The Joy of Running an Old Shed
Discussion
bearman68 said:
Hi people, thanks for all the nice things you've said.
With regard to running a car with a 6 month window, you'd need to be pretty unlucky to loose much on a Mk1 Yaris. They don't seem to depreciate very much. An alternative for your £500 would be a 2.0 hdi Xsara Picasso, which will quietly be falling apart inside, but is pretty touch mechanically / electrically. (Watch for rotten sills). The big heavy diesel in the Picasso means it's pretty good in snow, if that's a concern to you. What you'll find is that it becomes so bloody useful, you won't want to part with it. But it'll make your eyes bleed every time you look at it. Given scrap value for one of these is about £200 at the moment, you won't go too far wrong.
On another note, shed prices have been a bit bonkers in the last year / 18 months. I have a suspicion they are starting to come down. I bought a Mk3 laguna on the weekend 2.0 dci, almost immaculate, for £270, which is a steal whichever way you look at it. Nearly 10 hours to collect though.
Many thanks bearman68 I will take your excellent advice under advisement.With regard to running a car with a 6 month window, you'd need to be pretty unlucky to loose much on a Mk1 Yaris. They don't seem to depreciate very much. An alternative for your £500 would be a 2.0 hdi Xsara Picasso, which will quietly be falling apart inside, but is pretty touch mechanically / electrically. (Watch for rotten sills). The big heavy diesel in the Picasso means it's pretty good in snow, if that's a concern to you. What you'll find is that it becomes so bloody useful, you won't want to part with it. But it'll make your eyes bleed every time you look at it. Given scrap value for one of these is about £200 at the moment, you won't go too far wrong.
On another note, shed prices have been a bit bonkers in the last year / 18 months. I have a suspicion they are starting to come down. I bought a Mk3 laguna on the weekend 2.0 dci, almost immaculate, for £270, which is a steal whichever way you look at it. Nearly 10 hours to collect though.
Oh and thanks to all who kindly offered their thoughts & advice.
cmvtec said:
I've had a bit of time off work, so I've put some effort into the shed Golf. I've ran it since February, and as a second car since April, and other than diesel, I haven't spent a penny on it.
It needed new tyres (plenty of tread, but cracked), new side mirror (damaged upon purchase, later booted by some jealous b
d).
I managed to bag a set of OEM steel wheels with 2x Michelin and 2x Bridgestone tyres, and a set of wheel trims for £60. The Wolfrace alloys are a bit naff, so I swapped them over. I now have a spare set of Wolfrace alloys I can't store
I also bought a new mirror. A silver one was £31 posted, or a green one was £15 posted.
Next job is sort the brakes (one is binding) and bottom ball joints.
After that, a pair of wings. Hopefully in two random colours.
Rear calipers seizing on MK4s is hugely common. I had to do both mine on my B5 A4 (same set up)It needed new tyres (plenty of tread, but cracked), new side mirror (damaged upon purchase, later booted by some jealous b
d).I managed to bag a set of OEM steel wheels with 2x Michelin and 2x Bridgestone tyres, and a set of wheel trims for £60. The Wolfrace alloys are a bit naff, so I swapped them over. I now have a spare set of Wolfrace alloys I can't store
I also bought a new mirror. A silver one was £31 posted, or a green one was £15 posted.
Next job is sort the brakes (one is binding) and bottom ball joints.
After that, a pair of wings. Hopefully in two random colours.
Pretty cheap and easy to do!
Captain Answer said:
they were always incredibly rude,
Could you give us a couple of examples of how their incredible. rudeness manifested itself?Did they say "here comes the fat git again"? Or did they speak to you directly "come on, get a bloody move on"? That sort of thing?
Or were they in fact, perhaps just a little abrupt?
The Mad Monk said:
Could you give us a couple of examples of how their incredible. rudeness manifested itself?
Did they say "here comes the fat git again"? Or did they speak to you directly "come on, get a bloody move on"? That sort of thing?
Or were they in fact, perhaps just a little abrupt?
Regular eye rolls of staff, muttering under breath etc, not just to myself, friiends said the same sadlyDid they say "here comes the fat git again"? Or did they speak to you directly "come on, get a bloody move on"? That sort of thing?
Or were they in fact, perhaps just a little abrupt?
It wasn't the reason I stopped using them, they became uncompetitive and I'm a tight git
It was fairly localised to that branch to be fair, if I went to others the staff were always quite professional - they may have sorted that branch now it was a long time ago. Not used them in around 10 years.
Being rude and abrupt is pretty much the same IMO, if you run a customer business you have to deal with customers correctly
Jimmy No Hands said:
cmvtec said:
I've had a bit of time off work, so I've put some effort into the shed Golf. I've ran it since February, and as a second car since April, and other than diesel, I haven't spent a penny on it.
It needed new tyres (plenty of tread, but cracked), new side mirror (damaged upon purchase, later booted by some jealous bd).
I managed to bag a set of OEM steel wheels with 2x Michelin and 2x Bridgestone tyres, and a set of wheel trims for £60. The Wolfrace alloys are a bit naff, so I swapped them over. I now have a spare set of Wolfrace alloys I can't store
I also bought a new mirror. A silver one was £31 posted, or a green one was £15 posted.
Next job is sort the brakes (one is binding) and bottom ball joints.
After that, a pair of wings. Hopefully in two random colours.
Rear calipers seizing on MK4s is hugely common. I had to do both mine on my B5 A4 (same set up)It needed new tyres (plenty of tread, but cracked), new side mirror (damaged upon purchase, later booted by some jealous b
d).I managed to bag a set of OEM steel wheels with 2x Michelin and 2x Bridgestone tyres, and a set of wheel trims for £60. The Wolfrace alloys are a bit naff, so I swapped them over. I now have a spare set of Wolfrace alloys I can't store
I also bought a new mirror. A silver one was £31 posted, or a green one was £15 posted.
Next job is sort the brakes (one is binding) and bottom ball joints.
After that, a pair of wings. Hopefully in two random colours.
Pretty cheap and easy to do!
I'm not using it at the moment due to the brake binding and I am hugely missing it. It can be an utter, utter pain driving a big S-Type around town.
Captain Answer said:
Regular eye rolls of staff, muttering under breath etc, not just to myself, friiends said the same sadly
It wasn't the reason I stopped using them, they became uncompetitive and I'm a tight git
It was fairly localised to that branch to be fair, if I went to others the staff were always quite professional - they may have sorted that branch now it was a long time ago. Not used them in around 10 years.
Being rude and abrupt is pretty much the same IMO, if you run a customer business you have to deal with customers correctly
I used to use Camberley Auto Factors for many years. In their day they were brilliant - helpful & knowledgeable. It wasn't the reason I stopped using them, they became uncompetitive and I'm a tight git
It was fairly localised to that branch to be fair, if I went to others the staff were always quite professional - they may have sorted that branch now it was a long time ago. Not used them in around 10 years.
Being rude and abrupt is pretty much the same IMO, if you run a customer business you have to deal with customers correctly
However in later years, I had many instances where I'd ask for a part and they'd go and pull a part off the shelf. It'd be obviously the wrong part - a balljoint when I asked for a thermostat say, and they'd huff at me as if it was my fault. And the quality of parts dropped too - above thermostat wasn't serviceable when I tested it!
I wasn't surprised when they closed, although it's a shame. At least with ECP, Autodoc and so forth I can choose the brand component I want - TRW, Bosch etc if it's something I want to look after.
Edited by Arnold Cunningham on Wednesday 1st September 14:17
Captain Answer said:
Regular eye rolls of staff, muttering under breath etc, not just to myself, friiends said the same sadly
It wasn't the reason I stopped using them, they became uncompetitive and I'm a tight git
It may be that you have lead a very sheltered life if you consider that "incredibly rude"!It wasn't the reason I stopped using them, they became uncompetitive and I'm a tight git
The Mad Monk said:
Captain Answer said:
Regular eye rolls of staff, muttering under breath etc, not just to myself, friiends said the same sadly
It wasn't the reason I stopped using them, they became uncompetitive and I'm a tight git
It may be that you have lead a very sheltered life if you consider that "incredibly rude"!It wasn't the reason I stopped using them, they became uncompetitive and I'm a tight git
Lord Cunnington Smythe said:
The Mad Monk said:
Captain Answer said:
Regular eye rolls of staff, muttering under breath etc, not just to myself, friiends said the same sadly
It wasn't the reason I stopped using them, they became uncompetitive and I'm a tight git
It may be that you have lead a very sheltered life if you consider that "incredibly rude"!It wasn't the reason I stopped using them, they became uncompetitive and I'm a tight git
holes.I don’t need a glass palace or tea and biscuits, but I do need to be treated like a paying customer.
I generally treat everyone the same, regardless of job title or if they’re wearing dirty overalls, mostly because I’m also often wearing dirty overalls.
I just won’t put up with any additional hassle!
New shed day - bought this 27,000 mile Mk1 focus for £1200. It’s really clean apart from a dent on the rear. A 93yr olds ladys car who gave up driving. It has full service history, every receipt from new, a full book pack and 2 keys. Only a short mot, but it’s only driven 150 miles over the last 11 months!
My 2009 Passat is beyond economical repair so I’ve called time on it. It will need too much to keep it going so it’s off to the scrap yard.
Was hoping for a Volvo d5 of some description but time ran out and this popped up just round the corner.
Stuart p k said:
New shed day - bought this 27,000 mile Mk1 focus for £1200. It’s really clean apart from a dent on the rear. A 93yr olds ladys car who gave up driving. It has full service history, every receipt from new, a full book pack and 2 keys. Only a short mot, but it’s only driven 150 miles over the last 11 months!
My 2009 Passat is beyond economical repair so I’ve called time on it. It will need too much to keep it going so it’s off to the scrap yard.
Was hoping for a Volvo d5 of some description but time ran out and this popped up just round the corner.
[url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/rde6rpoN[/url][url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/uJKq6QdX[/url]Cheers guys, I’m happy with it! The guys mum had given up driving, it was so clean I couldn’t bring myself to haggle on the price. It’s had a recorded service every 12 months, even after 200 miles some years… can’t wait to go for a spin tomorrow, had a focus 10 years ago, remembered enjoying the drive
Edited by Stuart p k on Thursday 2nd September 21:46
That’s a fantastic but. Congratulations!
Earlier today I was looking at the receipts and service book I was given when I bought my 307 in October 2019. I was evidently owned but the proverbial little old lady and seems to have been well looked after (previous owner to her got done in front brakes at 27000 miles I reckon).
Lots of the recent receipts are handwritten. And looking at some of the prices, if the garage is still open I reckon it might be cheaper going there than DIYing it. New spark plugs every service..!
Most importantly though, I have a receipt for a cam belt, auxiliary belt and water pump from 2019. So I reckon I’m good for some time yet. Happy days!
Earlier today I was looking at the receipts and service book I was given when I bought my 307 in October 2019. I was evidently owned but the proverbial little old lady and seems to have been well looked after (previous owner to her got done in front brakes at 27000 miles I reckon).
Lots of the recent receipts are handwritten. And looking at some of the prices, if the garage is still open I reckon it might be cheaper going there than DIYing it. New spark plugs every service..!
Most importantly though, I have a receipt for a cam belt, auxiliary belt and water pump from 2019. So I reckon I’m good for some time yet. Happy days!
Hello pistons, looking to buy a Golf for max £1500 but there are so many variations I don't know where to start.
Which years would you go for / are there any you would avoid?
I'm 27 and looking for an all rounder. A runaround in London, with the option to go long distance eg. Scotland. Golf seems like a safe bet.
Cheers!
Which years would you go for / are there any you would avoid?
I'm 27 and looking for an all rounder. A runaround in London, with the option to go long distance eg. Scotland. Golf seems like a safe bet.
Cheers!
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