MKI as a daily

[NDR008]

And the main thing is - i look forward to my drive to uni and back everyday - theres not one day goes by when i wish i drove another car- it makes the daily commute a total pleasure and never fails to put me in a good mood

So bloody right except for when I stop at the pump, soon after or before I have a massive grin on my face, even if it is a cruise like drive, and hell I've had faster cars before, just something about the 2....

[Lauren]

I am not talking just as a personal owner, but as a part time mechanic previously, and now as an automotive engineer for and R&D powertrain department (and I mean engineer and not technician).

Hmm. I was just talking as an owner. I still am surprised that you would make such sweeping generalisations though.

[NDR008]

I have always made such sweeping generalisations - because everyone uses rules of thumb to speed up problem solving or decision making.

However I must say, from the things I see at work these days and the attitutdes and way of doing things of different car manufacturers... No comment.

Let us say if I was wrong the do the generalisations, I now don't think the actual generalisation was technically incorrect.

I'll give you one example from my personal experience:
My Fiat Cinquecento Sporting 1995, which I think was made from something like 1993 to 1997, something of the sort.

Anyway, the first series, the 1993 to 1995 like mine, suffered a fault and had a recall. Fuel tanks splitting accross the seems. Now again, statistacly, EU brands such as FIAT are known for recalls.
I was part of this recall batch, but the local Bristol dealership insisted I wasn't (ok, not FIAT's fault - crap dealer). Most people thought the tanks split due to some production fault.

I also noticed the car used to spit petrol (out of the filler pipe) on me sometimes at the petrol station, whenever I used a fuel with relatively higher volatility.

When I ordered my new fuel tank I figured out it spat petrol (sometimes enough to make me go home shower and change everything down to my boxers coz they were socked) AND why the year after mine had a different tank and did not have a recall.

The filler pipe went under the tank as apposed to ontop. Hence, each time the tank is slightly pressurised, the pressure pushes the fuel out of the tank from the filler cap.

Also when the car is not used for long, the high volitality fuel pressurises, and again - with the filler pipe under the tank, that negligable gas that is usually allowed to bleed, is instead trapped due to the petrol in the way to the filler pipe, and instead the pressure just builds up till it split the weakest bit - the seem weld.


Now I know what you're going to say - that this is one example bla bla bla - trust me:
A) on a Jap car this would have never happened.
B) after so many years of making cars or any fresh engineer would realise "Hey this filler pipe is in the wrong place" but I can believe for quality reasons someone said "xxxx it, we need to make money, we'll see what to do after".
C) I have similar stories involving almost any manufacturer, FORD, Jaguar, Aston Martin...

but anyway... whatever makes you happy dude.

[Lauren]

but anyway... whatever makes you happy dude.

But you are talking about an old car. Any old car is a lottery. So making such sweeping generalisations is idiocy as i'm sure you can appreciate. I had loads and loads of problems with my first mk1, does that make it a terribly unreliable car?

The problem with making sweeping generalisations (which incidentally has nothing to do with 'rule of thumb'), is that they are by definition inherently flawed and as such worthless. Saying all euro cars have crap reliability just demonstrates your own lack of knowledge.

And for your information i'm not a dude.

[toxo]

A) on a Jap car this would have never happened.

Weren't the front wings on the original MK1s a warranty replacement item due to them having been made of metal akin to cheese? And lets not mention Subaru head gaskets... there are lots of cockups in Japanese motor manufacturing too

Anyway, getting back on topic, I used my MK1 as a daily driver for about 6 months, no worries. Must've been covering a few hundred miles a week, no problems at all.

Whilst we're on the subject - I am a dude!

[Lauren]

A) on a Jap car this would have never happened.

Weren't the front wings on the original MK1s a warranty replacement item due to them having been made of metal akin to cheese? And lets not mention Subaru head gaskets... there are lots of cockups in Japanese motor manufacturing too

Crap american (cheap) metal apparently. Then there is the frankly rubbish rear caliper design that is prone to seizing and toyota never revised it throughout the mk1 production run. So japanese cars just like cars made in other countries have design flaws.

[Tom G]

I'm guessing by NDR008's location that he works for a ford-related company. Having worked in the business myself I can vouch that for certain automotive manufacturers, the chaotic nature of their design processes beggars belief, such that it's a miracle that finished cars emerge from the other end!
The difference in cultures of car manufactures varies just like any other company, and the general quality of their produce with it.

I'd say the quality/reliability of a car depends on clever design and quality control procedures. In general, jap OEMs are good at both, hence we're all happily driving around in ancient mk1s!

[NDR008]

I'm guessing by NDR008's location that he works for a ford-related company. Having worked in the business myself I can vouch that for certain automotive manufacturers, the chaotic nature of their design processes beggars belief, such that it's a miracle that finished cars emerge from the other end!
The difference in cultures of car manufactures varies just like any other company, and the general quality of their produce with it.

I'd say the quality/reliability of a car depends on clever design and quality control procedures. In general, jap OEMs are good at both, hence we're all happily driving around in ancient mk1s!

I am not directly related with FORD, I am somewhat related with all automtive companies really. My comments are not based on my work position (don't want any law suits here). But from my PERSONAL experience yeah the design and quality philosophies from company to company differ greatly. Just grab a book on the Toyota Way or Toyota Production System by Shingo, or Poke-Yoke or almost any other Japanese manufacturing system book and compare it to one you might find from FORD or GM... I am not saying Toyota have not made mistakes and won't make mistakes, but the way they make decisions, totally different. The reasons they will hault production, again, totally different.

[Lauren]

I am not directly related with FORD, I am somewhat related with all automtive companies really. My comments are not based on my work position (don't want any law suits here). But from my PERSONAL experience yeah the design and quality philosophies from company to company differ greatly. Just grab a book on the Toyota Way or Toyota Production System by Shingo, or Poke-Yoke or almost any other Japanese manufacturing system book and compare it to one you might find from FORD or GM... I am not saying Toyota have not made mistakes and won't make mistakes, but the way they make decisions, totally different. The reasons they will hault production, again, totally different.

That may be so, I guess it's a real shame that toyota do not make anything interesting anymore, just dull reliable cars.

[triplecustard]

I guess it's a real shame that toyota do not make anything interesting anymore, just dull reliable cars.

Thats about right.

Back on topic, our mk1 is daily use for my wife.

[russ3161]

I also think it's important to remember the cost of a mk1. If you buy one for £1000 and it lasts you a year or so of daily commute or thrashing abuse then u've saved money you could have spent buying a fiesta. Consider buying a new fiesta on a good deal at say, £7000, in a year or two it'll be worth £4500 or £5000! If you're talking about using one you already own and love then, yeah maybe don't use it more than you are, but if you're looking at buying one as a cheap fun, laugh on the way to work then what's the most you can lose!

[russ3161]

I also think it's important to remember the cost of a mk1. If you buy one for £1000 and it lasts you a year or so of daily commute or thrashing abuse then u've saved money you could have spent buying a fiesta. Consider buying a new fiesta on a good deal at say, £7000, in a year or two it'll be worth £4500 or £5000! If you're talking about using one you already own and love then, yeah maybe don't use it more than you are, but if you're looking at buying one as a cheap fun, laugh on the way to work then what's the most you can lose!

[dylbie]

I use my MR2 everyday and every weekend she gets driven 150miles from Cambridge to Bristol and back to see the missus. Sometimes even twice a week.
So thats probably 350-400 miles a week. And nothing major mechanical has gone wrong. Ok so it has a little surface rust around the arches but considering it cost me £550 from ebay I cant complain.

I think if I had anything else, like a Ford Mundano, I would hate driving by now. As it stands I have a smile on my face every time I drive it.

This car has to be the best value car out there. I think if I have to buy a new car it will be the MR2s bigger brother: an old school Supra. But alas I feel I will be very disappointed.

[Race Idiot]

Ok so it looks like i'm going to have to bite the bullet as my other option for commuting to work (train) looks pretty much impossible.

Lets say with a max budget of £1200 for the car itself could I get a decent working MKIB with not terrible bodywork?

Also hows insurance? I'm going to give A-Plan a call to see what sort of quote i'll get on a MKI. I'm 25 with 3 year ncb so if anyone with simmilar age/ncb could comment?

Kinda tempted to go with one, get some RS Watanabe RS8s and some sticky rubber, konis + spings, arb's, polybushes. Then go 20v!

Oh god what have I gotten myself into.

[Charged]

Also hows insurance? I'm going to give A-Plan a call to see what sort of quote i'll get on a MKI. I'm 25 with 3 year ncb so if anyone with simmilar age/ncb could comment?

There are too many variables with insurance quoting to really compare one quote to another..

[Race Idiot]

There are too many variables with insurance quoting to really compare one quote to another..

Well you have my details somewhere i'm sure, fancy giving me a quote for a mkib?

[Charged]

There are too many variables with insurance quoting to really compare one quote to another..

Well you have my details somewhere i'm sure, fancy giving me a quote for a mkib?

I'll PM you

[dylbie]

I'm 24 with 2 years NCB and I pay about £360 a year, fully comp.

Bargain!

As I mentioned above, my MR2 cost 550, and its been going for a year and a half with no probs. Just sailed through an MOT as well. With 1200 quid you should be able to get one in really good nick.

[Race Idiot]

There are too many variables with insurance quoting to really compare one quote to another..

Well you have my details somewhere i'm sure, fancy giving me a quote for a mkib?

I'll PM you

Ta for the pm and the quote! I might have to wait a while now, anyway for the moment i'll be car sharing with a friend unless someone has a blinding aw11 for sale.