Cursed by the Mechanical Gods! (part 1)

Given that my plans have once again been brought to an abrupt halt due to yet another mechanical issue, I figured this was a good topic for a blog post. Those who know me well will probably be aware that I don't have the best luck when it comes to vehicle reliability. But for those who don't, here is a "brief" rundown of the vehicles I've owned so far and some of the minor mechanical dramas which have afflicted them...

Ford Fiesta 1.1 Popular Plus

1991 was a good year

Technically not actually my car as my parents bought it for myself and my brother to learn to drive in. This car was as old as me, severely lacked power and desparately needed a fifth gear. However this did not stop me driving it up the M1 to uni in Newcastle a few times a year. The only time the AA had to be called out was when I snapped the key off in the petrol cap. And when my brother put in in a ditch... but the less said about the better. 

Unfortunately age eventually got the better of her and there were only so many times the sills could be welded up before prolific rust meant despite being in all other respects, mechanically sound,  the Fiesta was sent off to the scrapheap in the sky. RIP

VW Golf 1.4

The fleet

The first car I ever actually owned and probably the only time I chose well. A glorious ode to German engineering, this car was absolutely faultless until I crashed it in the French Alps. 

Oops...

Even then it lived to fight another day, once we'd beaten the bonnet back into shape with a hammer and taped over the broken headlight. This is more than can be said for the Corsa that I hit, which was written off there and then. The Golf meanwhile made it back to the UK without further incident, even surviving a nervewracking drive across Paris where my dented bumper fitted right in. Once safely home a quick phone call to a local vehicle breakers provided a new horn and headlight for minimal cost and she was good as new. Unfortunately the same could not be said of my no claims bonus and my subsequent renewal quote exceeded the value of the car by a considerable margin. As a result I was forced to sell this car, something which I have regretted to this day. I eventually reverted back to the Fiesta for a few years until I could afford something a little more capable.

Fully loaded on route to Newcastle!

BMW 325i

So shiny

After reaching Sandhurst and receiving my first paycheck I decided to upgrade to something with a little more power. Obviously the logical next step from a 20 yr old 1.1 litre Ford Fiesta was a BMW 3 series, complete with a 2.5 litre straight six. With alloys wheels, heated leather seats and a stunning Atlantis Metallic paintjob (which strangely none of my friends were so keen on), this car was the height of luxury as far as I was concerned. At a mere 12 years old it was practically new compared to my previous cars! Some how I didn't crash it, probably because it spent most of its time sat on the back of an AA truck... 

This car was my pride and joy...

Within a week of buying the car I was stranded in Halfords car park with a knackered clutch. After being recovered to a local garage I was informed that I needed both a new clutch and dual mass flywheel, not a cheap repair by any means! At least with that behind me I could get back to enjoying my new car and was soon off to the Lake District to catch up with a few uni friends and show off my fancy new car. Alas this didn't last long and I was soon limping my way along the length of Lake Coniston with a split header tank. Multiple top ups with lake water and a close eye on the temperature gauge got me as far as Coniston village where the AA were once again called. To cut a long story short the car returned home on the back of a truck once again.

An all too familiar sight

Multiple other dramas followed, notably a high speed blow out on route to Tidworth which left me changing a wheel on a dark, rainy roadside (low profile tyres and Wiltshire potholes are not a good combination). Then there was the whole brake saga, going through multiple sets of brake pads, scored discs and replacing hoses before eventually a seized caliper was diagnosed and replaced. Finally a rusted front wing caused an MOT failure and after a rather pricy quote to respray a new wing to match (the downside of the fancy colour) I eventually got fed up of throwing money at the car and decided to sell it. 

A love hate relationship

By the time the car eventually sold it had been sat so long that the head gasket had developed a catastrophic leak and this combined with a very aggressive London car dealer resulted in a rather unsavoury experience for my parents (I was away at the time) and minimal opportunity to recoup my losses on this terrible financial escapade.

To be continued... 

(look forward to the next instalment for the progession to motorbikes, reknowned Volvo reliability and my genius idea to build a campervan)