Car's I've Owned
1999 Ford Fiesta Zetec SE 1.25L – S437 MOJ
I passed my test back in 2006 and had previously saved up £2k to buy my first car with. I bought a jet-black Ford Fiesta from a garage in Penkridge called ‘Motorcade’ for £1995. Shortly after driving the car away from the forecourt, it developed a flickering speedometer. I took it back and it was fixed within a few days. (I had a 1992 Madi’s Gra Peugeot 106 as a curtesy car and I almost crashed it into a hedge on the way home.) I fitted a twin Power flow exhaust system, a K&N air filter, an aftermarket stereo, a big sub in the back and a set of blue/black seat covers. I enjoyed the car for 12 months including a trip to Newquay, Cornwall and sold it on to auction so I could upgrade to something better. I got £500 for it in the end.
2000 Ford Fiesta Zetec S 1.6L – X497 LBE
In 2007, my mum took out a credit card on my behalf with a limit of £4k, with the idea that I’d pay her and my dad back over a number of months. I went to my local Bristol Street dealer in Stafford and there in the showroom was a lovely imperial blue Ford Fiesta Zetec S up for £3995. Perfect, it was just what I was looking for. It was an ex-showroom/demo model with only 32k mileage.
I fitted yet another twin Power flow exhaust system to it, an induction kit, a sound system and a set of AP coilovers, funded by another credit card might I add. I became a member of the Zetec S Owners Club and I took the car to various shows and meets across the UK, which was where I really developed a love for car detailing. I don’t think I ever paid my parents back fully for the car. (Don’t tell my sister) and I enjoyed my second Fiesta for 3 years and put over 35k miles on it, before selling it for something a little faster.
2002 Honda Civic EP3 Type R 2.0L – AD02 ULU
At this point I would have been at the age of 21 and I had just moved into my first apartment, so getting a car wasn’t really high up on the priority’s list. But I took the plunge anyway. I made the trip to Barnstaple in Devon with a friend to view a Type R that I had seen advertised on Piston Heads. Having already viewed a bad example in Birmingham, I was pleasantly surprised when we arrived in Devon.
A silver Type R parked on his driveway which turned out to be a really nice example. We took it for a test drive, agreed on a price and then me and my friend waited in the local McDonalds for the transaction to go through. I only enjoyed the car for 3 months before selling it on due to not having enough money to run the apartment and the car. I bought and sold the car for £4,250. I did take the car to the Santa Pod drag strip and I ran a 15.1 second quarter mile which I was happy with. But I did lose against a BMW E46 M3.
2001 Ford Fiesta Zetec S 1.7L – BJ51 ECZ
For the last 3 years I had been riding my dad’s old push bike to and from work etc. and I began to miss owning a car. I decided to buy an interim Ford Fiesta Zetec S with a 1.7L puma conversion. It was kitted out with coilovers, polybushed, strut braces, Miltek exhaust system, induction kit and I then went on to strip the interior out and added bucket seats, harnesses and an OMP steering wheel.
I only enjoyed the car for a few months before selling it on and I got back what I paid for it, which was £2,500. I didn’t really need a car at the time as I only worked a few miles away from home and I was living in the centre of town so visiting friends and family was very easy and convenient.
2008 Volkswagen Caddy 1.9TDI – AK08 FOF (now G12 JPD)
Back in 2012, I had established JP Details and I needed a new daily/work van. Me and the same friend who picked up the Type R travelled to somewhere in the UK about 2 hours away but I can’t remember exactly where. We arrived at the fella’s industrial unit and we were greeted by a nicely presented silver Volkswagen Caddy. We took it for a test drive and I was very impressed, so we got down to talking numbers. He wouldn’t take any lower than £6,500, so that was the agreed price.
I still enjoy the Caddy to this day and I have taken it on tours around Scotland and the Nürburgring where I sleep in the back on a mattress. I plan to own the Caddy for many more years, although I have been tempted to upgrade it to a newer Ford Connect Transit MSRT in the past.
2006 Alfa Romeo 147 1.6L – Not sure of the reg.
In around 2016, I made the stupid decision to buy a project car which happened to be an Alfa Romeo 147. I bought it for £850 and viewed the car in the pitch-black darkness with no torch or light from a village called Eccleshall in Staffordshire. It all looked good so I drove the car away and the next day, I discovered it was very damp on the interior and the paintwork had been freshly machine polished. Apart from cleaning up the interior there was nothing left for me to do ‘detailing’ wise. Considering the fact that I had bought the car specifically to practice machine polishing on, it was not a very suitable project car at all. I sold the car on eBay a few weeks later for £350, making a loss of £500. Oh well, lesson learned.
2010 Ford Focus RS Mk2 2.5L Turbo – RS10 WAX
I went to Bradford in March of 2019 to view a 2010 Ford Focus RS Mk2 and when I arrived at the dealer, the car was not as described and it was in a bit of a shabby condition. Nevertheless, I said to the salesman that I was interested in putting an offer in, so he took me out on a test drive. It was the first time I had ever been in a Focus RS Mk2, let alone the first time to drive one. We had a good test drive, but the car wasn’t for me.
Straight after I ‘nipped’ to Redhill in Surrey which took around 4 hours of driving to view another Focus RS Mk2. I arrived at the guy’s fancy apartment, drove into the underground car park and I was pleasantly pleased to see a beautifully presented performance blue Ford Focus RS parked under some decent lighting. I looked the car over, took it for a test drive and thought “perfect, this is the one for me.”
I made an offer of £17,500 but he wouldn’t budge on £17,750, so we struck a deal. I’ve taken the RS on 4 track days and spent an absolute fortune on it turning it into a really competent track car. Far too many modifications to list in here. (Please see the other blog.) I plan to own the car for many more years to come and I shall enjoy many more track days with it and it’s even going up in value as we speak, so it is a bit of an investment.
2008 BMW 135i M Sport Coupe 3.0L Twin Turbo – EK08 VLD
Having owned the Focus RS for a couple of years and after having turned it into a track car, it was no longer suitable as a daily driver. (Not like it was a suitable daily driver in the first place.) I was bored of daily driving the Volkswagen Caddy and I had saved up some cash so I went out looking for a new car.
The BMW 135i stuck out like a sore thumb for a fast car for under £10k. I made the trip on a work day with my old employee and after viewing the car and test driving it, I decided to put an offer in the same afternoon. It was up for £11.5k and I offered £9.5k and my offer was accepted. I got my insurance sorted and drove the car home the same afternoon.
I raced a Seat Leon Cupra on the way home and got it up to 150mph. It is a pretty quick car. I enjoyed the car for a few months and put some Michelin PS4 tyres on it. (It already had coilovers fitted and M3 lower arms.)
Unfortunately, in 2021, I had a mental health breakdown and I crashed the car, sending it straight over a round-about, getting airborne and then crashing down into a ditch. The car was a right off and I was left with 3 broken ribs and a large cut to my right calf. I got a £7,750 pay out for the car which I will probably use on funding my next daily driver.
Future Car’s I would like to own…
At the top of the list and one of the more obtainable cars that I would like to own in the near future is the 2016 BMW M2. A proper step up from the BMW 135i. The M2 has the newer N55 3.0L engine compared to the N54 engine that’s in the 135i and the M2 pumps out 365 bhp in standard form. Rear wheel drive, turbo charged engine and lots of room for modifications. You can bag a good one today for £23K.
I recently saw a track specced BMW M2 on Auto Trader advertised for £54,950, which is way too much for me to consider and I’ve already got a track car anyway. If I were to get an M2, I would keep it completely standard and use it as my daily driver. Either an M2 or an M235i which comes in slightly cheaper but still packs the 3.0 litre N55 turbo engine that produces a slightly more modest 322 bhp and 450 nm of torque. You can get a decent BMW M235i for around £12K.
Ferrari 458 Italia - 2013
A step up from the rest and a real ‘dream car’ of mine is the Ferrari 458 Italia. A 2013 model in Rosso red would be the ideal car with a black interior. It has a 4.5L naturally aspirated V8 engine delivering 562 bhp in standard trim. I personally think that they are absolutely superb to look at. To get a good one of these you’re looking at around £105K in today’s market. (Although prices do fluctuate.)
Porsche Cayman GT4 - 2016
I would love to own a Porsche one day and I have thought about a Boxster S in the past, but now I’m swaying more towards the 718 Cayman GT4. It has a 4-litre engine that produces 500 bhp, RWD and would be an absolute track day weapon. You can bag one of these for around £65k. A more realistic option to the Ferrari I recon and just as much fun to own and drive.
BMW Z4M - 2008
Other cars that are more realistic that I would like to own include the BMW Z4M, as I’ve always wanted to see what it’s like to own a convertible, in the summer months. You can bag one of these for around £15K and I can’t think of any other convertible that I’d rather own.
Nissan GTR - 2012
The newer Nissan GTR is an amazing piece of Japanese machinery at its absolute finest. I love the R34 from the fast and the furious days, but the newer GTR is just as admirable. In standard trim they do 0 – 60 mph in 3 seconds’ flat!
Lotus Exiege - 2012
The Lotus Exiege is an absolute track day toy which I would love to own one day. These are around £40K to buy, but I think I’d rather keep the Focus RS, as the repair and maintenance costs, would be much cheaper. I came up against one of these at Brands Hatch whilst on a track day and on the corners I just couldn't keep up with it.