Toms306's China HDi Estate 2012

[vlj]

Lol why put all that work into something to sell it straight away. I take pride in fixing all the niggles then driving around!

Simply because it costs so much to run....I assumed I'd get 55-60mpg from it, I also assumed insurance would be a lot cheaper but I knew the tax was expensive. I took the wrong choice in the catch 22 situation, I should've spent a bit more purchase price on something I could afford to run.

I'm stuck with it till atleast Feb now though, its saving grace is that I need an estate atm. Wish I'd gone for a mondeo/320D estate instead - yeah theyd cost more to buy and fix, but atleast I'd be able to run them. Im having days now where I simply can't afford to go out, and having to let other people down because of that.

It will be explained in a thread later on though...as I need some serious advice/guidance from people with more wisdom than myself.

You said a few posts above you get 51 mpg, but you want 55... SERIOUSLY? do you even notice that?!
For a car of it's age, 51 is bloody fantastic - and you get to have a 306! Count yourself lucky.

Try doing between 3-400 miles a week in a 1.8T that I can just about scrape 27mpg out of, then tell me your suffering with 51 :p

You know you want to keep it

[Toms306]

What I want doesn't come into it - I want a small petrol hatch, but thats just not practical at all. What I need is something with lots of room, comfort as I spend a lot of time in the car and mpg as I do about 300 miles a week....before any lesuire milage - people say I dont leave Ipswich, but I ronically I dont even there, its 10/15 miles away depending which shop/bank I'm going to. I could just scrape by on fuel at 65mpg, could probably manage down to about 57mpg average, but 51mpg from 65 is extremely noticeable, I'm having to drive 70miles less every week just to keep the fuel bill the same. But thats just not possible unfortunately, went 50 miles over last week....and I'd taken a day withoiut driving!

As for money, cars are all a waste in the long run, I couldn't give a crap about the long term currently, but I've got savings I could've used to buy a m ore economical, cheaper tax, cheaper insurance car - I wont use those savings on fuel as it seems a waste.

[C2K]

Let me try some maths here as I nearly raised vljs point earlier but declined for reasons of insurance/tax costs being unknown etc.

I do 600 miles a week minimum commuting 120 miles a day, usually including farting around in Peterborough running errands etc you can call it 700. Average 4 week month that's 2800 miles. At my 51mpg I am using 54.9 gallons, whereas 55mpg uses 50.9 gallons, exactly 4 less. 4 x 4.54 = 18 litres, which at a pessimistic £1.50 a litre is £27.24. Pro rata that to the 1200 miles you do in the same period equals £11.67 a month. :o

£12 breaks the bank? Pushbike as support vehicle ftmfw!

65 MPG pro-rata is only £34. That's a hell of a payback period when buying an expensive car which will depreciate, whilst the 306 is worth f*ck all!

[Ed Doe]

Oh THIS chestnut again..... *intake of breath*

[C.A.R.]

306 HDi Estate

Simply because it costs so much to run....

Hahahahahahahaha

Oh God.

Hahahahaha...

Tom if you can't afford to run what is one of the cheapest cars on the road then you've got problems son.

Wish I'd gone for a mondeo/320D estate instead - yeah theyd cost more to buy and fix, but atleast I'd be able to run them.

Mondeo Estate avg. = 47mpg (130TDCi)
320d Estate avg. = 47mpg



That's before you begin to factor in costs of servicing and replacement parts. And one biggy...

Insurance.

You've got a lot to learn about money when you meet your first girlfriend, Tom. It's not your money anymore, put it that way. Jeez...

[kentiiboii]

306 HDi Estate

Simply because it costs so much to run....

Hahahahahahahaha

Oh God.

Hahahahaha...

Tom if you can't afford to run what is one of the cheapest cars on the road then you've got problems son.

Wish I'd gone for a mondeo/320D estate instead - yeah theyd cost more to buy and fix, but atleast I'd be able to run them.

Mondeo Estate avg. = 47mpg (130TDCi)
320d Estate avg. = 47mpg



That's before you begin to factor in costs of servicing and replacement parts. And one biggy...

Insurance.

You've got a lot to learn about money when you meet your first girlfriend, Tom. It's not your money anymore, put it that way. Jeez...

Ahmen brother!!!

Tom. Don't worry about price of fuel just drive.
If you want something really cheap come and collect my corsa.

If I was you I'd look into a 1.4 206 hdi. 90bhp 60-70 average mpg.

[C2K]

You've got a lot to learn about money when you meet your first girlfriend, Tom. It's not your money anymore, put it that way. Jeez...

I was thinking something similar on the way home from work just now - Don't ever buy a house with that logic, please!

[Jonny81191]

Tom. Let me put it this way to you.
You get 51 MPG, driving like a granny and making yourself hate the car and yourself, the more you think about MPG, the more you try to improve it, and you get into a circle of boring driving and being too paranoid about your MPG.

I get, on average, 42-45 MPG. I drive as hard as I want to, boot it when i feel like it, play around, hoon through tunnels, and ALWAYS get out of my car with a f*cking huge grin on my face.

You say you do 300 miles a week?
300 miles at 51.08 MPG is (assuming you pay 1.40/litre) £37.38
300 miles at 43.05 MPG is (assuming you pay 1.40/litre) £44.34
The difference? £6.96

So If I told you that for £7 a week, you would love your car, stop caring about MPG and start enjoying things more?
And I drive a full fat stage 2. I doubt you'd get down to 43 MPG, you're more likely to see 45-46.

Now go and work out the cost of depreciation, the extra insurance, and the slight gain in MPG you *may* see from any other car you like, and you'll hopefully see why you need to stop worrying and just drive.

Peace.

[Ruan]

I cannot comprehend this...

320d estate = £5k to buy...

HDi estate = £1k max to buy...

5k minus the 1k from a HDi.. That's a FOUR THOUSAND POUND saving...

At 50mpg itd cost you 1500 or so to do 12000 miles, at 65mpg ittd cost you 1200... You could drive for another 4 years with the BMW being FREE and the cost not even have been paid for the more expensive car in fuel costs... Not to mention the other car still costs to run... It's madness to me...

[Eeyore]

listen to these people tom! they all speak sense! you just need to get a job and then you wont have to worry about money!

[C2K]

If he's unemployed why is he doing 300 miles a week?

[Jonny81191]

^ this. I doubt he's jobseeking somehow.

[Toms306]

This isn't happening in this thread - Im currently in the process of making another thread which will clear up a lot of the points raised here about cars/jobs/weekly milage/etc. I'm just trying to fine tune it so it makes sense to you 'normal' people.

Anyway, managed to lower this today so heres some pics -

First up....thats not on the jack, just standard...



Got one off...after borrowing my neighbours angle grinder for the bloody drop link bolts! First time with an angle grinder...may have removed a little or the ARB too.



Old VS new. Thats a HDi meridian strut against a GTi strut with a 35mm Eibach spring and new top mount.



Yay back together, new droplink too.



Old struts - yes they are different! No wonder the car sat low on one side, it had one new cheap strut at some point lol. Also had just one new droplink on the other side...why cant people replace stuff in pairs! Also note the lack of shock cover...how do you lose one of them!



At some point during all of this I've f*cked up my palm, whacked something earlier and its been aching ever since, will remember to use hammers in future!

Anyway, after all this, you'd assume itd be lower right.....well...I even went to the same carpark to get the same flatness....

Before:



After:



No thats not the same picture btw.....hpopefully the springs will settle a bit haha. Must admit though, even though it looks the same, it does feel a bit nicer to drive - it aslo feels slightly worse as somehow the trackings moved - the steering wheel hangs to one side but I never touched anything to do with tracking unless the strut movement (1mm or so max) can cause that? Meh.

[Jonny81191]

second picture fails..

[samass]

no it doesn't, shut up jonny

looks better lowered dude

[Tom]

I see the difference! Looks awesome

[Eeyore]

oh dear D: looks like im going to have to do this properly on mine and go for a 60mm drop

[Toms306]

Sam there aren't enough diablo bumpers left for you to go 60mm again.

[Toms306]

Right, I need some floor mats for this....keep making the clutch/brake pedals slippy and theres mud literally everywhere inside the footwell (gardening in this kinda weather is not ideal lol) - so, anyone got any decent ones? MUST be secured as i can't stand them moving, and preferably tailored ones so they actually fit lol - any good ones that people have bought from ebay or anywhere? Under £20 for the 4.

[C.A.R.]

Can't beat the genuine rubber ones for longevity tbh, try eBay. Cheap carpets will always be cheap carpets and wear faster or worse - curl up at the edges!

[Toms306]

Not really a fan of the rubber ones, the water just sits on top rather than soaks in. I definitely don't want rolly carpets either though! Hmm....

[hbomb1905]

You're such an attention seeker

If you're that skint how can you afford to replace suspension parts?

Nice car mind you and nice to see you're tidying it up!

[Toms306]

Replaced suspension parts out of the car fund (put aside a grand buying a HDi, spent less on it) not from the fuel money account.

[C.A.R.]

What about the mats then? £20 on them is the difference between mpg you were experiencing with the golf over just 2 months...

[Toms306]

Yes but foot slipping off the clutch is kinda a saftey issue....its happened twice now in the fortnight I've had the car. Need some absorbent carpet mats to stop it happening.

I don't WANT to buy any, I dont want to spend any more money on the car at all really, mats is the last thing I need though I think...well until the clutch fails which won't be long...or the lift pump....

[Birk]

God forbid when that happens!

[Toms306]

Annnnnnnyway, gave it a wash day before yesterday, which has shown just how shit and scratched the bodywork is. Also debadged and replaced the broken reg plates - needs polish and wax but obv weather hasn't allowed that but heres some 'almost' clean pics anyway lol. Doesn't look too bad from a distance....





Forgot a back end pic so heres a half arsed one showing the debadging lol.

[Jonny81191]

Tinted rear lights and please get rid of the wiper

Other than that, looks sweet mate!

[Tom]

Tinted rear lights and please get rid of the wiper

Other than that, looks sweet mate!

Im rekoning Tom's the kind of person that keeps and uses his rear wiper

[Toms306]

My rear wiper is used constantly lol...plus its a golf rear wiper arm, so is metal which won't break in the ice unlike the plastic 306 ones!!

The lights do look shit though, I genuinely have no idea what they were thinking when designing them, hatch lights look awesome!!