RE: PH Blog: Regretfully Yours
Friday 4th January 2013
I won’t lie: there have been quite a few snotters in my car history. Looking back through previous purchases, I’m struck instantly by how many of them have been ill-advised. It’s a back catalogue of poorly-calculated man maths and thwarted attempts to be sensible.
Beautiful, but not cheap to keepYou see, the XJR was, on the surface, a brilliant car. It was the right colour combination – Sapphire Blue with Ivory leather, it had a full history, below-average mileage, and at least 70 per cent of its original 331hp. It was also a vast amount of car for the money.
At least the paintwork looked nice...No, a bad car purchase has to be one that disappoints on every level. A car that proves not only hatefully unreliable, but which shatters those dreams we all build up in the days before we come home with a new car for the first time. And that honour must go to the exceptionally dubious Rover Vitesse I once owned.
Probably the sunset of this Rover's life, tooWell, you can guess the rest. I got the train to pick it up, and decided that despite some rust, it was close enough to the description to part with my cash. But 20 miles into the journey home, it started doing some odd things – sometimes there’d be boost, sometimes not. I decided to limp it home and investigate when I got there. Of course, the process of limping it home destroyed what was left of the turbo. I managed to find a cheap reconditioned unit, but soon tired of its rattles and squeaks. Even good Vitesses are a bit ropey these days, and this one was not a good one. It wasn’t even very fast. So I sold it on in favour of something decidedly less horrible. The bizarre footnote to this story is that the man who bought it turned up to do so in a Mitsubishi Galant with various bits of trim spray painted gold, that he said he’d need to park outside my house for a week. He never returned. In the end, the Galant was carted away by the council on a hi-ab, and so ended the oddest period in my car buying career.
PH Blog: Regretfully Yours
Alex ponders those cars that seemed like a fantastic idea at the time...
I should point out, before we go any further, that I’ve never had a great deal of cash to spend on a car. The most I’ve ever laid out on a single vehicular purchase has been £3,000, spent on a 1995 Jaguar XJR. And that car, in fact, brings me on to a very salient point: how, exactly, do you justify a poor car purchase?
Beautiful, but not cheap to keep
But shortly after buying it, I found there was a gearbox harness that needed doing. Then there was the supercharger belt that fell off, and then the electrical work that was required when the washer jets gave up the ghost. My Jag wasn’t really a hound, but it certainly needed plenty of upkeep. The final straw came when I had to move away from home for a new job; the fuel bills were simply too much, and a mere six months (and some pounds) after I bought it, it had to go.
Was it a bad buy, though? I loved it when it was working, and enjoyed the road trip of a lifetime in it when I drove it over to Austria in the middle of winter. So I got something out of it. I reckon that doesn’t make the decision to buy it a bad one; it’s certainly not something I regret, as it scratched an itch I’d had since I was a lad.
At least the paintwork looked nice...
It was while I was at university, and I’d been shedding around in a frankly hideous old Mondeo diesel for a few months. I was sick and tired of it, and on a cheeky eBay browse one evening I spotted the perfect (ha!) antidote. It was a Rover Vitesse, the turbocharged model, again dating from 1995 and finished in Nightfire Red. Lured by the promise of a 180hp-odd barge with fantastic sleeper points, I walloped in a bid for £400 and that was that. No, I hadn’t even seen it, and yes, I was young and extremely foolish.
Probably the sunset of this Rover's life, too
I could go on – I’ve had my fair share of shonkers – but I’m more interested to hear about yours, so I’m turning the discussion over to you. Let’s hear about your most keenly regretted purchases; the hounds that bay at you from somewhere in the darkest recesses of your memory. Meanwhile, the rest of us will sit here and, alternately, nod sympathetically or point, laugh and shout ‘What did you do that for?!’
Alex
Discussion
Audi RS6 (can't remember which variant) - bought S/H from a main dealer, FSH & warranty (that covered everything other than anything that might ever go wrong).
Hateful suspension that broke, broke and broke. Cost me thousands of pounds in the 18 months I had it. Sold it eventually for something more reliable....a TVR...and haven't looked back!
Hateful suspension that broke, broke and broke. Cost me thousands of pounds in the 18 months I had it. Sold it eventually for something more reliable....a TVR...and haven't looked back!
December 2010 - bought a low-mileage 4 year old E46 330Ci vert from BMW AUC. Looked to be a beaut - bought as I had to sell the E70 X5 to avert what I thought was a financial crisis on the horizon. I'd had a E46 330Ci coupe a couple of years before and loved it. Six weeks later, 6 trips to the dealer and an auto gearbox which did everything other than change gear at the right time, it was px'd for an E60 535d which proved the best decision ever.
Amazing thing was that I px'd the X5 and bought the vert whilst we were suffering heavy snowfall and px'd the vert for the 535d whilst we were having a sunny January. I think I even made a turn on the transaction!
Amazing thing was that I px'd the X5 and bought the vert whilst we were suffering heavy snowfall and px'd the vert for the 535d whilst we were having a sunny January. I think I even made a turn on the transaction!
The 3rd (possibly 4th) MR2, brought for the ex because she liked the colour(Re-sprayed Sky/baby Blue). Compared to my previous ones it was utter s
te, over priced, un-reliable and the sills were mostly rust.
Then when the ex fianlly left me she took the E190 i loved and left me with her shoddy MR2 which i finally sold to someone down the road for a huge £250 just to get rid.
I still see it parked in my local pub, it currently has a for sale sign on it at the minute and i know it has a newish MOT.
<manlogic>It couldn't be as bad the second time round, could it?
</manlogic>
te, over priced, un-reliable and the sills were mostly rust. Then when the ex fianlly left me she took the E190 i loved and left me with her shoddy MR2 which i finally sold to someone down the road for a huge £250 just to get rid.
I still see it parked in my local pub, it currently has a for sale sign on it at the minute and i know it has a newish MOT.
<manlogic>It couldn't be as bad the second time round, could it?
</manlogic>
I think I've been really lucky (touch wood) - in app. 40 cars I've had a few mishaps and they were always French. Renault Clio 16v, Clio Williams and 2x Renault 19 16v. All had something go, head gasket, gearbox or engine failure. The last 19 had engine and box failure which really pleased me!!!
Why did I have 5 of the things?
Why did I have 5 of the things?
Al, don't forget about the awful Scorpio!
I don't really have a regrettable shed, the only one I've ever bought, a £450 Cavalier 1.8 LS with a C20XE was actually brilliant, until my mum locked the (only) key in it on Christmas Eve and I had to break in to it, breaking the rear quarterlight, which turned out to be the most expensive window in the history of mankind per square mm and probably the hardest to source too.
I don't really have a regrettable shed, the only one I've ever bought, a £450 Cavalier 1.8 LS with a C20XE was actually brilliant, until my mum locked the (only) key in it on Christmas Eve and I had to break in to it, breaking the rear quarterlight, which turned out to be the most expensive window in the history of mankind per square mm and probably the hardest to source too.
Never had a real stinker....the only car I regret was a new X-reg Ford Ka - I was young and trying to be 'sensible' and in 14 months it ended up costing me more in time off the road for warranty work and then depreciation than my most idiotic moneypit - a high mileage Integra Type R with a bent nose that I ended up selling for a profit after 2 years of trackday abuse.
Go figure.
Go figure.
Marlin Kit car (already built)
found at the back of a dealer's lot as a PX he only wanted 1/2 of what the original kit (minus donor vehicle) was. so I figured this was a bargain!
lesson 1 - never trust another person's design skill - With 185s on the rear and 155s on the front the builder obviously wanted to dial in a 'bit' of understeer!!!
Lesson 2 - One man's safe is another man's hazard - Why did he build it with the fuel filler cap (not leak proof) directly above the exhaust pipe ("what's that smell?, Oh it's petrol!!! no wait it's ok it's burnt off!!!"
Lesson 3 - No doors No roof (that'll stay attached above 40mph) and No heater means less to go wrong - No it means wet, it means cold, it means you look stupid at traffic lights in the rain!!!!
However once I'd rebuilt the thing (work in progress) and dressed to drive (waterproof jacket, hat and drain holes in floor) I loved every minute of ownership!!!!
In the end I was sad to see it go.
Post Note
last seen at the side of the road as a burnt out wreck (well I never did really sort out the dodgy wiring!)
so this post is really from the person who took it on from me!
found at the back of a dealer's lot as a PX he only wanted 1/2 of what the original kit (minus donor vehicle) was. so I figured this was a bargain!
lesson 1 - never trust another person's design skill - With 185s on the rear and 155s on the front the builder obviously wanted to dial in a 'bit' of understeer!!!
Lesson 2 - One man's safe is another man's hazard - Why did he build it with the fuel filler cap (not leak proof) directly above the exhaust pipe ("what's that smell?, Oh it's petrol!!! no wait it's ok it's burnt off!!!"
Lesson 3 - No doors No roof (that'll stay attached above 40mph) and No heater means less to go wrong - No it means wet, it means cold, it means you look stupid at traffic lights in the rain!!!!
However once I'd rebuilt the thing (work in progress) and dressed to drive (waterproof jacket, hat and drain holes in floor) I loved every minute of ownership!!!!
In the end I was sad to see it go.
Post Note
last seen at the side of the road as a burnt out wreck (well I never did really sort out the dodgy wiring!)
so this post is really from the person who took it on from me!
Becuase of complex electrics on cars made since 2002 a 10 year old car can be be bought cheap. Mondeo 02 ,plenty around for £250 -£1,000 for a 2005, same with vectras, Even Audi,bmw are fairly cheap on 2002 but the sensors,throttle bodys,lamba sensors will prob need doing, cars are complex ,in the 1980"s/1990"s the cars rusted but anyone could keep them going, now only cars that have had paint rust,but once a car gets over 4 years old you could have a expensive repair bill.diesels are the worst, my 2006 A4 diesel i bought in 2010,in the first year EGR ,sensors,DPF filter, cost me a grand, same with my transit a 2006, bought in 2010, EGR,injectors,alighn with key again,£850. i would say full history helps a lot especially with invoices
Having 'dinged' my Celica, I decided that with a new job, four times as much mileage to do and rutted roads to commute through, a different car was required. Much searching was done and my heart settled on a Subaru Impreza 1.5R. AWD for the awful roads, balloon tyres, five door practicality, 39mpg. Sure it's 14 seconds to 60, but so are the Aygo/C1/107 and they were always fun to drive whilst the Celica was in the garage.
14 seconds to 60 is bloody painful when you have nothing else. The interior was horrid. The suspension groaned over every speedbump. Practical, but horrid. I managed to get 36mpg from it. Two months later the roads were properly surfaced.
Chopped it in for a Yaris 1.8 SR. Brilliant little car. ~40mpg, ~9seconds to 60 so it doesn't set the world on fire but a massive improvement from the Subaru.
14 seconds to 60 is bloody painful when you have nothing else. The interior was horrid. The suspension groaned over every speedbump. Practical, but horrid. I managed to get 36mpg from it. Two months later the roads were properly surfaced.
Chopped it in for a Yaris 1.8 SR. Brilliant little car. ~40mpg, ~9seconds to 60 so it doesn't set the world on fire but a massive improvement from the Subaru.
2004 Rover 75 Estate 1.8 petrol LPG conversion. Bought in 2005 from a folding Rover dealership following the demise of the eponymous company.
Seen as cheap motoring at the time (LPG AND a ticket price of £6500 - for a year-old car mind) it cost me about half as much again over the following two years of ownership in head gaskets, electronics, trim, etc etc. And although LPG is cheap, filling the car EVERY 200 MILES is no joke, especially when you're doing regular 250-mile trips to Cornwall and the Lakes.
Great heating and stereo though.
Seen as cheap motoring at the time (LPG AND a ticket price of £6500 - for a year-old car mind) it cost me about half as much again over the following two years of ownership in head gaskets, electronics, trim, etc etc. And although LPG is cheap, filling the car EVERY 200 MILES is no joke, especially when you're doing regular 250-mile trips to Cornwall and the Lakes.
Great heating and stereo though.
Edited by Cotic on Friday 4th January 13:48
The classic 'oh I'm sure everything I've heard about them isn't true' Mazda RX8 was my eventually regretful purchase.
On a good day, it went like stink, handled like it was on rails and looked like it had driven out of an Anime film.
On a bad day, it wouldn't start when warm, shaked on idle, wouldn't rev above 5000, emptied it's oil all over my driveway and cost me a small fortune to keep the necessary 'Mazda dealer service history' up to date. Got shot when Mazda told me the engine was 5000 miles away from imploding.
So... a bloody expensive mistake? Nah, just bloody expensive fun!
On a good day, it went like stink, handled like it was on rails and looked like it had driven out of an Anime film.
On a bad day, it wouldn't start when warm, shaked on idle, wouldn't rev above 5000, emptied it's oil all over my driveway and cost me a small fortune to keep the necessary 'Mazda dealer service history' up to date. Got shot when Mazda told me the engine was 5000 miles away from imploding.
So... a bloody expensive mistake? Nah, just bloody expensive fun!
2006 MG ZS180 needed new manifold after 12k miles. Not great TBH.
1990 Ford Sierra 1.6 Azure (£500) never let me down (I bought it when the Z was out of action, with the intention of keeping just a few weeks but kept a year).
Sold ZS180 for a 2001 Jaguar S-Type 4.0 V8. Nightmare. Coil packs etc etc and a £675 "service" at a Jag main dealer meant I decided to sell. Bought for 4k sold for 2.5 three weeks later. I was a full time student at the time. Muppet.
Reverse Part Exchange on Jag bought Nissan Almera GTI - Cracking little car. No problems.
2001 Accord Type-R - Best car I ever owned - Sweet as a nut
Had to get a diesel so Peugeot 407 2006 2.0 HDI - Not bad
Now a 2005 Mazda 6 TS D (136) Estate - Great!
1990 Ford Sierra 1.6 Azure (£500) never let me down (I bought it when the Z was out of action, with the intention of keeping just a few weeks but kept a year).
Sold ZS180 for a 2001 Jaguar S-Type 4.0 V8. Nightmare. Coil packs etc etc and a £675 "service" at a Jag main dealer meant I decided to sell. Bought for 4k sold for 2.5 three weeks later. I was a full time student at the time. Muppet.
Reverse Part Exchange on Jag bought Nissan Almera GTI - Cracking little car. No problems.
2001 Accord Type-R - Best car I ever owned - Sweet as a nut
Had to get a diesel so Peugeot 407 2006 2.0 HDI - Not bad
Now a 2005 Mazda 6 TS D (136) Estate - Great!
alfa 156 sportwagon
bought for shed money, and in the intervening year has cost about 3 times that much to keep the fking thing on the road.
just as I was finally getting it in good shape (and having decided to sell it on soon due to not affording its drinking habit any more) it starts making a concerning whining noise from under the bonnet, rendering it unsellable and no doubt another 4 figure repair bill.
bought for shed money, and in the intervening year has cost about 3 times that much to keep the f
king thing on the road.just as I was finally getting it in good shape (and having decided to sell it on soon due to not affording its drinking habit any more) it starts making a concerning whining noise from under the bonnet, rendering it unsellable and no doubt another 4 figure repair bill.
The answer to everything.
My '94 MX5 Eunos S-Spec.
Bought off here in 2008 for £2700, sold to dealer 3months later for £1800 after spending over a grand on it.
Bloody thing would just not run - mysterious electrical problem. And then I found the rust.
Never buy the first car you see
Would have another though. Just not that one!
Steve
My '94 MX5 Eunos S-Spec.
Bought off here in 2008 for £2700, sold to dealer 3months later for £1800 after spending over a grand on it.
Bloody thing would just not run - mysterious electrical problem. And then I found the rust.
Never buy the first car you see
Would have another though. Just not that one!
Steve
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