Black smoke from a 106?

Ok. I can't remember what was on there before (old, tired and a bulge in one wall) but I can't remember it being much different (so they may have been good in their day anyway).

Same with the Rover 218SD but they were something completely unknown (to me anyway) but then that is a big front heavy lump .. ;-(

Well indeed ..

Well, that seems to be the opinion of my mechanic mate and at least he hasn't just turned his nose up and shaken his head at this (in spite of not liking them himself etc) like the others that have been put forward so far ..

Well of course Adrian. Any time I 'volunteer' on this all get's me brownie points in as much as I'm seen (potentially) doing something for the step-daughter and the family member who has a spare car.

All the best ..

T i m

So are you saying this is modern-ish Steve (so we might be ok)?

All the best ..

T i m

;-)

Ooops,

So are you saying this isn't modernish (so we could be ok)?

T i m

Guy King ( snipped-for-privacy@zetnet.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Nobody in their right mind would buy an Automatic Clio, or anything mid-

90s/small/CVT, though.

... and, let's be fair, the reason there's not a surplus of small autobox cars is that NOBODY BUYS MANY OF 'EM NEW.

So no better (in any respect) than a 15yo 150k then (especially considering it's a 1.1)?

But if I was paying 'decent money' (in shed terms) I'd want it to be.

Not to me it isn't. That suggests to me that (on average) 3 people were sufficiently happy with it to keep it 5 years each, again, better than something with 15 po's over the same period.

All the best ..

T i m

1) I've never been to a car auction. 2) I don't own or use a Merc (Rover 218SD remember) 3) and keep the few 20's I own in a wallet.

Mate ;-)

Ok, cheers ..

But that's (or Peugeot 406) not a small car is it Adrian (and I know you only gave that as an example but bigger cars are often cheaper because they cost more to run, tax, fix and insure).

Still, not bad going etc.

The last (only) clutch cable I have ever replaced (on the road) was on the Sierra and luckily I carried a spare .. 10 mins and £3.50 later we were on our way again. ;-)

The 'last straw' for my mate and hence me getting the Rover was him having the clutch cable snap and having to get recovered home.

So I got it with a new clutch cable ;-)

All the best ..

T i m

The message from Adrian contains these words:

The wife likes hers - and like I said it's hard to find small autos with PAS, particularly 4-doors.

T i m ( snipped-for-privacy@spaced.me.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Not necessarily, no. Condition is all.

There's one 2cv for sale at the mo with roughly 2/3 of a _million_ miles on it. And a ticket. I've scrapped 'em with a tenth of that.

Anything prosaic with no ticket is overpriced if it's over a hundred quid.

Why?

I'd rather a car that'd had 10 owners who used it, then sold it on to somebody else who used it when they no longer needed it - than a couple of people who owned it then shoved it down the end of the garden to rot for years.

Condition is the *only* relevant factor when buying a used car - although mileage and previous owners are significant value adjusters for newer used cars.

T i m ( snipped-for-privacy@spaced.me.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

I should have said that it didn't snap, was just getting a bit heavy.

Which is a complete myth if you're doing low mileage and don't buy something silly like a 3-litre 6-pot....

For 500 quid you'd get a medium to large Jap slushomatic with PAS and 12 months ticket. (Think Accord, Carina e (OK, they're both British built) or Primula (Oh, another one built over here, but you see what I mean))

Ok .. so insurance would be the same as a 1.1 Pug for a 27 year old (genuine question)?

Hmm ok, but none of them sound like they will match the 1.1 for economy around town Steve (unless you get the diesel variant of course). Worth a look though ... got one going for sub £500?

All the best ..

T i m

Adrian formulated on Tuesday :

To some extent yes, but any vehicle with lots of previous owners will have usually suffered from lots of neglect. Chances are that those previous owners will have sold it on for a valid to them reason, as in they found problems. Someone who keeps a car for a while will have tended to have looked after it reasonably well in my experience.

It's possible it will be lower - statistics will show that a lot of 1.1

106s get pranged by young drivers, which loads the premium on them.

A mid-sized Jap slushomatic will have incredibly low accident stats. 'cos they're bought by middle aged family men.

Might be 5-10mpg worse off, but that's an absolute pittance compared with the total cost of ownership.

T i m ( snipped-for-privacy@spaced.me.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

One way to find out...

Bear in mind that the chav-factor of a 106 may well kick in on a younger driver.

Hold on a minute...

YOU didn't want a slusho, anyway, IIRC. Guy threw that into the mix.

If you want utter cheapness to buy-insure-drive-run, go up a size from the tiddlers. ZX 1.4 or 1.9D - cheaper than walking.

Heh. I hadn't noticed that.

In which case, I'm with you - anything with the PSA N/A diesel would do the job.

SteveH ( snipped-for-privacy@italiancar.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Given that Tim's already got a 218 diesel, it's a familiar lump, too...

Look, forget about the 106.....

I've just found this on a forum I read:

Yes, it's a Roverised Metro. But it's the nippy 1.4, it has a full MOT,

5 months tax and he 'would like' £450. Which means you'll get it for £350-£400.

They're actually not a bad car as far as 10 year old superminis go - I learned to drive in a 114 Kensington.....

The message from snipped-for-privacy@italiancar.co.uk (SteveH) contains these words:

I loved the Metros - they were a hoot to drive compared to much of the contemporary competition.

Guy King ( snipped-for-privacy@zetnet.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

...in the early '80s...