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Automotive

My car history part 12: Old before my time

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By early 2014 I’d owned 20 different cars myself, plus also purchased and regularly driven 4 girlfriends cars. I’d found the ideal fun turbo charged MX-5, was waiting for the somewhat short-lived experience RX-7 to be rebuilt before selling it, had managed to get rid of the bloody beamer and had now possibly found the perfect sensible hatchback.

Well, it was a coupe – the VW Scirocco.

The line-up; the MX-5 BBR turbo, VW Scirocco, Mazda RX-7 and the girlfriend's Lexus RX300
The line-up; the MX-5 BBR turbo, VW Scirocco, Mazda RX-7 and the girlfriend’s Lexus RX300

On paper, ‘The Roc’ met all my needs. She was fun to drive and reasonably ecomonical – whilst out of work for a few months at the
beginning of the year and only pootling about on school runs and to the shops, I was only averaging 31mpg, but recently I’ve done
a few longer runs and I could get 39mpg out of her at a push – not bad for a 200bhp ‘hothatch’/’sports coupe’.

But surely I could do better. I could get a 60mpg diesel with a proper hatchback – the ‘Roc’s ain’t exactly large.

OMG.

I must be getting old.

Am I finally getting the sensible hatchback diesel??

Do I really want to get rid of ‘Siri‘?

Maggy, the MX-5 BBR turbo, resprayed
Maggy, the MX-5 BBR turbo, resprayed

I am finally being sensible and reasonable. Maybe boring. But I have the MX-5 for fun (recently resprayed in Mazda Graphite Grey, from the 2010 model Mazda3). I’ve just started a new job where I’m going to have to drive over 100 miles every day. Buying a diesel could save me £1000 a year in fuel costs. And I could buy a
decent quality diesel for half the price of the ‘Roc.

Where I like the Scirocco, A LOT, and it’s a lovely car, I’ve just not come to love her.

Why?

Well, I’ve been trying to work that out.

I think it’s the combination of the DSG automatic gearbox and the small turbo lag. You see, I’m not a huge fan of autos, but as the girlfriend loves them and isn’t used to manuals, and we were planning on selling the RX300 and having a gap before finding her a replacement, she planned to use the Scirocco, and I’d test driven an auto ‘Roc and had been convinced.

At the time.

I’d tried the flappy paddle semi-auto sport mode on the test drive and found it fun. This was the answer to a boring auto, I could still change gear when I wanted!

In practice, I never use it. I just haven’t been able to get used to it; you can’t ‘feel’ which gear you are in or need to be in so much as you would with a manual gearbox. Perhaps with time I’d get used to it, but I’m finding the sheer joy and simplicity of the MX-5’s gearbox is more than enough and leaving the DSG gearbox in auto mode.

The problem with that is the combination of the DSG boxes momentarily lapse to decide to drop down a gear when accelerating, plus the small turbo lag, results in a slightly irritating delay.

Only slightly – its not as annoying or dangerous as the Brera’s turbo lag. But in reality it feels more sluggish than the girlfriends older, lower powered, heavier RAV4 auto.

I can live with it, and still enjoy the car, but I can’t love it.

So why not keep it?

We’ve found the perfect replacement for the RX300, a 2009/2010 Toyota RAV4. It meets all my girlfriends needs, and whilst I’m not
exactly an SUV fan, I have to say, it’s one nice looking beast! The newer post ’08 engine offers slightly more power (up from 150
to 158bhp) and better fuel efficiency (31 to 38mpg) and seems to drive nicer; the standard auto has been replaced by a CVT system
with a semi-auto flappy paddle option. There are mixed opinions about these CVT gearboxes which effectively have no clutch – but
she liked it and it seems a better option that the older models which after 50,000 miles seem to be somewhat tired feeling (see
my post on the Pistonheads forum).

It’s not cheap though. But she needs something decent for her job and it would be a good ‘family car’ for us at weekends and for trips, purchasing things with it’s large boot, etc.

So that’s why I’m considering selling the ‘Rocco. I just don’t need it; it would make more sense to sell it to part fund the RAV4, and then get a cheap diesel for my commute.

During all this debating, the sun came out and I got back on the motorbike.

But I wasn’t happy with Daisy. She was a b1tch, she’d threw me off, I didn’t trust her!

Yet again I offered my business to Pistonheads, eBay and AutoTrader to sell yet another vehicle.

I decided to replace the somewhat excessive 750cc superbike with a little 250cc.

I’d considered a range of 600cc bikes but I hadn’t liked the weight of the Ducati and it had been a pain getting her in and out of the garage, and into tight parking spaces. I recalled how nice and easy life was with my 125. The wet weights of the 600s were all very similar.

I looked at the KTM Dukes, as these are incredibly light yet quite powerful. Unfortunately they are quite pricey, and with me only using the bike occasionally, I felt it was unreasonable spending so much money. I wanted to scrape back some cash from the Ducati and buy a cheaper bike. I was also worried about the more upright seating position compared to a sportsbike due to my tailbone issue (to be posted shortly in the Health & Fitness section).

Then I fell in love again…

Next part of the story: Bikes, planes and automobiles

Automotive

My car history part 11: Maggy returns

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In the spring of 2014, my MX-5 guru friend James had fitted a ‘new’ (less than 50,000 miles) replacement engine to my beloved fifth MX-5, Maggy.

Maggy was back!

The RX-7 and MX-5 ('Maggy') grace the driveway
The RX-7 and MX-5 (‘Maggy’) grace the driveway

I was driving with a smile again.

There’s just something about the simple pleasure of driving an Mark 1 1990’s MX-5. The Japanese designed it with ‘Jinba ittai‘ in mind,
meaning ‘Horse and rider as one‘. And it’s worked – it feels like an extension of your body. There’s a great book about the MX-5’s story available at Amazon: Mazda MX-5: The Complete Story.

People often joke that it’s a bit of a hairdressers car. Most of those haven’t driven one. Or are wannabe hairdressers.

Yes, the original 114bhp 1.6 litre engine isn’t exactly powerful, but it’s enough to feel nippy in that light and brilliant chassis. And my 150+bhp BBR turbo has the perfect amount of power to turn that grin into an insane cackling.

I was happy.

But I still had to get rid of the damn beamer, and the RX-7 was still being rebuilt.

I’d disliked the BMW 3 series convertible almost immediately after buying her; although it was bloody powerful, it was heavy, and
I didn’t like the way it handled. It was also a bit too ‘flash’ for me – I’d happily drive a supercar, but only a 20 year old slightly battered looking one!

I’d tried to sell it back to the dealers, but summer had been ending and there was low demand for convertibles, so when they finally got back to me with a price, I hadn’t been sure whether to laugh or cry.

Needless to say, I’d kept her.

It was now spring of the following year and the perfect time to market a convertible. Up she went on Autotrader. 2 hours later, I kid you not, Sytner BMW ring me.

The same Sytner BMW Nottingham that I bought it from, who had previously offered me a pathetically small amount to buy it back.

Not so now. The model was in demand, and they were short on stock.

I still had the boot leak problem. Surely they knew about that?

I neglected to remind them.

They bought it back at a very reasonable price. I checked their site a few weeks later and saw that they were trying to sell it for £3000 more than they’d gave me, about £1500 more than I’d bought it for the previous year!

So, stock take.

  • Maggy, the MX-5 BBR turbo, love of my life, all fixed, running beautifully – very happy.
  • Dull & Unreliable BMW – SOLD.
  • “The Mistake I Had To Make” RX-7 – being rebuilt.
The Lexus RX300, Ducati 749s and Mazda MX-5 BBR turbo
The Lexus RX300, Ducati 749s and Mazda MX-5 BBR turbo

So I needed a car with rear seats. I could use the girlfriends Lexus RX300 from time to time, but I’d already made my mind up to sell the RX-7 once I’d got it back from being rebuilt – I just couldn’t trust it anymore and for some reason, even though it was Maggy’s big sister, she’d never made me smile in the same way – so I needed a suitable replacement car.

I bought a Volkswagen Scirocco 2.0 litre turbo petrol with 200bhp on tap.

Surely this was a sensible choice?

  • Hatchback: check
  • Fuel economy: estimated 36-40mpg; better than the Alfa Romeo Brera I’d had
  • Back seats: small, but suitable for children
  • Reliability: basically a VW Golf, so excellent
  • Looks: Almost as beautiful as the Brera
  • Fun: More fun to drive than the Brera
'Siri', my VW Scirocco - a sensible choice?
‘Siri’, my VW Scirocco – a sensible choice?

I’d only got rid of the Alfa Romeo Brera due to the disappointing and almost dangerous turbo lag, and it’s poor fuel consumption. The Scirocco (AKA ‘Siri‘) was a very similar beast, yet with similar if not better fuel economy, a nippy responsive petrol engine, and an apparently better ride.

Had I finally got it right??

Next part of the story: Old before my time

Automotive

My car history part 10: Maggy’s big sister

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It was September 2013 and I had only one working car!

Maggy the 5th, my perfect car, a BBR turbo MX-5, was awaiting an engine re-fit which wouldn’t happen until the next year.

‘Adriana‘, the BMW 3 series convertible, was a car I had regretted buying within the first two weeks of ownership, and had been
plagued with reliability issues.

Why did I keep making these mistakes?

I sat down and had a serious think.

I should buy a sensible, newish, diesel BMW or Audi.

I should.

I should.

I didn’t.

I bought a Fast & Furious featured car, a 1994 Mazda RX-7 turbo.

Fast & Furious - my Mazda RX-7
Fast & Furious – my Mazda RX-7

Why oh why oh why?!?

Because my wonderful logic had deemed it was the perfect car.

Maggy – the 5th of my MX-5s – was my perfect car; in terms of looks, the way it drove and the smile that was instantly plastered onto your face every time you drove her, and the performance – but she only had two seats. And a tiny boot.

I had a daughter and a girlfriend – I needed back seats. I also missed the convenience of having a hatchback.

The RX-7 met the criteria.

It had back seats.

It had a hatchback.

It looked like Maggy (pop up headlights, yay!!).

It handled like Maggy, yet had more power.

It was Maggy’s big sister!

What could possibly go wrong?

Don’t answer that. I’m still trying to sell the f**ker as I write this.

How could I have been so wrong? I’d made a spreadsheet and everything. It had even had a pretty colour scheme!!

Ok, subconsciously I knew I was making a mistake. But perhaps I needed to make that mistake… one more time. Lily from How I Met Your Mother puts it perfectly:

“OK, yes it’s a mistake. I know it’s a mistake, but there are certain things in life where you know it’s a mistake but you don’t really know it’s a mistake because the only way to really know it’s a mistake is to make the mistake and look back and say ‘yep, that was a mistake.’ So really, the bigger mistake would be to not make the mistake, because then you’d go your whole life not knowing if something is a mistake or not.”

The biggest concern with buying this ageing supercar was the reliability of the unique Wankel Rotary engine, and expense if
something went wrong with it.

The second was rust. I didn’t want a repeat story of the Nissan 300ZX (see My car history part 5: The Power Years), a similar vehicle to the RX-7 (I also considered the Mitsubishi GTO and the Toyota Supra – both too heavy and expensive).

So if I bought an RX-7 with a recent rebuild and a warranty, and with sound bodywork, preferably freshly imported from Japan (where they don’t rust), then I wouldn’t have a problem.

Except they were bloody expensive. I had to compromise.

I found and purchased ‘Becks‘ (Becky, the RX), a rust free, 2004 imported model, with a recent engine rebuild. No warranty, but the guy who was selling it had rebuilt it himself in his own time; yet he worked for a Mazda & Ford specialist. He had an excellent reputation on the expert forums and promised to help with any problems I should experience.

He’d live to regret that.

I still hadn’t shaken off the Gremlins.

The engine started to die.

Andy, the builder, was mortified. He’d rebuild many RX-7s and never had a problem before. What had I done to it?!?!?

He offered to help but was a long way away in Guildford. I tried an RX-7 specialist closer to home and after running a compression test, presented me with a bill for £4000 to rebuild it.

*!&^

I drove to Guildford and left the car with Andy.

Ho hum.

Meanwhile, to fuel my car buying urges, I helped my new girlfriend to find and buy a suitable car to replace her beloved Toyota Rav4. She didn’t want to get rid of it, but for reasons beyond our control, it had to go.

It had been a 2004 American model with a 2.4 litre engine and for a 4×4/SUV it was surprisingly nippy. The UK 2.0 litre version felt rather underpowered. She tried a Honda CRV and was thoroughly disappointed. Time was ticking, and we spotted what look like the
perfect upgrade – a 2001 Lexus RX300.

The girlfriend's Lexus RX300
The girlfriend’s Lexus RX300

This was a significantly more powerful 3.0 litre vehicle, and a step up in terms of luxury. Heated leather seats, SatNav, sunroof; all the luxurious Lexus works. We had initially been put of an RX300 due to the thirsty fuel consumption, but this was a rare LPG conversion. The RAV4 had also been an LPG conversion and had performed excellently.

Sadly the Lexus didn’t live up to expectations. Don’t get me wrong – it was a damn good car. But we’d fooled ourselves with MPG
expectations, and the laid back luxurious style of the car couldn’t match the sporty eagerness of the little RAV4.

However, it would reasonably meet our requirements for the next 8 months and proved to be an excellent work horse…

Next part of the story: Maggy returns

Automotive

My car history part 6: Love of my life

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In September 2012 I purchased my fifth (and possibly final!) MX-5!

Maggy the 5th - the 'perfect' MX-5, a BBR Turbo
Maggy the 5th – the ‘perfect’ MX-5, a BBR Turbo

‘Maggy the 5th‘ was a black 1993 1.6 Mazda MX-5 BBR Turbo. In theory this was the perfect MX-5 for me – not modified as such – the BBR turbo kit was approved and factory fitted by Mazda, and in insurance terms, wasn’t modified either – so the insurance dropped from £700 to a mere £200 a year!

True, the turbo kit wasn’t up to modern standards and the 220bhp+ turbo set ups; it only upped the 1.6 litre engines power from 114bhp to a little over 150bhp; but in a car that light and nimble, it’s plenty. And I’d rather have reliability that going down the modified route and the disaster that was Maggy the 3rd.

At this point though I still had 3 other cars:

  • The Blue MX-5 AKA Maggy the 4th
  • Nissan 300ZX
  • Toyota Celica
4 cars: A little excessive
4 cars: A little excessive

Having 4 cars for one person was somewhat ridiculous (and costly) so I sold Maggy the 4th Oct 2012 to a pleasant chap called Dan who I’ve remained in touch with on Facebook and I’m pleased to say he’s given her a great overhaul and it’s great to see he’s enjoying her as much as I did.

I was still trying to fix the various issues with the Nissan (and buying, an ever, a variety of used car parts from eBay), so was struggling to sell her. I also put the Celica up for sale and scraped a mere £900 back in December.

A day before Christmas, I decided to treat myself, and bought a ‘sensible’ diesel.

Only it wasn’t that sensible – it was a 2008 Alfa Romeo Brera.

'Alfie' - my Alfa Romeo Brera
‘Alfie’ – my Alfa Romeo Brera

Oh, it was beautiful though – sumptuous ribbed leather seats, stainless steel everywhere and dials that were angled towards the driver – I could sit and look at both interior and exterior all day long.

The luxurious Alfa interior
The luxurious Alfa interior

So, on Christmas day 2012, I had the Nissan 300ZX, the new Brera, and the MX-5 BBR turbo on the drive way. All I needed to do was get rid of the rusty Nissan, and I’d have the perfect set up – in theory!

The revised driveway line-up
The revised driveway line-up

I couldn’t bring myself to hide the rust issue on the Nissan – it could have been pretty dangerous if the radiator had dropped out at speed! – so offered it as a project car on the specialist forums to someone who could do the work themselves cheap. In the end some chap from the Ukraine (or thereabouts) had a look and said:

“It good. Not problem. I know good guy at MOT place, yes? We take.”

– and I managed to get a poultry £1500 back for her.

So by February 2013 I had a gorgeous but practical(ish) diesel, and the perfect MX-5, things couldn’t be better, right?

I had go and mess it up…

Next part of the story: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it