Still have a rubbish car aged 29

[BenABF]

27 and never had what could be classed as a good car in anything but mine and a few others eyes. Best car was probably a 1.9 205 GTi. Currently got a 306 Dturbo as its cheap and with a few enhancements great fun to drive.

[aerospacemango]

Got the car I always wanted as a teenager. Good ones go for about £500, PERFECT ones go for about £800-1k. Perfect turbo ones go for about a million but nevermind those...

 

Cheap (ish) insurance, old tax system so cheaper to tax than my 1.6 Astra, scrapyard bits and Haynes manual repairs on some VERY simple engines. Only thing that kills them is the rust as they're really Cavaliers. Also bloody fast if you need and don't drink *that* much:

 

http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff441/TerrifyingGiantSquid/calibra.jpg

 

Had one of those 10 years ago..... WHAT A CAR!!!!

 

I loved that car like no other (well, not quite as much as my Capri!!!) Full leather interior, electric everything, and 6 disc CD in boot. What a car!!

 

Now, I have an Avensis estate.... Function over form....especially with 2 step-kids, who are teenagers, and one 7 year old, who I have to drive 110 miles to pick up and drop off at his mothers'. 50+mph helps in that situation!

[sted]

depends how you define a decent car. I still think probably the best car ive ever owned was a 2001 zetec s fiesta it wasnt fast or anything special but it was fast enough and cornered like it was on rails. The only car ive owned since i liked anywhere near as much was my focus st170 till some jerk in an audi rear ended me and pushed me into a rover it was never the same.

 

Mainly ive owned fords one vag group car (never again it was poor and other people i know with them have now but trouble) and currently driving a citroen ds3 (least people can see me coming its bright yellow with a black roof)

[aerospacemango]

depends how you define a decent car. I still think probably the best car ive ever owned was a 2001 zetec s fiesta it wasnt fast or anything special but it was fast enough and cornered like it was on rails. The only car ive owned since i liked anywhere near as much was my focus st170 till some jerk in an audi rear ended me and pushed me into a rover it was never the same.

 

Mainly ive owned fords one vag group car (never again it was poor and other people i know with them have now but trouble) and currently driving a citroen ds3 (least people can see me coming its bright yellow with a black roof)

 

What is that like to own and drive, @sted ?

 

My brother is very interested in getting one....and I like the look of them too....even though my latest car was only bought 3 months ago!!!

[BenABF]

27 and never had what could be classed as a good car in anything but mine and a few others eyes. Best car was probably a 1.9 205 GTi. Currently got an N reg 306 Dturbo as its cheap and with a few enhancements such as uprated suspension, bushes and a healty turn of the fueling screw great fun to drive. Nothing out there really shouts buy me so I'm happy as it is. Nearly done 200k and still drives and runs like a beaut and not a spot of rust.

[sted]

What is that like to own and drive, @sted ?

 

My brother is very interested in getting one....and I like the look of them too....even though my latest car was only bought 3 months ago!!!

 

id avoid the "fast" petrols like the plaigue they CAN have a whole raft of issues. Its a nice car to drive boots decent size though seems a bit shorter than my last car 08 fiesta so pc boxes wont fit in without folding the back seat down (though you can usually then put them back up again) interiors ok (few minor intermitent rattles but i think thats as much the poor roads round here) if quite dark (the dsport i have is black leather (the alternative was yellow seats lol) black plastic and shiny black plastic it does look good but is dark. Im getting high 50s mpg (ehdi 110) and when i went to brand hatch and back (mainly on cruise contol @70) i got over 60. The glovebox is a joke most of its fusebox (aparently standard on right hand drive citroens). Corners well (newer electic power steering on most modern cars robs a lot of feel but ive driven cars where its much worse and tbh you cant avoid it though im sure there must be better ways of eeking out mpg than this). Like any car there are known issues in this case mainly the thp 150/155 engines eating timing chains and related bits the dsport/optional belone alloys are prone to corrosion. The 6 speed box is probably designed for kph not mph so say 30 in 4th is ok but much lower and it starts to complain. But so far my problem list is the rear chrome strip above the number plate dosnt seat quite right and one of the pedals shows some odd wear

[Miscbrah]

Had one of those 10 years ago..... WHAT A CAR!!!!

 

I loved that car like no other (well, not quite as much as my Capri!!!) Full leather interior, electric everything, and 6 disc CD in boot. What a car!!

 

*high fives!*

 

Yeah it's my pride and joy, absolutely love it. They're SOO cheap now though! If you find a good one going get it! Last chance before they're all gone :/

[Gonk]

I'm 33 and I've got a varied car history. I was lucky that I worked in a garage and got to won some nice cars. Don’t be fooled though, just because it’s nice doesn’t mean that’s its hassle free..

Cars I've owned:

 

95 M Vauxhall Corsa 1.2 3 Dr

00 W Vauxhall Corsa 1.2 5 Dr

00 X Seat Leon 1.9Tdi SE 5Dr

03 03 Land Rover Discovery Td5 GS-7

04 04 Jaguar X-Type 2.0 D SE Saloon

05 05 Mazda RX-8 231 Bhp

07 57 Golf 2.0 Tdi GT Sport DSG

09 09 Mini Cooper D Clubman

98 S Rover 420 TD

04 53 Vauxhall Astra 1.7 CDTi Estate

 

Ross

[aerospacemango]

*high fives!*

 

Yeah it's my pride and joy, absolutely love it. They're SOO cheap now though! If you find a good one going get it! Last chance before they're all gone :/

 

I once had mine up to an unmentionable speed on the A13, coming out of London. Oh, the joy of driving that car! Mine was a 95, on an "M" plate.

 

Sold it via Ebay, and was almost in tears as it was picked up!

 

Thanks to @sted ....I'll let my bruv know your thoughts

[Chris_in_notts]

my daily its 15 years old and does 9 miles to the gallon so not to economical but you dont get many people trying to cut you up for some reason.

 

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l208/chris_in_notts/DSC05038.jpg

[sonofsanta]

27 and a 54 plate 1.3 diesel Fiesta Finesse (i.e. no extras at all)... which is about the least exciting car you can get, but I do 20,000 miles a year in it, get 70+ to the gallon and have yet to do anything other than get new tyres for an MOT. It's about 110,000 miles now so I'll probably get another 4-5 years out that diesel engine and then get a similar car.

 

I fear for all but the most fortunate/financially insane, "the car we want" is a present to ourselves at around 60 when there's no dependants to worry about anymore and possibly even a forces pension to add to your income (as with my Dad's police pension and our site manager's RAF pension).

 

EDIT: I should say, this is by no means a rubbish car, it's a proper little trooper, it's just thoroughly uninspiring. But £35 tax a year and nothing wrong with it suits me. It has the most important feature for me anyway: USB slot on the radio so I can listen to audiobooks on that hour's commute

Edited June 29, 2012 by sonofsanta

[twin--turbo]

Hopefully have this on the road at some point...

 

Haynes Forums - View Single Post - TwinTurbos Build Diary....

 

Rob

[AMLinington]

I'm driving a 2.2l Y-Reg Vectra (the model with the sweepy wing mirrors). It's not the nicest car in the world and a nice new sporty focus would be lovely but I think that determining your relative worth by the car you drive is a bit pointless. Cars are expensive. They are far more expensive than they should be for what they are and they cost a FORTUNE to run. IMO you should not judge your car by how 'cool' it is but by how cheaply you can run it! My car costs a FORTUNE to run, but not as much as some. Tax is the biggest killer. The insurance isn't too bad. 11 years no claims helps mind you. But I have no loan to pay on it, I owe nothing on the car so because I own it outright I only have to pay for consumables. If I bought a new car I couldn't afford to pay for it outright so I'd have to get a loan - say you buy a £2000 car, loans for cars are 3 or 5 years. 5 at the absolute most, so repayments are about £100 a month, plus tax, plus MOT, plus running costs. I plan to drive my car until it falls apart underneath me or something goes that is over £1000 to replace.

 

LeBoyfriend has occasional flashes of great wisdom (only occasional mind you) and probably the wisest thing he's said to me that has stuck with me whenever something marginally expensive goes wrong with my sorry hunk'o'junk (a full exhaust system was moderately expensive - I hyperventilated a little when I paid that bill) is that 'It is not about what the car is actually worth, but what it is worth TO YOU.' So whilst the car may only be WORTH £750 in real money, it is WORTH TO ME over £2000 as that is what it would cost to replace. So when £500 worth of stuff goes wrong with it, sure, it SOUNDS uneconomical and it would be if I was planning on selling it, but since I plan to drive it into the ground, a £500 repair is money well spent as it is £1500 less than a new car.

[aerospacemango]

my daily its 15 years old and does 9 miles to the gallon so not to economical but you dont get many people trying to cut you up for some reason.

 

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l208/chris_in_notts/DSC05038.jpg

 

9 MILES TO THE GALLON?????

 

*chokes on tea*

 

[dave.81]

my daily its 15 years old and does 9 miles to the gallon so not to economical but you dont get many people trying to cut you up for some reason.

 

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l208/chris_in_notts/DSC05038.jpg

 

If i didn't have to travel a long distance to get my daughter, this is the kind of monster i'd get for my commute to work! Love it!

[tbutcher]

just bought a 55 plate vauxhall astra diesel as i'm moving jobs and need a commuter car. it's the SRi so looks pretty nice and drives really well (and cheaply!)

 

my old car is a 53 plate MG ZR 160. goes like the clappers and makes a very satisfying noise doing so!! it's actually up for sale at the moment, so if anyone in the Swindon/Wiltshire area is after a lovely looking and running car then let me know. only 51k on the clock too y'know!

[SYNACK]

My car is a 1998 2.5L Vectra and rather 'stated'. I could also spit and hit 30. I could buy a better car but I like my current one and refuese to waste a stack of money on something inferior. My car is fun, it's a bit iffy but stacks of fun and I'm not burning $20-$30k on another car to match the high points of it.

[mats]

Was 30 in June and am proud to have never owned a car. Just been lucky to enough to always find jobs within walking/cycling distance. I reckon I save £x000s a year.

 

Amen brother. I'm knocking on the big 4-0 and haven't owned a car since about 2000. I can claim about 6 bicycles though.

[SHimmer45]

i drive around in a scruffy 1ltr micra which cost me £300 over 2 years ago and in that time i have serviced it and had a half sill put on it, never missed a beat.

my view on cars are older and simpler are best for me to home service etc.

id love another Mk2 golf or something of that age but cant afford it atm, also i mainly use the car for lugging stuff around.

 

if a car needed £400 of MOT work doing id bin it its not worth it when some real bargains can be had for sub 500 now the government scrappage scheme isnt sucking all the quality motors out of the market.

[Oaktech]

I'm 32, I don't own a car... however i do own a push bike worth more than any car i have ever owned.

[markcuk]

my car list

 

09-10 VW POLO 1.4 UK

10-11 Bedford CF240 1978 NZ

10-11 Nissan Cefiro 2.5 V6 NZ (Nissan QX in the UK) really miss all the extras and the power

11-12 Nissan Almera 1.8

[sidewinder]

Apart from a brief period in my early 20's when I bought a Hyundai Coupe, I've only ever had 'rubbish' cars. Also currently got a 98 fiesta (diesel) and even that is better than the majority I've had as it only had one owner before and is in great condition.

 

Still will be sold asap though as I live in London and no longer want or need a car.

 

Never, ever as long as I live will I buy a brand new car. Can't see the point

[Jamman960]

Started out with a P Reg punto then had a few company cars, ended up driving my wife's Suzuki Wagon R(now that was embarassing to drive!)

 

now drive a 55 plate Focus 1.6 Ghia

 

Personally I'd much rather spend a good amount of money on a slightly used(3-4 year old) car, run it for 2-3 years and then part-ex it for something else while it still has some value

 

We're currenlty looking for a 2nd car, we made the mistake of visiting carcraft to get an idea of prices the other day - what a waste of time, we were given 5 mins to look around while the sales guy searched his computer for cars that matched our req's then took us out for a test drive and assumed we were wanting to buy it there and then despite saying nothing of the sort, buying it outright was frowned upon - their tagline should be "would you like a car with that loan sir?" I get the impression the cars are there purely as something to secure loans against!

[EduTech]

When I started driving nearly 3 years ago (I'm only 21) I started with a (V Reg) Peugeot 307? but unfortunately that ended up wrote off so brought a Vauxhall Corsa 1.2 SXI (57) and had that for a few months before buying another Vauxhall Corsa 1.4 (58) (Design) spent quite a bit of money on that car making it look rather nice! and then I sold that and Purchased a Volkswagen Golf Match 1.9 (Match) (57) and now I have an Audi A3 2.0 (170bhp) S-Line Black Edition in White (10 Plate)

 

I now have the car that I have wanted for quite some time now, due to the amount of miles I do I purchased this on a lease so that i could take it back and get a new car in 2 - 3 years which works better for me.

 

James.

Edited June 29, 2012 by EduTech

[hardtailstar]

im 24 and own a 05 2.0l Fiesta ST

 

my view is if i can afford a flash car while im living with parents then i will get one as i know in a few years ill have to get a sensible car when living on my own or with a family.