New Motor

I bought my Passat with 132k miles on it, it's now showing 147k miles,
all it's cost me so far is a pair of tyres, front and rear brake pads
and a cambelt change. The service with belt change only came in at £180.

(VW wanted £800, but I took it to my local mechanic instead)

I'm selling it now, though, because my commute is only 20 miles / day
rather than 100 miles / day. Buying another Alfa instead.

 

Dan L scribbled on the back of a napkin:

A garage extension would be a fuckload cheaper.

 

Dan L scribbled on the back of a napkin:

It's a Mundano.

I wouldn't buy one, so you're probably safe.

 

SteveH says...

Really? I must tell my B-I-L to watch out for his failing as it
approaches an abused 250,000 miles.

--
Lozzo
Track pixie
GSX-R1000 K1
I haven't lost my mind, it's
backed up to a floppy disc
that's around here somewhere.

 

Don't even go there....

--
Dan L (Oldbloke)

My bike 1996 Kawasaki ZR1100 Zephyr
M'boy's bike 2003 Honda NSR125R (Going)
Spare Bike 1990 Suzuki TS50X (Patio Ornament)
BOTAFOT #140 (KotL 2005), X-FOT#000, DIAABTCOD #26, BOMB#18 (slow)

 

Excellent prognosis

--
Dan L (Oldbloke)

My bike 1996 Kawasaki ZR1100 Zephyr
M'boy's bike 2003 Honda NSR125R (Going)
Spare Bike 1990 Suzuki TS50X (Patio Ornament)
BOTAFOT #140 (KotL 2005), X-FOT#000, DIAABTCOD #26, BOMB#18 (slow)

 

Pretty much the same as Italian cars then?

 

Looks like a 146Ti.

I nearly bought a Nuvola Blue 156 last week, but it was a bit too
scruffy and they're a PITA to touch up.

I've also thought about a 164 V6, but they're all too far away - there's
a black Cloverleaf on ebay at the right price, but it's in Folkestone. I
suppose I could have got you to check it out for me..... (JackH did
offer, but you know that engine).

So, like I said, 146Ti it is. Late facelift model with aircon.

 

Petrol. 1.8 Turbo.

It's a great car. Not quite as sharp as a Mondeo to drive and doesn't
ride as well as a Pug 406, but it was very cheap (for that shape Passat)
and is probably the best screwed together car I've ever been in.

Always a PITA if you lose a good local mechanic. I've been lucky over
the years - had the current one recommended by the bloke over the road
who's lived around here all his life. Best thing is that he'll work on
anything (even the Alfas) and only charges £25 / hour + VAT.

To be fair, the Passat is quite a large barge of a car. I don't think
I'd be too keen on buying something that big again. Although price comes
into it and Passats are cheaper than Golfs.

 

I'm very tempted by a Passat I've seen but suspect I'd be better off
with a Mondeo, servicing-wise.

 

Don't bother with the 1.8 20v non-turbo. It's a fair chunk of power down
on the turbo version, but is no more economical. Diesels are _very_
good. Not driven a 1.9TDi for a while - last one was an A4 TDi
(essentially the same car) which went very well. The 2.5TDi is a
stormer, but expensive and thirsty.

I'm not uncomfortable with big cars, it's just that it seems a bit of a
waste having something so big when 99% of the time it's only me in it.
Our 156 is a great size for us, but I could do with a hatch for trips to
the tip etc.

I'll be sorry to see the Passat go in a lot of ways as it hasn't missed
a beat even though it was doing 500 fairly hard miles a week.

 

SteveH scribbled on the back of a napkin:

What model?

 

Timo Geusch says...

It'll be hard to tell when he's sweeeping it off the drive in a year, so
it makes no difference.

--
Lozzo
Track pixie
GSX-R1000 K1
I haven't lost my mind, it's
backed up to a floppy disc
that's around here somewhere.

 

On Sun, 30 Oct 2005 19:40:17 +0100, (SteveH)
said

Which is considerably less than I've been warned to expect changing
the belt on my Cav. Was it diesel or petrol?

That's the bit that worries me, as my really good local mechanic had a
spat with his landlord and vanished. Need to find another.

Mmm, my commute is about a 5 mile round trip, although I use the
scenic route sometimes. I need a collapsible car, so that it's small
around town but big when I go to my folks and need to transport
parents, dogs and a wheelchair. Which, as my mother is becoming a
poster child for stop smoking campaigns[1], could be a lot more often.

--
Snowleopard The cat >^..^< has no lair

So I'm floating
Floating on air

[1] See that ad with the fat oozing out of an artery? That's your leg,
that is, and we might just chop it off!

 

On Sun, 30 Oct 2005 18:41:38 +0000, "Timo Geusch"

<checks>

Can you just tell me what you *would* buy, so I can cross it off the
list?

 

Hehehe. I'm sure you'd enjoy 'parking' it for a while, too ;-)

However, it ends tomorrow, so it's a bit late to do anything now.

 

Have you some kind of BOGOF offer going on?
--
| ___ Salad Dodger
|/ \
_/_____\_ GL1500SE-V/CBR1100XX-X/CBX1000Z
|_\_____/_| ..78895.../...19992.../..31257.
(>|_|_|<) TPPFATUICG#7 DIAABTCOD#9 YTC#4
|__|_|__| BOTAFOT #70 BOTAFOF #09 two#11
\ |^| / IbW#0 & KotIbW# BotTOS#6 GP#4
\|^|/ ANORAK#17 IbB#4 PM#5 WG*
'^' RBR 2005: Abandoned - Bronze Award.

 

Unless Ford have pulled their fingers out, the autobox on them has a
notoriety for packing in bigtime at or around 60K miles. Expensive
replacement ahead.
Apart from that, the Mendacious is just another car.

--

Dave

GS850 x2 XS650SE / SE 6a

I demand nothing of you except that you amuse me.

 

SteveH scribbled on the back of a napkin:

Well, I'd look at it, no problem. There's even enough space around here
to park it for a week or so...

 

Snowleopard scribbled on the back of a napkin:

Well, hmmm:

- Anything sporty and Italian, the more exotic the better
- Stupidly powerful Japanese cars that cost a bomb to run
- Any kind of Lotus, because they can't be more expensive to run than
an Alfa or a Maserati
- VW Jettas. Oops.
- MX-5/Eunos Roadster.
- Citroen, the more hydraulics the better.