Been meaning to start one of these things, but with a recent occurrence, been pushed to do it now 
This diary will be more adventures to places more than anything, but repairs and mods will also be here.
So, after my first car, a Renault Megane II Dynamique 1.6, named Sabine, packed in 4 months after buying her (was running quite badly right from the start, and she eventually blew her rather difficult-to-source throttle body to pieces), I went on the lookout for a cheap car that wasn't completely boring. It was there I stumbled across an Astra MK3 sitting in Leeds. It was something I'd always wanted, and it looked in pretty good shape... And so, 325 crisp English pounds later, here he is, named Otis.
Sitting under the smoke grey body is a 1.4 SPI engine, with only 82,000 miles on the clock (meaning around only 3,000 per year!). It may have been the runt of the litter, but the previous owner sure did his best to keep the engine is good shape. For something that only spits out 60ish HP, it sure does feel nippy. The trim is the Arizona package; which, from what I've gathered, was the cheapest option of its time, giving me a nice few luxury additions from the Merit trim.
No anti-roll bars, no ESP, no air conditioning... and, you know what, that's just the way I like it. 90s cars have always had a special place in my heart: the mechanical simpleness, the oddities here and there (took me forever to find out how to turn the interior light on manually!), the complete lack of factory-fitted angry headlights, and the manufacturers brass balls to just make a no-frills cheap reliable vehicle. I may only be a '96 baby, but I still get sensational feelings of nostalgia stepping into it. There's even the old Vauxhall smell, reminding me of our old family car, a Corsa B. Everyone who looks at it always gets a smile on their face when they see it or get into it; there's just something about seeing a 22 y/o "regular" car like this still on the road, especially when its pushing 80 down the M1.
Of course, it's not without its faults. There's rust here and there, missing boot liner, wobbly drivers seat, fired seatbelt tensioner, slightly inaccurate dials, and broken dashboard lamps (which I completely wrecked after shorting out some electrics while installing a new stereo). There's also an odd after-market immobiliser (I'll post a video, or GIF, later on). And, it seems someone didn't like feeling they were in the "cheap seats", so put paint (badly) over the plastic bumpers, which is starting to come off
. But, it feels like it would keep going for weeks on end without fault.
So, plans for it I hear you ask? Well, as much as I'd like to dump a "Redtop" in it, or something, that's just not financially possibly right now. I do many miles in this thing - 1,500 miles in about a month since purchase - which the 1.4 SPI engine is keeping fuel stops many many miles apart from each other. So, probably will be doing my best to restore it to stock condition, and maybe dump some odd rat mods on it, or turn it into a 2WD off-roader, which it seems like I'm not the only one with these kind of ideas... we'll see. Besides, I've been eyeing up a road-legal quadbike or buggy as my fast toy for the road (I seem to be incapable of driving anything normal). So far, I've installed a bangin' stereo for me choons, some LED lights in the footwells, and upgraded to those fancy Bosch wipers (it's amazing how much wipers can affect the appearance of a car).
Anyways, I plan to keep Otis on the road for as long as possible, and hope he provides many great memories along the way
.
Also, if you like looking at graphs about super-exciting MPG stats, Otis in on Fuelly.
Picture time!
Aesthetic-out-in-the-wilderness-with-lights-on shot.
My boyfriend looking rather pleased with the sunroof. He's also, weirdly, nick-named "Astra"... although, that name came way before the car!
Also, yes, I am also a guy. I gather with a car like this, and both of us wearing trackies most of the time, we sure don't look gay.
Otis sitting alongside Sabine's death-bed. Didn't know her for long, but sure am gonna miss her. RIP.
Ford Ka MK1 also decided to photo-bomb this image: one of my all-time least favourite cars (although, the new third generation one ain't looking too bad).
If you look closely, you'll see it says "la' vista, baby" under the Astra logo. The previous owner owned a print shop, and a sense of humor. Seen quite a few people in my centre mirror laughing at this, and even snap some photos of it - hooray, Otis is famous!
Sat next to a relatively (but still old) modern Astra. My friend pointed out my car "blended in with the pavement and sky" - time for a new lick of paint, maybe?
There's also a photo of Otis near another bone-stock (kind of) Astra F on this forum.
I'm sure more photos and adventures will follow. But first, we must get back to the story, which will continue in the next post. Put you're safety belts on, you're in for a ride...
This diary will be more adventures to places more than anything, but repairs and mods will also be here.
So, after my first car, a Renault Megane II Dynamique 1.6, named Sabine, packed in 4 months after buying her (was running quite badly right from the start, and she eventually blew her rather difficult-to-source throttle body to pieces), I went on the lookout for a cheap car that wasn't completely boring. It was there I stumbled across an Astra MK3 sitting in Leeds. It was something I'd always wanted, and it looked in pretty good shape... And so, 325 crisp English pounds later, here he is, named Otis.
Sitting under the smoke grey body is a 1.4 SPI engine, with only 82,000 miles on the clock (meaning around only 3,000 per year!). It may have been the runt of the litter, but the previous owner sure did his best to keep the engine is good shape. For something that only spits out 60ish HP, it sure does feel nippy. The trim is the Arizona package
No anti-roll bars, no ESP, no air conditioning... and, you know what, that's just the way I like it. 90s cars have always had a special place in my heart: the mechanical simpleness, the oddities here and there (took me forever to find out how to turn the interior light on manually!), the complete lack of factory-fitted angry headlights, and the manufacturers brass balls to just make a no-frills cheap reliable vehicle. I may only be a '96 baby, but I still get sensational feelings of nostalgia stepping into it. There's even the old Vauxhall smell, reminding me of our old family car, a Corsa B. Everyone who looks at it always gets a smile on their face when they see it or get into it; there's just something about seeing a 22 y/o "regular" car like this still on the road, especially when its pushing 80 down the M1.
Of course, it's not without its faults. There's rust here and there, missing boot liner, wobbly drivers seat, fired seatbelt tensioner, slightly inaccurate dials, and broken dashboard lamps (which I completely wrecked after shorting out some electrics while installing a new stereo). There's also an odd after-market immobiliser (I'll post a video, or GIF, later on). And, it seems someone didn't like feeling they were in the "cheap seats", so put paint (badly) over the plastic bumpers, which is starting to come off
. But, it feels like it would keep going for weeks on end without fault.So, plans for it I hear you ask? Well, as much as I'd like to dump a "Redtop" in it, or something, that's just not financially possibly right now. I do many miles in this thing - 1,500 miles in about a month since purchase - which the 1.4 SPI engine is keeping fuel stops many many miles apart from each other. So, probably will be doing my best to restore it to stock condition, and maybe dump some odd rat mods on it, or turn it into a 2WD off-roader, which it seems like I'm not the only one with these kind of ideas... we'll see. Besides, I've been eyeing up a road-legal quadbike or buggy as my fast toy for the road (I seem to be incapable of driving anything normal). So far, I've installed a bangin' stereo for me choons, some LED lights in the footwells, and upgraded to those fancy Bosch wipers (it's amazing how much wipers can affect the appearance of a car).
Anyways, I plan to keep Otis on the road for as long as possible, and hope he provides many great memories along the way
.Also, if you like looking at graphs about super-exciting MPG stats, Otis in on Fuelly.
Picture time!
Aesthetic-out-in-the-wilderness-with-lights-on shot.
My boyfriend looking rather pleased with the sunroof. He's also, weirdly, nick-named "Astra"... although, that name came way before the car!
Also, yes, I am also a guy. I gather with a car like this, and both of us wearing trackies most of the time, we sure don't look gay.
Otis sitting alongside Sabine's death-bed. Didn't know her for long, but sure am gonna miss her. RIP.
Ford Ka MK1 also decided to photo-bomb this image: one of my all-time least favourite cars (although, the new third generation one ain't looking too bad).
If you look closely, you'll see it says "la' vista, baby" under the Astra logo. The previous owner owned a print shop, and a sense of humor. Seen quite a few people in my centre mirror laughing at this, and even snap some photos of it - hooray, Otis is famous!
Sat next to a relatively (but still old) modern Astra. My friend pointed out my car "blended in with the pavement and sky" - time for a new lick of paint, maybe?
There's also a photo of Otis near another bone-stock (kind of) Astra F on this forum.
I'm sure more photos and adventures will follow. But first, we must get back to the story, which will continue in the next post. Put you're safety belts on, you're in for a ride...
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; the motor is broken, and the window is held up with some cable ties.
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