The Joy of Running an Old Shed (Vol 2)

[Raccaccoonie]

Gordon Hill said:

I have use of my sons Dacia Sandero Stepway for the next 3 weeks while he's on holiday in Canada. It's a 14 plate with 70,000 miles on it. Now I'm in no way a badge snob and I know that there is a lot of love on here for these but notwithstanding that it's awful. Tinny, rattly, nasty piece of sh#t. Slow, noisy, felt like it was built on a Sunday afternoon for a tenner. And then there's the engine, 3 cylinders of complete misery.
It's staying where it is for the next fortnight. Either he's not looked after it or he got a bad one because the comments about them on here are mostly favourable. The quarter of a million mile Merc is sooooo much better to drive in every way. I've had some heaps in my time but nothing rattles and crashes over bumps like this thing does, my old Peugeot was a veritable Bentley in comparison.

The thing is, people will buy them and not talk about negative stuff. Plus they are crazy money now.

[Jaguar steve]

Slow said:

7 5 7 said:

There is still load of cheap cars way below <£1500, posted this a while back, just can't be fussy at all what might turn up.

Just done another autotrader search, (20 mile radius, £1500 MAX, petrol and diesel) there is 86 cars available, yeah some rough ones cosmetically and odd thing not working, but many from my very little time looking have MOT's.

Are shedders getting too picky these days?

Cheap cars are still everywhere.

I mean I got a 330i for £2k, if your less picky on engine there are loads for cheaper. Can even get into Range Rovers at this price point.

Its the sub £500 cars that seem to have gone away mostly.

Cheap to run, couldn't give a toss cars aren't though, which for me at least is the entire point of shedding.

Surely if you're going to spend 330i money on fuel and tax and tyres then you might as well buy a really nice example that's rewarding to own and gives decent value out of the bills it'll be running up.

[Steve93]

cedrichn said:

First class that is! So much to hate, and at the same time, so much want!!!

The charity event sounds like good fun too!!

Share the updates, and good luck!

It is a bit of a mixed bag really. It's like everything a petrolhead should hate, along with most of the general public which makes me think it's a great idea

Not all great news on the running and driving yet front though

I took the engine out today as the previous owner had tried to do the clutch, a few slack bolts here and there and stuff being done up wrong was enough for me to spend the next hour removing the engine just to double check all the work

Other stuff I've found:
Most of the spares got thrown in the skip, wrong calipers (they were for a 4 stud model) some brand of oil filter I've never heard of (Ridex?) got skipped too and a few other odds and ends which were either wrong for the car or some unheard of brand
Front slam panel has been removed which has entailed someone drilling out the spot welds and pop riveting it back on...I can only guess they had no clue how to lift an engine and wanted to just put it on a jack, so I'll be repairing this properly with plug welds
Passenger side caliper missing (new one was £30)
Crank sensor missing (new one was £17)
Drivers side spring broken (£14 for new one)

There's probably a few things I've missed. I may start a readers car thread as this is turning into somewhat of a project and I don't want to spam the thread with a million pictures

[A500leroy]

Bumblebee7 said:

Hello,
Looking to get rid of my BMW E90 saloon as it's getting no use at all. We have a family car and I drive a van for work.

I would love a bit of a more utilitarian vehicle, bonus points if it's fun to drive. Thinking of getting an old Forester as that could be perfect.

Firstly, I'd prefer a manual but they seem to be in the lower power 2.0 guise or if you want more power they're auto and 2.5. Which is the better to go for and what's reliability like? I don't want to spend a fortune running it but reliability isn't paramount given it's an occasional car at best.

Lastly, any other similar recommendations would be great. Jimny would be fun but a bit too small inside and slow. I quite like the short wheelbase Mitsubishi Shogun but i bet they're less fun to drive.

Thanks!

shogun pinin.

[Bumblebee7]

A500leroy said:

shogun pinin.

Thanks, definitely looking at these too. Seem a cool option and I like the way they look.

[egor110]

Gordon Hill said:

You have to be picky when said shed is your only car and 2 of you rely on it for work, you have to get it right. It's all well and good buying any old heap when you have other cars to fall back on. Yes you might get lucky and get a sub £1500 car (used to be £500), that lasts for years as mine tend to do, 2 sheds in 10 years, but in today's market it's more of a risk because traders are asking that price for what is not much better than scrap, the world has gone mad over the last 3 years.
Go back to 2019 and we would be talking about £1,500 getting an absolute minter, my last 2, a Kia, £475, 41,000 miles and a Peugeot 206 also £475, 46,000 miles lasted best part of a decade with minimal fuss. Same cars now are fetching up to 2 grand!
As a serial shedder I try to minimise risk. Shedding in it's true form isn't about price though. We have thread after thread on PH where people are all precious about the metal they drive, nothing wrong with that, after all it's their pride and joy. But with shedding such things don't matter. Shiny paintwork, rust free, what other people think, they are meaningless. So as a result it leads for a care free motoring experience. Price limits have nothing to do with it, you can have a 10 grand car and still have a shed mentality, I know a few who do.

So how do the rest of us do it?

You need to buy boring , crap colours rather than having a extensive list of what you want.

[bearman68]

egor110 said:

So how do the rest of us do it?

You need to buy boring , crap colours rather than having a extensive list of what you want.

For me, part of the 'joy' is having the skills to know what to buy, what to look out for, and the ability to fix it if it breaks. I love the idea of floating around in a £500 scrap yard car, that is running well, and driving well, but looks 'subjective'.
I think I have a certain degree of reverse snobbery to be honest. I know lots of people who drive posh metal, but it's not for me. Anyone (literally almost anyone in the UK) can have a new shiny car, but a small percentage can actually drive something they have the skills to buy and fix, and that means more to me than a show of wealth. It's still a form of pride, just perhaps, not such an obvious one.
Even if I had considerably more money than I have, I could think of a thousand things I would prefer to buy over a new car and I can't see me getting one any time soon to be honest.
I know I'm a bit strange like this - always have been. But I think there is a little bit of this in all of us on this thread. Maybe.

[Gordon Hill]

egor110 said:

Gordon Hill said:

You have to be picky when said shed is your only car and 2 of you rely on it for work, you have to get it right. It's all well and good buying any old heap when you have other cars to fall back on. Yes you might get lucky and get a sub £1500 car (used to be £500), that lasts for years as mine tend to do, 2 sheds in 10 years, but in today's market it's more of a risk because traders are asking that price for what is not much better than scrap, the world has gone mad over the last 3 years.
Go back to 2019 and we would be talking about £1,500 getting an absolute minter, my last 2, a Kia, £475, 41,000 miles and a Peugeot 206 also £475, 46,000 miles lasted best part of a decade with minimal fuss. Same cars now are fetching up to 2 grand!
As a serial shedder I try to minimise risk. Shedding in it's true form isn't about price though. We have thread after thread on PH where people are all precious about the metal they drive, nothing wrong with that, after all it's their pride and joy. But with shedding such things don't matter. Shiny paintwork, rust free, what other people think, they are meaningless. So as a result it leads for a care free motoring experience. Price limits have nothing to do with it, you can have a 10 grand car and still have a shed mentality, I know a few who do.

So how do the rest of us do it?

You need to buy boring , crap colours rather than having a extensive list of what you want.

Thanks for the tip, I've only been going this for 40 years.

[cedrichn]

Steve93 said:

It is a bit of a mixed bag really. It's like everything a petrolhead should hate, along with most of the general public which makes me think it's a great idea

Not all great news on the running and driving yet front though

I took the engine out today as the previous owner had tried to do the clutch, a few slack bolts here and there and stuff being done up wrong was enough for me to spend the next hour removing the engine just to double check all the work

Other stuff I've found:
Most of the spares got thrown in the skip, wrong calipers (they were for a 4 stud model) some brand of oil filter I've never heard of (Ridex?) got skipped too and a few other odds and ends which were either wrong for the car or some unheard of brand
Front slam panel has been removed which has entailed someone drilling out the spot welds and pop riveting it back on...I can only guess they had no clue how to lift an engine and wanted to just put it on a jack, so I'll be repairing this properly with plug welds
Passenger side caliper missing (new one was £30)
Crank sensor missing (new one was £17)
Drivers side spring broken (£14 for new one)

There's probably a few things I've missed. I may start a readers car thread as this is turning into somewhat of a project and I don't want to spam the thread with a million pictures

Up to you! We had a 106 getting a new engine few pages ago, that was nice to follow

[cedrichn]

bearman68 said:

Anyone (literally almost anyone in the UK) can have a new shiny car, but a small percentage can actually drive something they have the skills to buy and fix, and that means more to me than a show of wealth. It's still a form of pride, just perhaps, not such an obvious one.

This, 100%, for me too

[RetroPug]

Davie said:

So frankly, AutoDoc can f**k right off...

If you pay £3ish at checkout you get "safe return" which means you can just return things for any reason.

I've never had to use it though, and have always had decent experiences. You can message them and check parts against your VIN as well.

They're not ideal, but it's so much cheaper than everywhere else.

bearman68 said:

For me, part of the 'joy' is having the skills to know what to buy, what to look out for, and the ability to fix it if it breaks. I love the idea of floating around in a £500 scrap yard car, that is running well, and driving well, but looks 'subjective'.
I think I have a certain degree of reverse snobbery to be honest. I know lots of people who drive posh metal, but it's not for me. Anyone (literally almost anyone in the UK) can have a new shiny car, but a small percentage can actually drive something they have the skills to buy and fix, and that means more to me than a show of wealth. It's still a form of pride, just perhaps, not such an obvious one.
Even if I had considerably more money than I have, I could think of a thousand things I would prefer to buy over a new car and I can't see me getting one any time soon to be honest.
I know I'm a bit strange like this - always have been. But I think there is a little bit of this in all of us on this thread. Maybe.

I'm eligible for a company car, but take the allowance as additional pay instead.

Getting what I paid for my shed every few months in extra pay as a visible extra line on my payslip? A warm and fuzzy feeling for sure.

[Jaguar steve]

cedrichn said:

bearman68 said:

Anyone (literally almost anyone in the UK) can have a new shiny car, but a small percentage can actually drive something they have the skills to buy and fix, and that means more to me than a show of wealth. It's still a form of pride, just perhaps, not such an obvious one.

This, 100%, for me too

Spot on. There's huge virtue in having the skills and nous to fix stuff yourself rather than having to rely on somebody else.

Not only does that ability open the door to the liberation of shedding it's proof also you don't need a shiny new car to make you feel good and shows you're not insecure enough to have to impress everybody with status symbols or how much cash you've got.

[anonymous-user]

7 5 7 said:

There is still load of cheap cars way below <£1500, posted this a while back, just can't be fussy at all what might turn up.

Just done another autotrader search, (20 mile radius, £1500 MAX, petrol and diesel) there is 86 cars available, yeah some rough ones cosmetically and odd thing not working, but many from my very little time looking have MOT's.

Are shedders getting too picky these days?

Most of the cheap stuff I see now is terrible and would have gone to the scrap man a few years ago. All my bargains for the last 2 years have come from trade auctions, and even then you need to catch it right to get something that feels remotely like a bargain.

I do feel for the sheddist without access to them.

[James_N]

I'm terrible for constantly looking at what else is out there! I love my little 106 and want to lavish it with a bit of love despite it being a true shed (its having new driveshafts and wheel bearings this week. My dad knows a mechanic friend who has offered to do the lot for £100 as my father in law is due in hospital and can't do it for me! - this is when I wish I was more mechanically minded!)

But looking on Autotrader at £1,000 and below cars, just produces dross nowadays. MOT fails, the usual diesels with a million miles on that you should run away from.

I did see this: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303295...

which looks OK until you read its overheating! Not sure it would make the best shed anyway!

[SimonTheSailor]

I read up on those Lexus diesels once - apparently it's the worst thing ever to happen to Lexus

Ok, might be a bit of an exaggeration but they said the diesel engine was awful and gave numerous problems

[OldSkoolRS]

Jaguar steve said:

Spot on. There's huge virtue in having the skills and nous to fix stuff yourself rather than having to rely on somebody else.

Not only does that ability open the door to the liberation of shedding it's proof also you don't need a shiny new car to make you feel good and shows you're not insecure enough to have to impress everybody with status symbols or how much cash you've got.

Can apply to non shed cars too; I've run better cars than I otherwise could have done if I'd had to factor in dealer/garage servicing or even buying cars with existing faults/minor damage. I've had a few almost shocked looks when people realise I do all the work on our newer car, yet ironically I find it really nice to work on. I used to take my company car to the main dealer and wouldn't want them anywhere near the slightly older version we now own...

I guess I'm not a true shedist though since I can't help but look after my cars, even the cheap ones.

[Gordon Hill]

stickleback123 said:

7 5 7 said:

There is still load of cheap cars way below <£1500, posted this a while back, just can't be fussy at all what might turn up.

Just done another autotrader search, (20 mile radius, £1500 MAX, petrol and diesel) there is 86 cars available, yeah some rough ones cosmetically and odd thing not working, but many from my very little time looking have MOT's.

Are shedders getting too picky these days?

Most of the cheap stuff I see now is terrible and would have gone to the scrap man a few years ago. All my bargains for the last 2 years have come from trade auctions, and even then you need to catch it right to get something that feels remotely like a bargain.

I do feel for the sheddist without access to them.

Exactly what I've been saying for a few posts now, yes you can buy a car for less than a grand still but compared to what you could get for a grand a couple of years ago it makes for depressing reading. Yes if I did an Autotrader search in a 20 mile radius I could probably find 100 cars in price range, would I part with hard earned and have any trust that they would pass an MOT without serious investment, probably not.

On the other subject, once you've found a suitable car, whatever the cost, then the ability to repair, service and keep on the road is an invaluable skill. I'm so grateful to my father who taught me that the cheapest car you can have is the one you already own in most circumstances, not to throw things away and repair if possible, look after it and don't buy a badge.

The upshot of all this is freedom from finance, main stealers and garages, freedom from caring what others think, freedom from caring about paintwork scratches and bodywork dents but still retaining the ability to go where you want, when you want without a care in the world.

[Lecket]

7 5 7 said:

There is still load of cheap cars way below <£1500, posted this a while back, just can't be fussy at all what might turn up.

Just done another autotrader search, (20 mile radius, £1500 MAX, petrol and diesel) there is 86 cars available, yeah some rough ones cosmetically and odd thing not working, but many from my very little time looking have MOT's.

Are shedders getting too picky these days?

Interestingly there are only 9 within 20 miles of my postcode, and that's Glasgow, the 4th most populated city in the UK!

Although not a shed, i've just picked up a 2014 Fiat Panda 1.2 and I have to say, it's an absolute joy to be driving around in something so cheap to run, and so basic.

[A500leroy]

Lecket said:

Interestingly there are only 9 within 20 miles of my postcode, and that's Glasgow, the 4th most populated city in the UK!

Although not a shed, i've just picked up a 2014 Fiat Panda 1.2 and I have to say, it's an absolute joy to be driving around in something so cheap to run, and so basic.

pictures and thread please

[QBee]

I work in a world where the directors and sales force all have new company cars worth between £40,000 and £75,000.
I am the third most senior person in the company, but work on the finance side, so no company car.
My own car is a 20 year old Saab shed and I drive it with pleasure.
Those who do end up having lifts in it are amazed how comfortable it is.
It cost me £995 four years ago, and rarely needs anything fixing.
And I don't pay BIK tax on it.