The Joy of Running an Old Shed (Vol 2)
Discussion
Anyway, back to shedding - how many sheds have we each had over the years? I must be talking a rather feeble 25% or so of all cars owned.
Much like finance, I also seem to keep going back to shedding, but in comparison, it's such a liberating way of life.
Dads Focus was the car that made me realise it's the correct way to go for me given circumstances, as that too is such a fantastic car, presentable, yet not prescious in the slightest - yet still a lovely drive and a nice place to be, given it's a Ghia.
Much like finance, I also seem to keep going back to shedding, but in comparison, it's such a liberating way of life.
Dads Focus was the car that made me realise it's the correct way to go for me given circumstances, as that too is such a fantastic car, presentable, yet not prescious in the slightest - yet still a lovely drive and a nice place to be, given it's a Ghia.
cwis said:
Davie said:
No need to fall out... there's a rather fuzzy grey line between bangernomics and shedding and with regards to the latter, there's no definitive line to cross when it comes to spending over and above the basics. If the plate was in hand, then putting it on isn't really going against the shedding ethos. Neither is putting on decent tyres or getting the timing belt changed when it's due nor any other sort of preventative or safety related spending. If you'd gone out and bought a plate specifically, hmmm... or if you'd had it in the body shop for several weeks getting the dents taken out or the wheels refurbished (unless they were leaking) then that's beyond shed ethos.
Shedding is more an attitude towards lower cost / minimal hassle / motoring - as somebody said, sheds are servants... not masters.
Here's something for you all to disapprove of:Shedding is more an attitude towards lower cost / minimal hassle / motoring - as somebody said, sheds are servants... not masters.
When I was shedding my CRV I'd wait for the vtec system to log a fault before I changed the oil/filter. It seems the viscosity of the oil specced meant that the variable timing would be variable at a certain RPM if the oil was in spec. A fault was logged when it wasn't and limp home mode engaged.... Ignition off, ignition on and beetle home to change the oil....
A PH mate of mine (Hi John!) vehemently disagreed with this approach and was really peeved when the engine exceeded 240K miles and was still running fine when the car was scrapped...
It occured to me after seeing all the other threads about the bleak future of motoring, that the things you consider to be sheds today will, in the future, be remembered of fondly as some of the most wonderful things we used to have. I appreciate and maintain my sheds a lot more now.
Edited by Gericho on Tuesday 26th November 22:01
Gericho said:
It occured to me seeing all the other threads about the bleak future of motoring that the things you consider to be sheds now in the future be thought of fondly as some of the wonderful things we used to have. I appreciate and maintain my sheds a lot more now.
Pretty much every time I engage with a car that's either new or new-ish, it makes me think we didn't realise how good we had it. Even stuff that is acclaimed has significant weaknesses, not least complexity that adds nothing. And the "safety" features are just annoying. There's not much that's appealing. The last few have been like buying white goods.
When the older stuff dies or is legislated into oblivion it's going to be a horribly rude awakening.
W00DY said:
BenS94 said:
The intake must be quite high on that - or you've ended up with a very rare FFRR test mule 
Luckily nothing too deep (Police did a decent job closing anything that was too risky I think) I also used all my skills learned on what not to do from those Rufford Ford videos.ferrisbueller said:
Makes sense based on how VTEC works. How many miles did that actually equate to between changes?
It seemed more time variable than distance - maybe cold starts is what changes oil viscosity or something and the distance you travel between them is less important?It worked out to be about every three years, which was between 20000 and 30000 miles depending on the commutes at the time.
cwis said:
ferrisbueller said:
Makes sense based on how VTEC works. How many miles did that actually equate to between changes?
It seemed more time variable than distance - maybe cold starts is what changes oil viscosity or something and the distance you travel between them is less important?It worked out to be about every three years, which was between 20000 and 30000 miles depending on the commutes at the time.
Normodog said:
Picked up a new shed for winter duties. 2014 Dacia Logan Mcv 1.2, poverty spec. Only 73k on the clock and drives surprisingly well. Was a previous cat s but for £999 I can't complain.
Only thing it needs sorting is a new boot latch, one already on order for £28.
I do like lurking on this thread seeing what people can get for not a lot, this and the Fiat look excellent bargains, the Dacia in particular! I have bought a phone that cost more than that, and I will probably replace that in the next yearOnly thing it needs sorting is a new boot latch, one already on order for £28.
What size are the wheels on the Dacia, they look quite small?Mr-B said:
Normodog said:
Picked up a new shed for winter duties. 2014 Dacia Logan Mcv 1.2, poverty spec. Only 73k on the clock and drives surprisingly well. Was a previous cat s but for £999 I can't complain.
Only thing it needs sorting is a new boot latch, one already on order for £28.
I do like lurking on this thread seeing what people can get for not a lot, this and the Fiat look excellent bargains, the Dacia in particular! I have bought a phone that cost more than that, and I will probably replace that in the next yearOnly thing it needs sorting is a new boot latch, one already on order for £28.
What size are the wheels on the Dacia, they look quite small?Shed worthy surely
£1200 Minerva.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202411156...
Looks in decent nick. Ideal city car?
£1200 Minerva.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202411156...
Looks in decent nick. Ideal city car?
BenS94 said:
Anyway, back to shedding - how many sheds have we each had over the years? I must be talking a rather feeble 25% or so of all cars owned.
Much like finance, I also seem to keep going back to shedding, but in comparison, it's such a liberating way of life.
Dads Focus was the car that made me realise it's the correct way to go for me given circumstances, as that too is such a fantastic car, presentable, yet not prescious in the slightest - yet still a lovely drive and a nice place to be, given it's a Ghia.
Every car bar two that I've ever had has been a shed. I've had finance on 2 cars, the last one being in 1999, never again. Since 1981 I've had 24 cars, the most expensive being 5 grand, the cheapest £150. I've just added up the total purchase price, £24,750. At 10,000 miles a year average (it will be more) that's almost half a million miles. I've not had a breakdown while going on holiday, not missed a day off work due to running a shed, had a plethora of great memories and never missed out on anything. Much like finance, I also seem to keep going back to shedding, but in comparison, it's such a liberating way of life.
Dads Focus was the car that made me realise it's the correct way to go for me given circumstances, as that too is such a fantastic car, presentable, yet not prescious in the slightest - yet still a lovely drive and a nice place to be, given it's a Ghia.
Gordon Hill said:
BenS94 said:
Anyway, back to shedding - how many sheds have we each had over the years? I must be talking a rather feeble 25% or so of all cars owned.
Much like finance, I also seem to keep going back to shedding, but in comparison, it's such a liberating way of life.
Dads Focus was the car that made me realise it's the correct way to go for me given circumstances, as that too is such a fantastic car, presentable, yet not prescious in the slightest - yet still a lovely drive and a nice place to be, given it's a Ghia.
Every car bar two that I've ever had has been a shed. I've had finance on 2 cars, the last one being in 1999, never again. Since 1981 I've had 24 cars, the most expensive being 5 grand, the cheapest £150. I've just added up the total purchase price, £24,750. At 10,000 miles a year average (it will be more) that's almost half a million miles. I've not had a breakdown while going on holiday, not missed a day off work due to running a shed, had a plethora of great memories and never missed out on anything. Much like finance, I also seem to keep going back to shedding, but in comparison, it's such a liberating way of life.
Dads Focus was the car that made me realise it's the correct way to go for me given circumstances, as that too is such a fantastic car, presentable, yet not prescious in the slightest - yet still a lovely drive and a nice place to be, given it's a Ghia.
BenS94 said:
Anyway, back to shedding - how many sheds have we each had over the years? I must be talking a rather feeble 25% or so of all cars owned.
I've had a shed of some sort since 1998. Prior to getting married / kids (relatively later in life) I've always had some sort of 90's / performance orientated stuff and so in an effort to keep said stuff semi-respectable, I very quickly realised buying cheap sheddy stuff for work / bikes / general abuse made absolute sense.
It properly started with an old Volvo 850 back in 2001 and then I had several Mk3 Cavaliers of various flavours, a couple of Vectra B's then back to Volvo estates ever since - couple of old 850 T-5s, V70 TDi, a few P2 V70 D5 then onto the current V50 diesel. A few stand outs were the Mk3 Cavalier CDX is got for a 6 pack of Fosters, a D5 Volvo for £100 as it needed a vacuum pipe replaced, a V70 T-5 for £125 that failed its MOT on a headlight alignment and a really bad ex farm XC90 for £200. A few were definitely bangernomics but most were sheddy stuff.
I've never actually had finance on a car... or a lease car of any sorts. I've had a couple of company cars but those don't count so whilst my main cars are nothing special / expensive, they're nicer enough to find have something that you simply don't care about alongside for general day to day abuse / leaving in car parks / loaning out to mates etc. Quick guesstimate but I think maybe 20+ sheds over the years?
It was definitely easier a few years back - a couple of hundred quid would buy something semi-decent.
One of my favourite threads. In 28 years of driving (according to my spreadsheet) I've owned 36 cars. Most expensive was £2600, some I've got for free (like the current 3.0CDTI Signum).
I've spent £17,747 in total over the years, but have made £20,870 in selling (not including repairs or restoration).
This is usually as I've either improved the car a lot, or the 2 that got written off I got more money than I paid.
To put that in context, a Mini Cooper S I paid £1900, rear ended a 1 series and got £2100 from insurance (hated the car, had no desire to fix it). My other was my beloved 1.3L Mk2 Astra that I owned for a quarter of a century and last December I rear ended a Ibiza in rain/ mud. I paid £925 for that faithful companion in September 1999. I got £1050 after a fight with the insurance and I sold most of the bits for £500.
Others like an £80 Vectra needed a set of plugs to pass the MOT, sold for £800, a £50 Vectra needed a fuse for the ECU (yes really), sold for £1000.
It doesn't mean I eat with gold cutlery or bath in goat's milk, but my 4 current sheds are all mine and I can afford to walk away from any of them.
GTE 16V was £175 in 2006
Saab 93 SE HOT was £800 in 2018
Signum Elite 30CDTI was free 2 years ago
Mk3 Astra 2.5 V6 I think has cost me about £1700 so far.
Sometimes I do think about getting a 'nice' car but I'm really not bothered about image and touch wood I've not had any really bad cars that have left me stranded or pouring money into a bottomless pit.
I've spent £17,747 in total over the years, but have made £20,870 in selling (not including repairs or restoration).
This is usually as I've either improved the car a lot, or the 2 that got written off I got more money than I paid.
To put that in context, a Mini Cooper S I paid £1900, rear ended a 1 series and got £2100 from insurance (hated the car, had no desire to fix it). My other was my beloved 1.3L Mk2 Astra that I owned for a quarter of a century and last December I rear ended a Ibiza in rain/ mud. I paid £925 for that faithful companion in September 1999. I got £1050 after a fight with the insurance and I sold most of the bits for £500.
Others like an £80 Vectra needed a set of plugs to pass the MOT, sold for £800, a £50 Vectra needed a fuse for the ECU (yes really), sold for £1000.
It doesn't mean I eat with gold cutlery or bath in goat's milk, but my 4 current sheds are all mine and I can afford to walk away from any of them.
GTE 16V was £175 in 2006
Saab 93 SE HOT was £800 in 2018
Signum Elite 30CDTI was free 2 years ago
Mk3 Astra 2.5 V6 I think has cost me about £1700 so far.
Sometimes I do think about getting a 'nice' car but I'm really not bothered about image and touch wood I've not had any really bad cars that have left me stranded or pouring money into a bottomless pit.
Davie said:
I've also bought another car, a semi-sheddy old Volvo V70 T-5 because "reasons" which is due to arrive later this week, then I can stand back and either question my decision making or be quite pleased. It looks ok in the images. Plans... obviously they are vast and exciting but in reality, I'll get it MOT'd then likely dump it in my sisters garage for the next few months whilst proclaiming I haven't the time / money for projects.
Sheddy V70 T-5 arrived from the north of Scotland a few days ago courtesy of a very nice man with a car trailer. Initially assessment seems positive, it's actually rather presentable bar a couple of minor bits of rot in the usual places. Had a very quick going over it on Sunday including a wash and hoover (which seems lavish but it's a good way of getting up close) and bar a couple of bulb related issues, seems ok so I put it in for an MOT... Failed on a very dodgy / damaged tyre valve and the battery is insecure... which I'm annoyed at myself for as I knew the clamp was missing, I just forgot to replace it before I dropped it off. Will get those bits sorted today, couple of fresh tyres on the front then get it retested tomorrow. I've already insured it despite saying I would store it over winter - so once MOT'd, I'll get the PCV replaced, service kit and a general fettle then not actually sure what to do with it...
However for now, retro shedding is in full flow.
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