Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

I tried bangernomics and got my fingers burnt. I think you really need to know something about cars to avoid like what I bought from the side of the road.

When you could buy an old volvo or well built but knackered 5 series for £700 I think it there was some logic to it. It's funny yesterday my OH was saying their mate's mini cooper only cost them £200 or something and was still running aok. Then I pointed out that was almost 5yrs ago and via their dad was a keen motorcyclest who knows his onions with a good network of contacts.

Not full proof, but a quick search on ebay seems to show £1,500 as being about the cheapest you can buy a car. Given what a new clutch or gear box could cost you it suddenly doesn't seem that attractive a prospect.

Unless you have good contacts, specialist knowledge and the ability to work on a car I'd avoid if you have a solid car that's been good to you.

Not full proof, but a quick search on ebay seems to show £1,500 as being about the cheapest you can buy a car. Given what a new clutch or gear box could cost you it suddenly doesn't seem that attractive a prospect.

Well that makes me feel fortunate as I have been offered my brother in-law's 20 year old Passat for £1200. 1 previous owner and FSH. Borrowed it for the weekend and did 2x 120mi trips (55mpg*) over 4 hours in it around town, country lanes and motorway and I was surprised at how well it drove.

*VW readings tho 🤔

Even with knowledge, have had fingers burnt. Or ended up doing a lot more work than planned.

I was valuing my time as free, then hassle of finding the parts.

Be the only cheap cooper not having issues.

Find a cheap car now that scrappage in 2k. Many want that for a car not worth it. Tempted by a Triumph dolomite at the moment and not sure why.

I need something cheap, small and sporty for the winter. Must be Ulez compliant. I had a great time in my Clio 182 and I miss it dearly, but would rather try something different.

Does anyone have experience with Cooper S R53s? Some of them look pretty good, but I'm worried about reliability and ease of repair - I intend to fix and maintain it my self, and I have zero experience with supercharged engines.

I've just put a deposit down on one, so I'll be able to update you on reliability in a few months (to some degree). Funny actually as my first choice was a Clio 182 but couldn't find any unmodified ones for sale.
Rather stupidly this will be the first car I've ever owned, but as a life long petrolhead that only got their driving license earlier this year I thought fuck it, may as well start as I mean to go on. Insurance quotes for 1.0 Yaris and the like were coming out at £1250, and an R53 S was only a few hundred more annually.

The research I've done has told me that if you have some experience of working on your own cars you could in theory do the big supercharger service (at 100k mi) yourself, and save the £700 approx it will cost at a garage.

Been looking at cheap ones too. Worry about the rest of the car. The cooper modded ones are worth more but the suspension is stiffer? And some don't like that.

There are cam chain change at 80-100k and tensioners seem to need changing in half that.

Someone here had one.

Buy my 2005 Berlingo? £950, 130k miles, bags of space and practicality, fresh MOT. ULEZ. I’m just down the road from you IIRC. Reason for sale: bought electric van.

What is the rear beam like?

i got a mate selling a peugeot 205 diesel from waaay back, he’s a mechanic and it runs good, even better, runs on chip fat with a bosch ve fuel pump

Fine, otherwise I'd probably know about it. No issues with MOT.

COE (the 10 year licence to put a car on the road) just ticked up again- it’s demand driven which leads to an interesting dynamic where very rich people push it ever upwards and makes things increasingly unaffordable for those with less cash. Although you’d maybe expect the gap between <1.6 and >1.6 to widen even more and that’s not crazy at this stage, however >1.6 is definitely increasing by more in absolute terms.

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(This^ is why a $200,000 911 is actually a reasonably cheap car, compared to say a new Mini for e.g.)

Presuming that's Singapore dollars; £120k plus purchase of car, plus probably punitive insurance, plus maintenance (particularly at Dammit levels) plus fuel equates to a very large amount of money. Should you decide to move elsewhere, is the unused part of the £120k refundable?

I guess taxis must be quite expensive in Singapore.

The go-to Taxi service is called Grab, and it's very reasonable - $25 dollars gets you almost anywhere. That does make car ownership look even sillier, but if you have a bike then no taxi will take you. There are specific bike taxi services, but there are only a handful of them and they get booked up well in advance for busy times/when a sudden tropical thunderstorm rolls in.

Only Bromptons may be taken on public transport as there are strict size limits on what can be and cannot go - folding bikes that only fold once are too large, Bromptons double fold gets them under the size limit. The frame of a mountain bike is too long, so even if you break the bike down it's not allowed.

I've been quite tempted by a Honda N Van, as they're fun little vehicles - but, $170,000 upwards, which for a Kei Van (and, when a 911 is 30k away) I just can't bring myself to do.

Mechanics are great on those, body not so but then they are getting old now.

talking of cheapish cars, but a significant step up from bangernomics, if not hugely more in terms of cost, and as threatened elsewhere on here, I am now in a position to sell my forum favourite favourite Honda Jazz. 2010 1.2 SE petrol, royal blue, 23,300 miles documented from new, and I have owned it for 7 years since it had 8k on the clock, FSH. No hidden stories, MOT 31/3/24, just returned from a long stress free drive. 56 lifetime MPG. I am buying an elderly Jimny, which is far worse in every respect, save it is 4WD, which I now need. East Sussex, not yet advertised anywhere, looking for £4,750 which will include a forum donation- sorry I should put up a proper classified post here, but just read the last couple of pages of this thread. DM for photos and fuller details via email or whatsapp.

question - was your enjoyment of mountain biking and cars not factored into your move to singapore? sounds like a massive faf to enjoy your hobbies

I admit I just thought I'd deal with what I found. And I am enjoying the mountain biking here, and I'm looking forward to riding in Japan, Thailand, Vietnam and Australia.

A car would be handy, but it is what it is.

i have a 406, normal runs great for age, but yes, the driver side sill needs welding, i find it so hard to get help from garages

Our 2008 1.6fsi 61km Golf has gone for its MOT today. Pray for Geoff.

don't keep us hanging dude!

Thank you for your concern……

……It only bloody passed!! I even treated it to a service, wash and a hoover. Just need to fix the heater now. I didn’t want to do anything until I knew it was staying. We’ve had it 8 years and it’s been brilliant.