The Joy of Running an Old Shed (Vol 2)

[TomWCL7]

A500leroy said:

Honda Accord
Avensis
Laguna (if you can find a petrol)
Insignia
Volvo of some description
Saab of some description.

Thankyou, all of those had popped up in various searches so good to have some confirmation, had an Accord previously and it was a wonderful thing only got rid as it was a saloon and too much hassle to get prams etc in and out.

Laguna's look good but petrols are definitely rarer!

Not sold on Saab's for some reason which I can't put into sensible words and same with Insignias, maybe it's an anti GM thing??

Volvo's get the wife's approval - her mother had them when she was growing up but she won't drive one without parking sensors, have tried to explain the 'shed' ethos but I don't think it's sinking in ....

[anonymous-user]

MisterWhippy said:

OnTheBreadline said:

Funnily enough I've been looking at these. Choice nearby is a 2006 Mazda 5 petrol, or 2011ish Grand Scenic 1.5 diesel, and whilst the space of the GS is attractive, the Mazda is inching it I think. How have you found yours?

It's not been too shabby so far. I picked it up fairly cheaply as it needs a few things doing to it. It's done 88k miles for the 1.5 diesel and will quite happily sit there at 75/80 and return 55mpg. Just need to sort out this issue, a new set of osf/osr coil springs and the cruise control that doesn't work either. It had a service on Monday so I'm taking it back to the garage later to have a moan at them.

Plus side, an abundance of room though which is why I bought it and I've updated the sat nav from 2009 maps to 2022 maps already.

Thanks

[A500leroy]

TomWCL7 said:

but she won't drive one without parking sensors, have tried to explain the 'shed' ethos but I don't think it's sinking in ....

Shed way, cheap ebay reverse sensors fit yourself.

[aaron_2000]

A500leroy said:

TomWCL7 said:

but she won't drive one without parking sensors, have tried to explain the 'shed' ethos but I don't think it's sinking in ....

Shed way, cheap ebay reverse sensors fit yourself.

Shed way, the wall is the parking sensors

[Veryoldbear]

TomWCL7 said:

Thankyou, all of those had popped up in various searches so good to have some confirmation, had an Accord previously and it was a wonderful thing only got rid as it was a saloon and too much hassle to get prams etc in and out.

Laguna's look good but petrols are definitely rarer!

Not sold on Saab's for some reason which I can't put into sensible words and same with Insignias, maybe it's an anti GM thing??

Volvo's get the wife's approval - her mother had them when she was growing up but she won't drive one without parking sensors, have tried to explain the 'shed' ethos but I don't think it's sinking in ....

But you get a better class of cup-holder with Saabs

[757]

A500leroy said:

TomWCL7 said:

Morning gents, could I pick the collective brains a little for some advice?

My lease Octavia Estate goes back in March next year and with the way everything is going state of the world wise I don't want to repeat the process.

Whilst we are lucky enough to be able to spend a decent budget on a replacement I don't want to wrap up a chunk of our safety net in a still depreciating vehicle - hence my desire to return to shed life.

So criteria are as follows:

Budget 1500 to 2k
Big enough for 2 adults and 2 children under 2 (isofix seats preferably but not essential)
Petrol
Manual or auto doesn't matter
As few common known faults as possible
As light on fuel as possible
VED max of 360- 400 (wife won't allow higher)
Nothing German or VAG group again

Reading the last 120 pages seems to suggest a Mid 2000's Toyota Avensis would be a good shout but what say you?

To qualify further the above, the Octavia has been faultless in the 2 and a bit years we've had it but lacks soul in any form - a perfect family bus whilst the kids have been tiny tiny with the peace of mind of warranty cover, I'd have another second hand if it wasn't for the horror stories about VAG TSi engines lack of longevity, it's also costing me 215 a month before any fuel has gone in so I'd like to reduce that outgoing.

I always had sheds before this and am happy enough with basic servicing, bigger jobs are something I want to start turning my hands to now I have a decent sized garage for the first time in my life.

Honda Accord
Avensis
Laguna (if you can find a petrol)
Insignia
Volvo of some description
Saab of some description.

Petrol Vectra 1.8 VVT SRI (at least for spec) - dirt dirt cheap, and very reliable I have been led to believe, I got one a 2008(08) for 1000 / 126,000 miles (already done nearly 3,000 miles since April / FSH) very happy with - ticks all those requirements.

Had a 9-3 and an avensis, this Vectra was a little bit of a revelation, and definitely a shed

Edited by 757 on Wednesday 25th May 14:40

[mattman]

V70 or Saab 9-3 estate for me out of the list - Volvo so damn comfy and boot is big enough to get anything in from Ikea (a test my wife has tried many times)

Upping the budget and chav factor slightly - Chrysler 300C?
Slightly more stylish - Alfa 156/159?
MG ZT
Chevrolet Captiva - more of an SUV though
Mitsibushi Lancer/Galant for an off the wall suggestion

Edited by mattman on Wednesday 25th May 14:41

[NateWM]

TomWCL7 said:

Thankyou, all of those had popped up in various searches so good to have some confirmation, had an Accord previously and it was a wonderful thing only got rid as it was a saloon and too much hassle to get prams etc in and out.

Laguna's look good but petrols are definitely rarer!

Not sold on Saab's for some reason which I can't put into sensible words and same with Insignias, maybe it's an anti GM thing??

Volvo's get the wife's approval - her mother had them when she was growing up but she won't drive one without parking sensors, have tried to explain the 'shed' ethos but I don't think it's sinking in ....

Not sure on your tax costs over there (I'm in ireland), but I picked this up a few months ago for 500 quid.



Without a single doubt, the best shed I've ever had. Amazingly comfortable, super spacious and a known history for being reliable, and gets around 50mpg average despite being a 240hp Automatic 2.4l diesel. Hasn't given me any trouble at all. I actually love it so much that I'm breaking all the shed rules, and getting paintwork done and wheels refurbed!

[ST565NP]

MisterWhippy said:

Picked up a 2010 plate Grand Scenic a few months back, so I'm calling this my shed. Anyway, took it out for a drive this morning and on a corner down a hill I heard a bonk noise from the nearside and my 'check parking brake' warning light popped on. Drove it home and every tight corner I could hear said bonking noise and the steering, certainly to the right, doesn't feel that good.

While I'm no mechanic, I have an ok knowledge of what issues could be, but I'm not sure on this one? My head says anti-roll bar (or that area) but I can't see why it would cause the parking brake light to come on

If I'm not wrong, bearman68 is a specialist for these Renault electric parking brakes...

[mattman]

NateWM said:

Not sure on your tax costs over there (I'm in ireland), but I picked this up a few months ago for 500 quid.



Without a single doubt, the best shed I've ever had. Amazingly comfortable, super spacious and a known history for being reliable, and gets around 50mpg average despite being a 240hp Automatic 2.4l diesel. Hasn't given me any trouble at all. I actually love it so much that I'm breaking all the shed rules, and getting paintwork done and wheels refurbed!

I often find that you can pick up a replacement set of wheels and tyres from FB Marketplace for less than a refurb - and then sell the original wheels to offset the purchase price. Of course, it depends how good your tyres are on the original wheels as it if its worth it

Edited by mattman on Wednesday 25th May 16:47

[TomWCL7]

aaron_2000 said:

Shed way, the wall is the parking sensors

This is indeed the way I was thinking

[TomWCL7]

757 said:

Petrol Vectra 1.8 VVT SRI (at least for spec) - dirt dirt cheap, and very reliable I have been led to believe, I got one a 2008(08) for 1000 / 126,000 miles (already done nearly 3,000 miles since April / FSH) very happy with - ticks all those requirements.

Had a 9-3 and an avensis, this Vectra was a little bit of a revelation, and definitely a shed

Edited by 757 on Wednesday 25th May 14:40

I will investigate as there are a few nearby, prepared to feel similar to how I do about Insignia's but not ruling anything out yet as I've got some time before needing to make a final decision

[TomWCL7]

mattman said:

V70 or Saab 9-3 estate for me out of the list - Volvo so damn comfy and boot is big enough to get anything in from Ikea (a test my wife has tried many times)

Upping the budget and chav factor slightly - Chrysler 300C?
Slightly more stylish - Alfa 156/159?
MG ZT
Chevrolet Captiva - more of an SUV though
Mitsibushi Lancer/Galant for an off the wall suggestion

Edited by mattman on Wednesday 25th May 14:41

Trying very hard to not go above £2k even though we could, ideally I want to stick to a true shed budget.

The Mitsubishi's could be interesting to try out, not sure about the overall reliability (of big expensive things) on the others but again all worth a look

[TomWCL7]

NateWM said:

Not sure on your tax costs over there (I'm in ireland), but I picked this up a few months ago for 500 quid.



Without a single doubt, the best shed I've ever had. Amazingly comfortable, super spacious and a known history for being reliable, and gets around 50mpg average despite being a 240hp Automatic 2.4l diesel. Hasn't given me any trouble at all. I actually love it so much that I'm breaking all the shed rules, and getting paintwork done and wheels refurbed!

Tax cost isn't too much of an issue but the fuel is, Diesel is out the window on our current mileage.

Perspective: paying for 8k miles a year on the Octavia as that was my annual mileage give or take pre pandemic, total mileage in the last two years....8150 and that means petrol all the way.

I'd be very happy to have a T5 S60 though

[Digby]

MrGTI6 said:

greenarrow said:

My car is in the garage at the moment and they've lent me this 19 year-old Peugeot 206 1.4. Ahh, as soon as I set off I realised how much I've missed sheds. Never driven a 206 before but ooh the ride! After a run flat shod bmw it's like a cushion. Roly poly handling but sharp turn in and light steering. It's why low end shopping trolleys have always been some of my favourite cars! All you need for run around motoring tbh!!

Good shed these I'd imagine. No rust issues unlike typical Ford of the era. (I'm a Ford fan but the rust gets wearing!!)....

The 206 is a much tougher car than it's given credit for, and parts are outrageously cheap. The 2.0HDI is my pick of the range!

I'm convinced the 206 must have the best survival rate of any mainstream car over 20 years old.

Hard to believe the earliest ones are 24 years old now...

My other half has an 05 one. It has covered 31k miles from new. It’s dumping pas fluid now from the rack. When I mentioned ‘French s#ite’, she reminded me one of my Volvos also had a pas leak and I had to remind her it was 10 years older and started weeping around 260k miles.

It’s dumped in our garage now.

[anonymous-user]

Digby said:

MrGTI6 said:

greenarrow said:

My car is in the garage at the moment and they've lent me this 19 year-old Peugeot 206 1.4. Ahh, as soon as I set off I realised how much I've missed sheds. Never driven a 206 before but ooh the ride! After a run flat shod bmw it's like a cushion. Roly poly handling but sharp turn in and light steering. It's why low end shopping trolleys have always been some of my favourite cars! All you need for run around motoring tbh!!

Good shed these I'd imagine. No rust issues unlike typical Ford of the era. (I'm a Ford fan but the rust gets wearing!!)....

The 206 is a much tougher car than it's given credit for, and parts are outrageously cheap. The 2.0HDI is my pick of the range!

I'm convinced the 206 must have the best survival rate of any mainstream car over 20 years old.

Hard to believe the earliest ones are 24 years old now...

My other half has an 05 one. It has covered 31k miles from new. It’s dumping pas fluid now from the rack. When I mentioned ‘French s#ite’, she reminded me one of my Volvos also had a pas leak and I had to remind her it was 10 years older and started weeping around 260k miles.

It’s dumped in our garage now.

It might only have done 31,000 miles but it's still 17 years old, these things happen to all cars. At least it won't be expensive to fix.

[ferrisbueller]

W00DY said:

ferrisbueller said:

Looks decent!

It's not bad, very straight and hopefully not too taxi with the colour and non-mingebag spec. 158k miles, so it's no minter, but who wants a mint shed anyway?

I look at Taxi potential as an endorsement. By definition that must make them cheap to run and reliable. Classifieds are pretty well stocked with high mileage Skodas. The right one, with as few potential issues as possible, is still a VAG product at the end of the day. They drive well enough and accrue miles painlessly. The residuals on some of them reflect they're taken a bit more seriously now.

[Digby]

Lord Cunnington Smythe said:

It might only have done 31,000 miles but it's still 17 years old, these things happen to all cars.

Is a first for me.

[ruairi50]

The BEST rear sensors to have is a TowBar

[bearman68]

ST565NP said:

MisterWhippy said:

Picked up a 2010 plate Grand Scenic a few months back, so I'm calling this my shed. Anyway, took it out for a drive this morning and on a corner down a hill I heard a bonk noise from the nearside and my 'check parking brake' warning light popped on. Drove it home and every tight corner I could hear said bonking noise and the steering, certainly to the right, doesn't feel that good.

While I'm no mechanic, I have an ok knowledge of what issues could be, but I'm not sure on this one? My head says anti-roll bar (or that area) but I can't see why it would cause the parking brake light to come on

If I'm not wrong, bearman68 is a specialist for these Renault electric parking brakes...

Hi, I feel a bit 'outed' after that - but yes, I do know a bit about Renault electronic handbrakes, and the systems in general. My expertise tends to lie in the <2008 era, but nevertheless, I have a working knowledge of these units.
Unfortunately, I can't sensibly contribute to what the problem might be. Certainly it would bear getting up in the air and having a look - maybe taking the wheels off etc.
The parking brake units are pretty simple on these - Electronic brain sends signals to the callipers to come on and off. It's not that tricky. If you can read the codes in the parking brake and ABS unit, that might be helpful, plus have a look underneath, and wiggle the ARB links, and the wheels (maybe wheel bearings) and the like.