Rubbish cars you just bonded with
Discussion
Ok, in contrast to the cars you didn't click with, with stories of Porsche / Ferrari models traded quickly at huge losses, what rubbish cars have you bonded with?
For me it's my current automatic Mercedes 220 diesel estate. Bought as a stop gap.. but still here and fitting into my life rather wonderfully.
On no rationale level is it desirable to anyone. It's beige, its classic SE spec with small wheels and fake wood dash, it's got 225k miles on it. It's a model which is not new enough to be modern and not old enough to be retro, it's just aesthetically deeply unfashionable.
It sounds like a tractor, gathers pace in a leisurely manner at best and handles like a canal boat. And only just cracks 40mpg on a run.
But I've just bonded with it and find myself throwing decent money at it in order to get 'just another year out of it'. I've even started to think it looks quite handsome and admire its narrow width vs modern equivalents. And seeing as in my mind it's worthless, depreciation is nil.
I really should eBay it and get something fresher and nicer to drive. I even have some money sitting in the bank just waiting to be thrown at a replacement.
But... I just can't seem to do the deed.
We've bonded
For me it's my current automatic Mercedes 220 diesel estate. Bought as a stop gap.. but still here and fitting into my life rather wonderfully.
On no rationale level is it desirable to anyone. It's beige, its classic SE spec with small wheels and fake wood dash, it's got 225k miles on it. It's a model which is not new enough to be modern and not old enough to be retro, it's just aesthetically deeply unfashionable.
It sounds like a tractor, gathers pace in a leisurely manner at best and handles like a canal boat. And only just cracks 40mpg on a run.
But I've just bonded with it and find myself throwing decent money at it in order to get 'just another year out of it'. I've even started to think it looks quite handsome and admire its narrow width vs modern equivalents. And seeing as in my mind it's worthless, depreciation is nil.
I really should eBay it and get something fresher and nicer to drive. I even have some money sitting in the bank just waiting to be thrown at a replacement.
But... I just can't seem to do the deed.
We've bonded
Edited by Plate spinner on Sunday 4th June 19:20
In 2004 I was in between good cars at the time and needed transport ASAP trawling through the local classified ad's I spotted a 2001 Blue Skoda Felicia 1.9D (no turbo) 27k miles from new up for £1750, I went for a look it was no oil painting but it was all there managed to haggle down to £1500...after a few weeks driving around I loved it, basic car, solidly put together, did over 50mpg, furnace for a heater, I even got my money back when I sold it.
Looked like this...
Looked like this...
This is surprising me:
Bought on a drunken whim, with the wife expecting me to advertise it as soon as the V5 turned up.
It's taken just over a week for the s
tter to become part of the family. TIp runs, dogs to the park, wood to the allotment,..it's just so nice to not have to worry about where you leave it, what you load into it. It's a bonus that's it's a fun little car to drive about.
Since Friday, none of our "better" cars have been touched, the Panda has been used for everything.
Bought on a drunken whim, with the wife expecting me to advertise it as soon as the V5 turned up.
It's taken just over a week for the s
tter to become part of the family. TIp runs, dogs to the park, wood to the allotment,..it's just so nice to not have to worry about where you leave it, what you load into it. It's a bonus that's it's a fun little car to drive about.Since Friday, none of our "better" cars have been touched, the Panda has been used for everything.
f1nn said:
This is surprising me:
Bought on a drunken whim, with the wife expecting me to advertise it as soon as the V5 turned up.
It's taken just over a week for the stter to become part of the family. TIp runs, dogs to the park, wood to the allotment,..it's just so nice to not have to worry about where you leave it, what you load into it. It's a bonus that's it's a fun little car to drive about.
Since Friday, none of our "better" cars have been touched, the Panda has been used for everything.
So are you saying that its rubbish?Bought on a drunken whim, with the wife expecting me to advertise it as soon as the V5 turned up.
It's taken just over a week for the s
tter to become part of the family. TIp runs, dogs to the park, wood to the allotment,..it's just so nice to not have to worry about where you leave it, what you load into it. It's a bonus that's it's a fun little car to drive about.Since Friday, none of our "better" cars have been touched, the Panda has been used for everything.
A couple I've owned;
1991 Toyota Corolla 1.6 GL Executive Automatic-the full title being important as somehow the manufacturer squeezed this onto the bootlid. Owned as a shed whilst I was at uni and it swallowed all my kit, friends and general studenty stuff, whilst happily doing weekly 400 mile jaunts on the M6. Comfy, indestructible and looked terrible-brilliant as I could leave it in Bolton without risk of theft. I miss it.
1997 Peugeot 106 diesel-bought for £400 and lovingly nicknamed the Mingemobile by friends thanks to constant stream of swooning females attracted by the lime green colour. Ferried four friends to the south of France a couple of months ago in absolute agony, yet has never broken down and resolutely refuses to deliver less than 55mpg. Handles neatly, too. I have to admit I'm rather attached to it.
1991 Toyota Corolla 1.6 GL Executive Automatic-the full title being important as somehow the manufacturer squeezed this onto the bootlid. Owned as a shed whilst I was at uni and it swallowed all my kit, friends and general studenty stuff, whilst happily doing weekly 400 mile jaunts on the M6. Comfy, indestructible and looked terrible-brilliant as I could leave it in Bolton without risk of theft. I miss it.
1997 Peugeot 106 diesel-bought for £400 and lovingly nicknamed the Mingemobile by friends thanks to constant stream of swooning females attracted by the lime green colour. Ferried four friends to the south of France a couple of months ago in absolute agony, yet has never broken down and resolutely refuses to deliver less than 55mpg. Handles neatly, too. I have to admit I'm rather attached to it.
Klippie said:
In 2004 I was in between good cars at the time and needed transport ASAP trawling through the local classified ad's I spotted a 2001 Blue Skoda Felicia 1.9D (no turbo) 27k miles from new up for £1750, I went for a look it was no oil painting but it was all there managed to haggle down to £1500...after a few weeks driving around I loved it, basic car, solidly put together, did over 50mpg, furnace for a heater, I even got my money back when I sold it.
Looked like this...
I had a Felicia as a hire car in Tenerife. It was a well worn example!Looked like this...
I wouldn't normally give them a second look but was way better then I expected it to be with a decent engine. Felt like a mild hot hatch so lots of fun on the mountain roads
The old Ford Connect vans we had at work, my favourite were the old models from around 2009 and 2010. They had a black topped gearstick with silver markings on, and a five speed box. The later models, that moved onto '61 plates, were quite different to drive; somewhat slower and with more obvious electronic management of the throttle.
Those tenancious Connects were great work vans. They understeered like pigs, and wouldn't go faster than an indicated 90 mph, the roof boxes made a dreadful racket at speed, the storage cage in the back was small and the luggage bin behind the front seats was difficult to access.
In spite of their failings, they had good seats and good control weights and were much nicer to drive all day than the 1.3 CDTi Astra that was the usual alternative choice (a 1.7 CDTi Astra H estate was also available, nicer than the 1.3 but not as comfy or practical as the connect).
Those tenancious Connects were great work vans. They understeered like pigs, and wouldn't go faster than an indicated 90 mph, the roof boxes made a dreadful racket at speed, the storage cage in the back was small and the luggage bin behind the front seats was difficult to access.
In spite of their failings, they had good seats and good control weights and were much nicer to drive all day than the 1.3 CDTi Astra that was the usual alternative choice (a 1.7 CDTi Astra H estate was also available, nicer than the 1.3 but not as comfy or practical as the connect).
A repaired write off ex taxi starship mileage octavia. Never a single fault with it in 14 months, sailed its mot, i quite literally never spent a penny on it apart from diesel and that was cheap as it never went below 52 mpg. It was comfy, spacious, perky and so damned ugly you never worried about it. Surprisingly capable off road too, fullrun dimsum jingaling tyres must have a good mud tread.
Klippie said:
In 2004 I was in between good cars at the time and needed transport ASAP trawling through the local classified ad's I spotted a 2001 Blue Skoda Felicia 1.9D (no turbo) 27k miles from new up for £1750, I went for a look it was no oil painting but it was all there managed to haggle down to £1500...after a few weeks driving around I loved it, basic car, solidly put together, did over 50mpg, furnace for a heater, I even got my money back when I sold it.
Looked like this...
Felicia is my go to cheap banger - they can be had for less than £200 with a long test and apart from the galloping rot will go on forever. Looked like this...
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