Who Else ENJOYS Bangernomics?
Discussion
320touring said:
I do a curious mix of bangernomics and shedding.
The 205 diesel I have just bought is definitely a Bangernomics special - it's currently running on 40% wvo despite being fitted with a Lucas Fuel pump.
At the same time I have an old Citroen CX bought for banger money that came with a load of spare panels- it is definitely a barge (and needs work!)
I like owning stuff outright and not having to worry about leaving it anywhere - my e30 320i touring is a prime example of that, having taken me to Odessa and back in 2 weeks, plus Prague and back in 8 days. You can abandon it anywhere.
Is it the CX that has the air suspension? I remember my grandparents owning an old Citroen with it.The 205 diesel I have just bought is definitely a Bangernomics special - it's currently running on 40% wvo despite being fitted with a Lucas Fuel pump.
At the same time I have an old Citroen CX bought for banger money that came with a load of spare panels- it is definitely a barge (and needs work!)
I like owning stuff outright and not having to worry about leaving it anywhere - my e30 320i touring is a prime example of that, having taken me to Odessa and back in 2 weeks, plus Prague and back in 8 days. You can abandon it anywhere.
My car purchases in the last two calendar years:-
£300 Ford Puma 1.7
£1000 Rover 75 2.0 V6
£700 Peugeot 306 GTi-6
£450 Ford SportKa
"You could've had one decent car for the amount you've spent", say friends, family and girlfriend.
Sometimes I think they might have a point, but then I remember the adventure to get my Puma from a farm and my 10 hour drive home in the 306 (having taken a slight detour around the M25 by mistake) and I smile.
The Ka's been in my keep a week and already set me back £300 for a clutch. I'm already back on Gumtree looking at replacements. I fancy a fresh Puma. Or, as I'm doing 70 miles a day, a 106 diesel.
£300 Ford Puma 1.7
£1000 Rover 75 2.0 V6
£700 Peugeot 306 GTi-6
£450 Ford SportKa
"You could've had one decent car for the amount you've spent", say friends, family and girlfriend.
Sometimes I think they might have a point, but then I remember the adventure to get my Puma from a farm and my 10 hour drive home in the 306 (having taken a slight detour around the M25 by mistake) and I smile.
The Ka's been in my keep a week and already set me back £300 for a clutch. I'm already back on Gumtree looking at replacements. I fancy a fresh Puma. Or, as I'm doing 70 miles a day, a 106 diesel.
[quote]Is it the CX that has the air suspension? I remember my grandparents owning an old Citroen with it.
[/quote]
its a fluid suspension setup- uses LHM to raise/lower and damp the car, power the steering and work the brakes..
link to it bere:
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
[/quote]
its a fluid suspension setup- uses LHM to raise/lower and damp the car, power the steering and work the brakes..
link to it bere:
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
I remember how delighted I was picking up my facelift 6-speed mkiv Supra (gunmetal grey too... *drool* ) for £6.5K and feeling incredibly pleased with my bargain hunting skills. This was back in 2009, when ~£5K got you a very nice Supra, as opposed to 2016 when ~£5K buys a ropey silver NA auto...
As much as I loved the thing, the sense of satisfaction/ enjoyment paled in comparison to picking up my immaculate, rust-free, low miles E36 318is afew years ago for £695. Seriously felt like I'd stole it, and from a trader too.
Now admittedly an old, ~150hp 3 series isn't the most exciting thing in the world, but it ended up being the most pleasant motoring surprise I've ever had. Drove very well, super reliable, comfortable and cheap to run. The cleanest, most unmolested, comprehensive history E36 one could imagine (found through sheer luck rather than any bangernomics skill) for under £700... couldn't believe my luck.
I've had bangernomics cars that have been less joyful experiences, but that E36 imho demonstrates the kind of quality that's available for very little money if you keep your eyes peeled (or get lucky).
Cost nowt in maintenance, passed its MOTs, and sold for a profit. Perfect.
Not only do I 'enjoy bangernomics', I positively LOVE it and genuinely believe it's the way forward for many motorists, many of whom probably would never consider buying a car at this price point because they see cheap motors as 'unreliable'.
Not only can you find reliable cars (with relative ease) at sub £1K, you can actually find something entertaining, comfortable, frugal and wearing a 'premium' badge too. With a little knowledge/ patience/ luck you can go beyond the 106 1.5 diesels and get something that's actually... well, rather good.
What's not to love about bangernomics?
As much as I loved the thing, the sense of satisfaction/ enjoyment paled in comparison to picking up my immaculate, rust-free, low miles E36 318is afew years ago for £695. Seriously felt like I'd stole it, and from a trader too.
Now admittedly an old, ~150hp 3 series isn't the most exciting thing in the world, but it ended up being the most pleasant motoring surprise I've ever had. Drove very well, super reliable, comfortable and cheap to run. The cleanest, most unmolested, comprehensive history E36 one could imagine (found through sheer luck rather than any bangernomics skill) for under £700... couldn't believe my luck.
I've had bangernomics cars that have been less joyful experiences, but that E36 imho demonstrates the kind of quality that's available for very little money if you keep your eyes peeled (or get lucky).
Cost nowt in maintenance, passed its MOTs, and sold for a profit. Perfect.
Not only do I 'enjoy bangernomics', I positively LOVE it and genuinely believe it's the way forward for many motorists, many of whom probably would never consider buying a car at this price point because they see cheap motors as 'unreliable'.
Not only can you find reliable cars (with relative ease) at sub £1K, you can actually find something entertaining, comfortable, frugal and wearing a 'premium' badge too. With a little knowledge/ patience/ luck you can go beyond the 106 1.5 diesels and get something that's actually... well, rather good.
What's not to love about bangernomics?
i paid £800 quid for 143k miler 2004 Octavia tdi 130.
Remapped to 160bhp and new brakes, tyres, mot,service and some others parts.
so far done 14k in a year and still runs well never broke down.
45-50mpg and cheap tax.
Great car. I looked at leasing but like older cars and freedom of not worrying about scratches or dents.
i don't scrimp on parts as i do 60 miles a day. if i had a shorter commute would definitely be saab aero.
Remapped to 160bhp and new brakes, tyres, mot,service and some others parts.
so far done 14k in a year and still runs well never broke down.
45-50mpg and cheap tax.
Great car. I looked at leasing but like older cars and freedom of not worrying about scratches or dents.
i don't scrimp on parts as i do 60 miles a day. if i had a shorter commute would definitely be saab aero.
Edited by The Spruce goose on Tuesday 2nd August 04:44
A couple of months ago I found myself in the position where I needed a car, quickly. The plan was to buy something modern but I only had a couple of hours so thought I would have a go at Bangernomics. Two hours later, I left a used car dealer in a 2001 Honda Civic SE Executive with £775 less than I started the day with. Two owners, 92,000 miles, near-on FSH, long MOT, all-round electrics, air-con, alloys and leather seats. A few car park marks, but nothing too bad.
It is possibly the most boring, sensible car that a supposed car enthusiast can buy, but it's smooth, quiet and the 1.6-litre VTEC engine is fine on the motorway. It's also cheap enough to not worry about the state the dogs leave it in, and it has fairly low running costs. Surprisingly happy with it!
It is possibly the most boring, sensible car that a supposed car enthusiast can buy, but it's smooth, quiet and the 1.6-litre VTEC engine is fine on the motorway. It's also cheap enough to not worry about the state the dogs leave it in, and it has fairly low running costs. Surprisingly happy with it!
DegsyE39 said:
I love it, I paid £3800 for my e39 in 2008 and always ran that (reliable pretty much all the time for 8 years)
So though i had something nice and higher value to smoke about in (back then at least!) i was beyond jealous of my mate who was doing 8 bangers a year, He would appear in e36's mx5's ratty e30's MR2's Mazda 323's i used to pore over them all when he pulled up and have a good nosey round.
I couldnt afford to insure two cars till i hit 25 so a couple of shed's was not an option.
Since my 25th ive been banger obsessed its not a poverty thing its a lifestyle choice
This is what im smoking about in at the minute cost me £600 ran it up cleethorpes last night and dumped it in the carpark, Its got a tapedeck so i got some bunnymen tapes to roll in it with.
Gave it a good 3am blast on the way home though
Just the giffery smell and the heady exhaust blow id pay £600 for one hit of that
That's wonderful. Thing is, as my passion for B-Nomics continued, I started to try and find older and more interesting things for shed money and that Audi ticks almost every box.So though i had something nice and higher value to smoke about in (back then at least!) i was beyond jealous of my mate who was doing 8 bangers a year, He would appear in e36's mx5's ratty e30's MR2's Mazda 323's i used to pore over them all when he pulled up and have a good nosey round.
I couldnt afford to insure two cars till i hit 25 so a couple of shed's was not an option.
Since my 25th ive been banger obsessed its not a poverty thing its a lifestyle choice
This is what im smoking about in at the minute cost me £600 ran it up cleethorpes last night and dumped it in the carpark, Its got a tapedeck so i got some bunnymen tapes to roll in it with.
Gave it a good 3am blast on the way home though
Just the giffery smell and the heady exhaust blow id pay £600 for one hit of that
The last two cars picked up for minimal moolah that I really loved were a 3.2 Xj6 Jag and the 3.0, 24v, straight six Volvo V90 sat outside my house as we speak. Both of them are way more interesting and nicer to sit in than a similar priced astra etc.
Funny you should mention MX5's as my first Mk1 (I went on to own another seven) was purchased for no other reason than it was shed money and appeared on a random 'see what's out there' ebay search. It turned out to be a little gem and became a bit of a hobby of mine for several years.
Prices for nice ones of those are certainly on the up. The last one I purchased a few years ago had 60k miles on it, no rust anywhere (even under the bonnet looked factory fresh) and was owned by an older lady, kept in a heated garage and only used a few times during the Summer months.
I paid £1k for it, sold off a ton of bits she gave me with it (which netted me approx £400) and eventually sold the car for £1500. It's probably worth 4k now. I think I must have been one of the luckiest Mk1 owners out there as apart from my turbo model, all were a grand or less and none had any major rot.
dme123 said:
I used to love buying s
theaps and squeezing every last ounce of value from them, but now I need a reliable car for work and I'm paid by the day so I'd be a complete fool to take any risks on the reliability/maintenance front 
I'm paid by the day and I run a shed. 2 in fact. Not had any lost days in 5 years of bangering and daily rate. One weekend when I had to stay away until Monday and get the car fixed the next week. I don't buy the "I'd have an old car but I can't afford to break down" line. Who do you know who *can* afford to break down?theaps and squeezing every last ounce of value from them, but now I need a reliable car for work and I'm paid by the day so I'd be a complete fool to take any risks on the reliability/maintenance front DegsyE39 said:
I love it, I paid £3800 for my e39 in 2008 and always ran that (reliable pretty much all the time for 8 years)
So though i had something nice and higher value to smoke about in (back then at least!) i was beyond jealous of my mate who was doing 8 bangers a year, He would appear in e36's mx5's ratty e30's MR2's Mazda 323's i used to pore over them all when he pulled up and have a good nosey round.
I couldnt afford to insure two cars till i hit 25 so a couple of shed's was not an option.
Since my 25th ive been banger obsessed its not a poverty thing its a lifestyle choice
This is what im smoking about in at the minute cost me £600 ran it up cleethorpes last night and dumped it in the carpark, Its got a tapedeck so i got some bunnymen tapes to roll in it with.
Gave it a good 3am blast on the way home though
Just the giffery smell and the heady exhaust blow id pay £600 for one hit of that
Sorry but tuhat audi is just terrible terrible car, why would anyone even buy one now? Bangernomics is about getting a smashing deal on great cars not something as terrible as that. We had one like that some 15years ago and it was dreaful already at that time.So though i had something nice and higher value to smoke about in (back then at least!) i was beyond jealous of my mate who was doing 8 bangers a year, He would appear in e36's mx5's ratty e30's MR2's Mazda 323's i used to pore over them all when he pulled up and have a good nosey round.
I couldnt afford to insure two cars till i hit 25 so a couple of shed's was not an option.
Since my 25th ive been banger obsessed its not a poverty thing its a lifestyle choice
This is what im smoking about in at the minute cost me £600 ran it up cleethorpes last night and dumped it in the carpark, Its got a tapedeck so i got some bunnymen tapes to roll in it with.
Gave it a good 3am blast on the way home though
Just the giffery smell and the heady exhaust blow id pay £600 for one hit of that
battered said:
I'm paid by the day and I run a shed. 2 in fact. Not had any lost days in 5 years of bangering and daily rate. One weekend when I had to stay away until Monday and get the car fixed the next week. I don't buy the "I'd have an old car but I can't afford to break down" line. Who do you know who *can* afford to break down?
Most people on PAYE who at worst might get a bit of a telling off for being late? I guess my point is more that I don't feel so clever about all the money I've saved when it's all wiped out in one breakdown event. Don't get me wrong, I'm not leasing a new white audi A3, I run a 100,000 mile Volvo D5, but it gets a lot of pre-emptive maintenance and if it does start letting me down it'll be for the chop. I cover about 2-3000 miles a month in it, and I've found that old barges and sheds just can't stand up to that sort of usage without things getting expensive. Maybe if I had a Toyota Carina E, but that's just a step too far.Keeping two on the go would work, I don't have enough room at the moment but I'm just about to buy a new house and space for rotting sheds is high on the list of priorities
Edited by dme123 on Tuesday 2nd August 17:14
For me, it might not necessarily be a case of 'pure' bangernomics, but I have found a much better balance with lesser-value cars.
After owning more expensive/exotic cars in the past, I found myself becoming increasingly precious/protective of them, to the extent that it began to impinge upon my enjoyment. After a long period car-free, I have given myself an artificial cap of £3k to spend on a car, and it's liberating. While I don't drive a car daily, I still live with the potential stresses of car ownership in Central London. However...
- I leave my car wherever/whenever I want, without worrying about vandalism/theft. It's not some sort of one-off exotic car, so it can easily be replaced.
- I park where I want at the supermarket. It's been around the block, and I have no intention of being anal about how clean/dent-free my bodywork is.
- I service it myself, using (quality) pattern parts and non-premium fluids. There's no benefit to maintaining its service stamps at this age/value.
- I don't suffer increased blood pressure when encountering width restrictions, sleeping policemen or parallel parking next to the kerb.
In spite of all of this, I still have a car that looks presentable when cleaned, carries a small amount of prestige, and is great fun to drive.
After owning more expensive/exotic cars in the past, I found myself becoming increasingly precious/protective of them, to the extent that it began to impinge upon my enjoyment. After a long period car-free, I have given myself an artificial cap of £3k to spend on a car, and it's liberating. While I don't drive a car daily, I still live with the potential stresses of car ownership in Central London. However...
- I leave my car wherever/whenever I want, without worrying about vandalism/theft. It's not some sort of one-off exotic car, so it can easily be replaced.
- I park where I want at the supermarket. It's been around the block, and I have no intention of being anal about how clean/dent-free my bodywork is.
- I service it myself, using (quality) pattern parts and non-premium fluids. There's no benefit to maintaining its service stamps at this age/value.
- I don't suffer increased blood pressure when encountering width restrictions, sleeping policemen or parallel parking next to the kerb.
In spite of all of this, I still have a car that looks presentable when cleaned, carries a small amount of prestige, and is great fun to drive.
dme123 said:
Keeping two on the go would work, I don't have enough room at the moment but I'm just about to buy a new house and space for rotting sheds is high on the list of priorities
Be careful! Space leads to temptation.Edited by dme123 on Tuesday 2nd August 17:14
despite a fleet cull a few weeks ago (ongoing) I still have seven vehicles.
I use a van during the week as i'm a courier but always have a "shed" to potter about in, before i had a van i always got sheds, although i got fleeced on a Cavalier SRI many moons ago that was shagged for 2k. That remains my most expensive car I've purchased.
Current steed is a Saab 9-5 2.0 turbo on a 53 plate with 145k, bought for £675 3 years ago on 130k.
Had a new fuel pump. 4 tyres and a oil change in that time, goes well enough & a lot of people say how the f&&k was that £675?!!. Just had a 12 month MOT, so shall give it another year unless something major goes tits up.
Before that had a 1998 Volvo S40 2.0t bought for £320, sold 2 years later for £150.
1997 Merc C230 paid £550 looked ok but was gutless & rusty, needed to much at the MOT 6 months later went to a guy for £150, bit of a loss, but hey ho, spent zilch on it.
1994 Audi 80, not bad, paid £750, had a year sold for £400, bit gutless but solid. Spent zilch on it.
1991 Audi 90, This was a cracker, bought off a trader in 2004 for £750, 2 owners only done 80k, got this to 135k (2009) before scrapping, only spending money on servicing, tyres & brakes. Great motor, possibly the best I've owned.
Before that a Rover 623, about 4 Cavaliers, a Sierra, AX GT, MG Metro, & a couple of Mk 2 Astra's, all under a grand bar one.
All good fun!
Current steed is a Saab 9-5 2.0 turbo on a 53 plate with 145k, bought for £675 3 years ago on 130k.
Had a new fuel pump. 4 tyres and a oil change in that time, goes well enough & a lot of people say how the f&&k was that £675?!!. Just had a 12 month MOT, so shall give it another year unless something major goes tits up.
Before that had a 1998 Volvo S40 2.0t bought for £320, sold 2 years later for £150.
1997 Merc C230 paid £550 looked ok but was gutless & rusty, needed to much at the MOT 6 months later went to a guy for £150, bit of a loss, but hey ho, spent zilch on it.
1994 Audi 80, not bad, paid £750, had a year sold for £400, bit gutless but solid. Spent zilch on it.
1991 Audi 90, This was a cracker, bought off a trader in 2004 for £750, 2 owners only done 80k, got this to 135k (2009) before scrapping, only spending money on servicing, tyres & brakes. Great motor, possibly the best I've owned.
Before that a Rover 623, about 4 Cavaliers, a Sierra, AX GT, MG Metro, & a couple of Mk 2 Astra's, all under a grand bar one.
All good fun!
I love the idea of bangernomics but only partook in it for a short stint. Bought a 2005 Saab 9-3 for £1200. Initially the idea was to put miles on it to pick up my daughter (130 miles each way). Was a great car until I moved the goalposts and decided I wanted an auto and something with a Mercedes badge so sold it and bought an older E320 but with 40k less on the clock. Not sure it can class as a banger even with it being a 2003.
Love it when it works. Horrific if it doesn't!
Latest purchase for a 130 mile a day commute was an 04 Mondeo TDCi estate. In beautiful beige. I was burnt buying a 58 Mondeo for the commute 18 months previous and all I had was recurring visits to the dealers to rectify various faults. 18" tyres every 10k got expensive too! Sold that for a horrific loss and found the Beige Peril on Gumtree in January. I think I paid £500 for it. 134,000 miles or so. Took it to 159,000 miles before selling it end of June for £480 to a chap who I think has taken it to Romania to pick up a boat.
Nearly killed it when I misjudged how deep some flood water was and had to get towed by a passing Land Rover. But after five minutes of chugging, smoke and rough idle it was back to normal! Took all the abuse of commuting Reading-Chichester with no worries. 48mpg average. All electrics worked, it even had an Aux input for spotify. Being an estate it was massive and incredibly useful. Sold it as I didn't want to push my luck and did not know the last time the injectors had been changed, ditto DMF, clutch etc. It cost me the service parts, a thermostat two bulbs for the footwell lights and a set of rear tyres.
£20 loss
£15 thermostat
£60 service parts
£40 tyres
£135 outlay for 6 months motoring (exc. insurance, tax and fuel. I can live with that!
Latest purchase for a 130 mile a day commute was an 04 Mondeo TDCi estate. In beautiful beige. I was burnt buying a 58 Mondeo for the commute 18 months previous and all I had was recurring visits to the dealers to rectify various faults. 18" tyres every 10k got expensive too! Sold that for a horrific loss and found the Beige Peril on Gumtree in January. I think I paid £500 for it. 134,000 miles or so. Took it to 159,000 miles before selling it end of June for £480 to a chap who I think has taken it to Romania to pick up a boat.
Nearly killed it when I misjudged how deep some flood water was and had to get towed by a passing Land Rover. But after five minutes of chugging, smoke and rough idle it was back to normal! Took all the abuse of commuting Reading-Chichester with no worries. 48mpg average. All electrics worked, it even had an Aux input for spotify. Being an estate it was massive and incredibly useful. Sold it as I didn't want to push my luck and did not know the last time the injectors had been changed, ditto DMF, clutch etc. It cost me the service parts, a thermostat two bulbs for the footwell lights and a set of rear tyres.
£20 loss
£15 thermostat
£60 service parts
£40 tyres
£135 outlay for 6 months motoring (exc. insurance, tax and fuel. I can live with that!
I love bangernomics. I started a couple of years or so ago when I bought my 540i and became very precious over it, so since then I've had a second car for commuting and supermarket trips etc
Rover 75 with the BMW diesel was rather nice! The Saab 9-5 aero I've just scrapped was brIlliant, but in true shed spirit it needed an insurmountable sum spending to keep it going. Only cost me £500 anyway some 20,000 miles ago!
On the look out for something else now. Not fussed what, as long as it has aircon and doesn't need anything spending imminently
Rover 75 with the BMW diesel was rather nice! The Saab 9-5 aero I've just scrapped was brIlliant, but in true shed spirit it needed an insurmountable sum spending to keep it going. Only cost me £500 anyway some 20,000 miles ago!
On the look out for something else now. Not fussed what, as long as it has aircon and doesn't need anything spending imminently
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