My car history from 2005 - Now
Discussion
Evening all 
Another history thread I'm sure you will be delighted to hear! 
From the age of 8, I raced in karts, and that happened up until I was 14 in 2005. I went to my local 4x4 pay and play site just to have a look around. My parents and I thought it looked like good fun, so we decided to change tack and go off-roading
My first foray into the world of cars was a 1989 Mitsubishi Shogun 2.6 SWB. I miss this car so badly it is unreal. I owned it for 2 years, it got thrashed every single day I had it, I am still stunned it lasted as long as it did. It also taught me, as well as my friends how to drive a proper car. That is before we played silly buggers in RWD on a grassy surface...
Of all the cars I've had, I miss this more than all of them put together 
.
I then sold the Shogun and bought my first road car, a 2003 Ink Blue Fiesta LX. With the 1.3 Cement Mixer Duratec engine, it made even the old Shogun feel like a supercar. This thing was (and still is) the slowest car on the planet. Absolutely perfect for a 17 year old. Bought with 12k miles on it from new, I sold it at 33k miles just over 2 years later. Many, many adventures in this car, including my first solo trip abroad to Le Mans in 2009 at the age of 18. This car was very well looked after, never thrashed from cold etc. but there was always something wrong with it, the total opposite to the Shogun...! Engine management lights, air conditioning pumps failing, coil packs, you name it, it broke!
During my time with the Fiesta, my 4x4 itch was getting ever bigger. I had been looking at Land Rovers for some time, and some friends of mine had an EX-RNLI 1986 Land Rover Ninety for sale. The price was too good to refuse, and with the promise of very cheap insurance, I bought it straight away. I then added the mud tyres, the lift kit, etc. etc., then only to find the insurance went up to 5 times the figure first promised in the space of 6 months. In waiting, it basically got used only off road, and with that it deteriorated very quickly, so after 18 months of ownership, I sold it. I do miss it's go-anywhere capability (the bodywork was sh** so I really didn't care where it ended up!), but not it's 4mpg thirst (only the 2.5 4cyl Petrol too), and quite frightening oil consumption (it would quite easily devour a pint during a day's pay and play off-roading!)
My ambition was always to have a MINI at some point, and in early 2010 circumstances (and insurance...) finally allowed me to have what I had always wanted. It's an October 2001 build Pure Silver/Black Cooper, which has a lot of equipment (full sports Leather, Air Con, CD Changer etc. etc.). I still have this car, but it is being sold shortly. I absolutely love this car, some hate MINI for their own reasons, but I cannot help but smile every time I drive it. In the last year, it's had a new gearbox & clutch, as well as numerous other servicing items, and I've fitted Cooper S bumpers and JCW Aero Grille to keep a Silver/Black theme. Over 10 years on, I still think this car looks absolutely superb, and still drives better than nearly all modern FWD cars I've driven. I really don't wish to sell this car, but its had it's time.
Whilst owning the MINI, I was beginning to really miss my Land Rover. Again, someone local came to the rescue (in this case my own father!) who wanted to sell his 1994 Land Rover Discovery ES V8i Auto. It had been a Chelsea Tractor almost all of it's life, which showed in it's condition, for a car of this vintage it really isn't bad. Being an ES it also has niceties such as full Leather, Dual-Zone Air Con, nice Hi-Fi and so on. So far I've only swapped the wheels back for some OEM ES wheels, chopped the lower bumper off for approach angle, and removed the towbar/step. For a pretty standard car, it's been exposed to some pretty extreme stuff! It's currently off the road needing some maintenance, but it will come back with some more off-road biased stuff hopefully I also need to save up to start putting some fuel back in it, it's not LPG'd! 
Finally and most recently, I would like to introduce my 2007 R56 MINI Cooper S. As a MINI sado, it could only really be a Cooper S! It took some time to find one with this spec, has some quite rare and useful stuff on it, such as the factory Limited Slip Diff, and the not-so-useful but equally nice factory tinted glass, DAB Radio with upgraded Hi-Fi, and climate control (
). I've had it for just over 2 weeks, and it has already found it's way onto the Silverstone GP track, where I must add it was great fun but a bit out of it's depth being totally standard. I don't really have any good pics of it yet, but in 2012, I hope to get to Le Mans, MINI United (biggest MINI/Mini meet in the world, in 2012 it's being held at Paul Ricard), the Ring, and some more PH Breakfast meets.
Not as extravagent or as exciting as some others here, but my mind is incredibly volatile to change
Another history thread I'm sure you will be delighted to hear! From the age of 8, I raced in karts, and that happened up until I was 14 in 2005. I went to my local 4x4 pay and play site just to have a look around. My parents and I thought it looked like good fun, so we decided to change tack and go off-roading
My first foray into the world of cars was a 1989 Mitsubishi Shogun 2.6 SWB. I miss this car so badly it is unreal. I owned it for 2 years, it got thrashed every single day I had it, I am still stunned it lasted as long as it did. It also taught me, as well as my friends how to drive a proper car. That is before we played silly buggers in RWD on a grassy surface...
Of all the cars I've had, I miss this more than all of them put together .I then sold the Shogun and bought my first road car, a 2003 Ink Blue Fiesta LX. With the 1.3 Cement Mixer Duratec engine, it made even the old Shogun feel like a supercar. This thing was (and still is) the slowest car on the planet. Absolutely perfect for a 17 year old. Bought with 12k miles on it from new, I sold it at 33k miles just over 2 years later. Many, many adventures in this car, including my first solo trip abroad to Le Mans in 2009 at the age of 18. This car was very well looked after, never thrashed from cold etc. but there was always something wrong with it, the total opposite to the Shogun...! Engine management lights, air conditioning pumps failing, coil packs, you name it, it broke!
During my time with the Fiesta, my 4x4 itch was getting ever bigger. I had been looking at Land Rovers for some time, and some friends of mine had an EX-RNLI 1986 Land Rover Ninety for sale. The price was too good to refuse, and with the promise of very cheap insurance, I bought it straight away. I then added the mud tyres, the lift kit, etc. etc., then only to find the insurance went up to 5 times the figure first promised in the space of 6 months. In waiting, it basically got used only off road, and with that it deteriorated very quickly, so after 18 months of ownership, I sold it. I do miss it's go-anywhere capability (the bodywork was sh** so I really didn't care where it ended up!), but not it's 4mpg thirst (only the 2.5 4cyl Petrol too), and quite frightening oil consumption (it would quite easily devour a pint during a day's pay and play off-roading!)
My ambition was always to have a MINI at some point, and in early 2010 circumstances (and insurance...) finally allowed me to have what I had always wanted. It's an October 2001 build Pure Silver/Black Cooper, which has a lot of equipment (full sports Leather, Air Con, CD Changer etc. etc.). I still have this car, but it is being sold shortly. I absolutely love this car, some hate MINI for their own reasons, but I cannot help but smile every time I drive it. In the last year, it's had a new gearbox & clutch, as well as numerous other servicing items, and I've fitted Cooper S bumpers and JCW Aero Grille to keep a Silver/Black theme. Over 10 years on, I still think this car looks absolutely superb, and still drives better than nearly all modern FWD cars I've driven. I really don't wish to sell this car, but its had it's time.
Whilst owning the MINI, I was beginning to really miss my Land Rover. Again, someone local came to the rescue (in this case my own father!) who wanted to sell his 1994 Land Rover Discovery ES V8i Auto. It had been a Chelsea Tractor almost all of it's life, which showed in it's condition, for a car of this vintage it really isn't bad. Being an ES it also has niceties such as full Leather, Dual-Zone Air Con, nice Hi-Fi and so on. So far I've only swapped the wheels back for some OEM ES wheels, chopped the lower bumper off for approach angle, and removed the towbar/step. For a pretty standard car, it's been exposed to some pretty extreme stuff! It's currently off the road needing some maintenance, but it will come back with some more off-road biased stuff hopefully
I also need to save up to start putting some fuel back in it, it's not LPG'd! Finally and most recently, I would like to introduce my 2007 R56 MINI Cooper S. As a MINI sado, it could only really be a Cooper S!
It took some time to find one with this spec, has some quite rare and useful stuff on it, such as the factory Limited Slip Diff, and the not-so-useful but equally nice factory tinted glass, DAB Radio with upgraded Hi-Fi, and climate control (). I've had it for just over 2 weeks, and it has already found it's way onto the Silverstone GP track, where I must add it was great fun but a bit out of it's depth being totally standard. I don't really have any good pics of it yet, but in 2012, I hope to get to Le Mans, MINI United (biggest MINI/Mini meet in the world, in 2012 it's being held at Paul Ricard), the Ring, and some more PH Breakfast meets.Not as extravagent or as exciting as some others here, but my mind is incredibly volatile to change
! The playtime in the Landies looks like great fun as well, I'm actually pretty jealous!As. Mini fan love them both, picked up my first a mini Cooper when I was 18 and no going back since.
I have alternated to,and despite much overlap this is my buying history,
1992 escort 1.3. As you say horrid engine.
2003 mini cooper
2005 mini Cooper s
1994 BMW 525i touring
2000 BMW 530iA
1997 integra type r
1993 Mazda mx5
2010 mini Cooper s
Latest mini is best by far, much much cheaper to run, better specced, faster and more BMW Iike if a little dull compared to the previous pair.
Land rovers are great too,that is an it chi am yet to scratch.
Great cars, and Look out for my S at le mans too!
I have alternated to,and despite much overlap this is my buying history,
1992 escort 1.3. As you say horrid engine.
2003 mini cooper
2005 mini Cooper s
1994 BMW 525i touring
2000 BMW 530iA
1997 integra type r
1993 Mazda mx5
2010 mini Cooper s
Latest mini is best by far, much much cheaper to run, better specced, faster and more BMW Iike if a little dull compared to the previous pair.
Land rovers are great too,that is an it chi am yet to scratch.
Great cars, and Look out for my S at le mans too!
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff