Bad ground connections can cause a lot of strange things to happen in cars, especially more modern ones with computers. Always a good idea to clean up and tighten the main ground connection and any local ones if there is trouble with electrical items.

Surging is frequently caused by so called "throttle position sensors" acting up on modern cars. They provide the computer with a signal about the position of the air throttling butterfly valves in the inlet manifold. The sensors have an internal potentiometer and many have the follower/pickup arm shaped like a sharp V rather than a spoon as you would expect for a long life potentiometer. They look like they are designed to cut through the resistive material, I imagine it is done so you need a new one about 65000 km, just out of warranty for many cars here in North America. They cost over $100 here.

JD

28 years of running Peugot's / Citreons in a commercial application.

In that time all it has cost us engine wise is one core plug, one head gasket, two radiators, 4 sets of heater plugs.

Things like brakes, exhausts, batteries, tyres, etc., I never count as these are consumables needed on any make of vehicle.

This based on 4 vehicles over a total milage of about 320,000 miles.

John S.

Over the years I have had, in order, plus comments:

A35 van. Rotbox, but otherwise reasonable.

Morris 1000 Traveller. Reasonable, but couldn't stand the work I gave it. (Put the rear springs through the floor and broke the engine steady cable.)

VW 1300 oldstyle Beetle. Good reliable car – except when trying to stop in snow & ice (don't ask) and problems when starting in foggy weather. Excellent tyre life.

VW Type 3 Fastback estate. Rotbox and suffered from VW's early attempts at pollution control.

2 x 1750 Maxis. Marvellous design let down by engineering. Next best thing to 4×4 in winter. Rotted a bit towards the end, rear butterfly's always a problem as was oil leaks onto clutch and hydrolastic suspension leaks but otherwise just about unburstable.

Montego 1.6L Estate. Bit of a rotbox towards end, but otherwise quite good. Didn't like snow.

Peugeot 405 1.9tdi Estate. Best car we have ever had. Ok, various non-essential problems, but really, if it hadn't been for the towbar we would have kept on running it.

Ford Focus 1.8tdci Estate. Worst car I've ever had. Harsh ride. Atrocious tyre life. Poor clutch life. Engine failure. Other odd problems. Currently struggling trying to decide why lights are so poor. Absolutely superb in the snow a couple of years ago. 1st and last Ford for me.

As John Stevenson says, there are certain things that have to be considered as expendable, eg tyres, servicing, batteries etc. I certainly don't count those against any car unless that particular car seems particularly bad.

Regards,

Peter G. Shaw

Hi

Purchased a Citroen top of the range for my sales manager well that is what he wanted 3 weeks later parked opens the door and the inside door liner fell on the ground. Ah well . Me I just stuck to good old Brit cars all staff thought it was amuseing. But now well retired some still come up to me and say do you still have….

Have a lovely bank holl's everyone

Bob

After 54 years of motoring and 17 cars I will not bore you with the lot. Best was a Peugeot 309 Turbo Diesel – total reliability, good performance, and the only spares needed in 140,000 miles were one radiator and one brake servo vacuum pump. Absolute worst was a Mini Clubman estate car, bought during the 1970s. Dismal performance, constantly rattling rear doors, and red rust all over the bodywork in less than a year. Traded it in for a Fiat 127, which was brilliant.

Hi All

Second hand 57 Chrysler Royale yes V8 but at that time a pound would nearly fill it with petrol. No trouble except for 2 diffs caused by heavy foot syndrome! cured me of that disease….

Then petrol got expensive… well I thought so at the time so it had to go.

A New lunch box MK 2 Ford Cortina 2 door it was light and the 1600 cross flow made it pretty quick. I could change the clutch in a couple of hours, and the brakes in even less I drove it for about 8 years No trouble. Then I was over small cars for a while.

Then a 1971 Dodge Phoenix 383 cubic inch V8 it was big and heavy not ideal around town but on the open road it was a dream like riding on a 2 ton+ magic carpet… I bought it with high mileage and ran it for about ten years it was heavy on fuel but surprisingly repairs were mainly brakes and a transmission overhaul. I wish I kept it for a weekend car.

Then a New Japanese built Toyota corona hatch. I got married and the Dodge had to go common sense and all that. We drove it for 15 years then got a Volvo 940 as well. After 30 years I gave the old Toyota to a friend early this year. What a fantastic car it was…Yes it is tired now but what a run by far the cheapest car to maintain I have owned. The 940 is showing its age now so looking for something else…. Maybe something that Purr's as a weekend driver if I can find a good pre loved one. It must be an age and stage thing LOL

Cheers

John