An unlikely survivor

[94xm]

Hi,

First Post here,

Just thought i would tell you about my girlfriends 91 tzd stop gap car of 5 years, the car has been making a weekly run of about 400/500 miles for the last 4.5 years and now has clocked up 240000miles on orig box and engine.
The engine still sounds like a swiss watch, no noises or anything and it still drives with plenty of pull.
Been stunningly reliable, only stopped twice with a hydraulic pump belt snapping and a clutch cable snap too, during that time.
It is getting near the end as the cambelt is at 80k since change, not had a clutch in at least 140k. Its fixed with the odd bit from the local scrappy and after its last frontal impact accident i fixed the front end for £6 in parts!.
It hardly ever gets an oil change, never has had a gearbox oil change to my knowledge.
It uses a tiny bit of oil, has a hole straight through the front headlight from a stone (looks like a bullet though), leaks water all over your right leg when it rains and if you use the front elec windows they fall out into the door. The clutch release bearing is noisy but the rear arms ones still seem ok!
It rattles and creaks and now a mouse has taken up residence inside it, god knows where but he leaves my girlfriends apple cores on the front seat! Not even sure if he stays there during the day too when she goes to work.
This thing is vitually impossible to kill, its difficult to change the car when it refuses to give up. But i guess when i does it will be in style.

anyway some great technical reading on here and after reading they should be done every 48k, have decided to do the cambelt just one last time, just to see how far it will go. But it just proves with very little maintenance how well built these cars really are.

cheers

[Philip Chidlow]

Hi Welcome to the club!

Worth investing in I'd say. So long as the bodyworks fine and it isn't spewing out LHM or oil, the things you mention are a relatively straightforward fix. And a replacement headlight's not much either lol! I imagine with the cambelt you were living on borrowed time

[M]

But it just proves with very little maintenance how well built these cars really are.

cheers

Hi - they can be reliable cars - especially the DERV ones - but like most things they will wither and die without love and attention. Spending a few pounds and a few hours on your girlfriends will ensure it lasts a bit longer yet. Why not let somewhere like National Tyres do the oil change, for only £20 all in it saves you getting your hands dirty - and frequent oil changes do promote longevity (Im a 5000 mile man myself).

Welcome aboard -of course if you really want to kill it - you need just ONE BX club window sticker.....
NB - VERY LIMITED SUPPLY

[mat_fenwick]

Spending a few pounds and a few hours on your girlfriends

Tell me about it, they always seem to want more than a FEW hours or a FEW pounds...

[Ian_Fearn]

Compared to my camper BX's are dirt cheap to repair and quick too!

The missus's BX gets plenty of love but its a cracking car, never causes any grief (touch wood).

Must be the womans touch!