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New to the shite


dollywobbler

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Howdy folksA lot of you will know me from Retro Rides but, given my love of shite, it's about time I signed up here!I've got a Citroen 2CV - which is very shiny but actually a bit shite in places due to corrosion - my wife's Mini, which was shite but is now very solid, has sparkly paint and even seems to be running well (at the moment) a Subaru Legacy estate, which isn't that shite, and a Rover 2000SC - which I thought was shite but which has actually turned out to be a bit of a peach. Sorry.Anyway, if most people dislike it, I want it - having only recently narrowly avoided buying a DAF 44 (mainly because my fleet suddenly decided they'd prefer me to spend all of my money on them rather than additions).Ian

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Oh yeah, how rude! Not all of you will be up to speed with my fleet. So...

 

First, the 2CV. Stalwart of the fleet - owned for over eight years now. When I got it, it was quite shite, thanks to lots of rust. Then it was restored. Then I took it on a 3500 mile drive around the UK in two weeks with other crazy 2CVers. Great fun!

 

Here in Cornwall

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Winter + poor paint job = this a few months after the rally

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Now has new sills, awaiting repairs to the bonnet hinge. Didn't stop me taking it rallying at the weekend! (Great fun, but it rained the whole time so no pics).

 

Subaru isn't very shite, apart from rusty front wings.

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Rover is currently awaiting TLC, but is almost road ready. Believed 28k miles from new!

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Mini looked nice when we got it

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Then we had it restored because it looked like this two years later.

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Then it looked like this

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Now it looks like this!

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Before

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And some previous shite.

 

1997

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300D veggy wagon

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We drove this to Sweden and Norway in 2007

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Audi 100

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Proper shite!

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Practical shite

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Not at all shite (well, apart from the sills...)

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So shite I sold it to Mr Bollox (I wish I'd got it sorted for the road myself though!)

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I've seen most of this fleet in pics before and I particularly admired the beige Benz for obvious reasons.However (and this is an unusual comment from me), that Mini is ace! I love them in 80s Austin style with the black grille and centre caps. No chunky wheels, chrome additions, anti-BMW sticker etc. Just a one-litre shoebox to launch around town. Fantastic!

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Welcome to the nut-house. Excellent taste in cars you display! I love Minis, absolutely the best fun, but bad back makes them impossible for me to drive these days! That blue P6 is seriously beautiful, very envious of that! Not so sure about the 2CV obsession though! Each to his own, I guess! :lol:

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Hello!Loving the Mini, nice to see one thats not a Cooper! H van is excellent, I really would like one but suspect it wouldn't be that much fun to own and drive somehow?Saw your 2CV at RR08 at Gaydon, looked good but why is it called Elly (in place of Dolly) - tis my wifes name and she was curious at the time!Didn't realise you'd owned THAT R5.... I know the bloke you (presumably) bought it off and had a look at it for him before he got it and restored it - it was dsat outside a house up here for a while and was fairly rotten in parts.

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Yeah, keeping the Mini stock was always the plan, without being anal about it (wrong wheel trims for the year and no City badges - oh and there's a touch of metal flake in the paint...)2CV's full name is Eleanor - I bought her just before Gone in 60 seconds came out at the flicks and obviously, a 602cc 2CV shares a lot in common with a Shelby Mustang... (oh well, at least Elly avoided the crusher, unlike Eleanor!)I feel a bit sorry for the previous owner of the R5. He obviously spent a fair bit doing it up and I thought I got a real steal bagging it for rather less than a grand. Then I needed to sell it and I made not £1 profit! Why do people despise Renaults so much?!EDIT - H vans are crap to drive, especially when you do 3100 miles in three weeks! Slow, noisy and heavy - though they corner like a Mini!! There's a reason we sold it when we got back...

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Yeah, I do miss the little Renner. Not quite immaculate - restored but blowing up again in a few places when I sold her - but very lovely. Just had too many cars at the time, and something had to go.

 

Of course, I'm still waiting for the new owner to post up some recent pics... :P

Allow me;

 

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Taken just before Xmas

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Why do people despise Renaults so much?!

Welcome! They certainly don't on here I think you'll find. There are several big time Renault lovers!

H vans are crap to drive, especially when you do 3100 miles in three weeks! Slow, noisy and heavy - though they corner like a Mini!! There's a reason we sold it when we got back...

Whilst searching for a pic of Nigel's R5 (which I couldn't find so I used my own) I came across this quote which shows quite a different opinion!

Actually Mr L, the old 'H's arent too bad. My '73 petrol short wheel base (barned for a few years now) is an absolute hoot.Cos the wheels are right in each corner,coupled with a very low centre of gravity & adequate brakes -you just keep the throttle planted and steer like a Go kart.Top speed is low -but around town they are great fun.However- I think the Renault Estafette's are better- although I've yet to buy a 'Cochon' (Peugeot version D3/4)

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Wow. So THAT'S what the alloys look like! I see my old 5 is keeping some good company these days...I think my opinion of the H van is certainly tainted by having to drive down German autobahns in 40 degree heat at 55mph. For what felt like days. Oh, and then the windscreen shattered and we ended up wearing it. Ah, fun times!It's certainly a characterful drive, but perhaps not best suited to roadtrips.

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Welcome Ian -nice to''see'' you here.Your old 5 is doing sterling service at present. Its out this weekend (as long as there's no salt on the roads) for an 80 mile round trip (half on an A frame).Hope you approve of the rims...My Esty pickup is in regular use (collected a full sized car hoist last week) although a pressing waterleak and exhaust manifold blow needs imminent attention.Your'e right on the H van -drove mine to Lincolnshire once to collect 2 old Suzukis- awful on motorways. But an absolute blast around town. Perhaps I should 'liberate it' from storage this summer...Really hanker after a D3/D4 Peugeot.That awful woman at '''Goldies Boutique''' has an interesting pickup -but wants Waaaayyyyy to much for it -and wont shift on price. She has offered me a 'free' bed for the night though....

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Yeah, the Subaru can shift, though I think the speedo is accurate...Well, not got a speeding ticket yet! The Mini underreads chronically - 25 indicated is actually 30 and 52 = 60! Glad we discovered that quickly...Nigel - the alloys look good, though I always adored the plain wheels and hubcaps. Mind you, makes it easier to keep them in good condition if they're not on the car! Good to see she's still in service.I did actually mention that the H Van handles well. Like a big Mini if folk scroll up a bit. Only problem is that ours was a camper conversion, so things fell over if you got too carried away! They're dreadful over speed humps too - not like the Tin Snail which rarely needs to slow down, even for big humps!

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