The Car Magazine that Hates First Drives and New Model Launches but Loves its Readers Old Nails
Reader’s Drives - This is your page so Send pics and stories about your own Bangers and the I’ll send you a Bangernomics Certificate that you can frame and impress your friends and family
Tim was the first reader here and quite right too because he’s got a hugely impressive brace of bangers and can trace his love right back to the Bangernomics book he bought in 1993. Then when he was old enough to drive (which makes me feel ancient) he started and never really stopped buying bangers. He currently owns a 1986 Audi 100 Avant and a 1979 Allegro. His Mrs runs a 1997 Volvo 940 turbo. All have been great cars and economical to run, although the £75 Audi has spent much time off the road as everything keeps breaking. But a recent new clutch means it now works whilst we should all wish Tim the best as the Allegro has its MOT soon. Good Luck Tim!
Paul’s Merc cost £1200, yes £1200. It’s an S- Plate and spectacular value for money I’d say. It had a full service history and like everyone else at the moment it is due an Mot that it will probably sail through (it did). Here’s the proof that you really don’t need to drive anything embarrassing or dirty. Well done Paul we say.
These Volvos belong to James, and the red one is a 187,000 mile 1990 740SE automatic estate car which was bought for £805 in December 2003. According to James “Apart from a few minor niggles, the car has been a most loyal automotive companion and I'd loathe to get rid of it, such a big part it has played in my life over the past half decade; in addition to the crazy adventures I've had with the car, It was allegedly the inspiration for the recent LV Insurance advert which featured an out-of-control 740 estate destroying an Austin Apache (long story). The photo shows it covered in dust and spiders after being roused from a three week period of inactivity last weekend. The fact that it started and drove as if it had only been left five minutes made me very happy.”
 
Volvo two is The Volvo 2, or TV2 to its friends, a 145,000 mile 1997 V70 2.5 10 valve which James paid £1180 for in April 2009. Despite needing a very thorough clean-up and a service, the car is in perfect working order, with only the non-functioning headlamp wipers letting the side down. The picture shows it in eastern Germany during James’s summer holidays, during which it covered 1300 miles without any real mishaps, save for the need to replace the oil filler cap's sealing rubber. What’s not to love about old Volvos?
 
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Richard Bremner, legendary motoring journalist is one of us. He could not resist this 26K mile 1981 Mark 1 Metro which was just £220. This is a car well worth saving as there so few around these days.
This is David’s '82 Audi 80 a 1.6 CL in his own words.
 
I've owned this car for two years, but known it a while longer.  My friend purchased it from a back street trader when we were at uni in 2002 for £195.  It was the cheapest car the trader had, but also in his opinion the best - apparently it had benefitted from a complete engine re-build at a VW main dealer only 6 months before.
 
It ran well enough and we used it as daily transport for a couple of years at uni.
 
Fast forward to 2007 and the Audi was languishing in my friend's car port, having not been run for three years.  The scrap man had already been phoned but hadn't turned up.  That's when I stepped in... My parent's were slightly bemused by the delivery of a 25 year old Audi on their driveway (I had no off street parking at my own house), but luckily my Mum signed the delivery form.
 
Over the next three months I repaired some minor accident damage and nursed it up to MOT standard (spending hours on e-bay looking for parts!).  Having gained a pass at first attempt I've been running it about over the last 18 months or so. Its done a recorded 123k, but one of the few faults is the mileometer which only records mileage every now and then.  I reckon it could be nearer 200k than the clock suggests.
 
Its only let me down once - at the highest point of the M62 on Christmas eve.  It lost power and at 40mph I pulled onto the hard shoulder fearing the worst.  It cut out and I started searching for my tool kit & RAC card.  Before getting out I tried the key in one last ditch attempt and it surprised me by starting immediately.  And its run fine ever since!
 
What a lovely bunch of Motors and they all belong to Brad. It seems that owning an 800 brings all the other Rovers fans out of the woodwork. I also recommend you join the www.rover800.info/forum and find out a whole lot more about these wonderful cars.
Brian drives a '79 Volvo 245 and a '80 Allegro 1300. “I'm testing a new philosophy of lifetime bangernomics- buy a simple car, service it regularly, waxoyl it, and drive for hundreds of thousands of miles.  The key is to have 2 old cars, to allow time to re-engineer design faults instead of just substituting parts.  The classic insurance keeps it cheap at a fleet rate, and it means I still have transport while one needs work.
“The best bargain of all time has to be my Rover SD1 that I bought for £250, with no rust, from an enthusiast in immaculate condition.  It was as good as new- with only 28000 miles.  But it was no better than new either- and was duly sold on in favour of the much more robust Volvo.  I do miss the style though- has to be the sexiest car I've ever owned. “
 
 
Colin’s lovely MX3 1.8 with the amusing V6 engine which he runs in Ireland. Originally a UK car it cost £1000 and he absolutely loves it. I think we all want one. Colin sent me loads of pics of all the other bargains he has bought over the years including a great big Lexus LS400. He’s got a great taste in motors has Colin so keep up the good Bangernomic work.
Be prepared to be impressed. Here’s the tale of Dan’s Perodua which was bought for £530 and later sold at its final destination for $1200 which is £200 than Dan paid for it. “Over 32 days of July & August last year, I and 2 friends entered the Mongol Rally, and took a Perodua Nippa 7561.7 miles from Goodwood in the UK to Ulaan Bataar, the capital of Mongolia. In the course of these 7561.7 miles, the car that ‘ought to be scrapped’ took everything we threw at it, including ending up in a large ditch in Kazakhstan thanks to one of the drivers falling asleep at the wheel. It even bulldozed it’s way through over 1200km off road in Mongolia (plus at least 5-600 before that in Kazakhstan), without even a single puncture”.
Ben has the dubious honour of getting his hands on the very first copy of The Bangernomics Bible. This is Ben’s ex banger a Mk3 Polo GT J Reg. Cost Ben £300 and it ran for almost four years sailing through three MOTs. Finally became uneconomical to repair so Ben sold it for scrap getting £175. He was pretty chuffed! Now he runs a Polo Genesis which he bought for £250 and so far has barely spent a penny apart the essentials.
Look, more old Polos! Mike’s  wife bought a this Volkswagen Ranger in 1988 and they still have it after 120K miles. It has only broken down twice ,once with blocked carburettor jets and recently when the Hall sensor failed in the distributor. Major repairs have included the head gasket (once) and the need for a replacement fuel tank. Other problems have included he fracturing of the cables in the tailgate that serve the rear wiper,rear screen heater etc. Two front wheel bearings were replaced recently and last year a small amount of welding was required on the rear of the offside door sill.