October 2019
The W211 was supercharged... the W210 was not!! Read more
the standard 2.0 litre had 130hp, not 150hp! Read more
When my father-in-law gave up driving in 2008 he presented his K-reg Citroen ZX 1.9D automatic to my wife. Although slow off the mark, it cruised effortlessly and economically, riding far more smoothly and quietly than the Mazda CX-3 which we own today. It was the electrics which brought about it's downfall. We lived with the unreliable windows and central locking, but when the heater controls and half the instruments failed to illuminate at night it was the last straw. We could see the rev counter and the temperature gauge, but not the speedometer or the fuel gauge, and replacing the bulbs would have involved removing the steering wheel and the entire fascia panel. At this point the 2009 Scrappage Sheme was enacted, so the ZX became a £2000 deposit against a new Daihatsu Sirion, the most reliable super-mini most people have never heard of. As we parted with the ZX, my wife's last words to the salesman were "don't let anyone drive it at night!" Read more
Owned two 1.9i Volcanes in the 90s and early 00s. Both great cars and fun to drive. Same engine as the Pug 205 and 309 GTi and so used to get down the road rather well. Very underrated and unassuming cars. Both really reliable as well. I liked them almost as much as my BX GTi 16V, which was quirky and quick but less reliable than the ZXs.
FIVA are a bunch of dinosaurs. An engine swap with petrol or diesel is fine, but the car ceases to be a classic the moment you put an electric powertrain in? What a load of rubbish. Read more
Like it or not, classic cars are an example of recycling - we're reusing stuff that was built years ago. Sure, they may not be 'cleanest' engines in the world, but given that the majority of classics do about 3000 miles a year, I'd say their environmental impact is limited. If someone wants to convert their classic MGB (or whatever) over to electric, why shouldn't they? Their car, their choice. No-one moans if they swap out a four-pot for a V8. If converting the odd classic to EV means keeping our heritage alive I'm all for it. Plus, FIVA might bark on about taking away privileges but don't EVs get tax breaks anyway? And the running costs would certainly be lower... At a time when the future of our hobby is under threat from scrappage schemes that take future classics off the road and crackdowns on emissions for vehicles entering city centres, FIVA sticking its nose in really doesn't help.
"Nice one guv"... Read more
Damn! Sold already.
These are SWEET cars, but big enough for a 2 meter tall driver like me,, simple enough for a teenager to maintain, and frugal.
I have owned 3 other 1.3's and they averaged 50mpg, as well as being sprightly enough to keep up with most modern cars.
I'm begining to wish I hadnt given the last one away. Read more
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Could be an aftermarket mod?