MagpieRacer
Premium
- 17,970
- Wymondham, Norfolk
- Seagull_Racer
Hi all, welcome to my updated first post which will feature a picture and brief description of each car I have owned. At least, the ones I liked and consider interesting, there's a couple that don't feature which I'll detail at the end.
1. 1999 Volkswagen Golf S Mk4
1.6 16v petrol, NA
105bhp, 109ft-lb
0-60 - 10.5s
Initially purchased off a friend for £375 as a winter car whilst I was riding my motorbike. Ended up really enjoying the car and used it a lot more, had a slightly bigger exhaust, TT wheels, anniversary edition Recaro seats/interior, blacked out hardware, lowered suspension. It was a fun car to drive, lacked power but made up for it in drive-ability. Ultimately it had 217k on the clock and time was telling on the car, it was very good on fuel, and for just pottering about in, it rode very hard and could be quite annoying.
2. 2003 Renault Clio mk2 DCi 65
1.5 8v Diesel, Turboi
65bhp, 118ft-lb
0-60 - 14.5s
About as basic as French motoring can get. No power, no torque, no thrills, pretty efficient, although the lack of power actually hurt it. This was what I received when swapping the Golf. It only had 158k on the clock and was in OK condition until I reversed down a pillar and caused quite a lot of damage.
3. 2003 Ford Focus Mk1.5 Zetec
1.6 16v petrol, NA
98bhp, 107ft-lb
0-60 - 10.6s
Purchased from my in-laws neighbor for barely £100, replacing the crappy Clio. This was a well looked after example of a Zetec Focus. 80k on the clock and drove very sweetly. I added my touches in the form of 15mm lowering spings, ST170 wheels, a slightly larger backbox and exhaust tip, ST170 interior and a few other little interior touches. A really fantastic car, economical, quick enough, but the real thing with this generation of Focus was how they handled, an absolute riot down a country road.
4. 2007 Renault Twingo GT
1.2 16v petrol, turbo
100bhp, 114ft-lb
0-60 - 9.2s
Welcome to Twingo number 1. This replaced the Focus and was too good an opportunity to miss out on. £100, cheap repair on the engine and off she went. GT spec had the 1.2 turbo and it felt a lot more rapid than the specs would suggest. Climate control, cruise control, bluetooth, very well equipped for a Twingo. An absolute blast to drive and the car that made me fall in love with the Twingo range.
5. 2009 Renault Sport Twingo 133
1.6 16v petrol, NA
133bhp, 118ft-lb
0-60 - 8.4s
Naturally, the love for the Twingo GT, very quickly led me down the path of upgrading to the Renault Sport model, the 133. Free revving 1,6 NA engine, unbelievable chassis, friendly enough to daily but also devilish enough to have an absolute blast on any road. H&R springs, resprayed alloys were all that were changed on this car. It was a higher mileage example, sitting on 126k when I came into ownership.
6. 2010 Renault Clio Sport Tourer Dynamique TomTom
1.5 8v diesel, turbo
86bhp, 148ft-lb
0-60 - 12.6s
This didn't replace the Twingo RS in my ownership, but the RS was sold to purchase this, as we were expecting our first child and had a pair of 3 door cars, a more family oriented car was needed and this Clio estate was sourced. Whilst it would become my main car in 2021, it was primarily my wifes car until then. A decent car to drive, comfortable and with a reasonable boot. It was safe, cheap to run and had 5 doors which made it an ideal, small family car. I pottered around in a 2005 Mk1 Ford Focus for a few months whilst I searched for a Twingo replacement.
7. 2000 Renault Megane Coupé Sport Alize
1.6 16v petrol, NA
110bhp, 109ft-lb
0-60 - 9.3s
Another Renault, my first coupé, and as a lover of the F2 era of rallying, one of my coolest cars. It drove spectacularly well, punchy engine, fun chassis, engaging steering. I had a lot of fun with this car, it cost me £475 and needed very little doing. I added a Pipecross induction kit which made it sound a bit more sporty from the drivers seat. Despite needing something a little more practical for our child, I couldn't resist this machine. I knew I wouldn't own it long (expensive tax and not great on fuel), but it showed my wife we could live with a 2/3 door as a second car.
8. 2010 Renault Twingo Gordini 100
1.2 16v petrol, turbo
100bhp, 114ft-lb
0-60 - 9.2s
Welcome to Twingo number 3. After proving we could live with a few less doors given that my wifes car was the main family car, I convinced her I needed another Twingo, when I saw this one come up locally. Fundamentally, identical to the GT model that I had owned previously, but, being a Gordini model, had a much nicer interior, with faux leather seats and steering wheel, fancy Gordini shift knob, Gordini stripes, unique blue paintwork, Speedline Turini wheels as standard, and sat slightly lower than the standard GT. Mechanically it was identical. Again had an absolute blast owning this car, taking it to various meets and shows, hooning it down Norfolks country roads and enjoying every moment of ownership. Eventually, because I drove it so much, even shunning the Clio estate for family trips, my wife got a bit fed up, and said she didn't mind me having something fun, but it needed to be more practical.
9. 2007 Renault Megane GT
2.0 16v diesel, turbo
150bhp, 251ft-lb
0-60 - 8.4s
That led me to this, having owned a couple of Twingo GT models and enjoyed them immensely, I figured, well, why not get another GT, just bigger? Enter the Megane mk2 GT. With a solid 2 liter diesel engine, loads of torque, a good chunk of power I had accidentally bought something which was as quick as the Twingo 133, but much more practical. This thing really shocked with it's performance, feeling a lot faster than the 8.4s time would suggest. Handled pretty well, though not as good as the Twingo, was very comfortable and had the desired practicality. A very good car to own.
10. 2009 Renault Sport Twingo 133
1.6 16v petrol, NA
133bhp, 118ft-lb
0-60 - 8.4s
But you couldn't keep me out of a Twingo. This came up locally a couple weeks or so before the first Covid lockdown in 2020. I made a snap decision (having had some intel within my workplace that we were on the verge of locking down), took the Megane off the road and purchased this as a projec.t It was good, it just needed some tidying up, it was a Cat N (non structural) repaired car (had a dented door, no other damage) hence it was cheap and left me some space to do stuff to it. It already had the cup pack on it, I lowered it 10mm further on the slightly more supple H&R springs, added a stainless manifold with sport cat, cup spoiler, sprayed the wheels anthracite, added the factory option Renault Sport decals, yellow calipers and the real hero, a desirable upgrade in Twingo 133 circles, induction upgrade courtesy of a Clio 172 Phase 1 airbox, on it's own guarantees a 5bhp boost without needing to be mapped. Once I had finished, this car was shoving 140bhp out and was unbelievable to drive, even showing up some Clio 197s with it's pace. During lockdown however, we had our second child and again, a time-bomb was placed on the RS.
It was once again sold, along with the Megane which had been off the road this whole time, to purchase a larger car for my wife, who was now running her own business (a tea room) and needed more boot space and wanted something a bit more than the Clio, so a 2010 Renault Scenic was purchased and I inherited the Clio Tourer.
11. 2007 Suzuki Swift Sport
1.6 16v petrol, NA
125bhp, 109ft-lb
0-60 - 8.6s
Of course, I couldn't be happy with the Clio for long. I persevered for a while, then I changed jobs and started working for my wife and once that all settled down and my new routine was set, I decided to sell the Clio and purchased the Swift Sport. I thought about going for another Twingo RS but the prices had skyrocketed and not many were available, so I went for one of it's natural rivals. The Swift felt very similar to the Twingo, just slightly less capable in the corners and less comfortable. However my short ownership was marred with problems, included a snapped aux belt, which forced me to replace the water pump, alternator etc, and plenty of other intermittent problems. It came with a factory bodykit, ultra rare leather interior and I then added a Simota carbon induction kit which made it sound like a rally car. But the problems had left a bad taste and I moved it on.
12. 2006 Audi A3 S-Line
2.0 16v diesel, turbo
190bhp, 300ft-lb
0-60 - Sub 8 seconds
The Swift was traded in for this, a straight swap on FB marketplace. Risky? For sure, but I'd always fancied an Audi and this one looked decent enough. Modified from its standard 140bhp up to around 190-200bhp, rapid 0-60 and oodles of torque. Well equipped for a 2006 model year car, with climate control, heated seats, electric heated mirrors and the like. Being an S-line it had the sporty interior and firmer suspension setup. Previous owners had installed RamAir sport induction kit, Milltek exhaust, S1 wheels and a remap. Unfortunately it was close to it's last legs and a starter/fuelling issue and then the power steering failing condemned this car to be sold as spare or repair.
13. 2007 Skoda Roomster 3
1.4 3cyl 6v diesel, turbo
70bhp, 114ft-lb
0-60 - 16s
This then led to the Roomster which is detailed more later in this thread. A safe bet after a short run of unreliability. Served me well for 18 months but it's incredible slowness and lack of any kind of redeeming driving capability has made it a tough 18 months in my car world. Nothing wrong with it, I just finally got to a point where I could justify having something that is a bit more me, especially the the 2 children now going to school.
14. 2010 Renault Laguna Coupé
2.0 16v diesel, turbo
150bhp, 236ft-lb
0-60 - 9s
That leads us to now. My kids can get in and out of their child booster seats on their own, belt themselves in etc so I can now justify ocne again having something a bit more me, which means something slightly less practical. I have always admired these cars and always had a desire to own one, beautiful looks and having had experience with the engine in the Megane GT, knew it would give me enough punch for Norfolks roads and significantly more than the Skoda was capable of giving me.
So that is my car history, or key car history, a couple of other cars were sprinkled in there, such as my first car which was a 2001 Peugeot 306 2.0 HDI, a 2006 Peugeot 206 1.6, 2005 Renault Clio 1.2, 1998 Renault Clio Initiale and my wifes current car, Dacia Duster.
1. 1999 Volkswagen Golf S Mk4
1.6 16v petrol, NA
105bhp, 109ft-lb
0-60 - 10.5s
Initially purchased off a friend for £375 as a winter car whilst I was riding my motorbike. Ended up really enjoying the car and used it a lot more, had a slightly bigger exhaust, TT wheels, anniversary edition Recaro seats/interior, blacked out hardware, lowered suspension. It was a fun car to drive, lacked power but made up for it in drive-ability. Ultimately it had 217k on the clock and time was telling on the car, it was very good on fuel, and for just pottering about in, it rode very hard and could be quite annoying.
2. 2003 Renault Clio mk2 DCi 65
1.5 8v Diesel, Turboi
65bhp, 118ft-lb
0-60 - 14.5s
About as basic as French motoring can get. No power, no torque, no thrills, pretty efficient, although the lack of power actually hurt it. This was what I received when swapping the Golf. It only had 158k on the clock and was in OK condition until I reversed down a pillar and caused quite a lot of damage.
3. 2003 Ford Focus Mk1.5 Zetec
1.6 16v petrol, NA
98bhp, 107ft-lb
0-60 - 10.6s
Purchased from my in-laws neighbor for barely £100, replacing the crappy Clio. This was a well looked after example of a Zetec Focus. 80k on the clock and drove very sweetly. I added my touches in the form of 15mm lowering spings, ST170 wheels, a slightly larger backbox and exhaust tip, ST170 interior and a few other little interior touches. A really fantastic car, economical, quick enough, but the real thing with this generation of Focus was how they handled, an absolute riot down a country road.
4. 2007 Renault Twingo GT
1.2 16v petrol, turbo
100bhp, 114ft-lb
0-60 - 9.2s
Welcome to Twingo number 1. This replaced the Focus and was too good an opportunity to miss out on. £100, cheap repair on the engine and off she went. GT spec had the 1.2 turbo and it felt a lot more rapid than the specs would suggest. Climate control, cruise control, bluetooth, very well equipped for a Twingo. An absolute blast to drive and the car that made me fall in love with the Twingo range.
5. 2009 Renault Sport Twingo 133
1.6 16v petrol, NA
133bhp, 118ft-lb
0-60 - 8.4s
Naturally, the love for the Twingo GT, very quickly led me down the path of upgrading to the Renault Sport model, the 133. Free revving 1,6 NA engine, unbelievable chassis, friendly enough to daily but also devilish enough to have an absolute blast on any road. H&R springs, resprayed alloys were all that were changed on this car. It was a higher mileage example, sitting on 126k when I came into ownership.
6. 2010 Renault Clio Sport Tourer Dynamique TomTom
1.5 8v diesel, turbo
86bhp, 148ft-lb
0-60 - 12.6s
This didn't replace the Twingo RS in my ownership, but the RS was sold to purchase this, as we were expecting our first child and had a pair of 3 door cars, a more family oriented car was needed and this Clio estate was sourced. Whilst it would become my main car in 2021, it was primarily my wifes car until then. A decent car to drive, comfortable and with a reasonable boot. It was safe, cheap to run and had 5 doors which made it an ideal, small family car. I pottered around in a 2005 Mk1 Ford Focus for a few months whilst I searched for a Twingo replacement.
7. 2000 Renault Megane Coupé Sport Alize
1.6 16v petrol, NA
110bhp, 109ft-lb
0-60 - 9.3s
Another Renault, my first coupé, and as a lover of the F2 era of rallying, one of my coolest cars. It drove spectacularly well, punchy engine, fun chassis, engaging steering. I had a lot of fun with this car, it cost me £475 and needed very little doing. I added a Pipecross induction kit which made it sound a bit more sporty from the drivers seat. Despite needing something a little more practical for our child, I couldn't resist this machine. I knew I wouldn't own it long (expensive tax and not great on fuel), but it showed my wife we could live with a 2/3 door as a second car.
8. 2010 Renault Twingo Gordini 100
1.2 16v petrol, turbo
100bhp, 114ft-lb
0-60 - 9.2s
Welcome to Twingo number 3. After proving we could live with a few less doors given that my wifes car was the main family car, I convinced her I needed another Twingo, when I saw this one come up locally. Fundamentally, identical to the GT model that I had owned previously, but, being a Gordini model, had a much nicer interior, with faux leather seats and steering wheel, fancy Gordini shift knob, Gordini stripes, unique blue paintwork, Speedline Turini wheels as standard, and sat slightly lower than the standard GT. Mechanically it was identical. Again had an absolute blast owning this car, taking it to various meets and shows, hooning it down Norfolks country roads and enjoying every moment of ownership. Eventually, because I drove it so much, even shunning the Clio estate for family trips, my wife got a bit fed up, and said she didn't mind me having something fun, but it needed to be more practical.
9. 2007 Renault Megane GT
2.0 16v diesel, turbo
150bhp, 251ft-lb
0-60 - 8.4s
That led me to this, having owned a couple of Twingo GT models and enjoyed them immensely, I figured, well, why not get another GT, just bigger? Enter the Megane mk2 GT. With a solid 2 liter diesel engine, loads of torque, a good chunk of power I had accidentally bought something which was as quick as the Twingo 133, but much more practical. This thing really shocked with it's performance, feeling a lot faster than the 8.4s time would suggest. Handled pretty well, though not as good as the Twingo, was very comfortable and had the desired practicality. A very good car to own.
10. 2009 Renault Sport Twingo 133
1.6 16v petrol, NA
133bhp, 118ft-lb
0-60 - 8.4s
But you couldn't keep me out of a Twingo. This came up locally a couple weeks or so before the first Covid lockdown in 2020. I made a snap decision (having had some intel within my workplace that we were on the verge of locking down), took the Megane off the road and purchased this as a projec.t It was good, it just needed some tidying up, it was a Cat N (non structural) repaired car (had a dented door, no other damage) hence it was cheap and left me some space to do stuff to it. It already had the cup pack on it, I lowered it 10mm further on the slightly more supple H&R springs, added a stainless manifold with sport cat, cup spoiler, sprayed the wheels anthracite, added the factory option Renault Sport decals, yellow calipers and the real hero, a desirable upgrade in Twingo 133 circles, induction upgrade courtesy of a Clio 172 Phase 1 airbox, on it's own guarantees a 5bhp boost without needing to be mapped. Once I had finished, this car was shoving 140bhp out and was unbelievable to drive, even showing up some Clio 197s with it's pace. During lockdown however, we had our second child and again, a time-bomb was placed on the RS.
It was once again sold, along with the Megane which had been off the road this whole time, to purchase a larger car for my wife, who was now running her own business (a tea room) and needed more boot space and wanted something a bit more than the Clio, so a 2010 Renault Scenic was purchased and I inherited the Clio Tourer.
11. 2007 Suzuki Swift Sport
1.6 16v petrol, NA
125bhp, 109ft-lb
0-60 - 8.6s
Of course, I couldn't be happy with the Clio for long. I persevered for a while, then I changed jobs and started working for my wife and once that all settled down and my new routine was set, I decided to sell the Clio and purchased the Swift Sport. I thought about going for another Twingo RS but the prices had skyrocketed and not many were available, so I went for one of it's natural rivals. The Swift felt very similar to the Twingo, just slightly less capable in the corners and less comfortable. However my short ownership was marred with problems, included a snapped aux belt, which forced me to replace the water pump, alternator etc, and plenty of other intermittent problems. It came with a factory bodykit, ultra rare leather interior and I then added a Simota carbon induction kit which made it sound like a rally car. But the problems had left a bad taste and I moved it on.
12. 2006 Audi A3 S-Line
2.0 16v diesel, turbo
190bhp, 300ft-lb
0-60 - Sub 8 seconds
The Swift was traded in for this, a straight swap on FB marketplace. Risky? For sure, but I'd always fancied an Audi and this one looked decent enough. Modified from its standard 140bhp up to around 190-200bhp, rapid 0-60 and oodles of torque. Well equipped for a 2006 model year car, with climate control, heated seats, electric heated mirrors and the like. Being an S-line it had the sporty interior and firmer suspension setup. Previous owners had installed RamAir sport induction kit, Milltek exhaust, S1 wheels and a remap. Unfortunately it was close to it's last legs and a starter/fuelling issue and then the power steering failing condemned this car to be sold as spare or repair.
13. 2007 Skoda Roomster 3
1.4 3cyl 6v diesel, turbo
70bhp, 114ft-lb
0-60 - 16s
This then led to the Roomster which is detailed more later in this thread. A safe bet after a short run of unreliability. Served me well for 18 months but it's incredible slowness and lack of any kind of redeeming driving capability has made it a tough 18 months in my car world. Nothing wrong with it, I just finally got to a point where I could justify having something that is a bit more me, especially the the 2 children now going to school.
14. 2010 Renault Laguna Coupé
2.0 16v diesel, turbo
150bhp, 236ft-lb
0-60 - 9s
That leads us to now. My kids can get in and out of their child booster seats on their own, belt themselves in etc so I can now justify ocne again having something a bit more me, which means something slightly less practical. I have always admired these cars and always had a desire to own one, beautiful looks and having had experience with the engine in the Megane GT, knew it would give me enough punch for Norfolks roads and significantly more than the Skoda was capable of giving me.
So that is my car history, or key car history, a couple of other cars were sprinkled in there, such as my first car which was a 2001 Peugeot 306 2.0 HDI, a 2006 Peugeot 206 1.6, 2005 Renault Clio 1.2, 1998 Renault Clio Initiale and my wifes current car, Dacia Duster.
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