What Do You Drive?

[MrJan]

I'm just saying 'goodbye' to a '96 Honda Civic which has served me very well and 'hello' to a '92 Mk2 Rev 2 Toyota MR2 which looks as if it's going to suck the soul out of my bank account whilst simultaneously being great fun and extremely impractical :D

On some weekends I'm also lucky enough to sprint a Locost which is sort of a Caterham type kitcar with a 1300 Ford xFlow engine :)

So what's your choice of steed?

[Hondo]

2005 Nissan Titan crew cab, 2004 Harley Davidson FLSTC, 1974 Suzuki TM 400 Cyclone.

[philipbain]

On some weekends I'm also lucky enough to sprint a Locost which is sort of a Caterham type kitcar with a 1300 Ford xFlow engine :)

A mate of mine was in the process of making a Locost, was originally using a Capri 1.6 as a donor, then decided he wanted more power, got hold of a 1986 BMW M535i as a donor and then eventually abandoned the project in favour of doing up a mini. The 535 is NOT an appropriate donor for a locost, the engine is a 3.5 litre big block straight 6, utterly massive, far too big for a Locost. I actually drew him designs for a ground up car which would have had the engine mid-mounted, which is a way to get away with using such a large engine in a small sportscar, but he decided that it would be too complecated.

As for me I drive a year 2000 Rover 75 Classic SE 2.0CDT (BMW M47 turbo diesel engine).

[yodasarmpit]

'hello' to a '92 Mk2 Rev 2 Toyota MR2 which looks as if it's going to suck the soul out of my bank account whilst simultaneously being great fun and extremely impractical :D

Your spot on there mate, I had one for about four years and although great fun, the bank account was bare.

I still miss it, driving a SAAB now, very comfy but soulless.

[Easy Drifter]

2007 Chev Cobalt. When my business partner and I sold our company last spring we traded in the 2005 GMC van and 2005 GMC pickup, both Co. jobs, for a pair of GM off rental used Cobalts. Didn't do too bad on van but got hammered on pickup. Vans are still mostly work vehicles while a lot of pickups are expensive to run toys so there is a glut of them on the dealers' lots.
As far as I am concerned both trucks were years behind the times but were good solid workhorses even if the van could get stuck on a snowflake.
The Cobalts are surprisingly nice cars coming from GM. A few stupid design features for Cdn. winters but handle well and adequate power. Not too happy in high crosswinds.
I still kind of miss the Alfa I had many years ago but that was a real money pit!

[Camelopard]

!993 Escort RS Cosworth YBT (T34).
It hates me, jumped in the other day to take it for a spin and the battery was flat, hopped out, connected up another battery to jumpstart it and the auto doors locked, of course the windows were up and the sunroof was closed :eek: . My only set of keys as well!!!

YBP small turbo version of above is almost ready to go back on the road, had to get some bits from the UK, it's no where near as much fun as the YBT though it does aircon.

[leopard]

Currently I am happy with this is what I can afford...
http://image63.webshots.com/563/4/44/96/2995444960073694691PsfVxm_ph.jpg

[millencolin]

1997 Mitsubishi Magna, 4cyl, white... the most boring car on the planet... but ive had it for years and i love it

http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mellor. ... Sports.jpg (http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mellor.nsf/story2/D0914FEDAE533AE9CA2569EB00158B56/$file/2001.2.23NADP00H%20fa2%20MitsubishiMagnaSports.jpg )

thats not mine, but it gives you the general idea

[Kneeslider]

I run a '97 Boxster, as my sensible every day car, a '74 Triumph TR6 is for when I fancy being a hooligan. My most used bike is a '91 Ducati 750ss with a moddd up 900ss engine in it, and my current restoration project is a '83 Laverda RGS1000

[555-04Q2]

I have quite a few but my favourite car is my weekend drive, my worked 2002 Subaru Impreza Prodrive WRX :)

I sold my old VW Golf GTI 8V 1.8 Mark 2 a few years back and regret the day I ever sold it :( It was the best car I have ever owned. Nailed it every time I got in it and it still did 250 000 km's without so much as a faulty spark plug! A brilliant car :up:

[Kneeslider]

Yup, 1.8 Mk2 GTis rock. I had two, drove them for the best part of a decade, and they were huge fun, and very reliable, it was only the insurance which hurt!

[leopard]

I sold my old VW Golf GTI 8V 1.8 Mark 2 a few years back and regret the day I ever sold it :( It was the best car I have ever owned. Nailed it every time I got in it and it still did 250 000 km's without so much as a faulty spark plug! A brilliant car :up:

What spark plug was it, I think regardless of perfectness the proses in the combustion chamber, the center electrode of the spark plug will be worn out in 250 k km...

Link and Image function do not work, who responsible?...

[555-04Q2]

What spark plug was it, I think regardless of perfectness the proses in the combustion chamber, the center electrode of the spark plug will be worn out in 250 k km...

Link and Image function do not work, who responsible?...

There was no problem at all. What I meant was that the car never gave me a days problem, ever! It was a pleasure to own!

[leopard]

There was no problem at all. What I meant was that the car never gave me a days problem, ever! It was a pleasure to own!
ok, that's awesome. :)

[Azumanga Davo]

1975 260Z, 1981 Volvo 244DL and a 2001 Daewoo hatchback, which is now starting to rust. Bliss... :)

[MrJan]

1975 260Z, 1981 Volvo 244DL and a 2001 Daewoo hatchback, which is now starting to rust. Bliss... :)

Blimey, there must be more of those cars on your drive than the cars themselves :p : Out of interest which do you find gives you the most trouble?

[Woodeye]

1997 Mitsubishi Magna, 4cyl, white... the most boring car on the planet... but ive had it for years and i love it

That's not the most boring car. I happen to own the most boring one and it goes by name of Volkswagen Bora 1.6 2003. :D I fell asleep everytime even seeing it.

[A.F.F.]

I'm a proud owner of Skoda Octavia -00 Laurin & Klement 1.9 with 81kw engine. Best car I've ever had so far :)

[Robinho]

currently an '03 Ford Focus ST170 - a much under rated hot hatch IMO, handles great and has the original Focus look, before they made it ugly a few years ago - good for teh commute and then fun when i want to wind it up a bit - could use a few extra horses, but i'm not complaining

[AndyRAC]

I own a Skoda Fabia vRS SE, well pleased with it - the MPG is fantastic. Previously had a Seat Ibiza Cupra for 10 years.

[Donney]

8 years old Focus MKI State 1.9 TDI which just this weekend reached 170300 Km on the clock.

Boring but a great car nonetheless.

[GridGirl]

I drive a 2006 Ford Fiesta ST in blue with white racing stripes. I'm also insured on Ibby's 2008 Octavia Vrs which has only marginally better fuel consumption than the ST. :)

[Drew]

I drive a '97 Ford Escort 1.6l around :P:
It's turning into a very Italian car haha. Half of the things work as new and the other half work only if you do it in a special way, it's all part of the fun!

[Drew]

I drive a '97 Ford Escort 1.6l around :p :
It's turning into a very Italian car haha. Half of the things work as new and the other half work only if you do it in a special way. For example if you lock the door on the driver's side you HAVE to unlock it on the drivers side, or else the alarm goes off. If you lock the car on the passenger's side, then the rear right door doesn't lock. It's all part of its charm :D

[thompp]

2002 Nissan Primera P12 4-door.

[Bezza]

2008 SEAT Leon 1.6 Emocion :) Only bought it in early December and its flippin brilliant.

[Tazio]

2005 Toyota Tundra 4.7 L
2008 Aprilia Shiver 750cc

[Azumanga Davo]

Blimey, there must be more of those cars on your drive than the cars themselves :p : Out of interest which do you find gives you the most trouble?

I would have to say the Lanos does. It blows out the ECM fuse once in a while and it's proven to be a car park bingle magnet when it does go out... :s

And the Volvo isn't destined to stay for long, which I'll miss, a huge amount of fun for it's dollar value. :(

My parents also occupy the driveway with a 2000 Ford Courier 4WD, a 1997 BMW 328i, another 260Z which hasn't moved since it popped the gasket three years ago and a 1990 Holden Calibra with a yellow sticker on it (what's defective you might ask? A lot quicker telling you what isn't fudged on it :p : )

Ferrari 365 GTB/4.
Citroen DS21.
Volkswagen Transporter T5 Sportline (everyday use).
Fiat 500 Abarth (Signora Tamburello's).
Mitsubishi L200.

Edit - To be honest, I can't say I 'drive' the Ferrari very much at all.

[Azumanga Davo]

Volkswagen Transporter T5 Sportline (everyday use)

Vans with performance names? Whatever next? :p :

"Oh yes, I test driven one of those Transit XR9 GTs t'other day..." :D

[Brown, Jon Brow]

2007 FIAT Grande Punto 1.2 Active in dark blue.

Smells of cigarette ash and the front left hub cap is wanting to escape :(

[Hazell B]

1994 Range Rover 2.5 straight six diesel.

It smells of dogs and cigarettes, drinks like an Irishman at Cheltenham and currently has a suspected mouse living in it after I left some hay bales in it overnight last week :p :

Also a Transit LWB 190 2.5 diesel, which I find oddly fun to drive in cities.

[schmenke]

My daily commuter... :p :

[A.F.F.]

My daily commuter... :p :

You're such a sissy schmenke. Look at Janneppi, he'll ride his bicycle day in and out :D

[Easy Drifter]

When we had our store (Garden & Pond Centre and Fishing tackle) the number of people from the Greater Toronto Area who had rarely been in the country expressing disbelief at the number of women driving pickup trucks was funny. Even more so when they saw the number in big dually 4 wheel drive jobs and little grey haired ladies driving same.
That was a rarity in the GTA. Up here common. Then they would see a 100 lb. lady jump out from behind the wheel of a big gravel hauler. The expressions on the faces, especially of the women, was priceless.
We would get the 'society' types from the million dollar summer places in with their gardener to get plants and one of our regular lady fisherman would wander in in hip waders, fishing vests and grab a couple of containers of worms or leeches. I think some old dears came close to fainting.
My worm and leech supplier was a good looking woman who also ran a fishing and hunting wilderness camp. That could be funny as her language was rather colourful to say the least.
We had one drop dead beautiful lady customer who not only was an avid fisherman but a real hunter too. It was priceless when she was discussing cleaning fish or skinning a deer with the guys with the 'city' folks listening.
After a while of coming up north they quickly became used to what goes on in the country but the first few times were always interesting.
I sometimes miss it but not often!

[schmenke]

You're such a sissy schmenke. Look at Janneppi, he'll ride his bicycle day in and out :D

Hullu suomalainen :p :

[52Paddy]

Look at Janneppi, he'll ride his bicycle day in and out :D

Which gives me the opportunity to say, despite being mad about motorsport, my daily transport is indeed a bicycle. I have two at the moment. A trek roadbike (its an entry level model which replaced the 1000 recently) but I more often use my fixed-wheel. Its a Paganini frame with dura-ace crank set, Pista Navigator rear wheel and Fuji front wheel. Also have SPDs on it.

Of course, the majority of you will use this as an opportunity to slag me and fair enough. My excuse is that I'm a pushbike courier so its my livelihood!! :p :

And, just to save myself, my Dad drives a 2001 Ford Focus Estate 1.6 Zetec :dozey:

My excuse is that I'm a pushbike courier so its my livelihood!!

Wouldn't it be easier to deliver the pushbikes in a van, rather than on another bicycle?

[52Paddy]

Wouldn't it be easier to deliver the pushbikes in a van, rather than on another bicycle?

Possibly, but if you cycle along with the other bike alongside you its not that difficult, really. You get used to it after a few weeks. Besides, a van is more expensive to order than a pushbike courier is.

[MrJan]

2007 FIAT Grande Punto 1.2 Active in dark blue.

Smells of cigarette ash and the front left hub cap is wanting to escape :(

After driving my Civic for nearly 2 years the idea of a dodgy hubcap and nasty smell sounds like a holiday. For over a year I couldn't wind the driver's window down, the rear bumper is held on with cable ties (after a small accident which left a big dent) and more recently the driver side door handle came off and I had to open the door by opening the rear door and pulling a piece of string which was attached to the internal door handle. Sort of fixed it eventually but only with the help of gaffer tape, hence the MR2 :D

[Mark in Oshawa]

A somewhat well kept (dirty but in good shape otherwise) 97 Chevy Lumina LTZ. For those in Europe, think American car with front wheel drive, numb steering at times and some suspect quality in parts of the interior trim. That said, the body is solid and it has 235hp with a 4speed autobox and it has almost 200000 km. It burns no oil and handles half decent. I drive it maybe 2 times a week when I am working a lot so it does the job. I envy some of the cars a few of you guys own.....

[Daniel]

A somewhat well kept (dirty but in good shape otherwise) 97 Chevy Lumina LTZ. For those in Europe, think American car

You could have stopped there and we'd have guessed the rest :p

[steve_spackman]

i drive a chevy cavalier..soon to be upgraded...to a newer better car

[Easy Drifter]

So what do you drive Daniel?
A horse and buggy?
Shanks mare?
Tricyle? :vader:

[Hazell B]

I envy some of the cars a few of you guys own.....

Bet that doesn't include either of mine :p :

Just remembered, I've been using a Kangoo van (dire) and Skoda something sporty (sorry, no idea exactly how sporty, but it feels fast and corners like it's on rails) recently. Neither are mine, they're both a local farmer's and I was asked to use them while he was in Germany for a few weeks.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Hazell....I did say some of you own..lol.

Ya...my "American" car was actually built not 2 miles south of me in the GM Oshawa complex and there are few things it does that most European cars for similar money wouldn't do. It is BIG for what it costs first off and the second thing it does well is that is comfortable for a long trip. Whatever faults one can find with the Big 3 offerings, they usually are pretty spacious and comfortable on long 600 mile drives. I drive a big rig for a living and I prefer to be in THAT for long drives but I know my Lumina at least for all its faults is comfortable enough that it is close to my Freightliner in driver comfort....

[Mark in Oshawa]

This is my "other ride" and daily driver ( although not as much lately with the sagging economy" unloading in Wisconsin Rapids, USA

[Daniel]

Hazell....I did say some of you own..lol.

Ya...my "American" car was actually built not 2 miles south of me in the GM Oshawa complex and there are few things it does that most European cars for similar money wouldn't do. It is BIG for what it costs first off and the second thing it does well is that is comfortable for a long trip. Whatever faults one can find with the Big 3 offerings, they usually are pretty spacious and comfortable on long 600 mile drives. I drive a big rig for a living and I prefer to be in THAT for long drives but I know my Lumina at least for all its faults is comfortable enough that it is close to my Freightliner in driver comfort....

I think the problem is you've got a lot of crap European cars.

I drive one of these
http://www.groveautos.co.uk/P662fos.jpg

And it really is a great long distance cruiser as the ride is comfortable and the seats comfy too. If you had them in North America they would have been decently priced and a great long distance cruisers :)

[steve_spackman]

I think the problem is you've got a lot of crap European cars.

I drive one of these
http://www.groveautos.co.uk/P662fos.jpg

And it really is a great long distance cruiser as the ride is comfortable and the seats comfy too. If you had them in North America they would have been decently priced and a great long distance cruisers :)

thats why in the US they dont get the good cars like the rest of the world gets..i mean alot of people have a hard time driving i thought that they got the DL from a cornflakes packet LOL

i do however like the chevy Equinox

[Daniel]

So what do you drive Daniel?
A horse and buggy?
Shanks mare?
Tricyle?

Sorry didn't see your post earlier.

As above I own a Peugeot 406 complete with suspected blown headgasket :D

But past cars include

My Fiat 131
http://members.iinet.net.au/~fenix1983/Files/My%20131_2.jpg

My a Peugeot 504
http://members.iinet.net.au/~fenix1983/Files/504/traffic_light_tantrum.JPG

But as of about 4:30pm this evening I'm on the insurance for Caroline's one of these (not this one though)
http://www.murphyauctions.net/images/kenmore06mar/937.jpg

4wd donuts anyone? :p

[steve_spackman]

Hazell....I did say some of you own..lol.

Ya...my "American" car was actually built not 2 miles south of me in the GM Oshawa complex and there are few things it does that most European cars for similar money wouldn't do. It is BIG for what it costs first off and the second thing it does well is that is comfortable for a long trip. Whatever faults one can find with the Big 3 offerings, they usually are pretty spacious and comfortable on long 600 mile drives. I drive a big rig for a living and I prefer to be in THAT for long drives but I know my Lumina at least for all its faults is comfortable enough that it is close to my Freightliner in driver comfort....

what if any Euro cars do you get in Canada?

[Allyc85]

1.8 Ford Focus. Best car ive had so far, it handles so well, just needs more power lol.

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f123/allyc85/My%20Motors/ddea89bf.jpg

[Easy Drifter]

VW, Ferrari, Lambo, Audi, Porsche, BMW, Mercedes, Saab, Volvo, Smart Car, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mini. Probably others that I can't think of quickly.
We used to get all the UK cars. Also used to get Citroen, Renault (owned one) Peugot, Fiat (former wife owned 2) Maserati and Alfa (owned one). Most of those just couldn't hack it in NA.
Of course the UK manufactuers have mostly gone kaput.
I owned a MGA (and raced one) and an Austin A55 which I rallied. I also rallied a VW, MGB and Corvair but I didn't own them.
I raced MGBs (3) and had use of one on the street. Didn't own it or the ones I raced. Raced English built racing cars.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Even our European nameplates don't give us the same models you see in Europe. Heck...FORD makes great cars in Europe...but not always great here.

North American cars are not as bad you think but up until about 10 years ago, they were hit and miss at best. That said, you cant tell me if I drove a Dodge Charger down the street in London with a SRT-8 package it wouldn't turn a head or two.

North American cars have come a damned long away but they have to be sold to Americans...which often wouldn't know a good car if it they were run over by it....

[MrJan]

It seems that the American market (be it down to consumers or sellers) just doesn't really like the good European, or even Japanese, cars that we have over here. I accept that the size of the place has some bearing but most of the people in the big Cities probably rarely need anything bigger than a mid sized family car like a Focus or Astra.

I certainly don't see why long drives warrant some of the huge V8 crap power gas guzzlers that you see. That said, if petrol was the same price over here then I'd definately have V8 :D :D

[Easy Drifter]

Not the US, but in Canada the 'imports' sold more cars than North American Made cars. I think they are talking the 'Big Three' because many Japanese cars are made in North America. Honda have a large plant in Ontario as does Toyota. Both have plants in the US and I believe Nissan does too.
Some so called NA vehicles are rebadged Japanese vehicles.
VW have NA manufacturing facilities.
My Chev. Cobalt has a Saab engine.

[Mark in Oshawa]

It seems that the American market (be it down to consumers or sellers) just doesn't really like the good European, or even Japanese, cars that we have over here. I accept that the size of the place has some bearing but most of the people in the big Cities probably rarely need anything bigger than a mid sized family car like a Focus or Astra.

I certainly don't see why long drives warrant some of the huge V8 crap power gas guzzlers that you see. That said, if petrol was the same price over here then I'd definately have V8 :D :D

your last statement says it all. The price of petrol in North America allows people to afford v-8's and v-6's. Also...most city people have smaller cars in North America. If you live in the inner cities you often see smaller cars. It isn't that North Americans are stupid but the lifestyle and type of driving has created a different driving enviroment. I won't say it is a better one but one thing we have over here is the long distances of straight road. A powerful v8 just chugging along with a big ole box attached to it is a pretty comfortable way to travel long distances and if the price of gas was the same in Europe, I bet you would see a lot more v-8's in Europe.

North Americans drive a lot of cars from Japanese companies that are very similar to what is sold in Europe too by the way. My Accords were not in any radical way different from the Accords sold in Europe when I had them. I know most of the Corollas, Civic's and Sentras are the same as found in Europe as well.

It is our loss we don't see Peugeot over here but they had a bad rep of rusting and not holding up to the harsher climate here. As for British cars........well you Brits didn't really even want them anymore did ya? The Fact that Mini's are built by BMW says really all you need to know about the British auto industry. Jaguar is aowned by Tata for crying out loud!!!

BTW...more American/Canadian built vehicles are gaining ground in Europe. Jeep sells more in Europe than they used to. VW and Nissan are both having Chrysler build their new minivans in Windsor ON and I do believe VW may export them to Europe. I have to say the Cobalt/G5 from GM would do quite well over there if GM didn't have their European offerings already.

The driving cultures are just different and THAT has created why American cars are a bit larger and softer. It is to our shame that it is so really.....but hey...this is what happens when goofy old bean counters run car companies in America...

[Magnus]

No offence steve_packman, but those Pugs are rather ... :s sorry, but French cars don´t do it for me...
Being a working man I naturally drive a manly car: Mini Cooper Clubman S

[Mark]

I think the problem is you've got a lot of crap European cars.


But a Pug is not the best example of European craftsmanship :p

[Daniel]

No offence steve_packman, but those Pugs are rather ... :s sorry, but French cars don´t do it for me...
Being a working man I naturally drive a manly car: Mini Cooper Clubman S

I'm sorry but your Clubman is tacky and not as well built and BMW would have you believe. Personally I'd take the risk and buy another 406 before I bought a Mini!

[AndyRAC]

I'm sorry but your Clubman is tacky and not as well built and BMW would have you believe. Personally I'd take the risk and buy another 406 before I bought a Mini!

I must admit I was interested in a BMW Mini - but after looking at all the options, etc I decided against it - horrendously overpriced for what they are. And I'm not sure they're as well made as they could be. I'm more than happy with my Fabia vRS.

[raybak]

I drive a 2006 Holden Commodore Executive. It's only option is a tow pack so I can tow the rally car.

Have just ordered a new Holden Commodore Omega in white. It's another rep mobile but hey it's free :)

Other cars are all Daihatsu's. Charade GTti 3 cyl turbo CB80 engine is my rally car.

Also have an Austin 1800 ute stashed away at the farm with a few other collectibles including a 1956 Ford Zephyr convertible.

Ray

PS used to have an Austin Healey Bug Eyed Sprite but sold it so i could continue rallying.

[Daniel]

But a Pug is not the best example of European craftsmanship :p

It's a decent enough car really :) Sure the exhaust dropped off but that can happen to any car if the clot who owns it doesn't have the leaky exhaust seen to soon enough :)

[Bezza]

I'm sorry but your Clubman is tacky and not as well built and BMW would have you believe. Personally I'd take the risk and buy another 406 before I bought a Mini!

I can't believe you drive a 406! I had you down as driving a souped up special Pug like an old 306 or newer 206 rally-esque model.

I agree on the Clubman though, they are hideous to look at which for me is enough to put me off. They look like a Transit Van has had sex with a normal Mini and the Clubman is the offspring.

I have a Seat Leon as I've already said, just like Plato's old one except not as quick ;)

[raybak]

Daniel you need to get another 504. These are great cars.

Whatever happened to your WRC plates?

Ray

[Daniel]

Daniel you need to get another 504. These are great cars.

Whatever happened to your WRC plates?

Ray

They were returned as the car is no longer on the road.

I would like to get a 504 again but there are pretty much no 4 doors left in the country and I don't have a garage at the moment so it would be silly to buy one just to let it rust :(

I'd love one of these
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C06746
Or one of these
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C64821
Or one of these
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C07551

But all dependent on money and a garage to store the thing of course.

[Daniel]

I can't believe you drive a 406! I had you down as driving a souped up special Pug like an old 306 or newer 206 rally-esque model.

I agree on the Clubman though, they are hideous to look at which for me is enough to put me off. They look like a Transit Van has had sex with a normal Mini and the Clubman is the offspring.

I have a Seat Leon as I've already said, just like Plato's old one except not as quick ;)

Nah I just wanted something relaxed and spacious and the 406 really is quite a good car. I've had some trouble with mine but the warning signs were always there that it'd been treated badly, I just never bothered to take notice :dozey:

I want one of these though

http://www.perrys.co.uk/fiat-panda-1.2-dynamic-eco-5dr/new/77212

5,300 for one of the best built cars on the market today with £35 tax each year, 56mpg combined cycle and cheap as chips to insure as well. Yeah sure it doesn't look great and doesn't go fast but it does everything a car needs to do for not very much :)

Couldn't agree more with your analogy about the Clubman. Love the door to let your British kids out onto the road rather than the verge too :laugh:

[Mark]

5,300 for one of the best built cars on the market today with £35 tax each year, 56mpg combined cycle and cheap as chips to insure as well. Yeah sure it doesn't look great and doesn't go fast but it does everything a car needs to do for not very much :)


£30 for this year, then £35 thereafter. :crazy:

[Daniel]

£30 for this year, then £35 thereafter. :crazy:
Yes but how much did you pay and how much MPG are you getting ;)

[Mark]

Yes but how much did you pay and how much MPG are you getting ;)

I'm talking about the car you want to buy, not my car.

My car is £35/year and £20 thereafter.

[Daniel]

I must admit I was interested in a BMW Mini - but after looking at all the options, etc I decided against it - horrendously overpriced for what they are. And I'm not sure they're as well made as they could be. I'm more than happy with my Fabia vRS.

Have you ever gone onto the online configurator and actually configured one in a spec you'd actually want? The cost is simply astronomical when you start to include things which you'd expect from a car that costs that much.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Of course the Mini isn't cheap, it is built by BMW...they don't do anything cheap.

[Daniel]

Of course the Mini isn't cheap, it is built by BMW...they don't do anything cheap.
But usually when you drop some cash on a Bimmer you expect it to be built well and Mini's aren't as well built as you'd think.

I know the Top Gear survey isn't a definite measure of how reliable a car is but the numbers it gives pretty much agrees with what people seem to say of Mini's. I mean come on, a BMW outscored in reliability and equalled in craftmanship and service by a 5 grand Fiat? If I drop that much on a hatch I want it to have class leading reliability and not be trailing cheaper cars.

http://www.topgear.com/content/carsurvey/2006/mini/mini-one/
http://www.topgear.com/content/carsurvey/2006/fiat/panda/

[Mark in Oshawa]

Daniel..you may be selling Fiat short...but I do hear your point. The Mini has a pretty good reputation over here in Canada tho. I drove a Cooper S model in a test drive once. Hot little car but a little too much the go-kart to be comfortable on a long trip for my liking...

[steve_spackman]

No offence steve_packman, but those Pugs are rather ... :s sorry, but French cars don´t do it for me...
Being a working man I naturally drive a manly car: Mini Cooper Clubman S

i dont own a pug.....

[donKey jote]

But usually when you drop some cash on a Bimmer you expect it to be built well and Mini's aren't as well built as you'd think.


Yes, well... you do know where they're built don't you? :vader:
Hint: Not Germany :p : :laugh:

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/16/16_3_166.gif

[Daniel]

Yes, well... you do know where they're built don't you?
Hint: Not Germany

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/16/16_3_166.gif

I know where they're built :p But if Fiat can build reliable cars in Poland then surely BMW can build decent cars in the UK. The thing that got me about the Mini I was a passenger in was the shocking ride quality (partially down to runflats no doubt) and the shocking quality of the interior. The gloss had worn off quite a few of the bits of trim inside :crazy: I think this was only a 2003 car as well :crazy: In the short time I worked at this place the girl who owned it had trouble with numerous things including but no limited to engine management, the TPMS (tyre pressure monitoring system), wiper motor and not so much an issue but the runflats have a significantly shorter life than conventional tyres. The interior was so badly worn that when I first got in I almost asked if she'd got a test hack rather than a production car :dozey:

[donKey jote]

Sure I bet she even had the steering wheel on the wrong side too :p :

When it comes to comparing work force motivation in countries like Poland vs UK, I guess I also have some stereotypes of my own... in this particular case I've heard first-hand stories about the work in Cowley - from a nasty German BMW man, yes, albeit an australian one :laugh:

[Daniel]

Daniel..you may be selling Fiat short...but I do hear your point. The Mini has a pretty good reputation over here in Canada tho. I drove a Cooper S model in a test drive once. Hot little car but a little too much the go-kart to be comfortable on a long trip for my liking...

Regardless of whether it's a Fiat or a Rolls it's still a 5 grand car though and a BMW costing twice as much and being about the same size should offer more in terms of build quality :) I'm seriously thinking about buying a Panda because they're really well put together and bloody economical to run. In the long term I'd really like to buy something French or Italian from the 60's or 70's as I said above. I don't really enjoy modern cars that much if I'm honest.

[Mark in Oshawa]

The sad reality is that the average car after 5 years is gonna look wore down Daniel. You are right tho about those runflat tires. They make a short choppy ride that little bit more miserable...

[Daniel]

The sad reality is that the average car after 5 years is gonna look wore down Daniel. You are right tho about those runflat tires. They make a short choppy ride that little bit more miserable...

Oh no this wasn't a little worn down. This looked like 20 years of abuse :crazy: Like I said it looked like a test hack with a pre-production quality interior rather than something you'd pay 10k+ for.

[Daniel]

Sure I bet she even had the steering wheel on the wrong side too :p :

When it comes to comparing work force motivation in countries like Poland vs UK, I guess I also have some stereotypes of my own... in this particular case I've heard first-hand stories about the work in Cowley - from a nasty German BMW man, yes, albeit an australian one :laugh:

But to the person driving it they shouldn't have to care about how motivated the worker is when they've just paid a significant amount of cash for their car :)

[donKey jote]

I agree, but I was getting at your Fiat in Poland vs BMW in UK comparison. Unmotivated Workforce = Quality issues. :)

As for paying too much for what you get, I guess that's your rip-off Britain for you :p :
Still, at least it's getting better for you now, was that 10K Euros you mentioned ? :D

[Daniel]

I agree, I was getting at your Fiat in Poland vs BMW in UK comparison. :)

As for paying too much for what you get, I guess that's your rip-off Britain for you :p :
Still, at least it's getting better for you now, was that 10K Euros you mentioned ? :D

Euros... pounds.... all the same thing these days ;)

Apparently it's almost cheaper these days to buy in the UK than on the continent!

[donKey jote]

They had stories on the news in Spain about the flights to London being packed with shoppers for the sales :laugh:

And I'm really pissed off your petrol is cheaper than mine for the first time in donkey history :mad:

But back tut topic, here's my drive: :s
http://freenet-homepage.de/donks/Imagen111_.jpg

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/16/16_3_166.gif

[Daniel]

They had stories on the news in Spain about the flights to London being packed with shoppers for the sales :laugh:

And I'm really pissed off your petrol is cheaper than mine for the first time in donkey history :mad:

But back tut topic, here's my drive:
http://freenet-homepage.de/donks/Imagen111_.jpg

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/16/16_3_166.gif
Sexy mama!


and the Porsche is OK too I guess :D

[donKey jote]

You guessed which one I drive every day then ? :p :
:bigcry:










I guess the Porsche was ok too though :laugh:

http://freenet-homepage.de/donks/Imagen110_.jpg

[AndyRAC]

Have you ever gone onto the online configurator and actually configured one in a spec you'd actually want? The cost is simply astronomical when you start to include things which you'd expect from a car that costs that much.

Oh yes!! Tried both the Cooper & Cooper S - Oh dear £$£$£$£$ - the Cooper was over £15,000, the Cooper S about £20,000 - er, no thanks!!
They would justify it as plenty of people buy them - hardly affordable Motoring!!

[Mark]

I had my car for almost 5 years and the leather steering wheel was looking a bit worn as were the floor mats, as you might expect, but if you replaced both of those things it would have looked good as new. In fact they may well have done exactly that..

[Daniel]

I had my car for almost 5 years and the leather steering wheel was looking a bit worn as were the floor mats, as you might expect, but if you replaced both of those things it would have looked good as new. In fact they may well have done exactly that..

This was more than that. The gloss coating on a lot of the interior trim has come off and there was just bare unglossy plastic underneath.

If you imagine the red in this picture is bare plastic you'll get what I mean. That was the extent of the "wear" to the interior of the car. I've seen a few more like that since I started looking in people's cars in car parks :p

[Daniel]

Oh yes!! Tried both the Cooper & Cooper S - Oh dear £$£$£$£$ - the Cooper was over £15,000, the Cooper S about £20,000 - er, no thanks!!
They would justify it as plenty of people buy them - hardly affordable Motoring!!

Yup. If I were wanting a quirky little retro hatchback I'd go for a Fiat 500. Cheaper, better built and you won't look like a real estate aged :D

[Vivianita]

I drive a lovely 2006 Chevrolet Aveo but its not mine, it's my mom's car... :( but she lends it to me :D

[Mark in Oshawa]

Aveo and lovely shouldn't be words put together....but maybe with Vivianita as the chaffeur it is a slam dunk they do go together!!

[Vivianita]

I know it's not the best car but it isn't that bad :P