Popular Post dollywobbler Posted December 2, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted December 2, 2018 COLLECTION CAPERS The thing with dream cars is that you have to get the timing right. I managed it very well with the XM. Values were rising fast, and I managed to buy the last cheap, decent one. The joy was such that I kept the thing for 18 months. It was great! I've missed out on loads of cars, especially Eastern Bloc stuff - the stuff I remember seeing everywhere and being fascinated by as a child. FSO Polonez? They've all gone. Ladas? Now worth a fortune for reasons I don't understand. Rear-engined Skodas? The same. I'd noticed that the Favorit was fast heading the same way. It was time to act. I checked out a few online, but quickly discovered that cheap Favorits are all ROTTEN. Then Faberge-Greggs posted his for sale. Only problem was, I'd have to get rid of the Rover to make room for it. That didn't make any sense at all. So, I sold the Rover to a friend and headed to London. There was work to do on the way, so have a very non-Autoshite photo of some E-Types and a filthy Rover. My mate wanted a lift to collect his Alfa 145. This turned into an UTTER FARCE of typical Kent traffic. This is a rare shot of us actually moving. I was knackered, so my mate drove. After a couple of nights with relatives, and more work, I finally headed to Princes Risborough to say goodbye to the Rover. It occurred to me on the way that the Rover was a bloody steal at £425 (I paid Mr Boll £375, which was also a bloody steal, but had recently put £150 of tyres on it. MAN MATHS FAIL). However, I think it's gone to the right home, as the new owner gave me a lift to the station in this. He even made me sandwiches, but there are no photos, because this is not Facebook. LIVE REVEAL ANTICS Then I drove 240 miles home, which was only sometimes exciting. This BMW wanted a chat. HOME Some impressions then. I like it. Which is good, because they say don't meet your heroes. Fortunately, my heroes aren't very exciting, so there's no hype to get in the way. No PAS, no electric windows, no heated seats, no electric mirrors, no automatic gearbox - it's practically a gym on wheels. It's remarkably comfortable on the motorway, revving at or around the same revingtons as the Rover was, just a but noisier. However, there is far less wind noise. The fuel gauge is an utter cock. It won't update unless you turn the ignition off. This almost caught me out. I thought it was ever so economical! After 100 miles, I stopped to stretch my legs, and it's a good job I did, because I then noticed how little fuel I had. Motorway fuel. ANNOYING. The bodyroll is hilarious. Despite being warned about the cheap Chinese death rings, I found it gripped enough on a wet roundabout to cause door handle danger, but no loss of grip. It isn't very powerful. As it's an LXi rather than an LXiE, I reckon it must be the 54bhp motor. It takes an age to wind up to speed, but can seriously piss people off in far nicer, newer cars once it gets there. The footwell is a bit tight, and my left foot has nowhere to go. This might become a problem as the Matiz is exactly the same. The intermittent wipers aren't. The odometer is broken, as is the load area lamp. I DEMAND A REFUND. It came with half a tank of fuel though. Most people on The Internet think I'm an idiot. Situation normal. More once it happens. Supernaut, Skizzer, RobT and 49 others 52 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrbenn Posted December 2, 2018 Share Posted December 2, 2018 Nice. I enjoyed the Saab teaser! Vantman and Remspoor 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broadsword Posted December 2, 2018 Share Posted December 2, 2018 I have to admit it's not the car I would go for over the Rover, then again my obsession with Jaguars and particularly those lovely lambs wool rugs leaves people questioning my sanity, so I no longer question anyone's taste! Good work on getting a dream car! Never delay, I agree. Do you think you will manage over the winter in it? I assume a full service, tidy up and a set of winter tyres will be the first order of business? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
320touring Posted December 2, 2018 Share Posted December 2, 2018 Nicely done - I really rate these and the Felicia:) Yoss 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollywobbler Posted December 2, 2018 Author Share Posted December 2, 2018 Nice. I enjoyed the Saab teaser! That was an unexpected bonus. I'd entirely lost track of what was happening with the Autoshite Saab Bike. SO MUCH POG! loserone 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpiusMaximus Posted December 2, 2018 Share Posted December 2, 2018 I've been looking forward to this... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zelandeth Posted December 2, 2018 Share Posted December 2, 2018 You know, I don't think I've ever actually driven a Favorit... I do hope that temperature gauge is lying, or it would have had me having kittens... From what I've heard from a lot of people though, they are very, very good at being exceedingly competent everyday runarounds. With that power output I'm assuming it's the 135 engine as used in the small run of injected Rapids? That was essentially a 136 engine with different pistons to drop the compression ratio, single point injection and a cat bolted on. ...Which in the Rapid used a bloody annoying wideband lambda sensor that was utterly im-bloody-possible to find, so mine never ran right the whole time I had it. I had designed a pre-amp board to allow me to use a standard one, but never got as far as building it as the car was one of those which just didn't seem to want to live, so I lost interest in it after a while - it stranding me in the middle of Aberdeen when the gear linkage snapped on the way to the Snooker Grand Prix one evening was the last straw as I recall! It got parked up for six months and I went back to wasting money playing with Saabs instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broadsword Posted December 2, 2018 Share Posted December 2, 2018 Oh, forgot to add. Why did the constabulary pull you over driving a perfectly legal car? LightBulbFun and richardmorris 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollywobbler Posted December 2, 2018 Author Share Posted December 2, 2018 Oh, forgot to add. Why did the constabulary pull you over driving a perfectly legal car? They could smell cannabis, they reckoned. From behind a truck that was behind me. They suddenly swerved around the truck, then it was pretty quick to the flashy blues. A sight I'm very familiar with after this year! I think I'm up to eight tugs, in five different countries, in three different cars. I can't remember the last time I was stopped prior to the Dacia trip! egg, RobT, They_all_do_that_sir and 10 others 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpiusMaximus Posted December 2, 2018 Share Posted December 2, 2018 We all know that these Favorits have superb heat-insulating properties. Maybe they thought you were using it as a mobile hydroponic facility? ......... dollywobbler 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broadsword Posted December 2, 2018 Share Posted December 2, 2018 Sorry to hear they were harassing you and not chasing real criminals. Burglaries? no service. People crashing into your car? no service. Man driving an old car taxed and insured and legal in every way? Let’s get him! Absolutely disgraceful behaviour. I’m guessing they were pretty belligerent and also pissed off when they realised they had nothing on you. wrenchvolt and oldcars 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egg Posted December 2, 2018 Share Posted December 2, 2018 The bodyroll (understeer shall we say) I guess is worse on an estate than a hatch? Starter motor sounded a little lazy in London too.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollywobbler Posted December 2, 2018 Author Share Posted December 2, 2018 Sorry to hear they were harassing you and not chasing real criminals. Burglaries? no service. People crashing into your car? no service. Man driving an old car taxed and insured and legal in every way? Let’s get him! Absolutely disgraceful behaviour. I’m guessing they were pretty belligerent and also pissed off when they realised they had nothing on you. Let's not turn this into a Police-bashing episode. They were polite, accepted an email discussion as proof of insurance (as I don't get have a cover note) and were good enough to put the lights back on for a photo. The car is still showing as insured, so that wasn't a motive to stop me though. LightBulbFun, jumpingjehovahs, Broadsword and 14 others 17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broadsword Posted December 2, 2018 Share Posted December 2, 2018 Sorry, I went off a bit there. Just their so called smelling cannabis thing sounded pretty nasty official justification to pull you over. Remspoor 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hairnet Posted December 2, 2018 Share Posted December 2, 2018 cops jelus of skoda shock Jerzy Woking, Twiggy, egg and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpiusMaximus Posted December 2, 2018 Share Posted December 2, 2018 They probably just wanted to see what kind of nutter would drive up the motorway in a pogweasel Favorit in 2018. LightBulbFun, purplebargeken, Shirley Knott and 4 others 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollywobbler Posted December 2, 2018 Author Share Posted December 2, 2018 I'm terribly sorry. Here it is. Laseraligningfoofooflanges, worldofceri, JohnK and 25 others 28 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollywobbler Posted December 2, 2018 Author Share Posted December 2, 2018 They probably just wanted to see what kind of nutter would drive up the motorway in a pogweasel Favorit in 2018. "Is it your car?" "Yes, I've just bought it.""Where do you live?"address redacted, but not that far from where stopped"Where did you buy it?""London.""London?!""Yeah, it's what I do." They seemed mostly confused. Like many border guards this summer... davocano, The Moog, purplebargeken and 20 others 23 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alcyonecorporation Posted December 2, 2018 Share Posted December 2, 2018 do a chewing the fat remake Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiC Posted December 2, 2018 Share Posted December 2, 2018 I've missed out on loads of cars, especially Eastern Bloc stuff - the stuff I remember seeing everywhere and being fascinated by as a child. FSO Polonez? They've all gone. Ladas? Now worth a fortune for reasons I don't understand. Rear-engined Skodas? The same. There are still reasonably affordable options to get them! Especially from the Skoda motherland. E.g. £1370 at current exchange rate https://www.rajveteranu.cz/26832-skoda-120-l-nedasova-lhota Too expensive? Well there is: £514 but no idea if its road legal though. https://www.rajveteranu.cz/25085-skoda-105-l I have a good mate who is Slovakian. I've been rather tempted to give him a call and send him on a mission to find me one. Then I'll drive it back. Unfortantly I have zero room to store it at the present time and unlikely to before Brexit happens. Depending what mess Brexit does, it could make things like this unaffordable due to import duty crap. Remspoor and Dave_Q 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egg Posted December 2, 2018 Share Posted December 2, 2018 I'm looking forward to the collection caper video. Does it actually need anything doing apart from the niggles? I guess Jackytwoshoes had really given it a good shakedown. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fumbler Posted December 2, 2018 Share Posted December 2, 2018 Win^999999999999999999999999999999999999. Me love a bit of the good old Skoda. Please buy a Lada and I'm sure they'll be friends with each other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollywobbler Posted December 2, 2018 Author Share Posted December 2, 2018 I'm looking forward to the collection caper video. Does it actually need anything doing apart from the niggles? I guess Jackytwoshoes had really given it a good shakedown. There is a slight clunk from the front end that I need to investigate. I thought it might be an ARB drop link, but then discovered it doesn't have anti-roll bars! That explains why the doorhandles were in danger. I would like to sort the gauges out as well. Temp overreads, fuel just doesn't update and odo doesn't work. egg 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave j Posted December 2, 2018 Share Posted December 2, 2018 I saw a Favorit estate yesterday, havent seen one for ages! It was a silver one with alloys - think it was a Flairline? Will be good to see how you get on with this one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LightBulbFun Posted December 2, 2018 Share Posted December 2, 2018 so Dollywobbler+eastern-block car=police god forbid Dollywobbler drives or buys Zels Lada as thats about as eastern block as you can get tis cool they where nice about it and even put the lights on for the photo did they chase after the truck then after they cleared you? I look forward to the video and its amazing* how many niggles/small broken bits it has for only 11000* miles cpjitservices and Fumbler 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fumbler Posted December 2, 2018 Share Posted December 2, 2018 Not truly Eastern Bloc because we muct replace the Nippa with a Zastava 45. Actually, that might be more soul destroying and depressing so don't do that. LightBulbFun 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egg Posted December 2, 2018 Share Posted December 2, 2018 I saw a Favorit estate yesterday, havent seen one for ages! It was a silver one with alloys - think it was a Flairline? Will be good to see how you get on with this one! I haven't seen the Herne Bay (Express Garage) one for a while, but still has MOT. GLXi Regarding people on the internetz moaning about the price - DW's is one of the best left! Numbers on Howmanyleft have halved from 300 taxed to 150 taxed in last two years. Now was the time. dave j, Shep Shepherd and Remspoor 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollywobbler Posted December 2, 2018 Author Share Posted December 2, 2018 Indeed. It had to be done now. I'd prefer a Flairline in metallic blue, but they have become particularly collectable. At the moment, I can't see it being a long termer, but I'm enjoying ticking the box. LightBulbFun and Remspoor 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zelandeth Posted December 2, 2018 Share Posted December 2, 2018 Have heard from a few folks that the steering in these is quite heavy. Thought, is it the same rack as the Estelle? If so that could explain it if it's geared for far less weight on the front wheels. Fun though they are (I've had three), the headache with Estelles these days is parts. There are more variants than you'd think, and getting even quite simple stuff often seems to involve having to throw Google Translate at eBay.cz unless you "know a guy" who knows someone over there. I bought four sets of semi trailing arm bushes for my 120LX and never did get the right ones. Being fully honest, that's why I got rid of it in the end as spending weeks trying to track down what should be a trivial consumable for the umpteenth time got really old. Shame as when they're working right they're actually surprisingly pleasant little cars to buzz around in. Squidgy seats, suspension that nearly rivals the bump absorption qualities of a Citroen XM (you get used to the gentle bobbing motion of the front end), surprisingly quiet, and just generally nice cars to be in. I did several up-and-down-the-country runs in my first one and it's right up there on the "surprisingly good touring motors" list. Only real downsides, sidewind wandering if you've no weight in the boot, a heater that takes forever to warm up (11 litres of coolant to warm up), and the smaller engined ones do struggle a bit for go on main roads. The 130 though is more than up to the task. Gearchange is...odd. It's actually perfectly good once you're used to it, but it's not like anything in any other car I've driven. Oh, and the fuel gauge on the standard dash does a great job of reflecting the sun in your face. Speaking of the gauge, it only gives a meaningful reading when stationary on level ground. Other than that it's basically a cornering force meter. Lovely little engine when in good tune though, I've never come across another OHV engine which is so smooth and happy to rev. My 130GL was the first car that you actually had to keep an eye on the rev counter as she was still silky smooth and pulling well when you hit the red line. A lot of the cars here seem to have spent a lot of time doing nothing, which is half the problem with them. One that's been regularly used is a far better bet. I still fancy a Favorit. Has a lot of the same charm as the Lada, but maybe a bit easier to live with on a day to day basis. Datsuncog and Lacquer Peel 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeordieInExile Posted December 2, 2018 Share Posted December 2, 2018 Most importantly... How is the clock? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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