What was your best built car....?

[SeanConnor]

Still got mine


21 years old and is still very solid to drive, it wraps around you when you sit in it. I do love my Z too, it's a weekend car and it gives me plenty of smiles

Wow - I'm loving your MR2 Fred I nearly bought a black one a few years back, spoke to the owner but it turned out to be an automatic (the ad. said manual). Got any more pics and some of the interior, whats the engine spec and performance figures?

Thanks Collin, I got it a couple of years ago, it was going to be scrapped so I saved it from being broken up and crushed. It's a 95 2.0 NA engine, 173 BHP ,not the fire breathing turbo, but plenty quick enough for me. I have fitted black leather seats and door trim, the car is very planted when you drive it.




Old seats

I need to get a few shots of the new seats in it

Lovely car. I'm sorry that I sold mine. I keep looking in Autotrader but there just aren't thay many left out there. Mine was the Rev 4 , the one before they fitted the 'combat spoiler' .

 

[firebobby]

Thanks Sean, they are becoming more and more scares now as so many are being broken for spares. I'm lucky to have a largish garden so can have a few toys.
Here are a few shots of the interior with the leather seats fitted, I think it suits the car better than the old cloth jobbies

 

[john-e89]

Lovely car. I'm sorry that I sold mine. I keep looking in Autotrader but there just aren't thay many left out there. Mine was the Rev 4 , the one before they fitted the 'combat spoiler' .

There's a guy on the bay that keeps selling what on the face of it look nice ones Sean, he's called Mikavelli, I don't know if he's dodgy or not, he does'nt advertise as a trader but has 2 or 3 on the go at most times, some nice low mileage ones. Car and classic are good for them too.

I recently just missed out on a 28k mile Rev 3 red show car minter 30 miles from me, guy wanted an eye watering 8k but it was absolutely gorgeous, polished chromed engine, showroom body. I'm absolutely gutted I missed it, I rang him but it had gone that weekend, there won't be another like that come up I don't think.

I want to do a complete strip down and full body re-spray and concours build up on mine, it was fairly mint before some so called 'detailer' here burn't through the paint, did'nt tell me, sprayed the whole car and totally botched it, it's ruined. Court case which I won but the cars knackered, looks like a fish eyed, dust ridden hack.

Lovely cars though, I can't bear to sell it.

 

[SeanConnor]

Thanks for the pointers chaps. I think that in reality adding another car at the moment would not be practical :-(

I did love my MR2 though. I sold it as I say with 150K+ on the clock and I used to look on the DVLA site to see if it was still alive. It lasted another three years ! My Bro in law had a Rev2 turbo which was a tail happy little beast. The Rev4 (and 3 I think) had the rear geometry and engine position slightly revised and remains today as probably the sweetest handling car I have ever owned. Once or twice a year it would step out on a wet diesel covered roundabout but it was so controllable it was a thing of great joy.

Happy days

 

[john-e89]

You're correct about the suspension geometry Sean but they changed them from and including the Rev 2, too many Rev 1's got put through hedges, even with the change they're still tail happy little buggers and as you say easy to step them out of line but they turn in so well don't they, very pointy at the front, makes a mockery of the Zed. Not as sweet and crisp and light as the MK1 but still a cracking handling little zippy motor.

Still a few nice ones around now and again so maybe one day you'll get another.

 

[stevo///m3]

Direct answer: Toyota Celica gen 7.
Very happy with the M Coupé but I do regret selling that Toy, cracking machine, got decent money for it but the practicality of it was amazing. Had four adults in it, folding rears seats was a massive bonus and the engine also gave a fair bit.
Those E39 M5s tho'... We're on the same frequency there mate...go halves?? :wink:
Stevo

 

[Angelus666]

Ha, I'd actually be quite interested in splitting a purchase of a 'fun' car, M5, Exige, V8V, 911...it's much easier to find £5k-£10k in cash then £30-£40k and all the subsequent running costs. I've long given up the idea of buying a car on finance, doesn't make any sense to me now.

I did actually contemplate setting up a business that would bring people/enthusiasts together who were looking to do this very thing!

 

[Angelus666]

Ha, just found my old site (draft) I knocked up one xmas, bored out of my mind at the in laws

https://supercargroupbuy.wordpress.com/

 

[bony_13]

In terms of percieved quality, my E46 320d just felt so solid. Maybe because it was my first saloon after a few hatches, but it felt big and tank like. Plus it had extended leather and so everything you touched just felt quality, the switches had a better feel as well. Same year as my zed, but the extra weight and leather really made a difference.

In reality though, it has a boost leak which cost me £300 and a coolant leak which cost me £500 (for a couple of quid worth of plastic T-peice in the wrong part of the engine) over 30k miles of ownership.

In terms of outright realiability, I did nearly 60k miles in my Ibiza tdi 130 without a single fault. The only issue I had was a broken spring, but that was my fault for not seeing a speed bump on wet and dark road - it also gave me an excuse to fit new lowering springs. The car was remapped to 180bhp with a few other engine tweeks, the wheels would spin in 3rd in the wet. I think the PD engines were some of the best ever made, can't imagine how many miles they must have racked up across all VAG platforms

 

[Geezah]

My old 2002 Citroen Picasso 2.0 Diesel. Don't laugh because......
..........owned for 10 years from new. Did 150,000 miles on the same clutch, battery etc. At least it never had it's bleeding wing mirror fall out, or broke its springs, or had it's ABS pump fail or had condensation in its foglamps. It was very well built indeed, so much so that I test drove its replacement C4 Picasso (1st generation) and it was totally shite by comparison so kept my old Xsara Picasso, comfortable, adaptable, flexible.....solid. Sold it and bought another newer Xsara, not as well built as the 2002 model though.