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        General >> Off Topic Subjects >> Everyone thinks I am MAD,
        
(Message started by: scorpio197 on Aug 19^th, 2007, 8:35pm)

Title: Everyone thinks I am MAD,
Post by scorpio197 on Aug 19^th, 2007, 8:35pm

hi all ,got two new sills yesterday from my local FMD for my scorpio.Almost £180 ,all my work mates think I am mad and should get a car thats easier to look after and costs less for parts .I just tell them each to his own ,and I just love my scorpio .Does anyone else get told to scrap there scorp and get another car .It would be nice to know I am not alone ,or is it just envy when they see the sleek lines/style and equipment level there is in just a basic scorp never mind the high level cossies , What do you guys think ?

Title: Re: Everyone thinks I am MAD,
Post by TRACEYS_LIMO on Aug 19^th, 2007, 9:07pm

just smile that will shut them up :) one chap called my car ugly i told him so was he that shut him up ;D

Title: Re: Everyone thinks I am MAD,
Post by SCORPY_NEWBY on Aug 19^th, 2007, 9:20pm

My mates came up with stuff like that when i first got my ultima, until i took them for a ride. They couldn't believe the level of comfort and equipment. So many people don't know what the're missing.My car gets respect from my mates nowadays 8)

Title: Re: Everyone thinks I am MAD,
Post by mr._floppy on Aug 20^th, 2007, 1:17am

I've never had a bad word said about my Scorp, only positive comments from MOT testers and other mechanics who have had the honour of driving him/her/it .

( never quite sure if my Scorp is a he, she or an " it " )

Title: Re: Everyone thinks I am MAD,
Post by jonnycab on Aug 20^th, 2007, 10:06am

After my lastest escapade of parts replacement.....rear springs & discs/pads......, I was asked by a collegue if I was actually secretly rebuilding the car & not just keeping it to MOT standard ;D

Two taxi MOT tests & one normal MOT test every year, & it's not failed on a single thing yet. Even other taxis half the Scorps age, regulary fail the tests.

It's all a matter of regular maintenance & servicing, which are things I never skimp on....if it's broke, I fix it....if it ain't broke, then it needs further investigation ;).... ;D

Title: Re: Everyone thinks I am MAD,
Post by merseyscorp on Aug 20^th, 2007, 12:47pm

My local ford dealer who look after my car think mines good. They reckon they enjoy working on it when it goes in for service etc because its different from working on focus, fiesta, fusion, etc and there is only one other local scorp known to me. However, I took the fine machine for a part worn 205/55/ 16 last week to be told that there was none in stock and that I should just put a bit of air in it, sell it to some other mug & buy the tyre-shop owners ford cougar, W reg ( which is very nice, I must add :-X ) for the princely sum of £4,500! :o Bit steep I thought, so I drove away.

Finally another incident, was when a business associate of the missus came round to ours. He walked up the driveway, seen the scorp sitting there and said to the missus " wow a scorpio!, how nice. Is it your fathers car!!!!!????" For crying out loud I'm half her Fathers age!!!!Image problem maybe? :-/

Title: Re: Everyone thinks I am MAD,
Post by pat on Aug 21^st, 2007, 10:49pm

My mate raved over 'Er Indoors' 2.9 when he drove it back from the auctions. He's an amateur dealer and at the time was running a Merc!
He took it for its' MOT last week and is still drooling over it.
It actually looks a bit of a heap but appearances can be deceptive! ;)

Title: Re: Everyone thinks I am MAD,
Post by jonnycab on Aug 22^nd, 2007, 5:15pm

The old girl sailed straight through another council (taxi) MOT today, just after a 3 year old Focus estate failed 8)

Tester commented that he couldn't find a single thing wrong with it & said that I must have a very good & thorough mechanic..

...With wide eyes & an insane grin, I replied..."Apart from the new diff pinion seal & flange, it's all my own work"......

..... Deep laughter filled the air "HA HA HA HA...." as my deep blue leather clad chariot dissapeared into the misty back streets of old Brentwood town ......... :o

Okay, I'll admit, that's not quite what happened....although he did say it was a nice motor ;D

Title: Re: Everyone thinks I am MAD,
Post by Alastair on Aug 22^nd, 2007, 6:58pm

Nice one JC. Doesn't change the fact though that we are all mad.

Alastair

Title: Re: Everyone thinks I am MAD,
Post by Highlander on Aug 22^nd, 2007, 8:03pm

Johnny, dont you have maximum age limits for taxi's down there?

There is a slight variation up here depending on the district but I think most Scorpios would be struggling to meet them now.

Title: Re: Everyone thinks I am MAD,
Post by merseyscorp on Aug 23^rd, 2007, 12:28am

I used to be on a sefton/merseyside private hire plate taxi, a 98 Mondeo ghia. I don't have the room to explain how amazing this car was, but anyway, that was borderline to the age limit. I think it's 8/9 years maximum up here. I don't believe in age restrictions at all. We have age restrictions for subsidised bus services up here also of 16years. Ridiculous considering there's vehicles over 25 in far better condition. Point is, if they're mantained to council standards, then whats the problem? ???

People musn't know they're born when your cab rolls up johnny ;) Don't know how lucky they are!!!

Title: Re: Everyone thinks I am MAD,
Post by jonnycab on Aug 23^rd, 2007, 3:32am

Hi Stuart....the answer is no, Brentwood has no maximum age limit for it's licensed vehicles as long as they meet the standards & requirements set by the council :)

There are quite a few councils who adopt this way of licensing vehicles. Just because it's a few years old, doesn't mean it's no longer a decent car....& the Scorpio is definately a decent car ;)

London Taxi's have no age limit, even though most old ones are now being sold off because of mad Kens new emissions targets....a few are now licenced up in Brentwood, the oldest being a 'J' reg.

Merseyscorp, you're right...if a vehicle meets the standard & criteria set by the licensing authority, then age shouldn't really be an issue, & I've never had any complaints from anyone about the age of my Scorp....& there are currently 3 other Scorp taxis licensed in Brentwood as well 8)

But to be honest, I doubt I would buy a Mondeo/Vectra etc of the same age & use it for a taxi (even though a few other drivers have them). They just don't have the build quality & longevity that the Scorpio has.

There are a few licensing areas that have age limits for vehicles, but also have a longer age limit for vehicles that are considered more up-market, purely because they have a better quality build & tend to outlast the average 'family' saloon.

These are cars like the Scorp, Omega, Merc, BMW, Lexus etc which are considered to be more of a limousine than a family car, so therefore have a longer service life :)

The last Taxi I had was a 2001 2.0 Zetec new shape Mondeo. I had it for 18 months & it was nothing compared to the 2.0 Ghia Scorp I had before it. So I sold it & bought my current 2.3 Ultima which is 3 times the car that the Mondeo was.....it's bigger, smoother, more comfortable, it's not full of cheap rattling plastic & although the Scorp may be slightly less economical (not by much though), it's just a far superior car in everyway ;)

Title: Re: Everyone thinks I am MAD,
Post by big_neil on Aug 23^rd, 2007, 1:46pm

my mate has just spent £35,550 on a second hand merc S320 CDI,he says he wishes he had never bought it as the seating is awful and wants a car as comfy as my ultima, i said he can buy mine for the same price or do a straight swop(i,ll chance being stung). there,s nowt like a good offer is there?

Title: Re: Everyone thinks I am MAD,
Post by pat on Aug 23^rd, 2007, 2:24pm

Careful, Neil. It sounds a bit over - generous to me. }{

Title: Re: Everyone thinks I am MAD,
Post by Scorpio_Mike on Aug 23^rd, 2007, 4:33pm

If I had £35,550 to spend on a car I'd buy a Scorpio and keep the rest ;D

Title: Re: Everyone thinks I am MAD,
Post by mr._floppy on Aug 23^rd, 2007, 6:25pm

Personally, I think it's mad to spend £35 000 on ANY car, new or old . :-/

Title: Re: Everyone thinks I am MAD,
Post by Scorpio_Mike on Aug 23^rd, 2007, 7:24pm

on 08/23/07 at 18:25:45, mr._floppy wrote:

Personally, I think it's mad to spend £35 000 on ANY car, new or old . :-/

[]

Title: Re: Everyone thinks I am MAD,
Post by Alastair on Aug 23^rd, 2007, 7:43pm

I agree with Mr. Floppy and Scorpio Mike. In fact I'm not sure I would do a straight swop for the 2.3, but then on second thoughts what colour is the Merc. ?

Alastair

Title: Re: Everyone thinks I am MAD,
Post by pat on Aug 23^rd, 2007, 8:30pm

}{
£35000 for a car. £21000 more than I paid for my house!
Mind you, my eldest daughter and her business partner run identical Maseratis. God knows how much they are - I daren't ask. But there again I don't really want to know.
How mad can you get?

Title: Re: Everyone thinks I am MAD,
Post by Highlander on Aug 23^rd, 2007, 10:34pm

They're free ;D they'll be tax deductable :)

Title: Re: Everyone thinks I am MAD,
Post by big_neil on Aug 24^th, 2007, 3:12pm

colour is sliver ,,,by the way he,s also bought a new ride on lawnmower for his garden (just under 2 acres ) it cost more than some of the cars i,ve bought over the years. it,s grand when money is no object aint it!!

Title: Re: Everyone thinks I am MAD,
Post by merseyscorp on Aug 24^th, 2007, 10:09pm

Pat, I must add to the £35,000 car! I also paid less than that for my abode! Absurd amount!

Johnnycab, I agree my 98 mondeo in terms of build quality etc,etc will never be as good, but I never owned it, it was a settle car. It'd been clocked and it was showing 185,000 when I come off the game, but in terms of reliability, you know them harsh cold, winter starts, hammering round estates etc, It would just take anything you threw at it. Not to say the scorp aint upto the job, far from it, the mond just wasn't the car I'd thought it would be! I mean after owning a 3year old vauxhall from new, the 8 year old mondeo was everything the vauxhall wasn't.

Anyway, having the choice, scorp obviously, but maybe I was lucky& just had a good example?

Title: Re: Everyone thinks I am MAD,
Post by jonnycab on Aug 25^th, 2007, 2:57am

I'll agree that the Mondeo does have it's good points...the Zetec engine is a great engine, as long as you don't forget to keep an eye on that rubber timing belt ;)

Did you have a petrol or diesel merseyscorp ?....

I had a '94 1.8 TD as my first taxi & vowed I would never buy one ever again. Maybe I just got unlucky, but you could guarantee that something would go wrong with it at least once a month (got my money's worth out of the AA though ;))......Although, I'm led to believe that compared to a Vectra, this is considered pretty reliable ;D

Title: Re: Everyone thinks I am MAD,
Post by merseyscorp on Aug 25^th, 2007, 10:34pm

Yeah, Diesel.. au naturel! 1.8Td ghia in black. I only had it just on six months, as that was all the time I lasted in the cabs, but in that time zero faults.

My mate has an 02 plate old shape vectra, 43k on the clock, 1.8 petrol, spends more time in the garage than the staff & hasn't passed an Mot first time in three years. need I say anymore????

Another mate of mine has an 02 plate mondeo as a cab. Very dreary inside, 185k on the clock, still got plenty of life in it, but has had its share of problems, which is only to be expected, I suppose. It's the 2.0 diesel. I wouldn't have one of them mind, never a patch on the scorp, however he is considering the Skoda octavia, 1.9 diesel.. I think?

Title: Re: Everyone thinks I am MAD,
Post by jonnycab on Aug 26^th, 2007, 12:01am

2.0 litre diesel new shape Mondeo's suffer from injector problems after about 50,000 miles. Every comrade of mine that has owned one has had this problem & they ain't cheap to replace.

I had a new shape 2.0 Zetec petrol as my last Taxi & even though it was an okay car, it was nothing compared to the previous Scorpio that I had........ So I sold it & bought another Scorp ;D

Regarding the Scoda Octavia ....I wouldn't even consider buying one of those tin can jobs...I would rather ride a rickshaw......

.....Also passengers in the back will have to get used to sitting with their knees just under their chin....a bit like flying with EasyJet ;)

Get in a Scorp, it's like Virgin business class :D

Title: Re: Everyone thinks I am MAD,
Post by merseyscorp on Aug 26^th, 2007, 1:18am

I'd have a Skoda superb at a push, but I agree with the cramped rear of those octavias. Not for me personally, If i was still on the job, It'd have to be either the 8 seat Ford Tourneo or X type 2.0d Jag.

There was only one scorp I ever seen, (maybe two actually) around the local area. I was envious of them being taxis, but heartbroken at the same time. The fear of some drunken scroat being sick in the back, made me sick to the core.

I know it's sheer cosmetics, but I just couldn't! besides all those smelly people I couldn't deal with either!

Title: Re: Everyone thinks I am MAD,
Post by Bren on Sep 1^st, 2007, 7:39pm

My girlfriend has a 2yr old Zafira and on her first "proper" drive of the Cossie - she took over at Norton Canes on M6 toll road - these little words escaped from her as the cruise control dropped a gear to maintain speed on one of the uphill sections of the M25 "this car is -------- unbelievable"

Title: Re: Everyone thinks I am MAD,
Post by dh_dove on Sep 5^th, 2007, 7:15pm

Bren

Cruise was set to eighty-ish I presume :P

DH Dove

Title: Re: Everyone thinks I am MAD,
Post by Bren on Sep 11^th, 2007, 8:20am

No, quite conservative really, only about 75. We were popping over to Belgium and I couldn't get her arse out of the driver's seat. But I can understand her enjoying the drive after being in her uncomfortable apology for a car. "It's a van with more glass" and like too many other new models, you sit ON the seats not IN them.