Lovely stuff: 1990 Saab 9000i
Strange how things work out. A few weeks ago, the PetrolBlog Fleet consisted of four cars, each one seemingly here for the long term. But with the Land Rover doomed by a literal lack of gas, the S6 reaching the end of its serviceable life and the Accord a victim of my standard ‘six months’ itch, the only member of the ‘fab four’ to remain is the AX GT. And shamefully I’ve just let the MOT expire on that. I’ll soon be writing a few words on the three cars that have departed, but in the meantime it’s time to unveil the next ‘shed’. Bangernomics 2.0 if you like! Read more 
L@@K, there’s a PetrolBlog Shed on eBay.
Time with the PetrolBlog Shed is coming to an end. After five months and 6,000 miles of togetherness, the Accord Type-Shed is on the way out and has this very evening been thrown to the mercy of eBay. How much it’ll fetch is anyone’s guess, but with a month left on the MOT and six weeks of tax, I hope it goes for a little more than the £8 starting price. But there’s no guarantee of this as the market for used cars is frankly rubbish at the moment. If your car happens to be a large, petrol-engined banger, than the market is even worse. Read more
Cutbacks for the PetrolBlog Fleet
Funny how things work out. This time last week I was looking forward to taking the Audi S6 to the inaugural Dawn Refuelling event. Fast forward seven days and I’ve just finished writing a for sale ad and placed her on eBay.
But that’s not all, as she’s been joined on eBay by the much loved Land Rover V8. So in the space of a few hours, the PetrolBlog Fleet has been reduced by 50%. With drastic cutbacks like this, I’m fully expecting a call from the government. Read more
Honda Accord Type-Shed: an update
The electric aerial still works. The electric aerial. It still works. When I picked up the Honda Accord exactly two months ago, I somewhat irrationality established that the electric aerial would be used as some kind of barometer of reliability. As long as the electric aerial works, the Accord will remain reliable. OK, so in the great scheme of things, this is hardly up there with the ravens and the Tower of London, but it is my barometer, so I’m sticking with it. Read more
On days like these
It had been too long. The frozen winter hadn’t helped, but the responsibilities attached with being a grown-up dictated that I hadn’t been for a drive for the sheer thrill of it since last autumn. You know the drives I mean. Those that tempt you into an unfathomably early start and see you hit the sack the night before with a sense of anticipation and delight. Those snatched moments of driving pleasure that only us petrolheads seem to understand. For us, driving isn’t a means to an end, it is one of life’s gifts. The pleasure isn’t in arriving, it is in getting there.
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PetrolBlog buys a shed
PetrolBlog recently reviewed the Bangernomics Bible which, in short, is about buying and running a car for the cheapest possible outlay. I was so inspired by the book that I decided that I’d like to have a go at running a Banger for myself. So when the Audi and Citroen developed temporary faults, I was presented with the perfect excuse to look for a ‘PetrolBlog Shed’. More petrolhead logic perhaps, but like we need an excuse to buy another car. Besides, this is public service at work here.
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Buying and selling cars: Petrolhead logic
To most people, buying and selling cars is a straightforward and rational procedure. A decision to buy or sell is probably driven by either a change in lifestyle, financial loss or gain or the simple fact that the current car is broken. When buying a car, a shortlist is drawn up, a means of payment is agreed and the car is bought. Simple. As long as the car is reliable and does everything is expected to do, then no more is thought of it. The whole process is completed with about the same level of emotion as you’d expect when buying a sofa or a new fridge freezer. Read more
Citroën AX GT: La boîte de grenouilles
The Box of Frogs is dead. Long live La Boîte de Grenouilles. The manic and crazy Avanazto has only been gone two weeks and already a new toy has springed into the vacant space left in the garage. With the cash made from the sale of the Avanazto, the brief was simple. Maximum budget would be £2k, ideally the car should be German and rear wheel drive would be a bonus. It will therefore come as no surprise that the car now occupying space in the garage cost less than half the available budget, is as French as the Eiffel Tower and is very much front wheel drive. But hey, when you’re a petrolhead any sense of rationalism goes out of the window. Read more
New PetrolBlog long termer
The Box of Frogs has been and gone, so it is time for the next PetrolBlog long termer. Only just back from picking it up and she’s now tucked up in the garage ready for unveiling this weekend. In the meantime, here’s a little teaser. It may not be what you were expecting! Read more
Try something new today – Sainsbury’s V8 Land Rover
I’ve never been that turned on by cars that were once owned by a famous person. The fact that a chap called Kieron Dyer once owned a BMW that’s up for sale on Auto Trader doesn’t make the car more appealing to me. Quite the reverse in fact. I recently saw that Janet Street-Porter’s old Chrysler PT Cruiser was up for sale. It took all my willpower and strength not to reach for the phone to book a test drive. I also read that I could buy a BMW 5-series once owned by a young lady called Chantelle Houghton. Unfortunately I do not know who Ms Houghton is, so I can’t even judge if her being a previous owner is a good or bad thing. But without any question, it doesn’t make the car more appealing. Read more
Avanzato – Modern life in fun size
It is fair to say that when I picked up my Avanzato a month ago, I was pretty much like a child on Christmas morning. You remember the days when you hurriedly unwrapped the biggest present under the tree and whooped in delight at what you found? I’m not ashamed to admit that I did unleash a couple of unprompted hoots of glee as I made way back along the A303 that evening. The problem with even the best Christmas presents though is the novelty factor. Novelty has a habit of wearing off, with presents so gratefully received, pushed to the back of the cupboard when something new arrives on the scene. So four weeks in, is the Avanzato still top of the tree? Read more
Avanzato: The biggest name in small cars
The Avanzato. Or to give it the full name treatment, the Daihatsu Cuore Avanzato TR-XX R4. A huge name for a car of miniscule proportions. Read more
