Some old Benz and a Mister Two too...
Discussion
Hello peeps.
I've never documented my motoring history on here before so thought I'd stick a few pics up for reminiscence.
There was a number of crap small hatches at first, none of which warrant another mention.
My first decent car was a '95 Merc C230 Kompressor Sport. This was purchased spur-of-the-moment after the Saab 9-3 Cab I went to look at turned out to be crap and the Merc was sat next to it. Attraction was c200bhp, RWD, lovely grey leather interior with electric seats etc. and insurance for well under £1k as a 21yr old. Brilliant. Unfortunately, my old PC died and with it so did my old photos. Hence, the only pic I have of the car is this.....
Apparently the aforementioned 200bhp and RWD weren't so great when I ran out of grip/road/talent. I'd only just added the OZ Opera wheels too. Idiot.
Then I took some of the insurance payout and bought this as a stopgap until I figured out what I really wanted...
'91 Merc 190E in Silver with grey cladding, poverty spec wheels, interior and engine. It had character though, and my friends called it the Iraqi Taxi, which I quite liked. It felt indestructible and as such I decided to keep it. Ended up looking like this...
I'd been bitten by the 190 bug by then, which resulted in the purchase of this handsome beast...
'89 Merc 190E 2.5-16. Manual dog leg box, heated leather, air con and a working lap timer (both of which are rarer than an angel's farts) totally standard and a wee bit shabby if I'm honest. I spent a fortune replacing the SLS suspension, exhaust, wheel refurb, plus numerous other parts n pieces. I loved that car, but unfortunately had to sell it to buy my ex out of the flat we co-owned. Bugger. Sold for a pittance and they're now fetching three or four times as much as I let it go for. More bugger.
Then came a Fiesta Zetec 1.25 which my Grandpa gifted to me as I was skint and he'd given up driving. No pics of this as my old phone died with them on it. Great wee car, good fun to pedal along and was a good servant to me. Then I got a bit bored and wanted RWD again. As I was still skint, running costs had to be low but the car had to be good fun and easy to live with. So I traded in the Fiesty for an MR2 Roadster.
'01 poverty spec, or 'lightweight spec' as I like to call it! Another great wee car, the handling is fantastic fun, its got hardly any weight and the skinny tyres don't provide oodles of grip. I can't recommend one highly enough if you can get away with the two seats.
I bought an old Volvo V40 for winter shedding duties, which turned out to be the best £400 I've spent on a car. It's lasted 4 winters now and all it's needed is an exhaust rear section and all-season tyres. Absolutely fantastic for the money. I swapped the Volvo for my Dad's old Merc C220CDi which had been lying SORN'd for around six months - a new rear SAM was required, plus a load of bushes, a wishbone, spring... the list goes on. Finally an MOT certificate was granted and Fifty Shades of Blue was mine. Boo and, indeed, hiss.
As you can see, she's a real looker as she currently stands, with the various hues of blue providing a dab of contrast to the typical mono-coloured Krautwagens that engulf our streets. It's a shed, there's no denying it. But it will do until I find something more suitable.
Well, there you go. That's been a brief history of my vehicle ownership up until now. Thanks for reading. Sorry it wasn't more interesting!
I've never documented my motoring history on here before so thought I'd stick a few pics up for reminiscence.
There was a number of crap small hatches at first, none of which warrant another mention.
My first decent car was a '95 Merc C230 Kompressor Sport. This was purchased spur-of-the-moment after the Saab 9-3 Cab I went to look at turned out to be crap and the Merc was sat next to it. Attraction was c200bhp, RWD, lovely grey leather interior with electric seats etc. and insurance for well under £1k as a 21yr old. Brilliant. Unfortunately, my old PC died and with it so did my old photos. Hence, the only pic I have of the car is this.....
Apparently the aforementioned 200bhp and RWD weren't so great when I ran out of grip/road/talent. I'd only just added the OZ Opera wheels too. Idiot.
Then I took some of the insurance payout and bought this as a stopgap until I figured out what I really wanted...
'91 Merc 190E in Silver with grey cladding, poverty spec wheels, interior and engine. It had character though, and my friends called it the Iraqi Taxi, which I quite liked. It felt indestructible and as such I decided to keep it. Ended up looking like this...
I'd been bitten by the 190 bug by then, which resulted in the purchase of this handsome beast...
'89 Merc 190E 2.5-16. Manual dog leg box, heated leather, air con and a working lap timer (both of which are rarer than an angel's farts) totally standard and a wee bit shabby if I'm honest. I spent a fortune replacing the SLS suspension, exhaust, wheel refurb, plus numerous other parts n pieces. I loved that car, but unfortunately had to sell it to buy my ex out of the flat we co-owned. Bugger. Sold for a pittance and they're now fetching three or four times as much as I let it go for. More bugger.
Then came a Fiesta Zetec 1.25 which my Grandpa gifted to me as I was skint and he'd given up driving. No pics of this as my old phone died with them on it. Great wee car, good fun to pedal along and was a good servant to me. Then I got a bit bored and wanted RWD again. As I was still skint, running costs had to be low but the car had to be good fun and easy to live with. So I traded in the Fiesty for an MR2 Roadster.
'01 poverty spec, or 'lightweight spec' as I like to call it! Another great wee car, the handling is fantastic fun, its got hardly any weight and the skinny tyres don't provide oodles of grip. I can't recommend one highly enough if you can get away with the two seats.
I bought an old Volvo V40 for winter shedding duties, which turned out to be the best £400 I've spent on a car. It's lasted 4 winters now and all it's needed is an exhaust rear section and all-season tyres. Absolutely fantastic for the money. I swapped the Volvo for my Dad's old Merc C220CDi which had been lying SORN'd for around six months - a new rear SAM was required, plus a load of bushes, a wishbone, spring... the list goes on. Finally an MOT certificate was granted and Fifty Shades of Blue was mine. Boo and, indeed, hiss.
As you can see, she's a real looker as she currently stands, with the various hues of blue providing a dab of contrast to the typical mono-coloured Krautwagens that engulf our streets. It's a shed, there's no denying it. But it will do until I find something more suitable.
Well, there you go. That's been a brief history of my vehicle ownership up until now. Thanks for reading. Sorry it wasn't more interesting!
Edited by WojaWabbit on Sunday 14th April 14:31
Well it's been a while since I posted my car history and seeing as I've just added another to the list I thought I'd update the thread.
I ended up so annoyed with the C220 that I started looking for a new shed, but something a bit more Pistonheadish. I searched for a Saab 9-5 Aero but all the decent looking specimens in my price range were down South, and I always ended up missing out on them due to travel and time constraints.
Then I noticed that MG ZTs could be had within budget and, after going to view a number of poor examples, stumbled upon this on Gumtree whilst I was visiting my parents one weekend....
'02 MG ZT+ in Trophy Blue. It's a slushmatic, so is powered by the 180BHP 2.5 V6 engine. Plus spec (as far as I'm aware) means half-leather, climate, rear electric windows, rear spoiler and a few other bits n' bobs. This one has alcantara added to the leather, which is in remarkably good condition.
It was apparently a mobility car which goes some way to explain the low mileage it has allegedly covered - just shy of 39k. There's partial history, so I was a bit dubious of this, but the MOT history backs it up and after a short test drive I was convinced... it is so tight and 'new' feeling it really does feel like it's hardly been used. Anyway, time for some pics....
I'm in two minds as to whether I should treat it like a shed as it cost so little, or tidy it up a little and pray to the Timing Belt gods that mine doesn't go twang.... but I've already drawn up a 'To Do' list, so I guess I've made up my mind already!
First on the list is a pre-MOT check to see if it's going to be a money-pit to get through the test in September. Then, if all goes well after the check-up, I'll look to do the following:
- Oil and filters service
- Conti Sport Contacts to replace the cheapo rubber on there at the moment.
- OEM interior mat set
- OEM MG front & rear and rear Union/chequered flag badges
- Replace near side interior sill trims
- Proper clean, clay and polish
- Possibly replace the Alpine stereo with a decent DAB unit
So, that's the latest addition to my thread. Who knows, if the belts are indeed eleven years old then I may well have to find another addition soon!
Thanks for reading.
I ended up so annoyed with the C220 that I started looking for a new shed, but something a bit more Pistonheadish. I searched for a Saab 9-5 Aero but all the decent looking specimens in my price range were down South, and I always ended up missing out on them due to travel and time constraints.
Then I noticed that MG ZTs could be had within budget and, after going to view a number of poor examples, stumbled upon this on Gumtree whilst I was visiting my parents one weekend....
'02 MG ZT+ in Trophy Blue. It's a slushmatic, so is powered by the 180BHP 2.5 V6 engine. Plus spec (as far as I'm aware) means half-leather, climate, rear electric windows, rear spoiler and a few other bits n' bobs. This one has alcantara added to the leather, which is in remarkably good condition.
It was apparently a mobility car which goes some way to explain the low mileage it has allegedly covered - just shy of 39k. There's partial history, so I was a bit dubious of this, but the MOT history backs it up and after a short test drive I was convinced... it is so tight and 'new' feeling it really does feel like it's hardly been used. Anyway, time for some pics....
I'm in two minds as to whether I should treat it like a shed as it cost so little, or tidy it up a little and pray to the Timing Belt gods that mine doesn't go twang.... but I've already drawn up a 'To Do' list, so I guess I've made up my mind already!
First on the list is a pre-MOT check to see if it's going to be a money-pit to get through the test in September. Then, if all goes well after the check-up, I'll look to do the following:
- Oil and filters service
- Conti Sport Contacts to replace the cheapo rubber on there at the moment.
- OEM interior mat set
- OEM MG front & rear and rear Union/chequered flag badges
- Replace near side interior sill trims
- Proper clean, clay and polish
- Possibly replace the Alpine stereo with a decent DAB unit
So, that's the latest addition to my thread. Who knows, if the belts are indeed eleven years old then I may well have to find another addition soon!
Thanks for reading.
Edited by WojaWabbit on Sunday 14th April 16:19
Perd Hapley said:
Change the belt Change the belt Change the belt Change the belt Change the belt Change the belt Change the belt Change the belt Change the belt
Doesn't that double the cost of the car though? Unless you can do it yourself!?I had an argument on a £1000 Alfa thread where I was called a muppet for not spending £400 having the Cambelt done on a £400 Alfa 155 that has been fine for almost 3 years. Suppose it all depends on if you rely on the car or feel it is worth it and the car will last some time without throwing up another killer bill.
Perd Hapley said:
Change the belt Change the belt Change the belt Change the belt Change the belt Change the belt Change the belt Change the belt Change the belt
Doesn't that double the cost of the car though? Unless you can do it yourself!?I had an argument on a £1000 Alfa thread where I was called a muppet for not spending £400 having the Cambelt done on a £400 Alfa 155 that has been fine for almost 3 years. Suppose it all depends on if you rely on the car or feel it is worth it and the car will last some time without throwing up another killer bill.
CharlesdeGaulle said:
Nice write-up. Good luck with it.
Emeye said:
Very nice. My fav MG colour. I'd like a diesel manual one.
Usget said:
That's lovely, worth spending a few quid on I'd say - those seats look so comfy! KV6 makes a lovely old noise too. All in all, a damn good buy I'd say.
Thanks chaps, much appreciated 
Emeye said:
Perd Hapley said:
Change the belt Change the belt Change the belt Change the belt Change the belt Change the belt Change the belt Change the belt Change the belt
Doesn't that double the cost of the car though? Unless you can do it yourself!?I had an argument on a £1000 Alfa thread where I was called a muppet for not spending £400 having the Cambelt done on a £400 Alfa 155 that has been fine for almost 3 years. Suppose it all depends on if you rely on the car or feel it is worth it and the car will last some time without throwing up another killer bill.
I looked into doing the work myself, but it seems you need specialist tools to set-up the timing, so that would negate the saving compared to paying a garage.
There are a lot of 'broken' ZTs on the bay though, and I'd imagine a fair number of them are for snapped belts
But then there are plenty around for sale with no record of their belts being changed and still going strong.If I could get £2k for the car once the belts were done, I wouldn't think twice about having the work done, run the car for six months then sell it. But I don't think I'll keep the car long enough to benefit from it myself and don't think they're fetching enough on the market for it to make sense.
On other matters, the first full tank of fuel has been spent. I covered 280 miles, working out at just over 23mpg. Not great considering the mediocre performance. But the car wasn't expensive to buy, so it's not too much of a problem, plus I've started cycling to work again so that will cut down on fuel costs.
I also discovered that two snowboards will fit perfectly through the ski hatch, and my back is in a much better state after the crippling seats in the V40 and C220!
So, an update on my timing belt worries...
The car has developed a slight 'ticking' noise coming from somewhere near the timing belt side of the engine. It's difficult to pin point exactly where it's coming from and/or what's making the noise, but I'm thinking it may be the water pump, as it seems to be coming from that general area. It it has me concerned enough to have priced up a timing belt change which, thankfully, isn't as pricey as I have read from other owner's experiences.
The old bus is in for a health check today and I've asked the garage to carry out a 'pre-MOT' check, to see if there will be anything major requiring attention for the test in September. If everything looks OK and the garage can confirm the source of the ticking noise, then I'll probably end up having the belts changed.
I will report back later today. Meanwhile, squeaky bum time continues!
The car has developed a slight 'ticking' noise coming from somewhere near the timing belt side of the engine. It's difficult to pin point exactly where it's coming from and/or what's making the noise, but I'm thinking it may be the water pump, as it seems to be coming from that general area. It it has me concerned enough to have priced up a timing belt change which, thankfully, isn't as pricey as I have read from other owner's experiences.
The old bus is in for a health check today and I've asked the garage to carry out a 'pre-MOT' check, to see if there will be anything major requiring attention for the test in September. If everything looks OK and the garage can confirm the source of the ticking noise, then I'll probably end up having the belts changed.
I will report back later today. Meanwhile, squeaky bum time continues!
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