StudioWizard
Newbie
- Joined
- Apr 20, 2026
- Points
- 3
Hey everyone
I've been working on a 2005 2.5i I bought from a friend a couple of years ago and thought it would be a good idea to join a group with some like-minded folks. The backstory is that I originally planned to keep this car for a year, then retire it to the state to get a rebate on buying an EV. What I didn't factor into my plan was that I might fall in love with the car. haha!
After driving it for just a few months, I realized I can never let this car go. Thus began my journey to restore it. I won't lie - I've put some real money into it, but it drives like a new car. The financial hit was substantial upfront, but it's been trouble-free for a good while now and I totally trust the car. My mechanic is very trustworthy and we've replaced with OEM parts all the way. Some of the things we replaced, which were definitely not OEM, were time bombs waiting to go off.
Aside from normal maintenance, what's left to do is mostly cosmetic... things like fixing torn seats, replacing worn dash and interior trim parts, cleaning up and/or repainting exterior sections, etc. I've learned an awful lot about this car, so feel free to ask me any questions - I may have answers to some pretty obscure points about the e85.
Anyway, thanks for having me!
I've been working on a 2005 2.5i I bought from a friend a couple of years ago and thought it would be a good idea to join a group with some like-minded folks. The backstory is that I originally planned to keep this car for a year, then retire it to the state to get a rebate on buying an EV. What I didn't factor into my plan was that I might fall in love with the car. haha!
After driving it for just a few months, I realized I can never let this car go. Thus began my journey to restore it. I won't lie - I've put some real money into it, but it drives like a new car. The financial hit was substantial upfront, but it's been trouble-free for a good while now and I totally trust the car. My mechanic is very trustworthy and we've replaced with OEM parts all the way. Some of the things we replaced, which were definitely not OEM, were time bombs waiting to go off.
Aside from normal maintenance, what's left to do is mostly cosmetic... things like fixing torn seats, replacing worn dash and interior trim parts, cleaning up and/or repainting exterior sections, etc. I've learned an awful lot about this car, so feel free to ask me any questions - I may have answers to some pretty obscure points about the e85.
Anyway, thanks for having me!
to the Forum from West Cumbria.
