Have any of your cars survived?
Discussion
1985 Daihatsu Charade - I killed it (written off in accident), scrapped
1984 Suzuki SJ410 - it disintegrated, scrapped
1987 Nissan Micra - I killed it (engine blew up), scrapped
1995 Volvo 440 - I killed it (written off in accident), scrapped
1987 Mitsubishi Colt - it disintegrated, scrapped
2000 Suzuki Grand Vitara - sold on but looks like it died some time later
2002 Volvo C70 Coupe - sold on in superb condition with very low miles, looks like it came to a sticky end a few years later at 85k miles
2003 Ford Mondeo - engine and electrics died, scrapped,
2004 Volvo XC70 - superb car, owned for many years and got it up to just below 220k miles, minor scrape and a few electrical faults made it uneconomical to repair, scrapped
2010 Volvo XC90 - the sole survivor!! It seems to have changed owners yet again a few days ago, taxed and freshly MOTed.
The rest are current cars.
I don't have a bike at the moment but previous bikes also seem to have had similarly poor outcomes.
1984 Suzuki SJ410 - it disintegrated, scrapped
1987 Nissan Micra - I killed it (engine blew up), scrapped
1995 Volvo 440 - I killed it (written off in accident), scrapped
1987 Mitsubishi Colt - it disintegrated, scrapped
2000 Suzuki Grand Vitara - sold on but looks like it died some time later
2002 Volvo C70 Coupe - sold on in superb condition with very low miles, looks like it came to a sticky end a few years later at 85k miles
2003 Ford Mondeo - engine and electrics died, scrapped,
2004 Volvo XC70 - superb car, owned for many years and got it up to just below 220k miles, minor scrape and a few electrical faults made it uneconomical to repair, scrapped
2010 Volvo XC90 - the sole survivor!! It seems to have changed owners yet again a few days ago, taxed and freshly MOTed.
The rest are current cars.
I don't have a bike at the moment but previous bikes also seem to have had similarly poor outcomes.
The most unreliable car I've ever owned, a 1993 Corrado VR6 that I sold back in 2003 has stunned me by apparently being still MOT'd until November this year. I sold it in Southampton and saw it a decade later while on holiday north of Newcastle still looking ok.
Unsurprisingly, none of the 4 Corolla GTIs I owned prior to that seem to be about, I imagine corrosion will have done for them.
My 1988 1.9 Power Engineering XR3i seems to have gone the same way. It died in about '90 or '91 ( or so I thought ) at the hands of a van driving halfwit who turned right across me when on my way to work ( Ford dealership ). Unusual set of circumstances. I had to be released from the wreckage by the emergency services. Although trapped, I was almost completely uninjured, so once out, I refused hospital treatment, went to work, got in the recovery truck, and retrieved my own car from the scene of the crash.
I got paid out, and was given the salvage back, which I sold. Couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it back on the road a few weeks later, it was absolutely mullered when I sold it. One guess how that got " repaired ". No sign of it now though.
Unsurprisingly, none of the 4 Corolla GTIs I owned prior to that seem to be about, I imagine corrosion will have done for them.
My 1988 1.9 Power Engineering XR3i seems to have gone the same way. It died in about '90 or '91 ( or so I thought ) at the hands of a van driving halfwit who turned right across me when on my way to work ( Ford dealership ). Unusual set of circumstances. I had to be released from the wreckage by the emergency services. Although trapped, I was almost completely uninjured, so once out, I refused hospital treatment, went to work, got in the recovery truck, and retrieved my own car from the scene of the crash.
I got paid out, and was given the salvage back, which I sold. Couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it back on the road a few weeks later, it was absolutely mullered when I sold it. One guess how that got " repaired ". No sign of it now though.
None of mine have survived the one I’m most surprised at is the 2003 Passat - that was a rock solid car but only seemed to last a year after I sold it. The one I felt saddest about was my E39 530i - it had a mot 6 months or so after I sold it. It wasn’t perfect, but as far as I was concerned it was a good car, but it failed badly and seems to be dead.
the one I’m most surprised at is the 2003 Passat - that was a rock solid car but only seemed to last a year after I sold it. The one I felt saddest about was my E39 530i - it had a mot 6 months or so after I sold it. It wasn’t perfect, but as far as I was concerned it was a good car, but it failed badly and seems to be dead. One of my old ones (XR2i) was destroyed by Top Gear in their Hot Hatch thing (Clarkson era)
R33 was detroyed by the guy that bought it off me after two weeks.
One of my 155s (V6) is undergoing full restoration back to perfection by the guy that bought it from me 15 years ago. No idea about the others, probably scrapped
the 156 GTA is owned by a PHer still I think
Q4 is living in a large private collection in Germany
My first car owned (FIAT Uno) hasn't been taxed since 2000 but it was pretty much dead when I got rid of it in 95
R33 was detroyed by the guy that bought it off me after two weeks.
One of my 155s (V6) is undergoing full restoration back to perfection by the guy that bought it from me 15 years ago. No idea about the others, probably scrapped
the 156 GTA is owned by a PHer still I think
Q4 is living in a large private collection in Germany
My first car owned (FIAT Uno) hasn't been taxed since 2000 but it was pretty much dead when I got rid of it in 95
1981 Austin Mini van; it was traded against a new Rover Metro in 1990, because they had some minimum trade in deal at the time. It had been my Uni car, and on the last trip, the brakes and clutch failed, so it was put away, and given away to my dad, who used it as a discount on the Metro. I told the sales guy to fetch the car himself as it had no tax or OT. Then when he arrived, I told him to drive carefully and the brakes were weak, and avoid roundabouts due to the iff clutch, which were all fine the week before. I fully expected that car to go from dealership to scrapyard, but saw it got through 2 more MOTs before succumbing.
1983 VW Polo Classic (the one with the boot); 2nd, boringly reliable . Another one I gave away in 1994 when I went to the US for a postdoc. To my brother, who used it to sell photocopiers from. It survived him, but not much longer.
1985 Vauxhall Cavalier SRi; end of my PhD, I got a bit of a late grant payout, and I blew it on the Sri, while writing up. Gave away to my dad, but it was stolen and torched
1985 Mercury Cougar; the V8, post doc car which came with previous owner's arrest warrant. No idea, nor cared
1991 Honda Civic HF; what I traded the Cougar against. I sold it back to the Honda dealer when I left the US
1987 Peugeot 309 GTi; back in the UK in 1998. I couldn't get a new car loan despite a decent job as a Research Fellow. So got this, and moved to Belfast. In a dodgy trade-in, I swapped it with these loyalists in East belfast for a 1992 Eunos Roadster fresh off the boat in late 1998. They called me a few weeks later as they managed to crash it, and being an English car, they needed some paperwork
1992 Eunos Roadster; that lasted until 2000, when it was stolen and torched as a MX5 meet. Obviously pretty gutted when the RUC directed me to the still smoking remains near Lisburn
If that wasn't bad enough, when they finally recovered it, the wreck was dumped in a skip by a body shop, next door to where I lived. So for the few weeks I was carless, I had to trudge past past it as I walked to the train station. Eventually, I did a few calls, and found the scrapyard it was taken to. I had only fitted a mongoose system to it a few weeks earlier, and it had a JDM header on it. £20 to the scrapard, and they whipped it off for me, as literally a engine back system in one piece, which I transported back in the replacement MX5
That next car I had a fair while, hillclimbed it, but when I sold it in 2005, it was in mint condition with fresh paint.
Old paint, some mismatching
When I sold it
It was then new taxed/MOTd a few years, and I thought that was it. But I found some photos of it on its new plates. Now the nice respray had turned into a roller brush applied coating, I think there were scrapyard panels on it. I wish it had died first time. It lingered on a few more years before apparently dying again.
edit. But J485GAL won't died.
First it disappeared in 2011 for 5 years, then again in 2019. Now I see on 17 April, someone tried to MOT it again, but it looks like the engine died during emissions checks. And the odometer is actually miles, not kms, because I fitted a US speedo, and reset the reading to match properly. It must be in decent condition still.
Anyone know this car? I know it was found on MX5Nutz.
1983 VW Polo Classic (the one with the boot); 2nd, boringly reliable . Another one I gave away in 1994 when I went to the US for a postdoc. To my brother, who used it to sell photocopiers from. It survived him, but not much longer.
1985 Vauxhall Cavalier SRi; end of my PhD, I got a bit of a late grant payout, and I blew it on the Sri, while writing up. Gave away to my dad, but it was stolen and torched
1985 Mercury Cougar; the V8, post doc car which came with previous owner's arrest warrant. No idea, nor cared
1991 Honda Civic HF; what I traded the Cougar against. I sold it back to the Honda dealer when I left the US
1987 Peugeot 309 GTi; back in the UK in 1998. I couldn't get a new car loan despite a decent job as a Research Fellow. So got this, and moved to Belfast. In a dodgy trade-in, I swapped it with these loyalists in East belfast for a 1992 Eunos Roadster fresh off the boat in late 1998. They called me a few weeks later as they managed to crash it, and being an English car, they needed some paperwork
1992 Eunos Roadster; that lasted until 2000, when it was stolen and torched as a MX5 meet. Obviously pretty gutted when the RUC directed me to the still smoking remains near Lisburn
If that wasn't bad enough, when they finally recovered it, the wreck was dumped in a skip by a body shop, next door to where I lived. So for the few weeks I was carless, I had to trudge past past it as I walked to the train station. Eventually, I did a few calls, and found the scrapyard it was taken to. I had only fitted a mongoose system to it a few weeks earlier, and it had a JDM header on it. £20 to the scrapard, and they whipped it off for me, as literally a engine back system in one piece, which I transported back in the replacement MX5
That next car I had a fair while, hillclimbed it, but when I sold it in 2005, it was in mint condition with fresh paint.
Old paint, some mismatching
When I sold it
It was then new taxed/MOTd a few years, and I thought that was it. But I found some photos of it on its new plates. Now the nice respray had turned into a roller brush applied coating, I think there were scrapyard panels on it. I wish it had died first time. It lingered on a few more years before apparently dying again.
edit. But J485GAL won't died.
First it disappeared in 2011 for 5 years, then again in 2019. Now I see on 17 April, someone tried to MOT it again, but it looks like the engine died during emissions checks. And the odometer is actually miles, not kms, because I fitted a US speedo, and reset the reading to match properly. It must be in decent condition still.
Anyone know this car? I know it was found on MX5Nutz.
Edited by Risonax on Wednesday 1st May 12:57
72uoba said:
Some surviving but several had really weird MOT histories after I sold them in perfect condition.
This has happened to a couple of mine - sold on in great condition with a string of no-advisory passes, a year later they turn up with an additional 30,000 miles, perishing tyres, brake pads down to metal, suspension knackered and at least one bizarre comment like "product on windscreen obscuring driver's side view" or "adult belt unable to be tested due to items fitted in the rear seat area".The only survivor now is my 2006 Volvo S40 T5, which seems to be being looked after well.
Yes.
The survivors:
1997 Citroen Xantia Activa
2015 VW GTI
2016 Ford Fiesta ST
2008 Infiniti G35
2000 Acura Integra GSR
1991 Honda CRX
The ones that are gone:
1999 Honda Civic Si - stolen and completely dismantled that day with only a few parts found outside the chop shop
2007 Mazdaspeed6 - threw the timing chain a week after I sold it
2013 Fiat 500 Abarth - two rods knocking when I returned it at the end of the lease
1999 Chevrolet Corvette - traded in and the dealer ended up having to scrap it due to engine/transmission/wiring issues
1994 Mazda Miata - brother drove it into a curb
1993 Pontiac Sunbird - sold cheap and didn't last long for the new owner
The survivors:
1997 Citroen Xantia Activa
2015 VW GTI
2016 Ford Fiesta ST
2008 Infiniti G35
2000 Acura Integra GSR
1991 Honda CRX
The ones that are gone:
1999 Honda Civic Si - stolen and completely dismantled that day with only a few parts found outside the chop shop
2007 Mazdaspeed6 - threw the timing chain a week after I sold it
2013 Fiat 500 Abarth - two rods knocking when I returned it at the end of the lease
1999 Chevrolet Corvette - traded in and the dealer ended up having to scrap it due to engine/transmission/wiring issues
1994 Mazda Miata - brother drove it into a curb
1993 Pontiac Sunbird - sold cheap and didn't last long for the new owner
None of the cars either me or my wife have previously owned are still on the road. They are usually pretty much end of life when we get rid of them, and if they get more than one more MOT pass I get annoyed I've wasted money by getting rid of it too early!!
There were two newer cars we've got rid of over the years which should have survived but didn't. I moved on a 2002 base model Fabia in 2004 and it never had its first MOT - presumably the next owner wrote it off. More recently, my wife sold a 5 year old Leon to Cazoo for a decent amount of money when she joined a company car scheme a couple of years back. It was never taxed or MOT'd again, nor did it come up for sale on their site or Autotrader. No idea what happened to it. My wife thinks it fell off the transporter after they collected it, I suspect the more likely explanation would be it was exported.
There were two newer cars we've got rid of over the years which should have survived but didn't. I moved on a 2002 base model Fabia in 2004 and it never had its first MOT - presumably the next owner wrote it off. More recently, my wife sold a 5 year old Leon to Cazoo for a decent amount of money when she joined a company car scheme a couple of years back. It was never taxed or MOT'd again, nor did it come up for sale on their site or Autotrader. No idea what happened to it. My wife thinks it fell off the transporter after they collected it, I suspect the more likely explanation would be it was exported.
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