Your Bangernomics successes

[Deleted User]

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mcjordi

fast approaching a year since i bought the scenic.. done around 6k in it and only spent approx £50 on servicing and repairs.

motorguy

Dont know if i've posted my latest sub £1,000 purchase, but heres she is



2.5 litre V6 petrol MG ZT.

Bought for £750. Wasnt without its problems. Clunky front suspension - although MOT legal - necessitated (as it was driving me mad) new anti roll bar bushings, shocks, top mount bearings and top mounts.

All going well now though, full years MOT.

jimjames

mcjordi wrote: »

fast approaching a year since i bought the scenic.. done around 6k in it and only spent approx £50 on servicing and repairs.

About 7 months for me with the Golf and nearly 10k miles. Had a few bits to spend out on but it's still be very reliable motoring for not much money. I'll need a couple of new tyres soon but that's not something I'd skimp on

dcouponzzzz

Forgive me for my lack of knowledge around anything under a car bonnet, but I have a 2003 Focus 1.8 LX 5 door hatchback... the interior light played silly beggars last week and killed the battery.

Jumped it, ran it in and its been starting fine all week. This morning I used the front/rear heated windscreens and everything electricity related started flickering on and off. While I was on a rather large and dangerous 5 entry/exit roundabout.

The car cost £800 2 months ago and I'm chuffed with it. Literally the only problems are some wheel arch rust which hasn't spread and missing rear seat headrests, and it runs perfectly.

So, the question. Do I buy a new battery? Is there another way for me to charge the current one back up? If I buy new, any recommendations? (Halfords own brand seems reasonable and well reviewed). Would it be a better investment to just get a portable jump kit?

Once again, sorry for any stupid questions

loskie

buy a battery from an auto factors I got one from Sutton Auto Factors for my Volvo cost about £68 Halfords were 130. Both the same Yuasa battery

Farzackerly

dcouponzzzz wrote: »

Forgive me for my lack of knowledge around anything under a car bonnet, but I have a 2003 Focus 1.8 LX 5 door hatchback... the interior light played silly beggars last week and killed the battery.

Jumped it, ran it in and its been starting fine all week. This morning I used the front/rear heated windscreens and everything electricity related started flickering on and off. While I was on a rather large and dangerous 5 entry/exit roundabout.

The car cost £800 2 months ago and I'm chuffed with it. Literally the only problems are some wheel arch rust which hasn't spread and missing rear seat headrests, and it runs perfectly.

So, the question. Do I buy a new battery? Is there another way for me to charge the current one back up? If I buy new, any recommendations? (Halfords own brand seems reasonable and well reviewed). Would it be a better investment to just get a portable jump kit?

Once again, sorry for any stupid questions

When a car battery gets more than a couple of years old, a totally flat drain-down will often knacker it. It will seem to charge up, but will let you down when you need it most - like in the cold mornings. Car batteries aren't designed to cope with drain-downs, being more for short bursts of large amps (like starting) then fairly rapid recharging.
It will be worth your while to spend fifty or sixty quid on a new one that will last a few years - it's still cheap motoring.
Just to be on the safe side - stick a multimeter across the battery when the engine's running and see what the charging voltage is. Your problem might be alternator related.

Red-Squirrel_2

I've been reasonably lucky with 'bangers' as long as I've been driving.

My first car was a 1990 Fiat Uno, bought in 2002 for £200 when I passed my test, ran beautifully till 2007 with only the cost of its MOT each year then scrapped when it broke down on the M62 and was uneconomical to repair. I loved that car, I'd have that car back in a heartbeat, my friends were always alarmed that it only had one wing mirror. :rotfl:

I replaced that in 2007 with a 1996 Renault Clio for £400, ran fine with no problems at all until an idiot in a stolen car wrote it off in 2009. Gutted.

With the very generous insurance settlement from that I bought a 1996 Nissan Almera for £300. I only kept that for about a year (no repairs or problems) then sold it for £250 to car share with my ex. Somebody else may still be driving that...

After breaking up with the ex I got a 2006 Kia Picanto in 2010, newest car I'd ever owned. Now that its nearly 10 years old though I think it officially qualifies as a banger and its still never let me down and only set me back the cost of MOTs and a couple of new tyres.

I've just had a company car delivered today, less than 2 years old, it doesn't have a real key and there are loads of buttons I don't understand, I'm not cut out for these new shiny cars!!

robin61

motorguy wrote: »

+1

I'd have another S Type in a flash. Great cars. Plenty around. Try to get a post facelift 2002 onwards model.

I've had a handful of S Types - varying between £700 and £1200 from memory..

Very good thread.
I am hoping to retire within the next 18 months. At the moment we only need one car ( my company car) as I don't use it for work so my wife gets to use it. She seems to regard it as her car !
Anyway I can see that when I am not working there will be more occasions when an extra car would be nice to have. Thing is a second car would still not be used that much. So I am thinking that we will get one newish car (probably for my wife) and then maybe an older one as a second car would suffice.
I'd be very happy with one of these old S Types. I have always liked them.You are right there seem to be plenty around for reasonable money. I would be interested to know a bit more about how reliable yours have been.

Thanks.

parking_question_chap

I am considering swapping my car for something else. Would love an S type for £1000. Though I have to ask, what went wrong with each one to make you get rid?