Car Talk

[BrundallNavy]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BLACK-MG-ZS-SUV-VTI-TECH-EXCITE-1-6-PETROL-18-PLATE/223485839818?_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20170920101022%26meid%3D19920a1d33a8426ca25d5bf74d4a8120%26pid%3D100010%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D12%26sd%3D283455439642%26itm%3D223485839818&_trksid=p2047675.c100010.m2109

Try this one just over 2000 miles and a year old  all for under £8500

[ChrisB]

1 hour ago, brundallNavy said:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BLACK-MG-ZS-SUV-VTI-TECH-EXCITE-1-6-PETROL-18-PLATE/223485839818?_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20170920101022%26meid%3D19920a1d33a8426ca25d5bf74d4a8120%26pid%3D100010%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D12%26sd%3D283455439642%26itm%3D223485839818&_trksid=p2047675.c100010.m2109

Try this one just over 2000 miles and a year old  all for under £8500

It is a Cat. S car, so the insurance considered it a write off. I would want a good look at it and put it on a jig to make sure it is straight before parting with money. That said many Cat. S are repaired and safely returned to the road.

[oldgregg]

Yeah... That's had quite a lot of damage to be a total loss at that age. I would guess cost / availability of parts is a factor.

 

They do look more solid than the junk that used to come out of China, though https://www.euroncap.com/en/results/mg/zs/29657

 

Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

 

 

 

 

[Paul]

11 hours ago, ChrisB said:

It is a Cat. S car, so the insurance considered it a write off. I would want a good look at it and put it on a jig to make sure it is straight before parting with money. That said many Cat. S are repaired and safely returned to the road.

most of them were not straight when they left the factory.

[PCL023]

That’s one thing the Chinese seem to have mastered very well, the build quality even to my most critical eye is very good, in fact a lot better than some of its rivals in the same price band, such as the Duster etc. Even quite a few of the more expensive OEM’s could learn a thing or two from them 

Cheers

Paul  

[LondonRascal]

It has been a while, but some news on the 'fleet':

Firstly, I am taking the X5 into a place in Norwich called BA Wheels where the alloy wheels will under go quite a refub. I am having them all taken off blasted (its not sand but that sort of thing) and then they will go through a fresh diamond cut to make the edges of the inner design have a larger cut surface and better shine. The insides will then be power coated in a sparkly grey, which is apparently the same colour some Aston Martin wheels are covered with. This will help hide the brake dust. I'll post some photos once it is all done

Secondly as you will no doubt know the SLK I bought has steadily got worse and worse. What a lemon it has proved to be. The issues began when I bought it when the drivers door mirror and lock failed, followed by a new coil pack being needed. Once that was done and I got the car the heater blower motor began to squall terribly, the air conditioner compressor made a terrible whine which has got worse over time. New issues popped up when the transmission would stick in 3rd gear - only very occasionally. Now it will get stuck in 1st or 3rd and it is pretty much every drive. I now also have quite an oil leak down the back left hand side of the engine, it drips onto the exhaust manifold overnight - start the car up in the morning and it smokes like hell for about 20 minutes.

Well it is not like I can just sell the car in that condition, and to fix all the above I have been quoted more than the car's value. It therefore came as a great surprise that despite this a dealer has agreed to part exchange the car and valued it at £4,500 - and I am taking delivery of a 'new' SLK on Thursday.

The new car is a late 2008 model, with 650 improvements over the previous model, the engine now producing 306BHP, 5.4 seconds to 60 means this is close to the previous AMG V8 in out right acceleration. It has had 2 owners, the previous an old gentleman who could not use easily get in and out of it, has only been serviced by main dealer Mercedes and has done 55,000 miles. It has a lovely (tarty) all red leather interior with a silver exterior. It is having an MOT and service prior to me getting it, and this one comes with a proper warranty. I am hoping second time round will be lucky.

I had thought about a BMW Z4 but finding a decent one with the similar performance as the SLK would have seen me having to spend close on £14,000. I looked into a larger Mercedes SL but that would be full of issues, they just do naturally go wrong because they are complex cars and they cost a lot to sort out when they do. I then considered an Audi TT, but it would need to be a TT S to compete with the SLK on performance and again would cost many thousands more. So something small, with a V6 or and a lot of go you can't really beat the cheapness of the SLK's. They ride really well too, and the more modern SLC is being discontinued so these small rockets will be the things of history.

My only issue with the R171 model are the seats, they look good, and are made with Magnesium frames for lightness but they just lack lower back support. I have to say I love the comfort and softness of the X5, but I can suffer a stiff back for the experience of the low down roadster. It also makes you actually part of the drive and need to be more alert to what the conditions are and car is doing. The X5 will just go come what may, the SLK even on a 30 MPH twisting road can be a bit twitchy in the wet from the back end.

I'll post some photos come Thursday.

 

[Meg]

I bet if I asked you all, you would remember your first car fondly. Just because you are now old and jaded and cannot get excited about a car, go back in your memory bank. The excitement of being independent, the places you could go. Robin probably feels that now and good luck to him. I bored the world and two brothers with tales of my Austin A40 and what good performance I got with WNK 650 and would love to see her again. ( probable with relined brakes though and the heater was useless oh and the lights were dim too)!!!!!!

[Seagypsy]

I got my first car in 1959 before I passed my test. It was a Laurel Green 1957 Vauxhall Victor Reg No NKY 776

Meg. Is it possible your Reg No was 650 WNK as the way you have put it seems too early for an A40

[BroadAmbition]

My first road legal car was an Austin 1100 and I was as proud as punch with it.  Even when the gearstick game right out of the floor with me waving it about like a wand on a journey down to the Broads with my Mum as a passenger!  Still got there too but had to improvise somewhat.  I changed the cylinder head to a 1300 gas flowed unit with a bigger carb - All that did was wear out the big ends / crank real fast.

The interior was upgraded to that synthetic fur everywhere and I do mean everywhere.  No excuse for this but we were talking the late 70's here.  A blue sunstrip visor stuck on inside the top of the front screen proudly displayed with the words 'Him n Her'   Well that's not quite true, it initially stated 'Him n Them' but my Mum put her foot down and I was ordered to change it

There was more fog / spotlamps on the front of that car than there was bumper or grill to fasten them on.  Had to upgrade the wiring / dynamo / battery to try and cope with it all not to mention a bank of relays and yards of cabling.  The sound unit was upgraded too, radio cassette with some sort of amp.  Wider tyres - Played havoc with the bearings upgraded engine played havoc with brake fade and fuel consumption,  Synthetic fur played havoc with one night stands / girlfriends and the R/C did our eardrums no good at all.

But to me and my mates / girlies, we  had some great and memorable times with that car, camping weekends away, trips to the Broads, gawd only knows how we fitted in all the luggage / bodies.   Steamy windows etc (Toooooo much information)   - It was my Rolls / Canardly, that is to say rolled down hills and canardly get up em.

It was nowhere near the best car I have ever had but certainly for my first - the most memorable

Griff

 

[JanetAnne]

Still got mine... had it since 1977. Just discovered I dont have a piccy of it on here so its an image nicked off google I'm afraid.

[CambridgeCabby]

My first car was a Renault 12 I bought of my future mother in law , in those days Katie was doing her nurse training in the old Norfolk and Norwich hospital and I used to drive up for the weekend , I used to leave very early hours on Monday morning to get home to Cambridge to avoid any traffic and being a stupid irresponsible youngster (yes , I know, haven’t changed much) I used to see how quickly I could manage it , my record then and still to this day was 47 minutes to Cambridge thank good there weren’t speed cameras in those days , and yes 46 minutes even though you had to travel through Thetford center !!!

[oldgregg]

5 hours ago, CambridgeCabby said:

My first car was a Renault 12 I bought of my future mother in law , in those days Katie was doing her nurse training in the old Norfolk and Norwich hospital and I used to drive up for the weekend , I used to leave very early hours on Monday morning to get home to Cambridge to avoid any traffic and being a stupid irresponsible youngster (yes , I know, haven’t changed much) I used to see how quickly I could manage it , my record then and still to this day was 47 minutes to Cambridge thank good there weren’t speed cameras in those days , and yes 46 minutes even though you had to travel through Thetford center !!!

There wasn't an A14 either, and a lot less of the A11 dualled...

[ranworthbreeze]

My first car, well a Transit van (1970) called Henry it had a hard previous life and rust had set in in various areas, my guess it had been washed out in the back on a regular basis. we decked it out with a wooden floor and wooden rails on the sides to strap down our disco gear (back in the day everything was very large just like the radios of the day) sadly I was the driver and the only sober member of the group. 

I spent hours under the van usually in wet winter weather doing the various repairs, rebuilding the engine after re-boring etc. The engine blew twice on the M1 coming North up the hill towards Barlbrough and then having to limp home on three cylinders with a van full of gear and the eight of us.

Regards

Alan

[Ray]

VW Beetle.. 6v  SUD 495

 

JA, your photo reminds me of the first car I crashed! It was my dad's Viva, same colour but not the estate version. Write off and a night in hospital.. I'm pretty sure Dad never forgave me! lol

[grendel]

my first car was a VW Variant (estate beetle)in a lovely yellow colour.

[Meg]

Thank you Griff especially, I haven't laughed out loud on my own for ages, frightened the dog. Gearstick in the air Mum in the car nightmare stuff. Sea gypsy I think you might be thinking of a more modern A40 mine was black and definitely the reg was that way round, I passed my test March 1967 the new reg of that year was letters number and the letter E. I bought this car second hand from the local butcher and it was very old then, there were two shapes one a bigger version of a Morris minor and mine which was less bubble more square. I have some recollection of a column change but not clear enough to be certain. By the way I now drive a Ford KA but it is the plus model and is as big as a Fiesta black with white roof and white wheel spokes, snazzy hey!

 

[grendel]

my old escort used to do that, the plastic insert that screwed in on the gearstick had cracked, so if you changed too hard it came off in your hand, oh the fun we had.

[Ray]

As a few of us have remembered and posted our first car's registration number, am I the only one who just had to go change a password somewhere? 

[OldBerkshireBoy]

`ello John, got a new motor? 

[Seagypsy]

4 hours ago, Meg said:

Thank you Griff especially, I haven't laughed out loud on my own for ages, frightened the dog. Gearstick in the air Mum in the car nightmare stuff. Sea gypsy I think you might be thinking of a more modern A40 mine was black and definitely the reg was that way round, I passed my test March 1967 the new reg of that year was letters number and the letter E. I bought this car second hand from the local butcher and it was very old then, there were two shapes one a bigger version of a Morris minor and mine which was less bubble more square. I have some recollection of a column change but not clear enough to be certain. By the way I now drive a Ford KA but it is the plus model and is as big as a Fiesta black with white roof and white wheel spokes, snazzy hey!

 

Yes Meg I remember the model now, I was thinking of the little squarish Farina model which came out in the 60s

[VetChugger]

My first wheels were a "sit up and beg" Ford Anglia E494a vintage 1951'ish. Had a reg of PKT11 and I paid a whole £5.00 for her, I say her because she was christened "Ethel". She was bottle gree and had Ethel in big letter across the roof just above the windscreen. There were many foibles! The wipers worked off the exhaust manifold and were not exactly lightening fast! Had one of the already described pudding stirring gear sticks. Mind you the performance left you almost supine in that you were indanger of falling asleep waiting for any sort of effective forward motion. Took nearly 40 seconds to get to 50mph. The reason for the low price was that she needed a full rear axle.  Me and a mate spent two days at a scrappers at Cooper Bridge getting one off the donor car. Our skills didn't run to putting this on the car and a local spanners loved the look and the prospect of the job and did it for me, including relining the brakes for a mere £20. Mind you that was nearly three weekes wages at the time! Memorable times. Interestingly, the reg is now on a Bentley Continental valued at some £90K!

[Springsong]

Mine was a 1957 Standard Super 10 with an opening boot and up graded to a 1200 cc Spitfire engine and 5.5" rims.

Went very well but very top heavy so it kept falling over

[Paul]

My first car was a BMW 635csi, non roadworthy which I was given to learn to drive in when I was young. Loved thrashing around the farm in it and I'm sure that's where my passion for motorsport came from. My first road car and I came down to earth with a bump, a Mini. But it was still great fun.

For reliability I must nominate my Honda CRV. 15 years old now, and rapidly approaching 200,000 miles with only one visit to the garage, other than for service and mot, a replacement VTEC oil valve at 120k. Still going strong. 

[twowrights]

My first car was a Triumph Herald, and it had the front end of a Triumph Vitesse.

A useful site is www.askmid.com, where you can find if a car is currently on the insurance database. If you're involved in a car crash it's particularly useful.

[Ray]

25 minutes ago, twowrights said:

My first car was a Triumph Herald, and it had the front end of a Triumph Vitesse.

A useful site is www.askmid.com, where you can find if a car is currently on the insurance database. If you're involved in a car crash it's particularly useful.

I have a soft spot for the Triumph Herald... my dad had one and I would sit on a front wheel with the full bonnet up learning about cars from him.

Good memories