The adventures of Michel's C3 Picasso and Yamaha MT-09

[Hell Razor5543]

My 2nd cousin in the States also died yesterday from the Covids. Early 60s. They waited to turn her ventilator off so her brothers could fly up to Ohio from Mississippi to say goodbye...

Wear a mask. Wash your hands. Stay safe.

That is terrible news. You have my sympathies.

[Michel]

My 2nd cousin in the States also died yesterday from the Covids. Early 60s. They waited to turn her ventilator off so her brothers could fly up to Ohio from Mississippi to say goodbye...

Wear a mask. Wash your hands. Stay safe.

That is terrible news. You have my sympathies.

Thanks, but not required. She was a lunatic,Trump-supporting anti-vaxxer.

You reap what you sow.

[Michel]

Well, Mrs. Michel has the C3 Pic, which is mostly behaving itself. I briefly had a Saab 9-3 2.0t, which while lovely and in great nick, was horrendously thirsty and expensive to tax as a “spare” car, so I sold it for considerably more than I paid for it.

As James’ Hell Razor car is currently broken and on my drive, I let him use the Xsara Picasso HDi that I was taking care of for a friend, with the friend’s permission of course. I thought I’d simply use the motorcycle when I needed to get about, as I had done for many years when I didn’t have a car…. 25 years ago, when I was young and not full of aches and pains

I quickly came to realise that I’m too old for that sh1t, and went on the hunt for an economical, useful vehicle as a second car that wouldn’t bankrupt me.

New Picasso

I bought this. £750. It’s actually an 11-plate, with the 150bhp 2.0HDi and a manual box, they seem to be pretty rare. It is in very good nick, as you can see. It’s missing the rear parcel shelf cover, but that’s all.

It has 209,000 miles on it, with a full, comprehensive service history, all the bills, recent belts and service. It had a life in Aldershot as a private hire vehicle, which means MOTs every 6 months, so it’s been well maintained and kept very clean. Airport runs mainly, I was told. Whatever, I’ve done 1600 trouble-free miles in the couple of weeks I’ve had it at an average of 42.4mpg, including a trip to another country of 850 miles return, where I may or may not have adhered to speed limits all the time.

Obviously it needed a set of drop-links when I got it, but now they’ve been done, it’s such a nice old thing to drive.

[Michel]

To make my life more hilarious, I let James put his car on my drive and use the older Xsara Picasso, which has got many a person out of a hole (it went to Paris to a wedding with another friend when her car gave up a couple years ago, and to Poland!), it was used by another to do deliveries last Christmas when her works van packed up and she couldn’t deliver her produce.

The clutch has failed on James So, he has my friend’s dead car on his drive, and I have his dead car on mine..

[Michel]

Bollocks.

[Hell Razor5543]

WTF? Are YOU OK?

[GiveMeABreak]

A caravanner????

[mickthemaverick]

Ouch!! Sideswipe or some idiot reversed into it?

[Michel]

Everyone totally fine. Only me in it. Oh, and one of those "slightly lower than the windows and totally in all blind spots" car parking posts outside..f@!King thing leapt out at me.

[mickthemaverick]

That is a real choker!! Nothing worse than a self inflicted that is really the fault of a poor design !! Is that front wing damaged too? Can't be sure from the way the light is.
You may find these guys helpful:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/153984321661 ... SwLDBd7n9V

[Michel]

I've got form, smashed the XM bumper on a "ornament" that was hidden in a similar way. Big concrete ball , came up to bumper height but no way to see them in some cars.. especially in the dark.

[GiveMeABreak]

I admit I did the same on my CX Turbo Prestige Long Wheelbase back in the 80s.

The town had been pedestrianised (you could drive at certain times like a Sunday) and in some places, some dimwit, no doubt armed with a wall full of advanced degrees decided to put those concrete bollards randomly all over the place, about half a foot wide and just a little over the height of the bumper. So I went reversing into one at high velocity - luckily the CXs back then had a solid chrome bumper and it left a nice ding in it - but not as big as the dent in my pride.

Bloody stupid idea and served no purpose except to trip people up and cause accidents.

[Gibbo2286]

I admit I did the same on my CX Turbo Prestige Long Wheelbase back in the 80s.

The town had been pedestrianised (you could drive at certain times like a Sunday) and in some places, some dimwit, no doubt armed with a wall full of advanced degrees decided to put those concrete bollards randomly all over the place, about half a foot wide and just a little over the height of the bumper. So I went reversing into one at high velocity - luckily the CXs back then had a solid chrome bumper and it left a nice ding in it - but not as big as the dent in my pride.

Bloody stupid idea and served no purpose except to trip people up and cause accidents.

Quite a lot of these happen.

[Michel]

That is a real choker!! Nothing worse than a self inflicted that is really the fault of a poor design !! Is that front wing damaged too? Can't be sure from the way the light is.
You may find these guys helpful:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/153984321661 ... SwLDBd7n9V

Cheers Mick, however I’m going to let the insurance deal with it. I’ve no NCB to lose (only got this policy when I got this car!) and if they repair it, that will be all very well, but if they write it off and give me the value of a 2011 plate Grand Picasso, I’ll be considerably quids in, even after paying the £245 excess. It still runs and drives fine. Gutted as I’d looked for this particular spec for ages! - the 150bhp, 2 litre, six-speed manual HDi. Had just ordered a load of suspension bits for it too, to replace the entire front end - shocks, top mounts, wishbones and track rod ends. They’re not playing up yet but have a week off in Sept and as it’s done 200k, was going to take it up to my brother and replace it all so it’s good for another 200k..

[GiveMeABreak]

I'm almost certain that will be written off with both doors, sill and rear panel (can't see whether that's shine or a scrape on the front wing). They wrote my XM off with the same sort of damage. I guess it will be battling over the market value now - if you had any towbar or electrics fitted - make sure you include that.