Car mistakes...
Discussion
While replying on the "cars that killed the lineage" thread, it got me thinking about car buying mistakes, car selling mistakes and looking for x car and ending up with y car.
I have a few of these.
Buying Mistakes:
MK2 Mondeo 1.8td estate. The cambelt slipped and destroyed the head after a bit of time owning it. Fixing it was a mistake as it cost more to fix than what I sold it for.
Peugeot 605 2.1 SRDT. In summer it ran fine. I actually really liked the car. It was white, didn't have ac or folding rear seats, but the 2.1TD was reasonably powerful and economical. The car was comfy. But in winter it took 3 attempts at starting each time to get it to idle and I had to let it idle for a bit before it would stop miss firing. I have no idea what the fault was as it ended up getting rear ended at 60mph one day while I was queuing for traffic.
Sierra Sapphire RS Cosworth 4x4. I bought this as a double cat D write off. It was a shed that I bought when I couldn't afford it but bought with my heart rather than my head. It was never as good as first cossie. I ended up taking it off the road with a view to rebuild it after a few issues and sort the rust etc (the engine was fine). Lost out on it financially.
Subaru Impreza WRX STi V1. Terrible car, should never have bought it. Jumped out of gear in 2nd, had a miss fire at WOT, was mega loud and was on coilovers set in their scaff bar setting. And then 2 weeks after buying it, it started to overheat. Sold it within 4 weeks of buying it.
Mazda 6 MPS. Bought just before I had an operation on my eustachian tube after selling my E39 M5. It wasn't a bad car and I had ideas of tuning it etc, but it was dull. I had a while off work and then worked from home so I had chance to save up. I sold the Mazda and bought another E39 M5. I atoned for my mistake.
Audi A4 1.8T Sport. I bought this as a cheap car to get me to work and do site visits in. It needed some tidying up but otherwise on the whole seemed a decent car. 3 days into ownership and the water junction at the back of the head split and dumped all of the coolant on the floor. I started to strip the engine as the junction was impossible to get at with the head in situ, but I got in deeper than my skills would allow so I ended up selling it on at a loss as a spares or repair car. Shame as I quite liked it up to the point of it failing.
Selling mistakes:
Octavia vRS MK1. I bought this after selling my house. Was a good car, cheap to run and pretty quick after a remap. I had plans for it but I ended up buying the Impreza mentioned above and selling the Octavia. I wish I had have put the money I wasted into the Octavia, it would have made a good car even better.
Rover 800 Vitesse Sport. This car was more fun than it had any right to be. I sold this to buy the cossie mentioned above. I should have just sorted the niggles (bonnet lacquer and non working AC) and left well alone.
Volvo S80 D5 Lux. This replaced a broken Saab 93 Aero 2.0T manual. Was used to do daily driving and site visits. I remember seeing a range of 1000 miles on the way to Preston once. Was a good car that did the job it was designed for. I sold it when I moved house as I didn't need a second car as I'd changed jobs and now walked to work. I ended up spending quite a few quid to sort out a rear caliper to get it through its MOT so I could sell it. I really should have kept it.
Started looking at one car, bought another:
E32 BMW 740Li. I started out looking for one of these in the mid 2000s. I'd found what looked like a nice example in calypso red. The only downside was the chrome arch trims. I ended up buying a vauxhall omega 3.0 elite as upon doing a hpi check on the BMW, it came back as having being written off twice. Ironic seeing as how I'd since bought a twice written off cossie. Anyway, I have a suspicion that I misread the hpi check and that a private reg that had been on the car had been on 2 cars that had been written off. Live and learn.
E39 M5. I'd set out to buy one as I'd like them for ages. I went to go look at one and test drove it, but something didn't feel right. In the end after some deliberation I decided to walk away. I ended up getting a 3.2 V6 Vectra Elite a bit later. My wallet decided this was the right choice.
Renault Laguna 1.9td. I'd started looking for a MK2 Laguna diesels. I wasn't put off despite the well publicised issues. In the end I started to look at MG ZT CDTi's and bought one of them instead. I think I made the right choice.
Ford Scorpio TD. I'm one of the few people who seem to like the frog face Scorpio. I'd set out trying to find one, preferably in estate form. Having looked at one that turned out to be much worse than advertised, I turned my attention to Rover 825SD's. I ended up buying a Rover and didn't regret it.
E39 M5. After selling my W211 E55 AMG because I wanted to get back into an E39 M5. I was going to look at one until I got let down, so I decided to look at alternatives. These were E90 M3s, B8 Audi S4s and then finally E60 M5s. And we all know how that ended
So come on PH, what about you?
I have a few of these.
Buying Mistakes:
MK2 Mondeo 1.8td estate. The cambelt slipped and destroyed the head after a bit of time owning it. Fixing it was a mistake as it cost more to fix than what I sold it for.
Peugeot 605 2.1 SRDT. In summer it ran fine. I actually really liked the car. It was white, didn't have ac or folding rear seats, but the 2.1TD was reasonably powerful and economical. The car was comfy. But in winter it took 3 attempts at starting each time to get it to idle and I had to let it idle for a bit before it would stop miss firing. I have no idea what the fault was as it ended up getting rear ended at 60mph one day while I was queuing for traffic.
Sierra Sapphire RS Cosworth 4x4. I bought this as a double cat D write off. It was a shed that I bought when I couldn't afford it but bought with my heart rather than my head. It was never as good as first cossie. I ended up taking it off the road with a view to rebuild it after a few issues and sort the rust etc (the engine was fine). Lost out on it financially.
Subaru Impreza WRX STi V1. Terrible car, should never have bought it. Jumped out of gear in 2nd, had a miss fire at WOT, was mega loud and was on coilovers set in their scaff bar setting. And then 2 weeks after buying it, it started to overheat. Sold it within 4 weeks of buying it.
Mazda 6 MPS. Bought just before I had an operation on my eustachian tube after selling my E39 M5. It wasn't a bad car and I had ideas of tuning it etc, but it was dull. I had a while off work and then worked from home so I had chance to save up. I sold the Mazda and bought another E39 M5. I atoned for my mistake.
Audi A4 1.8T Sport. I bought this as a cheap car to get me to work and do site visits in. It needed some tidying up but otherwise on the whole seemed a decent car. 3 days into ownership and the water junction at the back of the head split and dumped all of the coolant on the floor. I started to strip the engine as the junction was impossible to get at with the head in situ, but I got in deeper than my skills would allow so I ended up selling it on at a loss as a spares or repair car. Shame as I quite liked it up to the point of it failing.
Selling mistakes:
Octavia vRS MK1. I bought this after selling my house. Was a good car, cheap to run and pretty quick after a remap. I had plans for it but I ended up buying the Impreza mentioned above and selling the Octavia. I wish I had have put the money I wasted into the Octavia, it would have made a good car even better.
Rover 800 Vitesse Sport. This car was more fun than it had any right to be. I sold this to buy the cossie mentioned above. I should have just sorted the niggles (bonnet lacquer and non working AC) and left well alone.
Volvo S80 D5 Lux. This replaced a broken Saab 93 Aero 2.0T manual. Was used to do daily driving and site visits. I remember seeing a range of 1000 miles on the way to Preston once. Was a good car that did the job it was designed for. I sold it when I moved house as I didn't need a second car as I'd changed jobs and now walked to work. I ended up spending quite a few quid to sort out a rear caliper to get it through its MOT so I could sell it. I really should have kept it.
Started looking at one car, bought another:
E32 BMW 740Li. I started out looking for one of these in the mid 2000s. I'd found what looked like a nice example in calypso red. The only downside was the chrome arch trims. I ended up buying a vauxhall omega 3.0 elite as upon doing a hpi check on the BMW, it came back as having being written off twice. Ironic seeing as how I'd since bought a twice written off cossie. Anyway, I have a suspicion that I misread the hpi check and that a private reg that had been on the car had been on 2 cars that had been written off. Live and learn.
E39 M5. I'd set out to buy one as I'd like them for ages. I went to go look at one and test drove it, but something didn't feel right. In the end after some deliberation I decided to walk away. I ended up getting a 3.2 V6 Vectra Elite a bit later. My wallet decided this was the right choice.
Renault Laguna 1.9td. I'd started looking for a MK2 Laguna diesels. I wasn't put off despite the well publicised issues. In the end I started to look at MG ZT CDTi's and bought one of them instead. I think I made the right choice.
Ford Scorpio TD. I'm one of the few people who seem to like the frog face Scorpio. I'd set out trying to find one, preferably in estate form. Having looked at one that turned out to be much worse than advertised, I turned my attention to Rover 825SD's. I ended up buying a Rover and didn't regret it.
E39 M5. After selling my W211 E55 AMG because I wanted to get back into an E39 M5. I was going to look at one until I got let down, so I decided to look at alternatives. These were E90 M3s, B8 Audi S4s and then finally E60 M5s. And we all know how that ended
So come on PH, what about you?
Buying? Renault 11 GTD to save money on fuel. I now know od rather not have eaten. Subaru Imoreza type ra original model, never ran right, cost a small fortune in repairs in the month I had it, ended up selling it at a loss and the new owner found a small pipe at the back of the engine had split, fixed for pennies. These are now worth a good few quid. Selling? No regrets as what I sold was worth what I sold it for when I sold it, but I've owned two vw Bay window campers, both sold for around £1500, a Porsche 928s4 sold for around 4k, an e36 evo BMW also sold for around 4k, an e12 m535i sold for £400, the best unrestored original range rover I'm the country in my opinion sold for around 5k if memory serves and some I sold and wish I'd kept because I now know I'll not find another as good, one lf my series 3 jag 4.2s was a cracker, my lexus ls400 was wonderful, had a low, low miles immaculate cinquecento Sporting and Streetka both of which I adored....oh, and thats jist my regrets thought of in two minutes!!
Once bought an Astra as I had been made redundant and had to sell my car to get 2 cheaper cars so I had one for doing agency work and my mrs used one. Test drove it and all fine then the night I picked it up and got near home and it packed in at some lights. When it was fully warmed up it would just die but until then it was fine. Kept it about a month with trying a few things and then got rid.
I still beat myself up about it now but I suppose we all buy a lemon now and again.
I still beat myself up about it now but I suppose we all buy a lemon now and again.
Went to view a W204 Merc C63 AMG, agonised over it and ultimately scared myself off it, I bought a Volvo V60 T4 which was an absolute bag of nails, full of various electrical faults which cost thousands to rectify over an 18 month period and I didnt even loke the car, I sold it to We Want Any Car for around a 3k loss.
Buying a Mercedes W202 C280 Sport.
After a manual 2 litre 190e I was expecting great things, but it was a real disappointment. Sport suspension ruined the ride but offered nothing in terms of handling, even if the seats were comfy!
Other than that it is just the usual "if only" stuff like selling a 1978 MK2 Escort RS2000 for less than £2,500 in 1984 to go towards a 2 year old Capri 2.8i that I sold a year later for £4K for a house deposit. Then selling my next Capri 2.8i for less than £3K in 1990.
But then when I see prices now I'm just glad I had them when I did as there are so many better options for the prices Fast Fords fetch now.
After a manual 2 litre 190e I was expecting great things, but it was a real disappointment. Sport suspension ruined the ride but offered nothing in terms of handling, even if the seats were comfy!
Other than that it is just the usual "if only" stuff like selling a 1978 MK2 Escort RS2000 for less than £2,500 in 1984 to go towards a 2 year old Capri 2.8i that I sold a year later for £4K for a house deposit. Then selling my next Capri 2.8i for less than £3K in 1990.
But then when I see prices now I'm just glad I had them when I did as there are so many better options for the prices Fast Fords fetch now.
I went to buy a Mondeo 2.0T 240 Titanium. I decided I needed to get something sensible, economical, relatively simple (to avoid repairs to esoteric hardware that no normal car would have). It seemed reasonable to assume that the 240bhp range-topper Mondeo would be equivalent to an ST220 so I thought it would at least be enjoyable to drive. I drove it, it was lackluster and slower than its 240bhp would imply. I hated it. But, I had set myself the task of buying a car that day. It was a very good spec but was up for an "I know what I've got" amount of money. So, my offer was turned down as the salesman was sure he could get his full asking price. I'd driven quite some way so checked AT to see what else was up for sale in the area.
A few hours later I drove home in a Mercedes E500, giggling my way through the Dartford Tunnel every time I squirted the throttle.
It would have been a mistake to buy the Mondeo. It was to cars, what porridge is to food. I'd have probably ended up forgetting that I love cars and be driving around in the motoring equivalent of muesli now.
A few hours later I drove home in a Mercedes E500, giggling my way through the Dartford Tunnel every time I squirted the throttle.
It would have been a mistake to buy the Mondeo. It was to cars, what porridge is to food. I'd have probably ended up forgetting that I love cars and be driving around in the motoring equivalent of muesli now.
Selling a 3yr old 306xsi with 25k miles for a 5yr old Golf GTi 8v with 60k miles.
The 306 was mint and owned from 3k miles but started to have fragile issues like master brake cylinder, rad and elec window issue. Felt a Golf would be more reliable. It was, but holy s
t it was boring and a wedding and a baby meant I couldn't get out of it for 3 yrs, 3 long boring years.
The 306 felt like a Lotus compared to the Golf which felt like a Cavalier in comparison.
The 306 was mint and owned from 3k miles but started to have fragile issues like master brake cylinder, rad and elec window issue. Felt a Golf would be more reliable. It was, but holy s
t it was boring and a wedding and a baby meant I couldn't get out of it for 3 yrs, 3 long boring years.The 306 felt like a Lotus compared to the Golf which felt like a Cavalier in comparison.
we have a winner. /threadMikeB444 said:
Buying mistake:
Vauxhall Chevette
(I don't think I need to add any explanation
)
They were a bit rubbish. Looked fresh and modern at the time, but woeful to drive. Mine was a custard yellow 2-door saloon in "E" spec, which meant plastic seats and no boot carpet. I never really warmed to it and swapped it for a doggy Mk2 Escort with a boot spolier and Ghia alloys.Vauxhall Chevette
(I don't think I need to add any explanation
) Didn't put me off Vauxhalls for life though: the car that did that was a Mk2 Astra GTE. It was an early one, 5 door with a flabby, asthmatic 1.8 engine. I might have loved it more if it had been a 2.0 16 valve. I was seduced by the velour seats and electric toys, but two days after buying it I was so disappointed that I did an HPI check to see if there was any way to get the dealer to take it back.
I was delighted to find it had outstanding finance on it and rang the dealer. Their response was "don't worry, we'll clear that for you" which made me think they were glad to see the back of the Disastra and didn't want it back on their forecourt.
After three months the rear wheelarches were rusting through. Then it broke down 200 miles from home in a snowstorm. Took me two days to find the fault, a corroded wire on a connector block behind the battery. I got it running, sold it at a big loss and haven't had a Vauxhall since.
Car mistakes.
2002 Audi A4 Avant. Horrible car. I turned up to look at look at it, it was parked at the back of the lot, two soft tyres, flat battery. I should have walked away at this point. Test drove it, seemed ok. After buying buying it, I noticed a few issues, mainly auto box sometimes didn't engage. Garage didn't want to know. Posted a bad review online, got threatened by them and took it down. Part exed it against a vw golf which was much better.
Mazda mx5 mk1 euros. Bought July sold in October didn't use it and had a few issues. Couldn't be bothered with it..
2002 Audi A4 Avant. Horrible car. I turned up to look at look at it, it was parked at the back of the lot, two soft tyres, flat battery. I should have walked away at this point. Test drove it, seemed ok. After buying buying it, I noticed a few issues, mainly auto box sometimes didn't engage. Garage didn't want to know. Posted a bad review online, got threatened by them and took it down. Part exed it against a vw golf which was much better.
Mazda mx5 mk1 euros. Bought July sold in October didn't use it and had a few issues. Couldn't be bothered with it..
Cars I shouldn't have sold.
VW golf gti mk5 dsg. 2008 tornado red. I loved this car, thought the dsg was brilliant. Only thing I didn't like is that it stank of smoke, took months to get rid of the smell. Had it 2 years, sold because we had a vw Caravelle and it wasn't getting used much. Missed it so much bought another one an edition 30, which sadly got written off after a 4x4 slammed into the back of it at 30mph.
TVR Chimaera 4.0 best car ever owned. The noise was incredible. Sold after 7 years, due to young family, it sat in the garage for months between being used, so it went. Will get another one day.
VW golf gti mk5 dsg. 2008 tornado red. I loved this car, thought the dsg was brilliant. Only thing I didn't like is that it stank of smoke, took months to get rid of the smell. Had it 2 years, sold because we had a vw Caravelle and it wasn't getting used much. Missed it so much bought another one an edition 30, which sadly got written off after a 4x4 slammed into the back of it at 30mph.
TVR Chimaera 4.0 best car ever owned. The noise was incredible. Sold after 7 years, due to young family, it sat in the garage for months between being used, so it went. Will get another one day.
Jaguar XE-S 3.0 V6
1 pre owner, full service history.
Good looking, great to drive, but terrible build quality.
Various rattles that drove me insane, especially because it was a new-ish car (2016 model year) for me. The driver side door speaker started to rattle after about 2 weeks, fixed that by pulling the door card of 2 times and isolating the surroundings of the speaker. Then there was another rattle from the sunroof which i could not identify. The buttons on the steering wheel felt really nasty and squeeky. Sometimes you did need to press the start button 2 times to work , no idea why. I also had to turn off the anti collision radar thing as it would go off on certain situations. And the sound quality over bluetooth was rubbish despite having the meridian upgrade system.
That's just from the top of my head, in theory a great package, but not for me unfortunately.
Got replaced with a much older and higher mileage ISF and i never looked back.
1 pre owner, full service history.
Good looking, great to drive, but terrible build quality.
Various rattles that drove me insane, especially because it was a new-ish car (2016 model year) for me. The driver side door speaker started to rattle after about 2 weeks, fixed that by pulling the door card of 2 times and isolating the surroundings of the speaker. Then there was another rattle from the sunroof which i could not identify. The buttons on the steering wheel felt really nasty and squeeky. Sometimes you did need to press the start button 2 times to work , no idea why. I also had to turn off the anti collision radar thing as it would go off on certain situations. And the sound quality over bluetooth was rubbish despite having the meridian upgrade system.
That's just from the top of my head, in theory a great package, but not for me unfortunately.
Got replaced with a much older and higher mileage ISF and i never looked back.
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