My little fleet
Discussion
As a daily PH user, but rare poster on the forums, I thought I'd share my little fleet of cars with you guys. A mere 4 cars, but all of them mean a lot to me, each of them has a purpose and each of them hopefully meeting with approval from the PH masses!!
First up is my Alfa Spider. It's a 2000 model with only 17k miles on it. I had one of these a few years ago (amongst countless other Alfas) and it's a real cracker. I was on the lookout for a really good 3.0 GTV when this came along. Condition and mileage sold it to me. I love it.
Bought recently as I wasn't allowed one for my first car when I was 17 (it's taken me til 38 to get one!). It's comedy on wheels. I figured I would scratch the itch now as they seem to be going up in value year on year. It's an 87 Bamboo model (my fave!) which has done 71k.
Next is the family bus - a 92 Volvo 240SE 7 seater. Faced with taking two cars every time we had a family day out, the thought of buying an ageing Galaxy or the like filled me with dread. After some ebay trawling and a little imagination, I bought this. We did 2000 miles in the first fortnight of owning it and its yet to miss a beat. I doubt it would win any races, but that's hardly the point is it?
Finally, my little Panda 100HP. Used as my daily car, it's hard as nails but epically quick on country roads and very economical too. It makes me laugh out loud, which is important in any car! Evo mag rated it very highly back in the day and I can see why. As my username suggests, I'm a fast Fiat fan and this is one of the best I've ever owned. I much prefer it to the 500 Abarth, in fact.
I know there's nothing spectacularly quick or expensive in amongst this little lot. I've had my fair share of quick and costly nonsense over the years, but time to get such cars to places where they can be properly driven is, for me, very scarce these days. I've tried to buy cars which make me smile irrespective if they're being thrown down a country road (OK, the Volvo fails at this - trust me, I've tried it) or taking the kids to school. All of them seem to fit that bill rather admirably.
Next? I feel like I need a luxo-barge in my life. Suggestions welcome!!
First up is my Alfa Spider. It's a 2000 model with only 17k miles on it. I had one of these a few years ago (amongst countless other Alfas) and it's a real cracker. I was on the lookout for a really good 3.0 GTV when this came along. Condition and mileage sold it to me. I love it.
Bought recently as I wasn't allowed one for my first car when I was 17 (it's taken me til 38 to get one!). It's comedy on wheels. I figured I would scratch the itch now as they seem to be going up in value year on year. It's an 87 Bamboo model (my fave!) which has done 71k.
Next is the family bus - a 92 Volvo 240SE 7 seater. Faced with taking two cars every time we had a family day out, the thought of buying an ageing Galaxy or the like filled me with dread. After some ebay trawling and a little imagination, I bought this. We did 2000 miles in the first fortnight of owning it and its yet to miss a beat. I doubt it would win any races, but that's hardly the point is it?
Finally, my little Panda 100HP. Used as my daily car, it's hard as nails but epically quick on country roads and very economical too. It makes me laugh out loud, which is important in any car! Evo mag rated it very highly back in the day and I can see why. As my username suggests, I'm a fast Fiat fan and this is one of the best I've ever owned. I much prefer it to the 500 Abarth, in fact.
I know there's nothing spectacularly quick or expensive in amongst this little lot. I've had my fair share of quick and costly nonsense over the years, but time to get such cars to places where they can be properly driven is, for me, very scarce these days. I've tried to buy cars which make me smile irrespective if they're being thrown down a country road (OK, the Volvo fails at this - trust me, I've tried it) or taking the kids to school. All of them seem to fit that bill rather admirably.
Next? I feel like I need a luxo-barge in my life. Suggestions welcome!!
great selection 
Much time and attention is given to them all. I'm a man of limited means, therefore there's a bit of thought goes into all of them when buying. I try to buy things that won't drop in value so I can at least get my money back when I change. This, in the great tradition of man maths, makes it almost justifiable!! Providing the mileage is kept at bay, the Spider ought to be OK as the years go on. The 2CV, as said before, is becoming very collectable indeed. No worries there. The Volvo is becoming rarer in this condition, purely because people buy them as cheap workhorses. The Panda? Maybe it's the exception, but I need something modern to use daily so will take a hit on that. I can't think what I'd replace it with though!
As for the barge, the same rules must apply which kind of rules out the Audi A8 suggested. I'll admit I'm no Audi fan. I'd love a 1st gen RS6 estate but, in reality, I know it would eventually bankrupt me either in fuel or repair bills! I really fancy a nice E32 7-series BMW, preferably a 6-cylinder model. They're great looking cars and very well put together. Anyone got a nice one up for grabs?
As for the barge, the same rules must apply which kind of rules out the Audi A8 suggested. I'll admit I'm no Audi fan. I'd love a 1st gen RS6 estate but, in reality, I know it would eventually bankrupt me either in fuel or repair bills! I really fancy a nice E32 7-series BMW, preferably a 6-cylinder model. They're great looking cars and very well put together. Anyone got a nice one up for grabs?
jamiebae said:
For me the logical Panda replacement is a Suzuki Swift Sport - rides better and just as much fun, but no depreciation buster I guess.
Hmm. Japanese cars leave me kinda cold. Unable to explain why just like I can't explain my love for Alfas. I tried a Swift prior to buying the Panda and, despite it being good fun, it doesn't have the same manic 'grab me by the scruff of the neck and drive as fast as you can' vibe that the Panda seems to have in spades!! It's amazing what a set of black plastic arches and nice set of alloys do to the boggo Panda. I think it looks mean!!
abarth130 said:
Hmm. Japanese cars leave me kinda cold. Unable to explain why just like I can't explain my love for Alfas. I tried a Swift prior to buying the Panda and, despite it being good fun, it doesn't have the same manic 'grab me by the scruff of the neck and drive as fast as you can' vibe that the Panda seems to have in spades!! It's amazing what a set of black plastic arches and nice set of alloys do to the boggo Panda. I think it looks mean!!
I love the Panda 100HP, I had a Panda 1.2 in 2004 when they first launched, and considered replacing it with the 100HP (but went for a 500 instead as it was my wife's car) but I always much preferred the Panda.I'm not a Jap car fan but I do like the Swift Sport, it's just the type of car which appeals to me.
Maybe a really good Peugeot 306 GTi-6 would be worth a look, they're only going up in value now and are still a perfectly acceptable daily driver if it's well sorted. Or you could be silly and buy a Volvo C30 T5...
I may consider an S type V8. They're temptingly cheap. A really nice E32 7 series is still topping the list at the moment. I used to work at a BMW dealer when I was a student and the E32 was new at the time. Always wanted one since then.
No bravery required for a Volvo 240. Just do your homework prior to buying one. There are always cars from long term ownership that have been cosseted from new popping up on carandclassic and eBay all the time. I paid over the odds for mine but the same money would have bought an absolute shed of a Galaxy to serve the same purpose. They really are solid old buses.
Yes, I've owned a number of Strada Abarths over the years. I'll have another one soon enough but storage space is an issue at the moment. I have an Alfa GTV taking up space in a lockup too. Once that gets sorted or sold then I can think about getting something else.
No bravery required for a Volvo 240. Just do your homework prior to buying one. There are always cars from long term ownership that have been cosseted from new popping up on carandclassic and eBay all the time. I paid over the odds for mine but the same money would have bought an absolute shed of a Galaxy to serve the same purpose. They really are solid old buses.
Yes, I've owned a number of Strada Abarths over the years. I'll have another one soon enough but storage space is an issue at the moment. I have an Alfa GTV taking up space in a lockup too. Once that gets sorted or sold then I can think about getting something else.
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