pride and joy now. Except for the very odd shopping trip ours stay on the drive, never used so little fuel. Read more
Assuming somebody bought a new car when all this virus rubbish ends( late summer?) -then that very same vehicle could well have been parked in a field since the end of march ,waiting to be lorried to a dealer. Same with nearly new and also second hand cars too......?...
Hi all,
I bought a 2016 Touran diesel earlier this year which was serviced in November and has since only covered a few thousand miles. The service interval is fixed / annual, rather than variable.... Read more
The warranty runs until March next year - Are you saying that it won't have missed a service by then because of the flexible servicing regime (up to 2 years) ?
You'll have to interpret the small print. But you certainly won't overstep the distance criterion.
He's back. Read more
Sam - you have found your answer by going on the gov.uk website. As you are at university, you are intelligent enough to understand what it says, and why. You have had similar advice from people on here, and there's nothing more to be said.
I'm closing this thread now.
Everyone (including myself) likes to criticise but feeling cheerful today I thought I’d list a top ten of cars that have surprised and impressed me on driving. Cars I’d happily own and rate highly particularly for the way they drive in most cases which isn’t about outright speed or grip but they way they feel on the road.
Nissan Skyline GTR - rare that I like such performance metal but these are actually quite civilised and despite all the tech it feels alive under you. A joy to drive fast but quite capable of a quiet run to the shops.
Ford Mondeo Mk I 1.8 LX - I was amazed at how right these were from day one. Nimble handling, great steering feel, slick gearchange, near perfect driving position, comfy seats, decent amount of space and 35mpg. All the car you needed and reliable too. Post facelift cars seen cost cutting inside and I just didn’t like the next gen model in 2001.
Peugeot 306 1.9 XRdt - Fantastic cars to drive, even the 1.4 petrol or normally aspirated diesels as long as you had PAS. Comfy, nimble, sweet steering, practical and generally very reliable. I loved these but could never get one as a company car as they never sat any length of time. I did buy and sell a fair number and owned a 1.4 LX I paid £500 for then sold for £750 a year later. I loved the 306 and would like a GTI6 or XSi as a retro toy. Sadly most have been ruined or sellers are asking mad money today. One of the best Peugeot’s ever if not the best.
Ford Focus Mk I 1.6 Zetec - Ford really got it right in the 90’s with this and the Mondeo, both we’re almost perfect. The Focus was a hoot to pilot down a twisting B road yet civilised enough to be the perfect family or company hack. The rev happy Yamaha designed 1600 motor had just enough power to be fun yet was more reliable, better on fuel and smoother than the bigger Ford Zetec motors only the dearer cars. I wasn’t a huge fan of the styling but the drive more than made up for it. Buy a good one now as prices are heading upwards
Rover Metro K series 1.4 GTA - Yes really! These were all a joy to drive even the basic 1.1, a real go kart on the road when you wanted yet it was more civilised than the previous car with much better ride and refinement. I never had any reliability issues with any I sold in fact the only issue was rust.
Nissan Primera 2.0 LX - Handled like a Peugeot 405 but built like a Bluebird, these were the perfect family car of 1990. Only minor issue was the ride being a bit firm.
Peugeot 205 - All bar the base 954cc were great cars. Practical enough to serve as the main family car in 5dr form, able to do 250k in diesel spec and the best hot hatch on the road in GTi form. These wee cars were just right.
Mazda MX5 1.6 Mk I 114bhp - Early cats were the best, later gens became heavier and had less feel. The Japs showed us how the two seater sports car should’ve been done. Prices for good early Mk I’s are through the roof which tells you plenty. A real joy to own and drive.
Ford Puma 1.7 - Ford on a high note produced this joyous little coupe. It was cheap being based on a Fiesta but drove better than anything else in the road with near perfect handling and a just powerful enough 123bhp Yamaha motor. Reliable too but rusted like it was the 1970’s over again. I tried to find a good one a few years back but almost all are ruined as you can’t get body panels for them anymore and cheap repairs are common.
BMW 325 E36 - The last BMW I liked. These were light, nimble, fun yet civilised and reliable. Not as solid as it should’ve been perhaps but it was more robust mechanically than later variants as it was much simpler. I really rated the 318 which was much cheaper to buy and run than the 6cyl cars but was quick enough to be fun on the road while the 325 had to really be driven illegally to get close to its limits. The 4cyl belt driven engines were sweet revving and quite torquey too.
BMW 525 E34 - Built like a tank yet handled like a sports car these were brilliant things and sold well as a result. More reliable than later BM’s thanks to relative simplicity.
Volvo 850 GLT 2.5 - Hard to believe now but the initial road tests placed this ahead of the 5 series. They handled and rode great yet would outlast you if looked after. I loved the combination and image.
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Thanks SLO, test drives after lock down. Some cheapish Puma on Ebay, probably riiddled with rust.
Obviously, this post is related to my earlier one. I borrowed my neighbours Optimate battery charger but am struggling to get it attached directly onto the battery terminals. If I attach it to the terminal connectors will it still charge ok? Did this last night and it’s still charging this morning. Read more
If the car starts I would go and give it a run like I did yesterday, about 20 miles at up to 70mph.
I was wondering if my battery would be on the way out, but it started first turn this morning.
M69 between Leicester and Coventry has been like it since this started Read more
Totally agree, the A4440 in Worcester, a long duel carriageway is an absolute race track.
Excessive speeding on a 50mph road, residents alongside this route are getting the full impact of this horrendous speeding, noise levels are intolerable, pollution just getting worse.
It will take a serious accident that will happen before any MP or police take notice of this stupidity.
Mindless, drivers without braincells are risking their lives, other road users lives, residents quality of life, potential emergency services being required, insurance hikes for everyone....and more.
Letters to MP, police, parliament for action, speed cameras to be sited along the A4440 have been ignored, what will it take...a fatality!!
B Dudley
Worcester
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The red one with the white stripe. :-)
I still have the 'Matchbox' version...