Why did you buy the car that you drive?

[kalniel]

I didn't know they were bad on petrol.....i thought the opposite....

You thought land rovers were economic??! Even modern ones have atrocious economy, they're all about the torque. Plus look at the shape of the thing...

in fact i thought they were all diesel?

Diesel is the sensible choice certainly, but still not for mpg reasons.

[DanceswithUnix]

Nissan pathfinder T-spec......bought this car 4 year ago and sold it after a year......bought it back off the guy i sold it from 3 year later as all the cars after that never cut it for me.

Done a few upgrades like 22" wheels, bullbar, chrome mirrorcaps/door handles etc etc....oh and modded a shogun sport rear roof spoiler onto it as the nissan one looked gash for £420 unpainted and unfitted imo.

Ah the old "Boy meets Nissan, boy loses Nissan, boy gets Nissan back again"

I bought my current car, an Alfa 147 Lusso 1.9 mJet, to reduce motoring costs. Loved my old Alfa 166 V6, but parts were expensive and at 13 years old everything was starting to fail.

Looked at quite a few cars, but most were either too expensive or rejected under vito by the wife as "not having one of those on the driveway".

150bhp seems about right for a car this size, the handling is good, it has all the toys you expect. Just doesn't make me grin like the 166 did though.

Don't think I will ever enjoy driving a diesel, so not sure how long this car will last.

[Mother]

Ah the old "Boy meets Nissan, boy loses Nissan, boy gets Nissan back again"

lol.....very good........Love the David Thorne 7 legged spider avatar btw. Are you a fan?

[DanceswithUnix]

lol.....very good........Love the David Thorne 7 legged spider avatar btw. Are you a fan?

His website is excellent, just my sort of humour.

Have had that avatar for a while though, it could do with an update. Perhaps I should add a drop-shadow, make it more branded

[Mother]

His website is excellent, just my sort of humour.

Have had that avatar for a while though, it could do with an update. Perhaps I should add a drop-shadow, make it more branded

yeah my humour too......i tried my own a while back with a guy on ebay who was selling a graphics card and he fell right into it lol......i will pm you it.....not as slick as davids tho.

[DanceswithUnix]

yeah my humour too......i tried my own a while back with a guy on ebay who was selling a graphics card and he fell right into it lol......i will pm you it.....not as slick as davids tho.

Thanks for the PM, very funny

[Knoxville]

I didn't know they were bad on petrol.....i thought the opposite....in fact i thought they were all diesel?

Most of them after the early eighties (Defender era onwards) are diesel. The old rover V8 was available as an option on early Defenders and Discoveries and ever present in the Range Rover, there was a short lived 2.5 petrol option early in the Defenders life cycle too but after that it was all Tdi, right up to the transit van engine in the modern Defender.

They still struggle to return anything above 25 mpg though, aerodynamics and tuning aside the gearing doesn't help. I've got a four speed box in mine with a low range transfer box. Defender's fair slightly better with their five speed boxes but they're always in 4WD mode so what they make on the swings they lose on the roundabouts. It wasn't until Ford slotted a six speed box onto the back of the TDCi engine in the current Defender that you could actually drive them with a mind to economy.

Then you get to the engine in mine (and virtually every other series Land Rover) which is based on a design from the late forties or early fifties when a full tank might cost you a few shillings and sixpence so they were never designed to be economical on fuel. Then there's a six cylinder petrol option based on the same block that chews through fuel even quicker... You would think the N/A diesel would return better figures, even despite it's age but it's pretty much the same engine and alas they struggle to break 20mpg. Plus they've got all of about 68bhp to boot, making them almost a liability in modern traffic!

[Tumble]

You're not forgetting that they weigh the guts of 2 tonnes too are you? I know my '86 Ninety was 1750kg, and that was without seats, oil, water or fuel......

[DanceswithUnix]

You're not forgetting that they weigh the guts of 2 tonnes too are you? I know my '86 Ninety was 1750kg, and that was without seats, oil, water or fuel......

Lol, 2 tonne is a standard 3 series BMW these days

Edit to add: When I were a lad, I was told diesels were good engines for tow cars. Well thinking about it, compared to then all modern cars are the weight of an old car + caravan, so not surprising derv is popular as everyone is towing their own car

[Funkstar]

Late to this thread too.

I probably have one of the least desirable cars to almost everybody else here, but it is the most desirable to us.



Yup, that's right, it's a Fiat Multipla!

Our is also blue, an 03 plate, done 110,000 miles, covered in dog hair and smells of stale food that is most likely mashed into the seats or dropped down between them where it's hard to reach. Oh and not forgetting the layer of beach sand that has been dragged into the carpet and across the back seats.

With four kids, two of which are still in baby/child seats and two large golden retrievers it is actually the perfect car for us. That's not to say it is perfect, but there really isn't anything else on the market that comes close without a huge jump up in size and cost.

I only wish it was another foot or two longer in the boot, then it would be even better. We had a Zafira for a while and it was useless for us, but if the Multipla was the same length it would be incredible.

And although Fiats are a dog to work on, very little is tied in to the engine management system or computer controlled meaning they are fixable by the likes of me. I replaced the clutch, front disks and pads as well as the rear shoes and hub internals earlier in the year with the help of my father in law. Also fixed the air bag warning light by unplugging and reconnecting the plugs under the front seats (a common fault according to the internet) and no computer needed to be re-set.

The Ugly Bug's replacement will either be another Multipla or perhaps a Dispatch Combi, depending on how long this lasts and how much money we (don't) have.

[Tumble]

Lol, 2 tonne is a standard 3 series BMW these days

yuss.... but a standard 3 series has a touch more than 60 horses to pull it along!

[Bagnaj97]

I probably have one of the least desirable cars to almost everybody else here, but it is the most desirable to us.

I think I can give you a run for your money, although nothing is quite as hideous as a Multipla!



I wanted something economical, reliable and practical. I have no real reason for a big(ish) car, other than it's nice to have the space when needed every couple of months. As for the economical part, I generally get ~50mpg out of it, rising to ~60 if I slow down a bit. Also, *ducks* I like how it looks! O_o

[Funkstar]

I think I can give you a run for your money, although nothing is quite as hideous as a Multipla!

Never even heard of a Roomster until now. Someone at work has a Yeti, which is actually quite good (based on the same platform as a Golf) and is very practical.

[Knoxville]

Is it just me, or is that passenger window on the Roomster very Lancia Stratos?

[DanceswithUnix]

Is it just me, or is that passenger window on the Roomster very Lancia Stratos?

Just you

Nowhere near curved enough.



On topic: I bought that because I was made redundant and found a job in a few weeks, so spent the redundancy money on something I had wanted since I was a teenager

Edit to add: I think it is the curve above the door handle that you are seeing. That and it seems to taper off away from the windscreen.

Better side picture nabbed from the web:

[Bagnaj97]

Is it just me, or is that passenger window on the Roomster very Lancia Stratos?

Well that's a refreshing comparison. It's usually compared to the popemobile, a hearse or an ice cream van!