I've come to own my 2nd K11 in the last few weeks. My first, a 1999 1.3 Inspiration, I bought a number of years ago now, with the insurance money from my Vespa PX200 scooter being written off, as I decided I'd get a car to stop people from killing me.
I sold that because I had desires for something faster and with aircon, electric windows etc. I know, I know the Inspiration has aircon, but mine didn't work and I didn't get it checked out professionally. It has keep fit windows though.
So I bought a Fiesta ST150. Loved it but 5th gear synchro started to whine and I suspect I didn't keep an eye on a gearbox oil leak and it ran low. Someone damaged the bonnet in a car park where I worked and I started to lose the love for it and owning a mint car that others would wreck.
Then my Mrs became pregnant, which was no surprise as it was via IVF, so I felt I needed a bigger car. I had never owned an automatic before and found an E46 320i with the Mtec1 bumpers. Lows and wheels made that look awesome but it needed the fixing stick every month and was costing me a fortune to keep going.
I sold that and pressed my super modified Suzuki Jimny off roader into daily duties. The MOT was due to run out on 06.10.2020 and the insurance on 28.09.2020, so 2 weeks before I thought I had better have a poke around underneath it with a screwdriver! I knew it was mechanically sound but hadn't had time to check the body and chassis since last year's MOT.
It is very holey and has a crack in the chassis by the rear o/s radius arm mount. It would be a lot of welding to fix, so I've called time on it. It's got a lot of parts that will fetch money, so I'll strip it and scrap the shell and chassis and sell everything I can.
Queue the urgent need to buy a car! ?
I was in a spot and didn't know what to get. I've enjoyed not worrying about people opening their doors onto my car with 3mm thick tubular rocksliders on the off roader. However there's a bit of a bufty in me too.
The Mrs has an 06 Skoda Octavia VRS petrol estate, which is fast, great for family duties and comfortable. So I quite fancied one of those.
There's very few of those around for sale in pre 2009 cam chain issue flavour during normal circumstances, but add a bit a Covid and there's little on the 2nd hand market.
I test drove a Corsa VXR Nurburgring and fell in love but it had symptoms of the gearbox bearing failure they suffer from. That was £8k!
Spending that amount of money on a car that other people will park next to, when I park at the far end of the carpark at Tesco to avoid them and then they rest their trolley on my car before they open their door on it does bad things for my mental health. So I felt confuzzled! What to do?
I looked at a R53 Mini Cooper S that a guy had spent fortunes on as a Lockdown project, but it needed 4 tyres, the wheels were corroded, the stainless exhaust had taken one for the team on a speed bump and been welded up with pigeon sh*t and it needed the oil filter housing gasket changing, which he had but hadn't changed, and I know why - they're a git!
With less than a week to go I was desperate and resigned myself to buying a cheap sh*tbox to keep me going.
I test drove a Peugeot 107 but concluded that there's zero fun to driving one of those.
The Mrs had a Ka years ago and that was fun, so I went to look at one locally. A year's MOT and electric windows with very little rot. That would do I thought! Until I saw it and found that the passenger door top didn't seal where it had been pulled out at some point.
Then the guy said "I've got this little Micra at the back instead then". My little eyes lit up and I approached it with trepidation. It was a K11. It has absolutely no redeeming features though, apart from being rust free, has power steering and a full service history to now on 84k miles.
It is red on some panels, particularly the rear bumper, which has been re-sprayed to a high standard - seemingly on the car by the red exhaust tail pipe! Other panels are pink and the odd bit is down to the galvanised metal. More paint comes off with the pressure washer!
The radiator has a couple of tiny holes but seems to lose only a tiny bit of coolant and it needs new jubilee clips on the low pressure power steering pipes. It needed a new CV boot for the MOT, sorted by the seller.
So full of nostalgia and in desperate need of a car, I bought it. The rose colour of the car likely tinted my spectacles but it must have stained them as I love it!
I pick up a Nissens radiator from Eurocarparts today for £28! I have plenty of coolant and new jubilee clips for everything on the shelf, so I'm happy with that!
The next thing to do is to replace the front tyres. They're old and cracked Dunlops that have hardened and offer no grip at all. Tricky with no abs in the wet!
Then a decision needs to be made. Do I keep it and modify it as a ratty car or save my money for something faster and nicer with electric windows and aircon?
Well that decision is still to be made but I can tell you that I'm currently watching several sets of wheels and some electric window regulators, with motors on eBay, have made enquiries about coilovers and found Gizfab for the panhard rod, should things go that way!
So you've read all this and feel quite hard done-by because there's no pictures yet eh! I'll sort them soon and show you what I've done to personalise it. Until then, close your eyes and imagine a standard face-lift K11 in pinky-red with laquer peel, rusty wheels with no trims and you've seen it in your head.
Kirkynut
I sold that because I had desires for something faster and with aircon, electric windows etc. I know, I know the Inspiration has aircon, but mine didn't work and I didn't get it checked out professionally. It has keep fit windows though.
So I bought a Fiesta ST150. Loved it but 5th gear synchro started to whine and I suspect I didn't keep an eye on a gearbox oil leak and it ran low. Someone damaged the bonnet in a car park where I worked and I started to lose the love for it and owning a mint car that others would wreck.
Then my Mrs became pregnant, which was no surprise as it was via IVF, so I felt I needed a bigger car. I had never owned an automatic before and found an E46 320i with the Mtec1 bumpers. Lows and wheels made that look awesome but it needed the fixing stick every month and was costing me a fortune to keep going.
I sold that and pressed my super modified Suzuki Jimny off roader into daily duties. The MOT was due to run out on 06.10.2020 and the insurance on 28.09.2020, so 2 weeks before I thought I had better have a poke around underneath it with a screwdriver! I knew it was mechanically sound but hadn't had time to check the body and chassis since last year's MOT.
It is very holey and has a crack in the chassis by the rear o/s radius arm mount. It would be a lot of welding to fix, so I've called time on it. It's got a lot of parts that will fetch money, so I'll strip it and scrap the shell and chassis and sell everything I can.
Queue the urgent need to buy a car! ?
I was in a spot and didn't know what to get. I've enjoyed not worrying about people opening their doors onto my car with 3mm thick tubular rocksliders on the off roader. However there's a bit of a bufty in me too.
The Mrs has an 06 Skoda Octavia VRS petrol estate, which is fast, great for family duties and comfortable. So I quite fancied one of those.
There's very few of those around for sale in pre 2009 cam chain issue flavour during normal circumstances, but add a bit a Covid and there's little on the 2nd hand market.
I test drove a Corsa VXR Nurburgring and fell in love but it had symptoms of the gearbox bearing failure they suffer from. That was £8k!
Spending that amount of money on a car that other people will park next to, when I park at the far end of the carpark at Tesco to avoid them and then they rest their trolley on my car before they open their door on it does bad things for my mental health. So I felt confuzzled! What to do?
I looked at a R53 Mini Cooper S that a guy had spent fortunes on as a Lockdown project, but it needed 4 tyres, the wheels were corroded, the stainless exhaust had taken one for the team on a speed bump and been welded up with pigeon sh*t and it needed the oil filter housing gasket changing, which he had but hadn't changed, and I know why - they're a git!
With less than a week to go I was desperate and resigned myself to buying a cheap sh*tbox to keep me going.
I test drove a Peugeot 107 but concluded that there's zero fun to driving one of those.
The Mrs had a Ka years ago and that was fun, so I went to look at one locally. A year's MOT and electric windows with very little rot. That would do I thought! Until I saw it and found that the passenger door top didn't seal where it had been pulled out at some point.
Then the guy said "I've got this little Micra at the back instead then". My little eyes lit up and I approached it with trepidation. It was a K11. It has absolutely no redeeming features though, apart from being rust free, has power steering and a full service history to now on 84k miles.
It is red on some panels, particularly the rear bumper, which has been re-sprayed to a high standard - seemingly on the car by the red exhaust tail pipe! Other panels are pink and the odd bit is down to the galvanised metal. More paint comes off with the pressure washer!
The radiator has a couple of tiny holes but seems to lose only a tiny bit of coolant and it needs new jubilee clips on the low pressure power steering pipes. It needed a new CV boot for the MOT, sorted by the seller.
So full of nostalgia and in desperate need of a car, I bought it. The rose colour of the car likely tinted my spectacles but it must have stained them as I love it!
I pick up a Nissens radiator from Eurocarparts today for £28! I have plenty of coolant and new jubilee clips for everything on the shelf, so I'm happy with that!
The next thing to do is to replace the front tyres. They're old and cracked Dunlops that have hardened and offer no grip at all. Tricky with no abs in the wet!
Then a decision needs to be made. Do I keep it and modify it as a ratty car or save my money for something faster and nicer with electric windows and aircon?
Well that decision is still to be made but I can tell you that I'm currently watching several sets of wheels and some electric window regulators, with motors on eBay, have made enquiries about coilovers and found Gizfab for the panhard rod, should things go that way!
So you've read all this and feel quite hard done-by because there's no pictures yet eh! I'll sort them soon and show you what I've done to personalise it. Until then, close your eyes and imagine a standard face-lift K11 in pinky-red with laquer peel, rusty wheels with no trims and you've seen it in your head.
Kirkynut
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