2022 - Your Year in Motoring
Discussion
Having started the year with little love for cars, I have ended up regaining my motoring mojo so thought it'd be interesting to see what everyone else has been up to. Can be car purchases or adventures, it's all good.
Golf 1.9TDI Bluemotion - As the year began I found myself with a broken mega mile Golf estate which despite solid service really wasn't worth putting the money into. Scrapped.
Probe 2.2 GT Turbo - A project I keep promising to get round to, but life gets in the way. It ended the year as it started, unloved and requiring a full set of brake lines and various small bits.
Astra 1.3 CDTi Life - I needed a Golf replacement and everything seemed like silly money to someone who loves a shed as a daily. At £800 this seemed like a bargain as practical, economical transport and nothing more. It was absolutely grim and I was glad when the MOT rand out and I had to decide whether to sort the weird electrical issues or get rid. Scrapped.
Octavia 1.6 TDI Elegance - Realising I needed to spend a bit more to get something that didn't require any work or thinking I discovered that these big hatches are pretty unloved compared to the estates, but little is given up in practicality. It has been an excellent car with very little spent on it at all. Hopefully that continues into 2023.
BMW 645ci Manual - I'm a big BMW fan and I love a barge. Having never owned a V8 I was keen to change that before fuel prices or regulation makes it impossible. When a manual 645ci showed up with red leather at a reasonable price, it was a done deal. Flew upto Edinburgh from Somerset and drove it back. A great collection and the car is wonderful, properly quick when you want it to be and a superb cruiser when you don't/
Z4 2.5i - With no plans (or space) for another car, I won this in an Autos
te raffle for £20. I'd always fancied a Z4 and can never resist a raffle for something fun. It was in Scotland again, this time I managed to make a trip of it with my girlfriend and we did the NC500 in it and had a blast with the heater cranked up and the roof down at the very top of the country in October. It behaved wonderfully minus a few niggles and it was a blast, I can't recommend the trip and the Z4 highly enough.
Plans for next year are probably to get rid of both the Z4 and Probe as much as I love them to get me back to my happy place of 2 cars and put some money into suspension refresh and oil leak fixes for the 645.
Golf 1.9TDI Bluemotion - As the year began I found myself with a broken mega mile Golf estate which despite solid service really wasn't worth putting the money into. Scrapped.
Probe 2.2 GT Turbo - A project I keep promising to get round to, but life gets in the way. It ended the year as it started, unloved and requiring a full set of brake lines and various small bits.
Astra 1.3 CDTi Life - I needed a Golf replacement and everything seemed like silly money to someone who loves a shed as a daily. At £800 this seemed like a bargain as practical, economical transport and nothing more. It was absolutely grim and I was glad when the MOT rand out and I had to decide whether to sort the weird electrical issues or get rid. Scrapped.
Octavia 1.6 TDI Elegance - Realising I needed to spend a bit more to get something that didn't require any work or thinking I discovered that these big hatches are pretty unloved compared to the estates, but little is given up in practicality. It has been an excellent car with very little spent on it at all. Hopefully that continues into 2023.
BMW 645ci Manual - I'm a big BMW fan and I love a barge. Having never owned a V8 I was keen to change that before fuel prices or regulation makes it impossible. When a manual 645ci showed up with red leather at a reasonable price, it was a done deal. Flew upto Edinburgh from Somerset and drove it back. A great collection and the car is wonderful, properly quick when you want it to be and a superb cruiser when you don't/
Z4 2.5i - With no plans (or space) for another car, I won this in an Autos
te raffle for £20. I'd always fancied a Z4 and can never resist a raffle for something fun. It was in Scotland again, this time I managed to make a trip of it with my girlfriend and we did the NC500 in it and had a blast with the heater cranked up and the roof down at the very top of the country in October. It behaved wonderfully minus a few niggles and it was a blast, I can't recommend the trip and the Z4 highly enough.Plans for next year are probably to get rid of both the Z4 and Probe as much as I love them to get me back to my happy place of 2 cars and put some money into suspension refresh and oil leak fixes for the 645.
Started the year in a beautiful Giulia Quadrifoglio, but life got in the way and changed a few things, so I couldn't justify the running costs.
Swapped to a BMW M340i in March which isn't anywhere near as good to drive as the Giulia, but it's far cheaper from a finance and fuel POV .. and arguably a better daily driver. Committed to a house move soon after changing, so happened for the best.
Not sure what next year will bring, though I'm not in a rush to do anything with the m340i as it does everything really well. We do now have a MUCH bigger drive and a proper detached double garage, so there's space to increase the fleet!
Swapped to a BMW M340i in March which isn't anywhere near as good to drive as the Giulia, but it's far cheaper from a finance and fuel POV .. and arguably a better daily driver. Committed to a house move soon after changing, so happened for the best.
Not sure what next year will bring, though I'm not in a rush to do anything with the m340i as it does everything really well. We do now have a MUCH bigger drive and a proper detached double garage, so there's space to increase the fleet!
I generally keep hold of my cars for a long time, so a change in the fleet lineup was something of a seismic event for 2022. 
After more than nineteen years of visceral fun it was out with this having sold it:
To be replaced by this:
Otherwise everything else remained unchanged.
Out and about with Signore Arancio:
Papped in the Snotmobile:
Continued German efficiency und schnell:
And the ultimate urban chariot:
After more than nineteen years of visceral fun it was out with this having sold it:
To be replaced by this:
Otherwise everything else remained unchanged.
Out and about with Signore Arancio:
Papped in the Snotmobile:
Continued German efficiency und schnell:
And the ultimate urban chariot:
I started the year in a 2013 Volvo S60 D4 which was a nice 5cyl diesel sound but wasn’t the most reliable so started the year with a view to change it.
In late February, after considering a lot of cars, I was very adventurous and chose….another blue saloon. This time, a 2016 BMW 330d xDrive which has been great. When it isn’t sat on the M1 commuting (third lane obviously!), it’s been on a few road trips.
Angel of The North
Evo Triangle
Snowdonia National Park
I have been to “The Motorist” in Leeds a few times also, definitely would recommend.
In late February, after considering a lot of cars, I was very adventurous and chose….another blue saloon. This time, a 2016 BMW 330d xDrive which has been great. When it isn’t sat on the M1 commuting (third lane obviously!), it’s been on a few road trips.
Angel of The North
Evo Triangle
Snowdonia National Park
I have been to “The Motorist” in Leeds a few times also, definitely would recommend.
Thought long and hard about swapping my Swift Sport for a NC MX5 but after looking at a few and seeing how corroded they were I decided to keep it, it's a great little car.
Mazda have been sending cars here for ages, why can't they get a grip of the corrosion issue, would it be so hard for them to underseal them on production?
Will swap my Octavia Scout for a petrol estate next year I'm certain, just need to find something semi interesting for my budget.
Mazda have been sending cars here for ages, why can't they get a grip of the corrosion issue, would it be so hard for them to underseal them on production?
Will swap my Octavia Scout for a petrol estate next year I'm certain, just need to find something semi interesting for my budget.
Started the year with 2x American V8s:
2018 Ford Mustang GT:
2008 Ford Crown Victoria P71 Police Interceptor:
As well as a 2019 Suzuki Swift Sport ZC33S, 2008 Perodua Kenari GX and 2007 Suzuki Swift Sport ZC31S Track Car...
Ended the year with 2x English cars:
2019 Morgan 3 Wheeler (Euro 3 Spec):
1997 Jaguar XJ6 Executive:
And still have the 2019 Suzuki Swift Sport ZC33S, 2008 Perodua Kenari GX and 2007 Suzuki Swift Sport ZC31S Track Car...
All in all, a nice year of change... I definitely noticed the saving in fuel, dropping my V8s, although I do miss owning 2x V8s simultaneously!
2018 Ford Mustang GT:
2008 Ford Crown Victoria P71 Police Interceptor:
As well as a 2019 Suzuki Swift Sport ZC33S, 2008 Perodua Kenari GX and 2007 Suzuki Swift Sport ZC31S Track Car...
Ended the year with 2x English cars:
2019 Morgan 3 Wheeler (Euro 3 Spec):
1997 Jaguar XJ6 Executive:
And still have the 2019 Suzuki Swift Sport ZC33S, 2008 Perodua Kenari GX and 2007 Suzuki Swift Sport ZC31S Track Car...
All in all, a nice year of change... I definitely noticed the saving in fuel, dropping my V8s, although I do miss owning 2x V8s simultaneously!
2010 Alfa Giulietta QV - January to March
I'd bought cheap 2 years ago, spent £2k on it and it still needed more. I averaged 28 mpg and with rising fuel prices and averaging 18,000 miles a year, I decided to get something a little newer and more reliable.
2016 Mini Cooper S - March to present
Bought with 24k on the clock for £13k. It's a decent spec and fits the bill perfectly. I use it to travel between Leicestershire and London, it's nimble, averaged 40 mpg and been faultless.
2010 Brera 1750 TBI - The ever present
I've owned this car for 4 years, it does very few miles now. It's had an unfortunate 18 months being badly damaged in a hail storm and then I had a bump in it this year, this resulted in the car being written off. However, I decided I loved the car too much to leave it there and it's been given something of a restoration this year.
I'd bought cheap 2 years ago, spent £2k on it and it still needed more. I averaged 28 mpg and with rising fuel prices and averaging 18,000 miles a year, I decided to get something a little newer and more reliable.
2016 Mini Cooper S - March to present
Bought with 24k on the clock for £13k. It's a decent spec and fits the bill perfectly. I use it to travel between Leicestershire and London, it's nimble, averaged 40 mpg and been faultless.
2010 Brera 1750 TBI - The ever present
I've owned this car for 4 years, it does very few miles now. It's had an unfortunate 18 months being badly damaged in a hail storm and then I had a bump in it this year, this resulted in the car being written off. However, I decided I loved the car too much to leave it there and it's been given something of a restoration this year.
Edited by Alfahorn on Tuesday 20th December 18:52
jeremyc said:
I generally keep hold of my cars for a long time, so a change in the fleet lineup was something of a seismic event for 2022.
]
Not surprised your fleet doesn't change much. A brilliant selection. Saw your Mustang at Thruxton, it looked fab in the wintery conditions.]
-TorqueR said:
I started the year in a 2013 Volvo S60 D4 which was a nice 5cyl diesel sound but wasn’t the most reliable so started the year with a view to change it.
In late February, after considering a lot of cars, I was very adventurous and chose….another blue saloon. This time, a 2016 BMW 330d xDrive which has been great. When it isn’t sat on the M1 commuting (third lane obviously!), it’s been on a few road trips.
Nice. I really must get try Evo triangle next year.In late February, after considering a lot of cars, I was very adventurous and chose….another blue saloon. This time, a 2016 BMW 330d xDrive which has been great. When it isn’t sat on the M1 commuting (third lane obviously!), it’s been on a few road trips.
Macron said:
This year I sold:
- Audi S1
- Bentley GTC
- Focus RS
C43 goes end Jan.
The biggest loss though was the demise of the smoker barge thread. Formerly a sanctuary for many of us, it was modded out of use, and now sports infrequent diesel junk. Far more of a tragedy than anything else.
Quite the exodus. I really miss it too (and even considered starting an alternative forum), but have put more effort into my real life motoring endeavours instead. - Audi S1
- Bentley GTC
- Focus RS
C43 goes end Jan.
The biggest loss though was the demise of the smoker barge thread. Formerly a sanctuary for many of us, it was modded out of use, and now sports infrequent diesel junk. Far more of a tragedy than anything else.
Deerfoot said:
Thought long and hard about swapping my Swift Sport for a NC MX5 but after looking at a few and seeing how corroded they were I decided to keep it, it's a great little car.
.
I must try a Swift Sport at some point. Perhaps I can convince my girlfriend that it;s the car for her..
TREMAiNE said:
All in all, a nice year of change... I definitely noticed the saving in fuel, dropping my V8s, although I do miss owning 2x V8s simultaneously!
A great selection of cars, as much as I love the V8s, the Morgan with the proper V twin is just brilliant.Court_S said:
I had been looking at E92 M3’s but I bottled it and ended up with 335i instead
A highlight of the year was the NC500 in my other half’s 125i cab in April.
Always enjoy reading about your BMWs and the love they get!A highlight of the year was the NC500 in my other half’s 125i cab in April.
CRA1G said:
Added the M2 to my little collection....
[url]
Finally took delivery of the M240IXDRIVE Very impressed indeed...
|https://thumbsnap.com/eyAX8qNq[/url]
Ordered the New M2 Manual in Zandvoort Blue,Delivery expected March 23...
A fantastic collection! Which is your favourite?[url]Finally took delivery of the M240IXDRIVE Very impressed indeed...
|https://thumbsnap.com/eyAX8qNq[/url]Ordered the New M2 Manual in Zandvoort Blue,Delivery expected March 23...
moktabe said:
One automotive hero car to another. Nice work!Alfahorn said:
2010 Alfa Giulietta QV - January to March
2016 Mini Cooper S - March to present
2010 Brera 1750 TBI - The ever present
Cool cars, I'm yet to own an Alfa, but I am determined to do so.2016 Mini Cooper S - March to present
2010 Brera 1750 TBI - The ever present
cowboyengineer said:
IA busy year! That Boxster looks sensational in green.These are great so far! Keep them coming
Halved the 'fleet' by selling this after a decade of fun:
The C55 was purchased with the idea of doing some continental touring, with the pandemic tide receding we were able to drive as far as Dresden this year
feeling how stable and confidence-inspiring it is at 155mph, we definitely discovered the car's strongest suit.
However in terms of motoring, 2022 has probably been more notably marked by drives in cars I don't own:
Liked the Ariya, and definitely like one-pedal EV driving, can see something like this in my future
No pics, but was glad to get a proper unaccompanied test drive in an A110 on decent local B-roads. I liked so much about it, but ultimately couldn't get on terms with the steering being so light, quick and lacking in feel.
Highlight of the year was three days hire in this 570S
getting to drive it on a number of well-known and loved roads around my parents' place in North Yorkshire was fab, I can very much see something like this in my future
A visit of a friend became an excuse to try the excellent Palmersport day
was quite hard work to hop into so many different cars and drive them near the limits quickly, but a really fun challenge
Lastly I was very lucky to get a chance to visit Jaguar Classic and drive this gorgeous original E-Type
an absolute education and a real experience.
As for 2023, the Merc has established itself as a favourite with both me and my wife, so should be staying with us in 2023 despite the ongoing maintenance costs. I'm not expecting to borrow as many cars next year, but hopefully a new wider garage door will serve as the gateway to getting a new fun car to replace the RX-7.
The C55 was purchased with the idea of doing some continental touring, with the pandemic tide receding we were able to drive as far as Dresden this year
feeling how stable and confidence-inspiring it is at 155mph, we definitely discovered the car's strongest suit.
However in terms of motoring, 2022 has probably been more notably marked by drives in cars I don't own:
Liked the Ariya, and definitely like one-pedal EV driving, can see something like this in my future
No pics, but was glad to get a proper unaccompanied test drive in an A110 on decent local B-roads. I liked so much about it, but ultimately couldn't get on terms with the steering being so light, quick and lacking in feel.
Highlight of the year was three days hire in this 570S
getting to drive it on a number of well-known and loved roads around my parents' place in North Yorkshire was fab, I can very much see something like this in my future
A visit of a friend became an excuse to try the excellent Palmersport day
was quite hard work to hop into so many different cars and drive them near the limits quickly, but a really fun challenge
Lastly I was very lucky to get a chance to visit Jaguar Classic and drive this gorgeous original E-Type
an absolute education and a real experience.
As for 2023, the Merc has established itself as a favourite with both me and my wife, so should be staying with us in 2023 despite the ongoing maintenance costs. I'm not expecting to borrow as many cars next year, but hopefully a new wider garage door will serve as the gateway to getting a new fun car to replace the RX-7.
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