Our Cars
Our Cars : First service (online)
Keith Adams Current mileage 12,101miles Claimed economy 62.8mpg Actual economy 49.6mpg I’d been complaining that the Astra was beginning to feel a little on the baggy side on the run-up to its service – there were some clonking noises coming from the front suspension and that venerable 1.7-litre turbodiesel was beginning to sound a little [...]
October 29, 2012
· 
Keith Adams · 
19 Comments
Blog : The case for Bangernomics
Mike Humble I may have mentioned this before but, when I purchased the Rover 75, I never intended to keep it as a long-term smoker. The purchase price was so cheap considering the mileage that the original battle plan was to iron out the wrinkles, polish a bit of value into it, then sell it on [...]
October 24, 2012
· Mike Humble · 26 Comments
Our Cars : Astra Sports Tourer vs Ferrari Daytona!
Current mileage: 10,960miles Claimed economy: 62.8mpg Actual economy: 47.9mpg We’ve been so busy enjoying the Astra that at just 11,000-miles, the service light has come on, advising that the car needs an oil change. I must admit that our handsome Sports Tourer is feeling like it’s in need of a little TLC – although the [...]
October 9, 2012
· Keith Adams · 17 Comments
Our Cars : Mark’s MG6 – so far, so good
Mark Mastrotaro’s clocking up the miles now, and has found that his MG6 is not only proving fault-free, but also surprisingly economical. Well, almost 2700 miles into my MG6 adventure now and, refreshingly contrary to the other stories we have been seeing on here just of late, there is nothing to report other than stress-free motoring. [...]
October 6, 2012
· Keith Adams · 32 Comments
Our Cars : Citroën Xantia – 1000 miles on
Keith Adams Well, at last it can be said: my Rover 75 1.8 Connoisseur never cut it as a Bangernomics chariot. Not for one moment… That’s not to say that I don’t think that these cars do make a lot of sense for those running their car on a budget – but, if you’re going [...]
October 1, 2012
· Keith Adams · 40 Comments
Our Cars : Is the MG6 honeymoon over?
Ant McGowan’s MG6 is piling on the miles, and it’s still going strong. However, one or two niggles are eroding his confidence in the car. Is the honeymoon over? MG6 collywobbles Bought: July 2012 Miles: 7034 Fuel consumption: 36.7mpg Well, it wouldn’t be an MG if there weren’t some niggling issues. And my ‘6 is [...]
September 23, 2012
· Keith Adams · 89 Comments
Our Cars : Mike’s 75 – FSH? Don’t you believe it!
Words and photography: Mike Humble You know, it’s really nice when people stop and comment on your car, even better when someone takes a leaf from your book as t’wer and takes the plunge with a similar car. Another one of those local residents you don’t know the name of – you know the sort, the [...]
September 6, 2012
· Mike Humble · 21 Comments
Our Cars : Keith’s Xantia – absence makes…
Words and Photographs: Mike Humble Workshop Supervision: Stella the Cat Well, as Keith’s previous mutterings mentioned, last weekend’s battle plan would be for him to collect the newly acquired south paw Citroen Xantia from Leafy Sussex and be gone. Rewind another seven days when I had to deal with a cooling leak on his 75 that turned [...]
September 5, 2012
· Mike Humble · 20 Comments
Our Cars : Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer hits 10K
Current mileage: 10,023 miles Claimed economy: 62.8mpg Actual economy: 46.4mpg Just over a month in to Astra Sports Tourer ownership and we’ve already clocked up over 3000 miles. And it has to be said that this is a car that seems to thrive on long distance running – which would explain why the engine’s loosening-up [...]
September 3, 2012
· Keith Adams · 23 Comments
Our Cars : Rover 75 has a hissy fit! – Updated
Words: Keith Adams Photographs: Michael Hayward After a couple of weeks spent languishing in the office car park, it seemed only fair to pull the Rover 75 from under its tree and spend some quality time together. Jumping in this wood-trimmed leather-lined exec is always a treat and, thanks to nice, healthy mechanicals, it didn’t [...]
August 24, 2012
· Keith Adams · 34 Comments
Our Cars : Mark’s MG6 takes a bow – Updated
Mark Mastrototaro has decided to take the plunge and put a new MG6 on his driveway. He’s no blind MG6 fanboy, though, and goes in with his eyes open, promising to be completely realistic in his relationship with his new car. However, so far, despite one delivery hiccough, he’s quite enamoured by his new car. What’s [...]
August 22, 2012
· Keith Adams · 73 Comments
Our Cars : Say hello to John Slavin’s Allegro
The newest member of the AROnline family, John Slavin, has put his money where his mouth is, and bought an Austin Allegro. And the bonding process is already taking place… All he needs now is a Quartic wheel, and to stop worrying about its impending MoT, and John’ll be as happy as an Allegro owner [...]
August 22, 2012
· Keith Adams · 23 Comments
Our Cars : One SLK, no charge
Richard Kilpatrick’s SLK decides that wet weather, rubbish tyres and motorways are far too great a risk, and becomes a little lethargic… Not long after getting the SLK, and throwing back into work despite a barely functional leg, a quick blast up the M1 on one of the few sunny days during this ‘summers’ constant [...]
August 22, 2012
· Richard Kilpatrick · 7 Comments
Our Cars : Richard’s SLK and the roadster revival
Richard Kilpatrick reckons we’re in a golden age of affordable open-tops… And here’s why Back in the ‘80s, one of the photographers working at our studio was a properly keen young bloke with a taste for bikes and cars. The memorable experiences of his automotive youth are invariably how desperately unreliable and ratty these vehicles [...]
August 20, 2012
· Richard Kilpatrick · 20 Comments
Our Cars : Astra Sport Tourer is piling on miles
We’ve only had it a couple of weeks, but our trusty Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer has already clocked up well over 1000 miles. But there’s much more to come. French fancy Arrived on the fleet: July 2012 Miles: 8012 Fuel consumption: 45.9mpg Firmly established alongside the Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf as one of the [...]
August 9, 2012
· Keith Adams · 5 Comments
Our Cars: The Rover 75 and its Kiss of Death!
Words and Photographs: Mike Humble My next door neighbour Joan is a lovely lady – even though she has just celebrated her 90th birthday and has been widowed for many years, she’s as lively as a cricket and sharper than a master Cutler’s blade. Her younger brother Peter (86) travels up from Devon regularly to [...]
August 4, 2012
· Mike Humble · 7 Comments
Our Cars : Astra Sport Tourer joins the fleet
The excellent news that General Motors has committed to the UK for future production of the Astra means that the Vauxhall marque maintains an important foothold in its home market. To celebrate, AROnline is running an Astra SRi Sport Tourer for the next six months – and to see how one of the UK’s favourite [...]
August 2, 2012
· Keith Adams · 8 Comments
Our Cars : Two inches makes all the difference!
Words and Photographs: Mike Humble While Keith Adams’ 75 Connoisseur seemingly continues to provide a comfy commute to work and back on a daily basis without sounding like a child’s Tommy gun, my own 75 1.8 Club SE has been left on the drive – that’s, though, partly down to my use of the company’s 25 Commerce diesel van. [...]
July 29, 2012
· Mike Humble · 24 Comments
Our Cars : Say goodbye, tappety-tap-tap-tap
The ongoing saga of Keith Adams’ Rover 75′s K-Series engine looks set to be serialised into book form. Publishers are fighting over the rights to what promises to be a 100,000-word drama, with all the twists and turns of Forsyte combined with the epic landscape of War and Peace. When you last left us, the [...]
July 23, 2012
· admin · 21 Comments
Our Cars : An MG6 joins the fleet
Ant McGowan has put his money where his mouth is and is backing MG Motor UK, by taking delivery of a nearly new ’6 from Scotland’s only MG dealer. We’ll be following his progress through the coming months and seeing how the Sino-British family hatch performs day in, day out… Words and Photographs: Ant McGowan [...]
July 17, 2012
· admin · 54 Comments
