The Joy of Running an Old Shed
Discussion
In my recent search for a new shed I have noticed that anything jap and more than 10 years old didn't hang about for long , unless it was dealer advertised with the retro premium added on top .
I ended up with a 1.6 focus Ghia mk2 with history , working a/c ,average miles and test until next may .
I hadn't driven for nearly 2 years due to health reasons and wanted something of a reasonable size , fairly economic to run and fix .
I've had it for over a month , had it washed and hoovered , done a couple of hundred miles in it ( put £40 of petrol in when i picked it up and still got 100 miles left in the tank )
It's got tatty alloys but descent tread on the tyres , I have put new wiper blades on and changed the oil and filter .
It's bland fairly comfortable and has given me back freedom for £625
I ended up with a 1.6 focus Ghia mk2 with history , working a/c ,average miles and test until next may .
I hadn't driven for nearly 2 years due to health reasons and wanted something of a reasonable size , fairly economic to run and fix .
I've had it for over a month , had it washed and hoovered , done a couple of hundred miles in it ( put £40 of petrol in when i picked it up and still got 100 miles left in the tank )
It's got tatty alloys but descent tread on the tyres , I have put new wiper blades on and changed the oil and filter .
It's bland fairly comfortable and has given me back freedom for £625
grumpy52 said:
In my recent search for a new shed I have noticed that anything jap and more than 10 years old didn't hang about for long , unless it was dealer advertised with the retro premium added on top .
I ended up with a 1.6 focus Ghia mk2 with history , working a/c ,average miles and test until next may .
I hadn't driven for nearly 2 years due to health reasons and wanted something of a reasonable size , fairly economic to run and fix .
I've had it for over a month , had it washed and hoovered , done a couple of hundred miles in it ( put £40 of petrol in when i picked it up and still got 100 miles left in the tank )
It's got tatty alloys but descent tread on the tyres , I have put new wiper blades on and changed the oil and filter .
It's bland fairly comfortable and has given me back freedom for £625
Nice buy there, mine is still running fine, had a 200+ mile round trip to Rutland on Monday with no issues. I ended up with a 1.6 focus Ghia mk2 with history , working a/c ,average miles and test until next may .
I hadn't driven for nearly 2 years due to health reasons and wanted something of a reasonable size , fairly economic to run and fix .
I've had it for over a month , had it washed and hoovered , done a couple of hundred miles in it ( put £40 of petrol in when i picked it up and still got 100 miles left in the tank )
It's got tatty alloys but descent tread on the tyres , I have put new wiper blades on and changed the oil and filter .
It's bland fairly comfortable and has given me back freedom for £625
Nice shed! But looks like you're getting a bit attached to me with this washing and hoovering nonsense! 
If you're going to those extremes why not get on Ebay and spend a couple of quid on a new mirror cover? 
I'm not sure I'm cut out for this shedding stuff either as I recently bought a set of second hand alloys for mine to replace the steelies and I'm going to have them refurbed as well.
If you're going to those extremes why not get on Ebay and spend a couple of quid on a new mirror cover? I'm not sure I'm cut out for this shedding stuff either as I recently bought a set of second hand alloys for mine to replace the steelies and I'm going to have them refurbed as well.
Lemming Train said:
Nice shed! But looks like you're getting a bit attached to me with this washing and hoovering nonsense! If you're going to those extremes why not get on Ebay and spend a couple of quid on a new mirror cover?
I'm not sure I'm cut out for this shedding stuff either as I recently bought a set of second hand alloys for mine to replace the steelies and I'm going to have them refurbed as well.
You two are barred from the thread for washing and cleaning crimes. You do not refurbish wheels on a shed either! And sheds are why kosovan car washes exist.. If you're going to those extremes why not get on Ebay and spend a couple of quid on a new mirror cover? I'm not sure I'm cut out for this shedding stuff either as I recently bought a set of second hand alloys for mine to replace the steelies and I'm going to have them refurbed as well.
Lemming Train said:
Nice shed! But looks like you're getting a bit attached to me with this washing and hoovering nonsense! If you're going to those extremes why not get on Ebay and spend a couple of quid on a new mirror cover?
I'm not sure I'm cut out for this shedding stuff either as I recently bought a set of second hand alloys for mine to replace the steelies and I'm going to have them refurbed as well.
The mirror cover has just been done (£5-79p) If you're going to those extremes why not get on Ebay and spend a couple of quid on a new mirror cover? I'm not sure I'm cut out for this shedding stuff either as I recently bought a set of second hand alloys for mine to replace the steelies and I'm going to have them refurbed as well.
As I have just found all the stuff needed in my shed the wheels may get a tidy up into Technic Grey satin , it seems a pity to waste the 3 cans of paint , I haven't a clue where they came from . The danger will be that the car will be worth more than I paid for it .
And now I have a blue badge I can apply for a 50% discount on my VED , result .
Kosovan car washes with their brick acid cleaners ?!!! My poor wheels. 
200Plus Club said:
Lemming Train said:
Nice shed! But looks like you're getting a bit attached to me with this washing and hoovering nonsense! If you're going to those extremes why not get on Ebay and spend a couple of quid on a new mirror cover?
I'm not sure I'm cut out for this shedding stuff either as I recently bought a set of second hand alloys for mine to replace the steelies and I'm going to have them refurbed as well.
You two are barred from the thread for washing and cleaning crimes. You do not refurbish wheels on a shed either! And sheds are why kosovan car washes exist.. If you're going to those extremes why not get on Ebay and spend a couple of quid on a new mirror cover? I'm not sure I'm cut out for this shedding stuff either as I recently bought a set of second hand alloys for mine to replace the steelies and I'm going to have them refurbed as well.
I am even thinking of ordering the missing rear passenger door ashtray and I am on the lookout for a non ruined gear knob.
All for a car that cost £720.
.200Plus Club said:
It's all good banter. We are living the shed dream! :-)
Exactly, I can't imagine owning a new car that I can't tinker with and need to pay some 17 year old trainee £300 to change the oil.Plus you don't have any of the nice car worries about parking it or having someone drive into it.
WJNB said:
Grumpy52 has a good shed in a cheerful bright colour. As well as re-found mobility he's having the last laugh in terms of his costs.
Amazing in this day & age of excessive silly unnecessary styling quirks how neat & understated the first incarnation of the Focus looks.
WJNB - It's the second incarnation of the Focus! Not the first. Know your sheds!Amazing in this day & age of excessive silly unnecessary styling quirks how neat & understated the first incarnation of the Focus looks.
... and in my opinion the best looking of all the Focus shapes from the last 20 years or so.
To put it in perspective, a dealer round here has a Focus like that for £2,995. Low mileage etc, but really, the price hike is amazing.
Edited by M4cruiser on Thursday 29th August 09:04
figtree said:
Hey, great put down 
It's worth £650 me, bit more about it than other sheds I've seen, imo of course...
That is a fantastic buy. It's even a mundane grey.It's worth £650 me, bit more about it than other sheds I've seen, imo of course...
In reality (which some people are blinded to by marketing and there own ego) the car is worth more than £650. That's a dream.
figtree said:
This is now mine after a painless haggle down from £995 to £650, was previously advertised for £1495. 1992 Toyota Carina II XL. 1587cc of 16 valve Japanese loveliness, MoT'd till May. Electrics all working, well the sunshine roof
keep fit windows and no airbags.Not perfect by any means, 45k, no history but MoTs add up. I'm the 3rd keeper. Will give it a service and hopefully lots of life left in it yet. It's had a scrape down the offside, pushed the headlight in a touch and a bit of paint/rust to sort on the wing. The glovebox is held closed with a tie wrap cos the latch has fallen off at some point, the original radio/tape player plays some sounds, what they are though who knows and the display is shot. Will pick up a cheapy for my commute.
Drives ok on 13" wheels, remember them?? The door cards appear to be a luxurious carpet in the same pattern as the comfy seats. The indicator stalk is on the wrong side, cue comedy wipers action for the first few junctions when picking it up, the same position as the drive selector on my other car...what could possibly go wrong...
Needs wipers all round, the rear washer nozzle de-clogging and a patch repair on the back box (or may treat it to a new one)
Other than that it's not a half bad 27 year old shed
This is a car where the owner has control not the manufacture.
Had mine just coming up to 4 years now 
2004 Honda Accord 2.4 petrol, 6-speed manual.
'Executive' spec, so has all the bells & whistles (from 15 years ago!); electric heated leather seats, dual zone climate, touch screen sat-nav, rain sensing wipers, cruise control, parking sensors, premium sound system with mini-sub, and the cherry on top: a fully functional remote electric tailgate!
Hit a deer last year so the front bumper is cracked on one side (reinforced with cable-ties) and one fog light smashed so I disconnected and removed it. Few scrapes down the sides, the interior top display (for the clock and heater temp readouts) only works when it's either really cold or really hot, and the clock is permanently 2hrs 40mins 'out' from what it says in the settings.
Now approaching 150k miles, it had a new clutch at 95k (brought online and a mate fitted it), new rear shocks at 120k, and an annual oil change. I did also treat it to a new set of plugs back in February.
I'd struggle to be without it now. The back is like a Tardis inside- I've carried 6ft steel fire-proof cabinets, UPVC doors (complete with frames), fence panels (just), car parts, bags of sand/concrete, Christmas trees, a wardrobe, and two washing machines amongst all the sundry tip/builder's merchant runs.
As with all true sheds though, it's the ability to drive and park it anywhere without regard to knocks/scratches etc that it so rewarding, whilst also being a really rather good drive.
One thing I do lose points for is that it's normally looking quite clean- our work carpark is next door to a hand car wash, and so whenever they are not busy they come and collect the keys of any of our cars we want washing and do them for free- so it gets a full valet every couple of weeks
I've also never owned a car newer than 2004, so to start with I did have difficulty reconciling that with it's intended shed duties
Picture from shortly after purchase back in 2015:
2004 Honda Accord 2.4 petrol, 6-speed manual.
'Executive' spec, so has all the bells & whistles (from 15 years ago!); electric heated leather seats, dual zone climate, touch screen sat-nav, rain sensing wipers, cruise control, parking sensors, premium sound system with mini-sub, and the cherry on top: a fully functional remote electric tailgate!
Hit a deer last year so the front bumper is cracked on one side (reinforced with cable-ties) and one fog light smashed so I disconnected and removed it. Few scrapes down the sides, the interior top display (for the clock and heater temp readouts) only works when it's either really cold or really hot, and the clock is permanently 2hrs 40mins 'out' from what it says in the settings.
Now approaching 150k miles, it had a new clutch at 95k (brought online and a mate fitted it), new rear shocks at 120k, and an annual oil change. I did also treat it to a new set of plugs back in February.
I'd struggle to be without it now. The back is like a Tardis inside- I've carried 6ft steel fire-proof cabinets, UPVC doors (complete with frames), fence panels (just), car parts, bags of sand/concrete, Christmas trees, a wardrobe, and two washing machines amongst all the sundry tip/builder's merchant runs.
As with all true sheds though, it's the ability to drive and park it anywhere without regard to knocks/scratches etc that it so rewarding, whilst also being a really rather good drive.
One thing I do lose points for is that it's normally looking quite clean- our work carpark is next door to a hand car wash, and so whenever they are not busy they come and collect the keys of any of our cars we want washing and do them for free- so it gets a full valet every couple of weeks
I've also never owned a car newer than 2004, so to start with I did have difficulty reconciling that with it's intended shed duties
Picture from shortly after purchase back in 2015:
georgezippy said:
I have 2 in my household. A 2000 Audi A4 avant 115PD and a 2002 Saab 2.0 Aero. I keep them cleanish and working properly, I'd be irritated if somebody scraped them, but probably wouldn't get the damage fixed.
They both owe me nothing and keep working with just usual consumables. I do some of the spannering myself. I do fancy something a bit newer, but as they are almost worthless I shall wait for them to break badly before moving on.
The Saab has been the best value for money, as it's actually fast and comfy with tolerable fuel economy. The AA has never been to either of them, they have to be reliable as I travel to work and carry the family in them, It must be the cheapest way to own vehicles.
Am generally more comfortable buying shed, if it turns out to be an unreliable pile of poo, I can get rid and take a loss, whereas if you sink over £5k+ into something that is similarly bad, you will keep pouring in the cash to fix.
Update on the sheds (above post 6 months ago)They both owe me nothing and keep working with just usual consumables. I do some of the spannering myself. I do fancy something a bit newer, but as they are almost worthless I shall wait for them to break badly before moving on.
The Saab has been the best value for money, as it's actually fast and comfy with tolerable fuel economy. The AA has never been to either of them, they have to be reliable as I travel to work and carry the family in them, It must be the cheapest way to own vehicles.
Am generally more comfortable buying shed, if it turns out to be an unreliable pile of poo, I can get rid and take a loss, whereas if you sink over £5k+ into something that is similarly bad, you will keep pouring in the cash to fix.
Audi needed a track rod end for the MOT and I had the aircon re-gassed as worked but rather averagely, now ice cold.
Just done a faultless trip to France, and another week away in UK,1200 miles in August alone, all with roof load and bikes on the back. I didn't get European breakdown cover as I just knew I wouldn't need it. It chugs on.......
The Saab also is fine and the only thing I have done to it in 2019 is fix a dodgy headlamp relay with a soldering iron.
Shame as I really want an EV......
jamesson said:
kestral said:
so you can change gear and indicate at the same time
Why would you need to change gear and indicate at the same time? 
Useful thread, having visited a car dismantler recently I reckon they would have lots of MK2 Focus parts on the shelves.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff