Cars youve owned... the cheapest!

zagatoes30

Member
Messages
20,758
I'm still running bangernomics , I've decided I don't like depreciation on everyday cars and the thought of £300 a month to rent a Kia fills me with dread so I bought a 2003 TD6 Range Rover with a blown up engine for £1000 , it's fixed now and so far hasn't cost me any money but the main problem is the amount of upgrades available

I like it that much I was considering putting the money from the B class towards a newer one but when I look at the numbers they don't add up , 8-10k gets me a 2008-10 with similar mileage and the one I have has most of the big jobs already done

That cheap RR I had got me into the things, hence why there is a Supercharged petrol version sat on the driveway. The TD6 needs a remap to release its power, takes it from158 to about 225 with increased torque. We had a Celtic tune put on ours made it faster, easier to tow with and added a good 5-10mpg dependent on town or motorway use
 

Corranga

Member
Messages
1,219
My wife's first car.

She had a choice, a 1987 F Reg Rover 216 Sprint or a 1992 K Reg Fiat Panda Fizz. Both white, both 50 quid.

We chose the Panda.
1.0 fire engine, 6 months MOT and only needed a rear light, a headlight, a front bumper and a bonnet - all of which we got in a scrap yard for £25. Getting the front bumper off a car stacked 3 high was a bit hairy though!

It ran happily for the 6 months, then £10 was spent to get it through an MOT. It then ran happily for another year and went through an MOT with only £50 this time.
We then sold it for £200 :)
 

philw696

Member
Messages
25,113
Me too have had so many over the years being in the Trade and driving since 79.
The best Banger though was the £300 Bmw M3 3.0 couldn't believe my luck.
Was so stoked with the deal I gave the hard up seller another £50 and said go to the pub.
That car became a good track car and the only one I got told to slow down in on a forum track day.
Made a good profit on it when coming to NZ.
 

rockits

Member
Messages
9,167
Still got ours. Ford Focus Y reg. bought for £800 5 years ago for my wife when she passed her driving test. Got written off 1.5 years ago. Got given after much haggling £1,400 for it. Bought it back so now I own a car which someone has paid me to keep.

Then someone bust the wing mirror and paid me £100. Managed to fix it for £0.

Just waiting for someone else to crash into it again so I can claim again and make even more money off it.

That raises an interesting question that I don't know the answer to but maybe someone else does?

I thought if an insurance company had paid out on a written off car they wouldn't do so again. That is partly why a CAT car is worth less than a non-CAT car. Is that right or would they pay out again to write off a car that has already been written off & paid out in full?
 

CatmanV2

Member
Messages
48,539
That raises an interesting question that I don't know the answer to but maybe someone else does?

I thought if an insurance company had paid out on a written off car they wouldn't do so again. That is partly why a CAT car is worth less than a non-CAT car. Is that right or would they pay out again to write off a car that has already been written off & paid out in full?

Can't see that happening, or you'd never be able to get insurance on a written off car. The reason CAT cars are worth less is cos they might have been badly repaired (I always thought)

C
 

Lozzer

Member
Messages
2,280
Hark back to 1987, a 1976 Open Manta, cost £70, don't know how I did it but managed to fit xj6 seats in it, struggled to shut the doors! lol R.I.P. ORM 576R..Can't believe its still on the database!
.Screenshot_2018-02-25-19-56-15-628_com.jvelimited.vehiclesmart.jpg
Screenshot_2018-02-25-19-56-22-797_com.jvelimited.vehiclesmart.jpg
 

Gazcw

Member
Messages
7,696
XBM 721X Black Vauxhall Chevette with vinyl roof and red check seats. Bought for £425 thrashed it around for 18months and sold it for £625. May have had some work on the rear after reversing at high speed into a lamp post!!!!
 

midlifecrisis

Member
Messages
16,102
I bought a Toyota Corona in Australia for £400 unseen from my then girlfriends sister and her mate. It came with two tents, sleeping bags, duvets and a load of camping gear. Drove it round Australia from Perth to Cairns via Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. Then into the centre of Ayers Rock, missing Peter Falconio at Tennant Creek. No aircon, meant driving it with the windows down across the Nullabor in 40 degrees, listening to dodgy cover band hits and camping at 50 campsites. Had it for around 8 months, put 4 second hand tyres on it and serviced it when I got it and sold it back to the girlfriends sister and her new boyfriend and the starter motor started to fail. I think I saw the same car in Sydney in 2008 still with the dent in the front wing after aquaplaning on the Stuart highway and hitting the only signpost for 100km. The signpost was a 'ford' sign...
 

Gp79

Member
Messages
1,393
Probably my 520d - 2009

Bought for £12250 in 2012, with 70k

100k later, worth £3-4K so lost 8k in 100k or 6 yrs

With only service, not long life every10k, work done by myself so very low cost. (Excluding wife driving through flood water and new engine with insurer!)

Think that is cheap motoring, will keep it going until it is uneconomic to repair
 

rockits

Member
Messages
9,167
Can't see that happening, or you'd never be able to get insurance on a written off car. The reason CAT cars are worth less is cos they might have been badly repaired (I always thought)

C
I guess at the very least they will pay out less as the market value of a CAT car is less than a non-CAT car. I've not known anyone to have had that situation but it must have happened a few times I should imagine. I just thought it would be interesting to know.
 

Zep

Moderator
Messages
9,110
Can't see that happening, or you'd never be able to get insurance on a written off car. The reason CAT cars are worth less is cos they might have been badly repaired (I always thought)

C

With my car, when the bus cut me up and hit the wing they just paid me off with a cheque, they didn't take possession of the car at any point so it wasn't recorded. The truck did it while parked and pretty much in the same place so I "implied" it was perfect before hand. Different times I guess. As an aside - I understand there is a new CAT system anyway - Cat A - Scrap - Cat B - Breaker - Cat S - Structurally damaged but repairable - Cat S - Non Structurally damaged.
 

Wack61

Member
Messages
8,764
With my car, when the bus cut me up and hit the wing they just paid me off with a cheque, they didn't take possession of the car at any point so it wasn't recorded. The truck did it while parked and pretty much in the same place so I "implied" it was perfect before hand. Different times I guess. As an aside - I understand there is a new CAT system anyway - Cat A - Scrap - Cat B - Breaker - Cat S - Structurally damaged but repairable - Cat S - Non Structurally damaged.

It needed updating , my B class is a cat C , elderly owner ran it into a parked car at 2910 miles and a few months old , collapsed at the wheel , insurance fixed it but something happened in the bodyshop , he got a call Monday , collect Wednesday , then another forget it , engine seized , it wasn't seized after the crash because he saw them drive it on the truck.

New engine was 14k plus merc rates to fit it so it's a cat C for a mechanical failure , if that'd happened under warranty without insurance involvement no CAT marker

I've had an online offer of £14,075 from Evans halshaw's version of we buy any car but that doesn't take into account the cat marker so we'll see how much difference it makes to the value
 

Andyk

Member
Messages
61,038
Cheapest was a Fiat X19.....£600...Did it up and sold it for £1609....Result.
 

highlander

Member
Messages
5,214
Re Alfa reliability. Sad to say that Gina the GT goes to the yard in the sky this week :( but she has been one of the most reliable cars to run as a daily I have had. Got her with 20 on the clock, now 7 years later and still on original clutch, over 160 and has really only cost me service and wear and tear. I will be getting another one before end of year, yes I think she was that good!
 

hoyin

Member
Messages
1,842
I guess at the very least they will pay out less as the market value of a CAT car is less than a non-CAT car. I've not known anyone to have had that situation but it must have happened a few times I should imagine. I just thought it would be interesting to know.

I would have thought you would get a lower value based on it being a cat car. They can't not insure you of it is driveworthy?

Ours was only a small dent on the front wing. But it cost more to repair than the value of the car. So the lowest form of CAT category.

I'll keep you all informed when someone else crashes into me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

rockits

Member
Messages
9,167
I would have thought you would get a lower value based on it being a cat car. They can't not insure you of it is driveworthy?

Ours was only a small dent on the front wing. But it cost more to repair than the value of the car. So the lowest form of CAT category.

I'll keep you all informed when someone else crashes into me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I should think your right I guess that it would be a lower value or reduced payout based on lower value. I hope you don't have to find out though
 

TridentTested

Member
Messages
1,819
The cheapest?

Probably a Toyota Liteace van (small brother to the Hiace, never sold in the UK) bought from repossessed stock cheaply for £1,500 because it had the liquidated company's brand identity painted all over it. Painted on, not stuck on. Everyone at the auction assumed it needed a full respray.

Took it home and tried a bit of Nitromors paint stripper on it - what had we to lose? Bingo, the paint job was normal exterior paint which washed off with Nitromors leaving the original Toyota cellulose paint untouched.

We drove the knackers off that van for several years eventually selling it for £3,000.
 

FIFTY

Member
Messages
3,100
I rolled around in my dad's G-Reg Volvo 740 GLE (estate) for a year or two at university, it was a hilarious car rolled around like a true land yacht. It was top spec so quite plush for its day
 

Contigo

Sponsor
Messages
18,376
Cheapest I've owned, a free car given by my Uncle which was a Peugeot 405 Executive Turbo which he had from new, I drove it into the ground and still sold it for £300 to a local guy. Was a lovely lux barge and served us for a good 2 years.

Cheapest I've bought was that recent MX-5 UK car for £400, had it MOT'd (flew through) and detailed, wheels refurbed and flipped it for £2750 a month later. Unfortunately cars like this are getting rare and rarer.

I paid £750 for the 205 CTI too and that sold well. I look every single day for bargains like this.

I'd say the best bargain I ever got was Project 3200 at £4k, engine was sound just needed bringing back to life (see the thread) and it flipped for nearly £12k.
 

Wack61

Member
Messages
8,764
Cheapest I've owned, a free car given by my Uncle which was a Peugeot 405 Executive Turbo.

Funny that , a 405 Executive is probably the car I've lost most money on , bought a P reg one at under a year old for 15k , had it 3 years and PX'd it for buttons, last ******** peugeot I ever bought, though I think the guy that bought it new lost as much as me in under a year.

Got a call from Evans Halshaw on the B class , I think I got the "we will, but we don't want to buy any car" offer , online price was £14,500 without the CAT marker, they said their offer would be 45-50% which is a joke

The only other car I can find similar spec and mileage non cat is up for 19k so it's worth 12k all day