This is going to be a different project from the rest but I wanted to do one anyway. Mine is going to be more a diary of costs. People always ask what it costs to run, so this should answer those things in a round about way. I'm not going to be dull enough to post MPG stats, but everything else is fair game.
I don't intend to modify it. I was going to then I changed my mind. I do very little myself because I don't really know what I'm doing and it's easier to pay someone to do things properly. If I lived closer to Rob he'd be my personal mechanic and I'd just supply him with beer.
Jan 2011
After a few bangers, I found what looked to be a good deal. £1500. 49,000 miles. Had one cambelt at 8,000 but due another.
Si and I travelled to Swindon to go and get it. Got him down to £1400 and I'd already done a DayInsure thing, so drove it home. Next day sorted out proper insurance which was a respectable £508.
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Couple of days later the rad decided it wanted to leak like something that leaks a lot. Why did I buy another French car?! Got an aftermarket one for a good price and then it was just paying for fitting again.
Car - £1400
Day Insure - £25
Insurance - £508
Rad + fitting £150
Total cost so far - £2083.00
Feb 2011
As I mentioned, it needed to have the cambelt done. I wasn't so bothered about buying one that needed it as it meant I could get it done somewhere that I trusted and wasn't buying one done by BillyBob in his shed with no locking tools etc. So to Rentech it goes. Full belt kit etc and it also needed a dephaser. Expensive job but needs doing.
I also had to do the essentials like get my private plate transferred and get the iPod thingy so that it worked with the stalk controls. MT Audio sorted that out.
Audio Adaptor - £35
DVLA Welshies - £80
Biiiiiig service - £666.20
Total cost so far - £2864.20
March – June 11
I'm writing this from memory as I'm at work so I'm just bashing these in one go. They happened over the last few months. Obviously.
There was a small crack in the windscreen when I bought it which I shamefully didn't notice due to my excitement at the pretty Ph1 infront of me. So got one of those done via insurance.
Someone thought it would be a good idea to leave nails in the road, so got to work and my tyre was properly shagged. Very slow drive to the tyre place which is just down the road as my spare isn't legal
They didn't have anything decent in stock, so just had to take a 'mid-range' one for £50. Lovely.
While it was at Rentech having the cambelt, Dave said he plugged it in and the lambda sensor reading was pretty high or whatever it says when it's broken. So needed a new one of those.
Apparently you need tax in this country?! I was shocked too. I always thought I could just drive without it. But alas, you can't. I wasn't at my flushest when this was due, so I only got 6months.
Park it up one day, come back to it and notice a puddle on the floor. 'That can't be my car' and think it must have already been there. Quick look under the bonnet, no sign. Carry on. Get home and check again and it's dripping. Awesome. Have a tantrum because it's just had a new rad. Quick investigation reveals that it's just a broken clip. 30p for a clip thingy and it's good as new.
Got a ClioSport sticker at FCS with Admin discount as Brian had sent me the wrong one, which meant I put an external one on the inside. Backwards FTL.
Oh and I had my first driving on track experience. Wooop n ting.
Also not mentioned are the God knows how many PM's to Rob about various things <3 I sent him one today and then realised he's gone on holiday. That's no good is it?!
Lambda - £135
Windscreen - £75
Tyre - £50
Tax - £112.75
Clip thingy – 30p
Sticker – Free
Total cost so far – £3237.25
July 11
Bearing making a horrible noise, so bought some rear discs from G 172 and got the garage to fit them. As I said, I'm useless with this sort of thing and I'm sure some of you are looking at this thinking 'zOMG he paid someone to fit rear discs' well yeah, but this way I know it's done properly and I'm not going to die the first time I stop for a junction.
Discs + fitting - £111.00
Total cost so far – £3348.25
So that's what it's cost me so far for my purchase of 'cheap' motoring. A 200 on the £199 a month deal is ahead on costs at this point, but not with the spec I wanted, so that's a silver lining to my 'saving money' plan. And Dave, before you say I'm not taking into account depreciation, you're right. I'm not. I don't really intened to sell this car. I bought something that was cheap enough that when I come to buy a house, it's not really worth selling the car.
To be continued..
I don't intend to modify it. I was going to then I changed my mind. I do very little myself because I don't really know what I'm doing and it's easier to pay someone to do things properly. If I lived closer to Rob he'd be my personal mechanic and I'd just supply him with beer.
Jan 2011
After a few bangers, I found what looked to be a good deal. £1500. 49,000 miles. Had one cambelt at 8,000 but due another.
Si and I travelled to Swindon to go and get it. Got him down to £1400 and I'd already done a DayInsure thing, so drove it home. Next day sorted out proper insurance which was a respectable £508.
Ad photos..
Take one picture and maximum amount of posts = P2P champion.
Couple of days later the rad decided it wanted to leak like something that leaks a lot. Why did I buy another French car?! Got an aftermarket one for a good price and then it was just paying for fitting again.
Car - £1400
Day Insure - £25
Insurance - £508
Rad + fitting £150
Total cost so far - £2083.00
Feb 2011
As I mentioned, it needed to have the cambelt done. I wasn't so bothered about buying one that needed it as it meant I could get it done somewhere that I trusted and wasn't buying one done by BillyBob in his shed with no locking tools etc. So to Rentech it goes. Full belt kit etc and it also needed a dephaser. Expensive job but needs doing.
I also had to do the essentials like get my private plate transferred and get the iPod thingy so that it worked with the stalk controls. MT Audio sorted that out.
Audio Adaptor - £35
DVLA Welshies - £80
Biiiiiig service - £666.20
Total cost so far - £2864.20
March – June 11
I'm writing this from memory as I'm at work so I'm just bashing these in one go. They happened over the last few months. Obviously.
There was a small crack in the windscreen when I bought it which I shamefully didn't notice due to my excitement at the pretty Ph1 infront of me. So got one of those done via insurance.
Someone thought it would be a good idea to leave nails in the road, so got to work and my tyre was properly shagged. Very slow drive to the tyre place which is just down the road as my spare isn't legal
They didn't have anything decent in stock, so just had to take a 'mid-range' one for £50. Lovely.While it was at Rentech having the cambelt, Dave said he plugged it in and the lambda sensor reading was pretty high or whatever it says when it's broken. So needed a new one of those.
Apparently you need tax in this country?! I was shocked too. I always thought I could just drive without it. But alas, you can't. I wasn't at my flushest when this was due, so I only got 6months.
Park it up one day, come back to it and notice a puddle on the floor. 'That can't be my car' and think it must have already been there. Quick look under the bonnet, no sign. Carry on. Get home and check again and it's dripping. Awesome. Have a tantrum because it's just had a new rad. Quick investigation reveals that it's just a broken clip. 30p for a clip thingy and it's good as new.
Got a ClioSport sticker at FCS with Admin discount as Brian had sent me the wrong one, which meant I put an external one on the inside. Backwards FTL.
Oh and I had my first driving on track experience. Wooop n ting.
Also not mentioned are the God knows how many PM's to Rob about various things <3 I sent him one today and then realised he's gone on holiday. That's no good is it?!
Lambda - £135
Windscreen - £75
Tyre - £50
Tax - £112.75
Clip thingy – 30p
Sticker – Free
Total cost so far – £3237.25
July 11
Bearing making a horrible noise, so bought some rear discs from G 172 and got the garage to fit them. As I said, I'm useless with this sort of thing and I'm sure some of you are looking at this thinking 'zOMG he paid someone to fit rear discs' well yeah, but this way I know it's done properly and I'm not going to die the first time I stop for a junction.
Discs + fitting - £111.00
Total cost so far – £3348.25
So that's what it's cost me so far for my purchase of 'cheap' motoring. A 200 on the £199 a month deal is ahead on costs at this point, but not with the spec I wanted, so that's a silver lining to my 'saving money' plan. And Dave, before you say I'm not taking into account depreciation, you're right. I'm not. I don't really intened to sell this car. I bought something that was cheap enough that when I come to buy a house, it's not really worth selling the car.
To be continued..
