The Joy of Running an Old Shed
Discussion
A.J.M said:
It did a job without complaint and I gave it back in a much better and safer condition for her to use.
A win win for all.
:
This I can appreciate. I have lent cars to people in the past and every time they come back in worse condition. On the flipside my family and friends are more than happy to lend me a car because they know that I will definitely clean it and it's highly likely I'll have fixed half a dozen odd niggles.A win win for all.
:
SHED UPDATE.
My dad is still using the Lexus IS200 that I gave to him about over 4 years ago. Bought on 145k for £600 it is now on 193k.
In the last year the only non service items that have been replaced are a ABS sensor (£45) ,a lambda sensor (£20) a rocker cover gasket (£30) plus the PAS fluid needed topping up and a new retaining clip on one of the hoses. After solving a Traction Control issue which was triggering a warning light it passed it's MOT with an advisory about 1 lower arm bush!!
I was silly lucky with the TRC issue, the garage that did the MOT had suggested the car needed a new ABS control module @£600 but I spent a couple of hours checking wiring connections/sensors/relays/fuses I found a dodgy earth on the side of the head which funnily enough was for the ABS pump! After cleaning the ring connector and properly securing it I cleared the fault and fired up the engine. No fault code YAY.
Based on the current prices of IS200s I am fairly confident I could sell the car for more than I paid for it plus what I've spent on bits & bobs.
JDB96 said:
Some interesting posts in here over the last few pages. Being a bloody idiot when younger and financing new cars (that I didn’t even keep for the whole term, ended up in lots of negative equity on, and endured a wallet raping as a result) is, I think, the sole reason I am currently renting a house rather than owning. I’m looking for a weekend job as despite finally being debt free, it will take a good few years to scrape together enough to buy otherwise.
I was the same, financing a brand new car and then changing it every 18 months. My problem was I would read the reviews of a car (The Subaru Impreza Turbo being the biggest example of this), join the forums and believe the car was going to be so amazing that I had to get one. Once the seed was planted it would be all I could think about and before I knew it I was at the main dealer having a test drive and buying one.The excitement on collection day was incredible, but every single time I would get buyers remorse a few days later but just tried to ignore it. Then a few months down the line, when it was just another car I would start to get bored of it. Another year on I would be reading about the next best thing since sliced bread, get excited and before you know it I would be accepting a terrible trade in for my immaculate 18 month old car just so I could finance the next one.
Then one day I had an epiphany, I hated being in debt so I sold the car I had at the time and ended up buying a Mk1 Laguna shed which was a revelation. No monthly payments and I don't have to worry about it? I can service it myself for £20 and no longer have to pay the main dealer £250 to change the oil and scratch it?
Been shedding for nearly 20 years now with one £5K Audi in the middle that I did keep for four years until it died.
I think it is just one of those things you have to learn the hard way unfortunately. I still remember my old next door neighbor being utterly pissed off when his son who was in the army came to visit him driving a brand new orange Focus ST.
But when you are young, having a nice car seems important at the time, it's only when you are older you realise that owning a property would have been a much better move.
I created a spreadsheet one day of just how much I had spent on cars in those early years, it actually made me feel quite sick when I worked out I was basically going to work to pay for a car to get me to work......
Joey Deacon said:
JDB96 said:
Some interesting posts in here over the last few pages. Being a bloody idiot when younger and financing new cars (that I didn’t even keep for the whole term, ended up in lots of negative equity on, and endured a wallet raping as a result) is, I think, the sole reason I am currently renting a house rather than owning. I’m looking for a weekend job as despite finally being debt free, it will take a good few years to scrape together enough to buy otherwise.
I was the same, financing a brand new car and then changing it every 18 months. My problem was I would read the reviews of a car (The Subaru Impreza Turbo being the biggest example of this), join the forums and believe the car was going to be so amazing that I had to get one. Once the seed was planted it would be all I could think about and before I knew it I was at the main dealer having a test drive and buying one.The excitement on collection day was incredible, but every single time I would get buyers remorse a few days later but just tried to ignore it. Then a few months down the line, when it was just another car I would start to get bored of it. Another year on I would be reading about the next best thing since sliced bread, get excited and before you know it I would be accepting a terrible trade in for my immaculate 18 month old car just so I could finance the next one.
Then one day I had an epiphany, I hated being in debt so I sold the car I had at the time and ended up buying a Mk1 Laguna shed which was a revelation. No monthly payments and I don't have to worry about it? I can service it myself for £20 and no longer have to pay the main dealer £250 to change the oil and scratch it?
Been shedding for nearly 20 years now with one £5K Audi in the middle that I did keep for four years until it died.
I think it is just one of those things you have to learn the hard way unfortunately. I still remember my old next door neighbor being utterly pissed off when his son who was in the army came to visit him driving a brand new orange Focus ST.
But when you are young, having a nice car seems important at the time, it's only when you are older you realise that owning a property would have been a much better move.
I created a spreadsheet one day of just how much I had spent on cars in those early years, it actually made me feel quite sick when I worked out I was basically going to work to pay for a car to get me to work......
The only saving grace is I have seen the light now, in my 20s, and am fortunate enough to be in a job with an amazing pension so shouldn’t need to work myself to death to pay for my idiocy.
I do get a bit sentimental - but pragmatism and tight arsedness usually takes over eventually.
When the MG blew up it's engine in 2014, I probably should have scrapped it then. But a new engine was cheap and we knew once we ditch the 2 seater soft top, we're unlikely to replace it.
To some degree, the same applies now. I've just put a new exhaust on it, but I reckon the exhaust will outlast the rear subframe. But I'm already pricing up new rear subframes for it.....don't do it Cunningham!
When the MG blew up it's engine in 2014, I probably should have scrapped it then. But a new engine was cheap and we knew once we ditch the 2 seater soft top, we're unlikely to replace it.
To some degree, the same applies now. I've just put a new exhaust on it, but I reckon the exhaust will outlast the rear subframe. But I'm already pricing up new rear subframes for it.....don't do it Cunningham!
JDB96 said:
Some interesting posts in here over the last few pages. Being a bloody idiot when younger and financing new cars (that I didn’t even keep for the whole term, ended up in lots of negative equity on, and endured a wallet raping as a result) is, I think, the sole reason I am currently renting a house rather than owning. I’m looking for a weekend job as despite finally being debt free, it will take a good few years to scrape together enough to buy otherwise.
My wife, while seemingly coming round to the joys of owning, still has her car on finance. It’s HP rather that PCP and she wants to keep it until it’s a shed, which is something. It’s an A250 AMG, which is nice but I really don’t think it’s £300/m nicer than my £3k 320d in all honesty. It has developed an alarming bunny hopping when giving it more than 50% throttle, and inevitably it’ll need plugging it to the proper Mercedes software so that’ll be a very expensive trip to a dealer/specialist even before they’ve fixed it, so modern cars are not infallible!
Even if I depended on a car for work, I still wouldn’t finance or lease one (though I do understand why people do). I’ve been put off for life by worrying about damage, having to pay main dealer prices, or exceeding a mileage allowance. It’s no way to live at all.
In a few years time, when I own a house, I would like to get a cheap weekend toy to join the 3 series. Perhaps at the time they might have a combined value of £5k, 1/5th of what plenty of people are seemingly happy to sign up to to drive around in some dull SUV, and I’ll be very happy indeed with that.
Not really sure what the point of this post is, but nice to get it off my chest all the same!
Hope you get your house buddyMy wife, while seemingly coming round to the joys of owning, still has her car on finance. It’s HP rather that PCP and she wants to keep it until it’s a shed, which is something. It’s an A250 AMG, which is nice but I really don’t think it’s £300/m nicer than my £3k 320d in all honesty. It has developed an alarming bunny hopping when giving it more than 50% throttle, and inevitably it’ll need plugging it to the proper Mercedes software so that’ll be a very expensive trip to a dealer/specialist even before they’ve fixed it, so modern cars are not infallible!
Even if I depended on a car for work, I still wouldn’t finance or lease one (though I do understand why people do). I’ve been put off for life by worrying about damage, having to pay main dealer prices, or exceeding a mileage allowance. It’s no way to live at all.
In a few years time, when I own a house, I would like to get a cheap weekend toy to join the 3 series. Perhaps at the time they might have a combined value of £5k, 1/5th of what plenty of people are seemingly happy to sign up to to drive around in some dull SUV, and I’ll be very happy indeed with that.
Not really sure what the point of this post is, but nice to get it off my chest all the same!
Arnie Cunningham said:
I do get a bit sentimental - but pragmatism and tight arsedness usually takes over eventually.
When the MG blew up it's engine in 2014, I probably should have scrapped it then. But a new engine was cheap and we knew once we ditch the 2 seater soft top, we're unlikely to replace it.
To some degree, the same applies now. I've just put a new exhaust on it, but I reckon the exhaust will outlast the rear subframe. But I'm already pricing up new rear subframes for it.....don't do it Cunningham!
The slippery slope between "shedding" and "Durable Car Ownership"!When the MG blew up it's engine in 2014, I probably should have scrapped it then. But a new engine was cheap and we knew once we ditch the 2 seater soft top, we're unlikely to replace it.
To some degree, the same applies now. I've just put a new exhaust on it, but I reckon the exhaust will outlast the rear subframe. But I'm already pricing up new rear subframes for it.....don't do it Cunningham!
I own a Land Rover 110 CSW, Mazda MX5 NB and a Morgan 4/4 1600. 25 years ago the Morgan was rebuilt, (its being done again now),10 years ago the Land Rover was rebuilt and 2 years ago the Mazda had the sills, arches and chassis rails sorted. No new cars, just old ones repaired to keep them running almost indefinitely.
It's great until you get bored or just fed up of poor detail design and rubbish aftermarket parts. The LR110 will probably be replaced when it needs a big overhaul, I just don't have the stamina again.
218k mile Shed Focus is now sat on the drive waiting to be sold as it's getting a bit tired from commuting duties. As I don't have the spannering time/tools/skills/space I'm bailing out before it terminally expires on me.
Replaced with a 'Future Shed' Astra estate which although is outside the boundaries of this thread I have followed the shedding mantra of 'Keep It Simple': Petrol, no turbo, no electronic handbrake As a bonus, there is a lot of access around the engine and no undertray to take off every time so oil changes look to be a doddle.
2 days in and the Mrs has given it a nice long hedge mark down the side after having to hedge-dive to avoid the oncoming idiots in the New Forest at the weekend. Very apologetic when she saw the mark; my reply was 'it won't be the last time that'll happen!'
(It looks like it'll rub off anyway)
Replaced with a 'Future Shed' Astra estate which although is outside the boundaries of this thread I have followed the shedding mantra of 'Keep It Simple': Petrol, no turbo, no electronic handbrake
As a bonus, there is a lot of access around the engine and no undertray to take off every time so oil changes look to be a doddle.2 days in and the Mrs has given it a nice long hedge mark down the side after having to hedge-dive to avoid the oncoming idiots in the New Forest at the weekend. Very apologetic when she saw the mark; my reply was 'it won't be the last time that'll happen!'
(It looks like it'll rub off anyway)Interesting - we are similar.
I built my Ultima between 1997 & 1999 - that is currently undergoing a reengine & rebuild
And the Landrover V8 90 is looking tatty - but I'm trying to see if I can get 40 years out of the original chassis before I re-chassis it.
And when the MG eventually dies an MX5 could be on the cards if we did decide on another soft top.
I am pretty sure I won't put a a new subframe in it - because to bother doing that, it'd be worth doing the whole car. And it'd definately not worth doing that! (He tells himself).
I suppose technically the LR could be considered shed ownership - it was only 1100 quid when I bought it in 2008.
The Ultima has never been considered a shed.
I built my Ultima between 1997 & 1999 - that is currently undergoing a reengine & rebuild
And the Landrover V8 90 is looking tatty - but I'm trying to see if I can get 40 years out of the original chassis before I re-chassis it.
And when the MG eventually dies an MX5 could be on the cards if we did decide on another soft top.
I am pretty sure I won't put a a new subframe in it - because to bother doing that, it'd be worth doing the whole car. And it'd definately not worth doing that! (He tells himself).
I suppose technically the LR could be considered shed ownership - it was only 1100 quid when I bought it in 2008.
The Ultima has never been considered a shed.
jeremy996 said:
The slippery slope between "shedding" and "Durable Car Ownership"!
I own a Land Rover 110 CSW, Mazda MX5 NB and a Morgan 4/4 1600. 25 years ago the Morgan was rebuilt, (its being done again now),10 years ago the Land Rover was rebuilt and 2 years ago the Mazda had the sills, arches and chassis rails sorted. No new cars, just old ones repaired to keep them running almost indefinitely.
It's great until you get bored or just fed up of poor detail design and rubbish aftermarket parts. The LR110 will probably be replaced when it needs a big overhaul, I just don't have the stamina again.
I own a Land Rover 110 CSW, Mazda MX5 NB and a Morgan 4/4 1600. 25 years ago the Morgan was rebuilt, (its being done again now),10 years ago the Land Rover was rebuilt and 2 years ago the Mazda had the sills, arches and chassis rails sorted. No new cars, just old ones repaired to keep them running almost indefinitely.
It's great until you get bored or just fed up of poor detail design and rubbish aftermarket parts. The LR110 will probably be replaced when it needs a big overhaul, I just don't have the stamina again.
cknotty said:
218k mile Shed Focus is now sat on the drive waiting to be sold as it's getting a bit tired from commuting duties. As I don't have the spannering time/tools/skills/space I'm bailing out before it terminally expires on me.
Replaced with a 'Future Shed' Astra estate which although is outside the boundaries of this thread I have followed the shedding mantra of 'Keep It Simple': Petrol, no turbo, no electronic handbrake As a bonus, there is a lot of access around the engine and no undertray to take off every time so oil changes look to be a doddle.
2 days in and the Mrs has given it a nice long hedge mark down the side after having to hedge-dive to avoid the oncoming idiots in the New Forest at the weekend. Very apologetic when she saw the mark; my reply was 'it won't be the last time that'll happen!' (It looks like it'll rub off anyway)
Nice millage you've achieved on that Focus, did it require much work to be done?Replaced with a 'Future Shed' Astra estate which although is outside the boundaries of this thread I have followed the shedding mantra of 'Keep It Simple': Petrol, no turbo, no electronic handbrake
As a bonus, there is a lot of access around the engine and no undertray to take off every time so oil changes look to be a doddle.2 days in and the Mrs has given it a nice long hedge mark down the side after having to hedge-dive to avoid the oncoming idiots in the New Forest at the weekend. Very apologetic when she saw the mark; my reply was 'it won't be the last time that'll happen!'
(It looks like it'll rub off anyway)Which Astra is that?
I feel you regarding your criteria, my first turbo car just shocked me with cost on replacing the turbo which seems a very mechanical device.
Edited by V6todayTurboManana on Tuesday 15th June 15:19
redandwhite said:
Really enjoy this thread
All this talk of lending cars, i have looked into this a few times and came up stuck (when looking to borrow a car off family) with insurance as you need to own (V5 'own') the car in order to be able to insure it - am i missing something ?
I'd have thought most people would be utilising the "drive other vehicles" element of their insurance or perhaps temp cover when borrowing a car from family or friends. All this talk of lending cars, i have looked into this a few times and came up stuck (when looking to borrow a car off family) with insurance as you need to own (V5 'own') the car in order to be able to insure it - am i missing something ?
On my main insurance policy for my daily car I get fully comprehensive cover on cars not owned by me or rented. A word of warning though, you have to be very careful reading the small print of your policy in case it says things like drive other vehicles is third party over only or the other car must have an standalone policy which can cause people big/expensive problems!!
redandwhite said:
Really enjoy this thread
All this talk of lending cars, i have looked into this a few times and came up stuck (when looking to borrow a car off family) with insurance as you need to own (V5 'own') the car in order to be able to insure it - am i missing something ?
You don't need to be the registered keeper (name on the V5C) to insure a car, if that's what you mean?All this talk of lending cars, i have looked into this a few times and came up stuck (when looking to borrow a car off family) with insurance as you need to own (V5 'own') the car in order to be able to insure it - am i missing something ?
Anyone can take a policy out on any car, as far as I am aware.
I have done so before. I just had to explain why I wasn't the RK.
Or if it's really short term and I've not had 3rd party any vehicle cover (e.g. it's a car I've just bought in a pub car park, but insurance co is closed), I've done dayinsure before - but that gets a bit pricey quite quickly if you use it much.
Or if it's really short term and I've not had 3rd party any vehicle cover (e.g. it's a car I've just bought in a pub car park, but insurance co is closed), I've done dayinsure before - but that gets a bit pricey quite quickly if you use it much.
No, not Chevy - it's getting an Audi V8 & 6 speed box.
Yeah. I suppose the common factor is I maintain all my own cars, from the "Sheds" to the RS6 to the Ultima.
The differentiation is that the cutoff for CBA is lower on a shed than some of the others.
Yeah. I suppose the common factor is I maintain all my own cars, from the "Sheds" to the RS6 to the Ultima.
The differentiation is that the cutoff for CBA is lower on a shed than some of the others.
Edited by Arnie Cunningham on Tuesday 15th June 17:26
Ok my shed isn’t a patch on my old 2016 mk7 gti performance pack golf but I’m saving £500 a month which has made sure I’ve got through lockdown without taking a mortgage holiday as I’d saved everything from when I sold it,
Focus estate Shed cost £750 (2013 car)
It’s just had a new clutch and flywheel (original had done 247,000 miles £500
And air con regas £40
It’s honestly sweet as a nut
I’m attached I’m saving money in all areas with it although I do fancy trying a mondeo estate next
Focus estate Shed cost £750 (2013 car)
It’s just had a new clutch and flywheel (original had done 247,000 miles £500
And air con regas £40
It’s honestly sweet as a nut
I’m attached I’m saving money in all areas with it although I do fancy trying a mondeo estate next
A mate of mine is heavily into Mercedes, he won't drive anything else. A few years back he trailed me all the way from South Yorkshire to Oxford to view a 7 grand E class top spec that he had found on auto trader. After he bought it I had to follow him up the M1 in his old car a 2002 1.6 focus. At the time I had a E320 diesel which I loved. I expected the focus to be a proper bag of spanners in comparison, how wrong I was, drove like an absolute dream despite having 110k on the clock. I made a point after that, if I ever wanted a cheap shed that the focus would my first port of call if I could find a good one, superb drive.
Some interesting posts over the past few pages.
I’ll elaborate more on my shedding, and why I do it.
I run a 2014 C63 estate as my good car, I paid sensible money for it last year and it’s increasing in value at the moment.
To offset the mid teen fuel economy, putting 10-12000 miles per year on it and ruining it on a daily commute I usually run a cheap car.
Currently this is the E46 320d Touring. I “could” buy something newer, with less miles, rust and faults but the joy of the E46 is I don’t worry much about it. If it gets scraped in a car park, someone runs over the top of it etc I put it down as character and continue with it.
My previous “sheds” I always got too precious over and titivated to as perfect as my budget allowed, which usually brought them out if she’d territory. The E46 I have no desire to do such a thing, maintain it on a preventative basis and I’m hoping it will at least give 3-4 years hassle free motoring.
I choose to run a cheap sub £500 car as a daily as In my man maths head it allows the justification to have the C63
I’ll elaborate more on my shedding, and why I do it.
I run a 2014 C63 estate as my good car, I paid sensible money for it last year and it’s increasing in value at the moment.
To offset the mid teen fuel economy, putting 10-12000 miles per year on it and ruining it on a daily commute I usually run a cheap car.
Currently this is the E46 320d Touring. I “could” buy something newer, with less miles, rust and faults but the joy of the E46 is I don’t worry much about it. If it gets scraped in a car park, someone runs over the top of it etc I put it down as character and continue with it.
My previous “sheds” I always got too precious over and titivated to as perfect as my budget allowed, which usually brought them out if she’d territory. The E46 I have no desire to do such a thing, maintain it on a preventative basis and I’m hoping it will at least give 3-4 years hassle free motoring.
I choose to run a cheap sub £500 car as a daily as In my man maths head it allows the justification to have the C63
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