A tough act to follow

[Doggy]

Had the pleasure* of a 400+ mile round trip to a supplier in Newcastle yesterday, the longest trip I've done for some time. It reminded me just how good the old bus is at this sort of journey. Did 420 miles and at the end my trip computer, (which had been reset when I filled up Saturday morning), was showing 560 miles / 52.4 mpg / 52 mph. This tankful looks like exceeding 800 miles.

The economy is impressive considering I wasn't taking it particularly easy, but I was more impressed with how effortless it all seemed. Set off shortly after 6 in the morning, picked colleague up in Peterborough, 4 hours or so at suppliers on the bonny banks* of the Tyne and then the same journey home, arriving just after 7 pm. Didn't feel like hard work at all, (though I wouldn't want to do it every day).

Not bad for a 12-year old eBay special with over 150k on the clock. I'm really not looking forward to trying to find something to replace it in a year or two's time.

In a similar vein, my bro got back from his annual Scottish trip on Sunday, full of grudging appreciation for the thirsty* Bangor Banger, which also returned over 52 mpg.

[Welly]

I have to say I always remember my 406 being ace at long hauls and the heated levver was very nice. It's really what the 406 was designed for and did rather well without much complaint. Shame all the sales reps at the time bummed the Vectra's and Mondeo's so much; the 406 was the little hero in the background proven of course now with how many are still in use whereas their counterparts are now doing very good impressions* of baked bean tins.......

I don't know either what you could replace it with as all these moderns [read: shitboxes] have horrible interiors, poor build and a 'disconnected' feel to them when driving not to mention their "you can't fix me mate" technology*.

What you need is a 60/70K mile 2.2'er with a scary* emissions problem* and mothball it until yours is cream crackered.

[trufflehunt]

.... Where have all the Vectras gone
To the crusher every one
When will they ever learn... ?

I've read that 'disconnected' comment several times recently,
one person said that he reckoned it was the manufacturers way of
preparing us all for driverless cars, and how software and app-mad
buyers will welcome them.

When I was using up the last 3 months of the MOT on my battered 106, I
was checking round at my options for diesel, good handling, and decent cruiser.
And old enough, about 10 years, to be affordable.

Came down to the 406, or a Mazda 6. Apparently the Mazda 6 uses the steering rack
from the MX5, which means it feels very 'connected''. However, at the cheaper end of the Mazda 6's, there seemed to
be rather a lot around with blown engines.
So it was a 406 for me.

And as of right now, I can't actually think of anything that I would particularly want to replace it with.

[trem1]

Been up to my neck of the woods Doggy ??

[Doggy]

Well, aye.

[annie]

the 406 is a really tough act to follow.
im desperatly trying to find another but in auto before im forced to get a ford out of neccesity. ive done over 2000 miles in mine in last 6 weeks and so comfortable and quiet and economical. the thought of having to not having a 406 is unbearable

[steve_earwig]

Splendid stuff!

My D9's still about and I can still drive it short distances (thus defeating the whole object, ah well) but I have no idea what to replace it with. Ideally a small van but these days a small van seems to mean a car-like seating position with a high roof. Unless I move up to a medium van but then that's going to be empty most of the time and a nuisance parking.

If my back wasn't a problem then C5 X7 job jobbed.

I've been reading the word "disconnected" in car reviews for years, although I've never driven a car that I'd have described thusly. It's usually levelled at Citroens, although I certainly felt connected to the BX 16 valvers...

These days electric power steering is described as disconnected, although yoyo2 is so equipped and I can't say that feels any more disconnected that the old one, which generally let me know when it was approaching its limits by shaking the steering wheel ("push me any more and we're in the bushes man"). Maybe I just didn't push it hard enough yet and when I do it won't let me know before we go off road...

[Welly]

Mazda 6

Lucky escape I think, they rust like an old Austin, by the seaside.....

[Doggy]

+1 my daughter's 53-plate '6' died of tin worm 4 years before the 56-plate Vectra she had to scrap earlier this year.

[Welly]

Rust is making an unwelcome comeback in motoring it seems. Mazda MX5's suffer with rusting chassis sections severely weakening the car but not something always spotted at the MOT.

[trufflehunt]

Rust is making an unwelcome comeback in motoring it seems. Mazda MX5's suffer with rusting chassis sections severely weakening the car but not something always spotted at the MOT.

Indeed, MX's do quite like the rust.....

(My current project)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mazda-MX5-MOT ... 7675.l2557

The chassis problem you mention is for the Mk2 MX5 (1997 - 2005). Mazda redesigned the front end of the chassis members,
and created a water trap on both sides. That end of the chassis is mostly hidden by the splashguard under the front end/engine.
Lots of people have bought MK2's, that look beautiful, only to find that they have terminal rusting. Only recently have repair sections
become available. About £300 a side to do.

[Welly]

Do you look on the Autoshite Forum? there's a nice thread on there now about the exact same issue including pics of the cut out rot and new sections.

[highlander]

Mk. 1 MX-5s rusted as well. The A pillars were always a prime spot, all round the windscreen - the wheel arches were also good for bubbling.

When the lad was getting his first car, we were going to buy a Mk. 1 MX-5. Mechanically sound, and with a new roof recently fitted. Paint was *shot* all over, really would have benefitted from a respray - but there was no rust... At just over £1,000, it was a bargain simply because it wasn't going to crumble to dust in the car park overnight. It had coilover suspension fitted to it though, and the insurers flat-out refused to insure it based on the type of suspension. The seller didn't have the original parts, and I couldn't make the sums add up to buy the car and change the suspension back to standard. So we had to back out of the deal, and I felt really shitty for the seller.

Ended up getting a Mk.1 Focus which, while being more or less mechanically sound, is still a Ford of *that* era and is therefore bubbling around the wheel arches and the bottoms of the doors. Tinworm will kill it sooner or later.

[trufflehunt]

Do you look on the Autoshite Forum? there's a nice thread on there now about the exact same issue including pics of the cut out rot and new sections.

I'll check that out.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=mx5+m ... 6peayKM%3A

[steve_earwig]

http://autoshite.com/topic/21650-mx5-de-rustifying/