It's going :(

Following on from my thread last week about lots of people selling up (and I can't say at that point I was 100% thinking about it), I've gone and traded in the Mustang.

I love the car, but I'm a serial car changer and there's always something else out there I want to try. I wish I could say I'm going to keep a car one day, and actually own it outright but I either a) can't or b) just haven't found the one yet.

My reasons for changing are partially to try something else, but mostly financial. I'm an economist by the way, understand the ins and outs of finance. I don't always act with my maths head on, and sometimes my priority isn't overall cost, but what I would like to pay monthly for a car. I have a few investments, a fair chunk of cash in the bank, decent amount of equity in a house, earn a good living in oil/gas etc.

I can afford the car I could buy it outright if I used my piggy bank savings but it's on PCP. I put a fair chunk of spare cash into it (£10K) and it costs me @£320 a month on finance, fuel, insurance, GAP and road tax.

I've looked at a few other cars lately, mulled over a few deals and started to get a little concerned at the drop in trade in prices I was being offered :( what was 28.5/29 in the last couple of months was looking more like 26.5/27 (clearly dependent on the other car).

I'm guessing in 3 years when my PCP was up, that 10K I put in would effectively be sod all, and I'd be having to find £14k to own the car.

It was also booked in to get the wheels refurbished in a nice dark bronze colour and have 4 bits of rubber that actually grip the road on it - @£1000 all in. My rears are pretty much on the wear indicators

I potter around town mostly, ferrying my daughter back to the ex, or to her various clubs etc. The new missus and I do a weekend away every now and again, but we managed fine when I had the Boxster. The Mustang is a big car with not so much interior space.

What I actually need is something smaller, quick to keep me amused, has to sound decent, but is cheaper all round as an ownership prospect. The question is could I trade the Mustang, get a fair chunk of the equity I had in the Mustang back while keeping my monthly outgoing the same :shrug:

Answer, yes I can :doh: .. so that's it. The Mustang goes this week, there's about £7k coming back to me, and I've actually reduced my overall monthly cost for a car. Not that hard when you're not paying £45 a month for road tax, £36 for insurance etc. etc. and I'm no longer about to shell out £1,000 on wheels and rubber.

What will I miss - the noise, the glorious noise :love: the looks - it turns heads all the time, just the feeling of owning a big old v8 manual. It's cool as ...

What will I not miss, hmm not a lot. I could stretch it to 30 mpg on a run, I thought the interior was very good and the kit it came with comprehensive.

It felt a little big to potter around town in and on the wee nuggety B-roads up here I was quicker in the wife's 208 GTi. Maybe it was the eibach springs but I never quite had the confidence to really push the car on bumpy roads. I felt a bit leaden so I tended to just use it like the GT car it actually is. I won't miss the black paint, well specifically the amount of it jeeso that thing could take an age to wash and polish :headbonk:

I'm really pleased I owned a Mustang, granted for a way shorter period than I imagined. I think if I hadn't bought it I would have always wanted one anyway - so as my Dad said - scratch itched. Time to be a little more sensible

You never know, one day I might be back

Sorry to see you go... But I know your type - I work with a guy who's a serial car changer! Quite rightly so as well, if you want to try it all, then you should I think to keep one of these, especially in the UK, you really have to be full on Mustang enthusiast - which is the case for me. I can totally understand those who sell up, if it was a case of scratching an itch as you say - not the easiest of cars to live with on a day to day basis, and they come with the pain of being a Ford sadly...

So - what is your next adventure?

Funny you say adventure .. I've picked up an almost new JCW mini with the Bluetooth exhaust.

This is my 3rd JCW, and I've always found them fun to drive.

It's perfect for my current needs, although I wonder what I'll be eye-ing up in 9 months time :headbonk:

Avalyn said:

Funny you say adventure .. I've picked up an almost new JCW mini with the Bluetooth exhaust.

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I'm going the other way - the wife and I have become bored with our JCW
(with bluetooth exhaust and stage one remap!) and so we have a 2018
Mustang GT on order to replace it!

This is my 3rd JCW, and I've always found them fun to drive.

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We previously had an (also remapped) Mini Roadster and that was hilarious to
drive - the full 'maximum go cart' feeling, but the latest JCW (bought because
we needed four seats at the time) is inert by comparison, even with the remap
and exhaust.

So as much as I am a huge fan of Minis, I think they are just becoming
a bit too lardy, but coming from a Mustang, it will probably feel almost
as nimble as your Boxter did!



MARK

I test drove a JCW (no exhaust) and a Challenge 210.

Finance was better on the JCW and the dealer did me a cracking deal on the Pro Exhaust

I have done some digging into remaps, and there doesn't appear to be anywhere near Aberdeen that will do it (Glasgow) so I may try the Evolve option at home although there doesn't seem to be much information out there on it.

The thing is, as usual I have the urge to modify, which I am coming to believe usually makes a car worse .. and you end up spending £1,000's on something that then a) isn't worth any more b) drives worse and c) how quick do I need to get to 30 in town and all the dual carriageways up here at average speed ones.

OK, on the occasional hoon I might get to use a bit more power, but again is going quicker more fun - if you can't rev it out in 2nd with a decent spell in 3rd it's dull. Case in point, my buddies revo'd S3 S-tronic. Rapid as, but ultimately so so so dull

I think I'll actually be quicker on the wee roads up here in the JCW than the Mustang, and should be looking at 40+ on those dull runs to Dundee/Edinburgh/Glasgow.

I have a few tests in my head to see if I have a car I will drive for fun. 1: If I've nothing to do would I go out for a hoon? 2: I go visit my Dad in Arbroath a fair amount (I'm in Aberdeen) - will I come off at Stonehaven and take the coast road.

The answer currently is no. I think the answer with the JCW will be yes but we shall wait and see :lol:

Avalyn said:

I have done some digging into remaps, and there doesn't appear to be anywhere near Aberdeen that will do it (Glasgow) so I may try the Evolve option at home although there doesn't seem to be much information out there on it.

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As you mention Arbroath the local ramp hire place Ramp It Up does remapping. I have a suspicion it may be off the shelf type stuff but maybe not.

I might regret asking this, but wth is a bluetooth exhaust?

Jimmy G said:

I might regret asking this, but wth is a bluetooth exhaust?

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Bluetooth controlled valves in the exhaust.

Jimmy G said:

I might regret asking this, but wth is a bluetooth exhaust?

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Quote from a Mini user forum - -

...was at Mini HQ after being invited down there by my local Mini dealer. Whilst there we got the chance to drive the new Cooper S. The difference being this has a new exhaust on it developed by Mini. It's bloody fantastic. It is operated via blue tooth. It comes with a very well engineered remote control. In normal mode the exhaust is as per the standard Cooper S. At the press of a button a valve on the system opens via blue tooth. This makes the rear silencer redundant and the exhaust becomes very very loud. I also believe the centre section is of the exhaust is slightly different. In sport mode I honestly kid you not this car sounds like a world rally car. It pops and bangs massively, I never heard a road car sound so mental. It is 100% fantastic. It was the centre of attention. The exhaust tips are beautifully engineered.

I had no idea either BTW!

Manufactured by Lucas, Prince of Darkness....no doubt.

What a stupid-over-engineered-guaranteed-to-fail idea. A few control wires weigh next to nothing, are impervious to external interference, and are a much simpler solution. Sheesh.

Sounds to me like Mini trying to be youthful and funky. It's an active exhaust. There's no need for Bluetooth!

I agree, I don't really think there's any need for Bluetooth either - or the need for the wee remote you get that will end up rattling round in one of the cup holders. A switch on the dash somewhere would have been fine with me ..

Irrespective of how it's switched on/off though .. it does mean I can leave the car in mid/valve closed for early morning starts or long trips on the motorway .. or when I want to act 5, scare folk at bus stops and giggle I can stick the car in sport/open the valve

An Abarth was also considered, and the new Fiesta ST was interesting with the 3 pot but there's just something about the JCW I like.

As I said I've had 2 before, both R56, one second hand (divorce) and one new spec'd up to the hilt. I enjoyed both and I have some excellent memories of a road trip with my wee one:love: down to Alten Towers in the first one ..

It's not going to have the presence or the sound of the Mustang, but I think I'm more likely to use it knowing it's not costing me as much to own/run ..

Your boyfriend will love that car, unless you're a fit blonde, seems like they're the only people that drive mini's

GR11M said:

Your boyfriend will love that car, unless you're a fit blonde, seems like they're the only people that drive mini's

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...oops!:gossip::doh:

Hahaha homophobe away GR11M .. I've had 2 (will be 3) mini's, 2 Boxsters, a TT and couldn't give a rats ass what anyone else thinks

I thankfully still have hair, albeit mostly grey but will be sure to park it outside the £10 snip and clip when I need the old quiff trimmed ;)