Why did you choose your current motor?

Manufacturer/Model/Year: BMW E61 523i 2005
Engine: 2.5 l petrol
Purchase/current miles: 35 ish 55 ish
Trim Level: SE leather climate, no nav
Justification for ownership: dogs and then kid (now kids) meant estate important, one of my dogs poohed in the truck I had at the time and it smelled bad
Happy with the car?: bored of it and it has cost me too much for what it is recently, with luck will be gone within the next 2 weeks
 
Manufacturer/Model/Year: Renault Clio 2004
Engine: 1.5dCi
Purchase/current miles: 700/89200
Trim Level: Dynamique
Justification for ownership: Left my old job which had a company car and needed a car to get me to work for a few weeks, also moved in with the then girlfriend and she was in need of a small car. Originally was buying a new, but they messed the order up and the car wouldnt be there on time so struck a deal with the dealership to take their Demo car which they discounted and got a 0% finance deal on it rather than the 5% it should have been. In the end the girlfriend didnt bother driving and i just couldnt be bothered to swap the car for anything else so ended up sticking with it.

Happy with the car?: Yep, my commute is mainly motorway and in these high fuel cost times it manages around the 70mpg so is very easy on the wallet, that plus the fact the motorway section i travel (M62 Leeds to Huddersfield) is always rammed so traffic is usually down to 50-60mph (and is currently speed limited to that also). Plus i get relocation cash from work and travel payments/costs means it pretty much cost neutral motoring (covers the insurance (£230), Tax (£20 i think) and wear/tear easily).

The car itself hasnt had any major bills, i'd say i have spent £500-1000 on it aside from usual servicing costs which gets done every 2 years (says 2 years or 18k in book, but the same model released later that year got changed to 2yrs or 24k).
 
Manufacturer/Model/Year: Volkswagen Passat Estate, 2001
Engine: 1.8T
Purchase/current miles: 74,000 / 151,000
Trim Level: Sport
Justification for ownership: After the supercharged MX5 i wanted a car which could be used year round and on the motorway without getting hacked off, i really wanted something well built with the 1.8T engine so i could modify it, whilst being typically VW and dull to drive it ticks many boxes for me.
Happy with the car?: Yes, it serves its purpose and with around 250bhp is offers a fair amount of surprise for other motorists, if it wasn't for the 18" wheels and rather large Porsche 4 pot front brakes it would be a total sleeper.
 
Last edited:
Manufacturer/Model/Year: Toyota Yaris April 2012
Engine: 1.33 VVTi 1NR-FE
Purchase/current miles: 3 / 6000
Trim Level: SR CVT Auto
Justification for ownership: Needed a replacement to the previous Yaris we had. Cheap to run for my commuting needed , i do about 16K per year. £100 to tax after the 1st year. Generally liked the older Yaris. Also wanted scratch off the new car ownership off my list as well. Offered good part ex on older Yaris
Happy with the car: Yes ;) pulls really quickly when needed , and can be eco when i dont mash my floor on the gas. Handles well through country roads , and the reverse camera is quite handy as well.
 
Last edited:
Manufacturer/Model/Year: Volkswagen Passat 2005
Engine: 2.0 tfsi
Purchase/current miles: 31000/42000
Trim Level: SEL
Justification for ownership: Was fed up with my old mk IV Astra and wanted something bigger with more power and was comfier to drive on long distances without breaking the bank! The B6 Passat was the only car around I liked the look of that wouldn't cost an arm and a leg to run/maintain and seemed to be a few k cheaper than the equivalent Audi or similar.
Happy with the car?: Very, it's easy to drive, comfy, isn't the fastest car around but is quick enough to keep me happy! I have had a few issues with it over the last year and a half of ownership such as flange on the turbos dump valve blowing and AC compressor crapping out but at the end of the day, neither of these things stopped the car from working. Lack of steering wheel controls is a minor annoyance but easy to live with (or without in this case lol)
 
Manufacturer/Model/Year: Fiat Grande Punto 2008
Engine: 1.4 16v
Purchase/current miles: 27k/39k
Trim Level: Eleganza
Justification for ownership: My gf had owned a 98 Polo for the past 8 years, she had the car chosen for her by her parents at the time and while it was a decent enough car she wasn't wrapped up with the styling, lack of kit and the fact that it was starting to look a bit scabby with rust. She liked the styling of the Grande Punto and we were after a Dynamic spec which would have given her the air con, remote locking and electric windows that she wanted when we spotted a very keenly priced Eleganza so we went for that instead. It has since become our only car so the fact it has nice touches like cruise and dual zone climate has worked out nicely for us as it is used on longer trips.
Happy with the car?: Pretty much, a few niggles to start with but these were covered under warranty. Now apart from a couple of little trim issues it is a great car for us.
 
Manufacturer/Model/Year: BMW 530i auto, Sept 2002
Engine: 3.0 M54
Purchase/current miles: 110500/111600
Trim Level: Sport
Justification for ownership: Wanted something comfier than my EP3 on my commute.
Happy with the car?: So far yes, but is has taken up a lot of my time and money (cleaning, fixing an oil leak, leaky expansion bottle, polishing the headlights etc). Returning 29MPG on my work run since buying it, so I'm happy with that. Wife is starting to hate it though.
 
Manufacturer/Model/Year: Vauxhall Vectra 2004
Engine: CDTI 16v
Purchase/current miles: 76,000/109,000
Trim Level: SRi
Justification for ownership: Ex VX apprentice means easy access to cheap parts and self fix. Owned quite a few VX cars over the years.
Happy with the car?: Does the job of holding 2 adults and 3 kids and having a large boot
 
Last edited:
Manufacturer/Model/Year: Vauxhall Astra VXR 2006
Engine:2ltr turbo
Purchase/current miles: purchased in april 43k now 48k
Trim Level: top trim
Justification for ownership: wanted something faster and bigger than my old Fiesta ST
Happy with the car?: yeah and no
 
Manufacturer/Model/Year: BMW 325Ti 2003
Engine: 2.5 litre straight 6
Purchase/current miles: 58k / 62k
Trim Level: Sport
Justification for ownership: Wanted to trade up to a smarter, nippier car than my old Golf that would be more suited to more regular long trips without sacrificing practicality, or fun on the B roads.
Happy with the car?: Very. The Sport trim makes for a very firm ride, but the car is so planted that you can quickly forgive it. Interior is standard E46 fare so comfy and lots of space, though I do miss not having inbuilt Nav or iPod connectivity (looking at my options here at the mo). The Compact's aren't loved by many, but 6 months on I still rate the looks and it's nice having something a bit different to the go-to Saloon or Couple options, plus the power of the straight 6 makes it a bit of a sleeper to 90% of people on the road. Downsides? Just the usual running costs which I accepted before I even started shopping for the car - new Conti tyres this month!
 
Last edited:
Manufacturer/Model/Year: Toyota Corolla 2005
Engine: 1.8 in line 4 VVTL-I 190BHP
Purchase/current miles:43K - 61K
Trim Level: T-Sport
Justification for ownership: I wanted a high revving NA inline 4 motor and I fancied one of these since 2005 when I used to work for a Toyota Garage, I preferred it to the Civic which I test driven a week previous
Happy with the car?: Its the longest period I've owned a car at 2 years in August, I'm tempted to sell it but then I drive it again and realise how much I love it plus the fact its not had one issue or advisories in 3 x MOTs and would be very sad to see it go, its getting on a bit now though :(
 
Manufacturer/Model/Year: SEAT Leon '07
Engine: 2.0 TFSI
Purchase/current miles: 26000 / 40000
Trim Level: FR
Justification for ownership: Wanted something faster, larger and reliable. It has been very reliable for me, and I have only paid for 4 x new tyres, fuel & servicing in my 3ish yrs of ownership (touch wood).
Happy with the car: Yes and no. The interior is starting to grate on me, but in reality, I am just getting picky. My commute barely lasts 30mins each way, and I have no real reason to change to something else. I do fancy a nice estate car, perhaps a 3 Series Touring or a Superb or something.
 
Manufacturer/Model/Year: VW Polo 1998

Engine: 1.4 16v (84bhp version)
Purchase/current miles: 66k/73k

Trim Level: CL, which means it came with a radio, that 90's purple trim and electric windows!

Justification for ownership: It was a free gift off my older sister who didn't to sell if for a couple of hundred quid (after 4 years no use in central London) when my and my sister needed to learn to drive. Both passed practicing in it and both just drive it about now as its the family car of sorts...

Happy with the car?: Pretty much yeah, it was free, comfortable, has had a cd player upgrade and is pretty good on fuel. Only downers is its geared for town driving, which makes it a laugh to drive in motorways, and I don't quite fit in it (being 6 foot 5). Have a Jetta lined up as the replacement when the front suspension goes as that will be 500 quid we wont put into the polo.
 
Manufacturer/Model/Year: BMW Z4 Sdrive35i
Engine: N54B30 3.0L TT
Purchase/current miles: 9K/13K
Trim Level: N/A - Only important part is iDrive but came with another 15 options or so.
Justification for ownership: Only 2 of us. I don't need luggage space anyway.
Happy with the car?: Yes, it's insanely fun. Great GT car, I like nothing more than arsing about it in it with the top down and listening to it's roar, pops and burbling.
 
Manufacturer/Model/Year: Pontiac Firebird, 1968
Engine: 6.6-litre (400ci) Pontiac V8, naturally aspirated, approximately 450bhp and 500lb.ft.
Purchase/current miles: 129,000 (I think, unlikely that it's 29,000), now 130,000.
Trim Level: Sport Coupe.
Justification for ownership: Wanted a classic American muscle/sports car
Happy with the car?: Yes but there are a lot of question marks still. I haven't driven it much because I've been working through the issues that it had when I bought it. As a result I've not really had a chance to get familiar with it yet.

Thread here: http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18405302
 
Last edited:
Manufacturer/Model/Year: Audi A3, 2004
Engine: 2.0tdi
Purchase/current miles: 84,000/160,000
Trim Level: Sport + Rear parking Sensors, Leather and alacantra heated seats, BOSE upgrade and a Parrot bluetooth system.
Justification for ownership: I simply wanted one. Had a horrible 1.4 306 and wanted shot of it.
Happy with the car?: Very.
 
Manufacturer/Model/Year: VW Golf GTI, 2012MY
Engine: 2.0T
Purchase/current miles: 0/10,000
Trim Level: full option + (e.g parktronic, DVD, NAV, Dynaudio, DCC, DSG)
Justification for ownership: Wanted something new, with all the toys and a long warranty which could accommodate a toddler and still be fun to drive in town and occasional trips. The GTI is the best spec'd car I could find for the money which still felt of high quality.
Happy with the car?: very. first service coming up soon and no issues to report so far, only a lot of fun.
 
Last edited:
Manufacturer/Model/Year:
Mazda MX5 NC (2006)

Engine:
2.0l (160bhp)

Purchase/current miles:
68,000 / 93,000

Trim Level:
Sport (Full leather heated seats, 6 speed gearbox, LSD, Bose stereo, parking sensors)

Justification for ownership:
Fun. Started a new job at the beginning of 2011 after moving in with my girlfriend and we wanted to chop in my Focus for something newer. Always had a soft spot for the MX5 and fell in love with the NC after test driving one. Commute is only 12 miles each way, so now seemed the ideal time to buy a car that I could enjoy driving.

Happy with the car?:
Very much so. It could be a little more practical day to day (lowered slightly which has improved handling but makes some speed cushions a pain) but any foibles about the car as a tool are soon forgotten when you take it out for a drive :)
 
Last edited:
Manufacturer/Model/Year: Mini John Cooper Works GP

Engine: 1.6 (Supercharged) - With various mods.

Purchase/current miles: 38k/50k

Trim Level: N/A - All the same.

Justification for ownership: I wanted a new car... It's only ever me in the car the majority of the time so the lack of rear seats is never an issue and now I get a quite sizeable boot. Was looking at Gen 2 JCW's originally when I noticed these were in the same price bracket and I wanted one when they first came out so jumped at the chance.

Happy with the car?: Very. Will be even more so when my next set of plans come off for the car :)
 
Make: Toyota mr2 gt t-bar 1995
Engine: 2.0 3sgte 240ps.
Justification: wanted a gran turismo car. Okay my corolla was in it too but you actually use the mr2in the MR events. Why did i buy this n? The jdm sticker on the rear bumper sold it me.

Happy with car? On a good day when its not raining and pot holes aren't whacking my alignment out - got to be one of the best drives out there. ( sub supercar status). You can't beat the whistle of the intake/turbo over your shoulder and the roar of jdm single rear can that rattles door knockers at low speed lol.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom