The (far from) perfect 2 car garage
Discussion
Finding that my Cayman 987 doesn’t quite live up to the superbly practical car that I’d sold it in as, my girlfriend and I decided to hunt down something cheap and cheerful to use alongside it for chucking the dog in and longer motorway slogs that I’d rather not add the mileage onto the Porsche. The budget was set (£1k) and I almost instantly honed in on a Fiat Panda. Always thought they’re a cracking looking, utilitarian little thing, they’re mega cheap to run and are also perfect for my girlfriend who’s hoping to learn to drive in it.
Within a couple of days I’d tracked something down locally and a few messages later, cut a deal and was on the train to collect it. Naturally, I viewed it in a dark, rainy train station car park, only pulling it forward and backward to check that it drove and stopped. Deal done, I whizzed home - absolutely chuffed with my purchase!
This 1.1l fizzy little thing is dead impressive: £30 road tax, £90 a year to insure and apparently will consistently hit 55+mpg… it’s just what I’d hoped for and a real laugh to drive. With almost a years MOT and a bill for a recent service, new bushings, tyres and shocks, I can’t help feeling like I’ve got a bargain!
Having been using my Cayman as a daily, this is a great way to make sure it feels extra special when I get back into the Porsche as the driving experience is obviously night and day.
So far, so good in shed world!
Within a couple of days I’d tracked something down locally and a few messages later, cut a deal and was on the train to collect it. Naturally, I viewed it in a dark, rainy train station car park, only pulling it forward and backward to check that it drove and stopped. Deal done, I whizzed home - absolutely chuffed with my purchase!
This 1.1l fizzy little thing is dead impressive: £30 road tax, £90 a year to insure and apparently will consistently hit 55+mpg… it’s just what I’d hoped for and a real laugh to drive. With almost a years MOT and a bill for a recent service, new bushings, tyres and shocks, I can’t help feeling like I’ve got a bargain!
Having been using my Cayman as a daily, this is a great way to make sure it feels extra special when I get back into the Porsche as the driving experience is obviously night and day.
So far, so good in shed world!
Edited by FieldAtlanta on Saturday 29th October 20:27
Having taken my first proper look around it in the light of day today, there are a reassuring number of small dings and scuffs around the car, commensurate with the old lady-owned life it’s had.
I’m not trying to kid myself that this is anything special or deserving of too much love and attention, but more than anything I just wanted to give it a thorough strip down and clean inside to get rid of the remnants of any of its previous owners and 15yr history.
Well, the thing pulls apart like Lego! In 20 mins I had all of the seats removed, spare wheel and carpets out ready for decontamination:
Plenty of grossness:
Old bits and pieces of rubbish found throughout and removed, before the mats got a thorough boffing with the pressure washer:
No chances being taken:
And - in a highly uncharacteristic twist - I actually managed to put everything back together again:
The old lady smell is gone, I can hold the steering in confidence and, largely thanks to its uber simple interior design, it genuinely looks like a far newer car than it ought to for the cash.
Tomorrow I’ll have a bash at cleaning up the outside. Im thinking that the dodgy hub caps ought to go in the bin and I should paint the pepper pot steel wheels - silver or black, that’s the question?
I’m not trying to kid myself that this is anything special or deserving of too much love and attention, but more than anything I just wanted to give it a thorough strip down and clean inside to get rid of the remnants of any of its previous owners and 15yr history.
Well, the thing pulls apart like Lego! In 20 mins I had all of the seats removed, spare wheel and carpets out ready for decontamination:
Plenty of grossness:
Old bits and pieces of rubbish found throughout and removed, before the mats got a thorough boffing with the pressure washer:
No chances being taken:
And - in a highly uncharacteristic twist - I actually managed to put everything back together again:
The old lady smell is gone, I can hold the steering in confidence and, largely thanks to its uber simple interior design, it genuinely looks like a far newer car than it ought to for the cash.
Tomorrow I’ll have a bash at cleaning up the outside. Im thinking that the dodgy hub caps ought to go in the bin and I should paint the pepper pot steel wheels - silver or black, that’s the question?
Cambs_Stuart said:
I had one for a week as a hire car in Italy. It was a great thing to chuck about. No power at all so you had to work hard to conserve momentum.
Absolutely this. Comically slow but responds well to being kept in a certain band of revs that I haven’t quite sussed yet. Lots of similarities with my old 595 Abarth, obviously with none of the poke!Mr Tidy said:
Proper shedding. 
I had an earlier one as a holiday rental in Sicily and had a great time ragging it around. Even found part of the old Targa Florio route including the pit lane!
FWIW if I was binning the wheel trims I'd paint the wheels silver like my 70s Fiats had.
Love the positive holiday car experiences! Definitely easy to slip into Italian city driving (and parking) mentality… a mental shrug has been had on any opportunity to park it so far. I had an earlier one as a holiday rental in Sicily and had a great time ragging it around. Even found part of the old Targa Florio route including the pit lane!
FWIW if I was binning the wheel trims I'd paint the wheels silver like my 70s Fiats had.
Good call on the wheel colour - silver it is
and parking a doddle.
FieldAtlanta said:
Having taken my first proper look around it in the light of day today, there are a reassuring number of small dings and scuffs around the car, commensurate with the old lady-owned life it’s had.
I’m not trying to kid myself that this is anything special or deserving of too much love and attention, but more than anything I just wanted to give it a thorough strip down and clean inside to get rid of the remnants of any of its previous owners and 15yr history.
Well, the thing pulls apart like Lego! In 20 mins I had all of the seats removed, spare wheel and carpets out ready for decontamination:
Plenty of grossness:
Old bits and pieces of rubbish found throughout and removed, before the mats got a thorough boffing with the pressure washer:
No chances being taken:
And - in a highly uncharacteristic twist - I actually managed to put everything back together again:
The old lady smell is gone, I can hold the steering in confidence and, largely thanks to its uber simple interior design, it genuinely looks like a far newer car than it ought to for the cash.
Tomorrow I’ll have a bash at cleaning up the outside. Im thinking that the dodgy hub caps ought to go in the bin and I should paint the pepper pot steel wheels - silver or black, that’s the question?
If your GF is learning to drive I’d be wary of anything that could be seen as a “modification”. Change of wheel colour is sometimes classed as a modification. I’m not trying to kid myself that this is anything special or deserving of too much love and attention, but more than anything I just wanted to give it a thorough strip down and clean inside to get rid of the remnants of any of its previous owners and 15yr history.
Well, the thing pulls apart like Lego! In 20 mins I had all of the seats removed, spare wheel and carpets out ready for decontamination:
Plenty of grossness:
Old bits and pieces of rubbish found throughout and removed, before the mats got a thorough boffing with the pressure washer:
No chances being taken:
And - in a highly uncharacteristic twist - I actually managed to put everything back together again:
The old lady smell is gone, I can hold the steering in confidence and, largely thanks to its uber simple interior design, it genuinely looks like a far newer car than it ought to for the cash.
Tomorrow I’ll have a bash at cleaning up the outside. Im thinking that the dodgy hub caps ought to go in the bin and I should paint the pepper pot steel wheels - silver or black, that’s the question?
Nice car to bumble around in.
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