Your Bangernomics successes

rdwarr

I did put up another thread about this but I now have:
1990 Maestro 1.6 XL Automatic
One previous owner
21,000 miles
9 months MOT
No rust or major faults
£430

Using it as an everyday car although it does have "Classic" potential.

mattyprice4004

A few pictures of my £500 75, on a recent trip to Scotland:





Now done 4,000 miles. So far it's had:

2x tyres - £60 each
New exhaust - £100
MAF booster and Pierburgh MAF - £165


Bits that need doing:

Front suspension spring broken at base, £80 for a pair + fitting
Front tyres only have 3mm left
In tank fuel pump mucking about - fine if you keep fuel level at above 1/4 of a tank

Love the car, it's fantastic.

On that trip the car was 5 up, had 3 crates of beer in the boot and we weren't hanging about on the way up. Wouldn't change it for the world.

sabretoothtigger

Thats my favourite car on here so far, what kind of mpg do you get with it. Slightly ironic how Rover put out one of their best cars just before closing, thay are no doubt cheaper to this day because of the companies overall bad rep

YoungBusinessman

Thats a good looking car for £500 i must say!!

mattyprice4004

Cheers guys, I really do like it - highly recommended if you're after some pie-key prestige.

With regards to MPG, there's a bit of a story behind that:
- When I got it, it did 35mpg. I found the thermostat was stuck open and it wasn't getting above 40odd degrees. £7 later a Renault thermostat was fitted to the top radiator hose to keep it a little higher (now 80odd) and it went up to 40mpg.
- Next, the MAF was unplugged due to it being out of spec (no power low down, on-boost performance OK) so I bought a kit that amplifies the existing MAF signal, and if there's not enough to amplify it allows you to use a cheaper Mercedes MAF. That was 42mpg.
- Finally, an O ring on the intercooler was leaking boost. 10 minute and £1 later it was running around 46mpg, which is where it's stayed.

I won't lie, from buying it to making it perfect it's going to cost around another £500 - so I have to look at this as a £1000 car. Worth ten times that now to me though, if you're in any doubt drive a good one.
What an amazing car.

Currently in for it's MOT - I shall post back soon

Blackjack_Davy

Deleted_User wrote: »

Been offered a 1989 Panda for £250 with no MOT but is described as being in working order with only 54K miles.

Thinking it could be a winter project with the view of it becoming a good bangernomics contender!



Worth it?

No way, no MOT, scrap value only.

Awful cars. My mother had one once it would barely go up hills had to shift down a couple of gears to get it up a moderate incline, and smoke used to rise from teh gearbox when you did.

Used to rattle and bang like a good 'un. At anything over 40mph you couldn't hear yourself think for the noise. Tin box on wheels sums it up perfectly. Driving position was cramped, if you're over 5ft tall you'll struggle to get your knees behind the wheel. Most uncomfortable and hard car seats I've ever known.

Can honestly say it's the worst car I've ever driven. Wouldn't have another if you paid me.

mattyprice4004

MOT passed - needs a couple of new springs and drop links for next year.

What's that, about £80? Not too bad.

worried_jim

Stuck for bangernomics inspiration? Some great pointers in a recent Auto Express-

mattyprice4004

Using some string and basic maths I've checked my tracking - the passenger side is out by a LOT. That's why my tyre has shoulder wear and economy is still down on what it should be!

Laser alignment time, well in the New Year it will be.

Still running great, racking up 80 miles a day to work and dotting about on weekends - I've also had the power upped to 160BHP and loving it.

British ain't dead yet - I've owned many cars and this hands-down beats them all.

Relating to the above post - the MGF is good, but always have contact details for one of the mobile 'MG Rover' mechanics on file - there's a good few people travelling the country doing head gasket jobs these days. They charge around £300 and do the lot at home - cheaper than most garages and a better job too. Repeat failures are VERY rare.

worried_jim

I have just booked my MOT for Thursday morning, not expecting any issues but you never no and I am no expert. The MOT isn't due until Feb 18th but the tax is due on Feb 1st so I want to make sure that it is worth running for another year before I pay for the tax. Fingers crossed. If it isn't economic to repair (if any are needed) I shall buy another banger, but the Rover has been such a joy I really want to keep it for as long as possible.
Since buying it last year I have purchased one set of wiper blades, one Haynes manual from ebay for a few quid and one can of silicon spray. That's it, no other outlay besides car purchase, fuel, tax and insurance.
Over the year I have traveled 2847 miles at 27.3 mpg and spent £644.34 on petrol.
The old girl hasn't missed a beat and the only issue I have had is the front electric windows falling out of their runners and despite me taking them apart (thanks Haynes) I haven't resolved the problem so just use the rear windows and sunroof for fresh air.
If it does pass ok on Thursday then she will be treated to a full service, I would also like to get the AC re-gassed, the windows fixed and a cd player installed.
I have used the same one man garage for the last 10 years but in the last 6 months he has closed up and been replaced by a discount furniture warehouse so I need to find a new indy I can trust. I know of one that is walking distance but he is a member of the good garage scheme so I could be in line for a forte engine flush. Wish me luck for Thursday! Hope everyone is driving their bangers well and saving money. All the best for 2013 bangernomics, Jim.