rob88h

And example of the internet at its finest. What a wonderfully niche website.

Sorry, I had someone in mind for this fine RAV4 even before I picked it up as I knew they were actively looking for a good one. I’ve seen another viable one for sale in Southend though on Facebook Marketplace. Flat paint and rusting steelies but it looks good in the right places. Anyway the Focus has its new clutch, has completed a 500+mile trip starting the day it was repaired and proven itself ready for yet more service. This means I’ve moved the RAV4 on despite it probably being the best car on my fleet. I’ve got too much sentimentality floating around getting in the way of good objective car choices. The RAV was delightful. A veritable glasshouse of visibility and a temple to grey plastic surfaces.

I hope you don’t mind me sharing pictures of the undercarriage of your new ride.., but to emphasise a point: Giving it a wash before handover (all part of the service) I noticed you could see every panel pressing and every spot weld along the sill seam still. A credit to the previous owners. I hope there’s nothing lurking, I’m no full multipoint inspectorate, but I was impressed when looking over it.

Harrison’s History #57 {{Citation needed}} – Toyota RAV4 I’d heard of this nice RAV4 leaving its long-term owner some months ago through a friend of a friend of a garage owner. Something Something ULEZ Something. The previous owner apparently had replaced it with a new Range Rover which makes me chuckle, I’m sure that’s the intention. Anyway, their loss is our gain. My friend one up the food chain took ownership for his Son-in-law to use, who after a few months has found it a bit thirsty for his needs (and he’s subsequently got another ULEZ refugee Mondeo diesel now anyway) so the RAV was offered up again. Whoop. I’d been asking after it knowing @BorniteIdentity was on the lookout for a good one and this one had some good credentials thinking he might like it, but it comes at an ideal time for myself re: my current state of affairs with my other tat. It’s really tidy, probably not far from being a good show contender, but I’ve only had a few minutes living with it so far thanks to a busy spell, so maybe I’m over stating it. It has done 150k miles… My first impressions are that of a confirmed distinctly 90’s Toyota. Peak sturdy, but clearly engineered down to a minimal cost in smart ways. The hard grey plastics and clicky buttons all seem to work in its sturdy favour. It’s my first SUV, I quite like the ride position (cowers from stoning) and even though the Range Rover is heralded as the birth of the SUV class, I feel the RAV more embodies the Recreational Activity Vehicle credentials more commonly belayed with the class more than the Rangie does. To put it another way, the Range Rover seems to me like an SUV born from a 4x4 and the RAV has come at it the other way from a car. More like what won out in the end. Just an impression. I’ve driven it only a few miles so far. I think I really like it. But I mustn’t get attached. It’s not rapid; it dawns on me the Sports in Sports Utility Vehicle is probably because you do the sports, not that the vehicle is in anyway sporty. I could get many many tennis rackets in it for sure. Road holding isn’t as laughable as I thought it might be on these balloons, I certainly stay in the seat better on cornering than I did with a 30-year-old Renault 5. So, I’m going to live with it for a little while (until the Focus is repaired), take up golf and get a kayak.

Well, we didn’t make 200k. Yet. Not so long after declaring all is well with the Focus a buzzy rumble developed, influenced heavily by clutch operation. The clutch release bearing used to squeal when cold for the last few years, and I think it’s a bit they-all-do-that-sir so I never really cared… but this new development was a bit more sinister. I did the only sensible thing and booked in a clutch job on a 175,000 mile car (because seriously, even with a bill a fair few hundred, try replacing a car as capable for that money these days!). Anyway, feeling buoyed by preventative-maintenance-intention-karma I continued using the car and later that day it shat itself... That’s the Focus off the road for two weeks until the Clutch work is done. (By the way, sod doing that myself on a gravel drive in February. Sue me) It’s fine though, as my neighbours point out, I have so many cars though… I’m mostly working from home at the moment and my wife is off work for a spell, so it’s not until a few days later the saga continues. I need to go into work requiring a car, the Focus is Out-Of-Action #1 and if you’ll remember from further up/ care the Volvo crapped it’s cam belt in late Jan so is Out-Of-Action #2. Out-Of-Action #3 through #7 are the Mazda, Granada and mopeds, but it’s fine I have the Mini. Ah, super slow turn-over despite trying several batteries of mystery charge. Out-Of-Action #8. So, at 7am I find myself out on the drive in the drizzle tensioning a cam belt, torqueing the pulleys and refitting the timing cover, alternator belt, undertray, wheel arch liner, ad infinitum… And then because I’d flattened the battery looking for a duff earth on the Mini I had to jump the Volvo into being from one of the (many) carcases littering my property. I made it to work. What an achievement. EDIT: when saving the pics, I’ve just remembered that this all happened on my Birthday, ha. Back in the Volvo post I alluded to a replacement car I’d bought to tide me over on the Volvo work – well it’s still on the cards (even though I’m back on the road with the Volvo!) but it’s not quite worked out yet... In the meantime I’ve secured a replacement for the Focus in cahoots with @BorniteIdentity. More on that later, I’ve only driven it 10 miles so far and it deserves a bit of a better write up.

If there is, let me know, I’m not far away. I think at the top of the dogging street is a cottaging spot. Edit: those statements aren’t linked!

Feel for you there. I found it’s more than just the loss of the car too, it’s a loss of faith in people and insurance didn’t seem fit for purpose with any thought of a similar replacement for the payout was a joke. Mind you, shite life is full of ups and downs by nature. Thanks for this thread; I love this kind of stuff. I’m weirdly fascinated by peoples car history. I think what people drive can shape their character and display quite a bit of personality.

In an @Eyersey1234esque milometer moment, the Focus achieved a mini milestone today. Not bad for the 1.8L petrol. With an MOT until 2024 we should hopefully see 185k.

I’ve been living in the spirit of AutoShite quite a bit lately... The first trait I’ve been honing is that of general neglect, with daily and unsympathetic use of my low value low interest Volvo 440. That ended well. The cambelt snapped. 😖 The second trait is the never-say-die approach to getting involved in a repair that was most likely beyond the value of the car. These 1.8L Renault engines are apparently interference engines so I could have been staring down the barrel of a big job here. However, step one was to put on a new belt kit, time it up and hope for the best. Woo hoo! It lives! The final trait has been to do 90% of the hard work, give up, then leave it on the driveway part re-assembled with one wheel cocked in the air. This is where we currently are at. Oh, and a bonus AutoShite trait – I bought a replacement car to keep me on the road (like I need an excuse!), thinking I’d have to have the head off on the Volvo and work on at least the valves. More on the interim car later.

The only place I seem to be able to find* bargains these days is "offline" - having a reputation for caring for end of life vehicles means family and friends (and eventually friends of friends) seem to prefer to offer something to me rather than even deal with WeBuyCarTakeback et al. The problem is that it's purely opportunity based and rarely anything is available when you need them!

@rob88h Ooof factor high. If I was looking for a project this’d be the one! I’m trying to stay strong and get some of my rammle on the road instead of anything new. can someone please bring this into the fold. I feel I’ve contributed my services to early Sierra populations with the rescue of the DieseL last year. Very similar reg:

I'll have one please.

It's be rude not at add a Christmas themed one to December 😉

Snap! Good to see this one is still bumbling about. I met the owner once; nice lady, committed to keeping it going.

I think the fact that it’s not even on straight just adds to the look. 😂

I have no words https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1376209509450743/ I’ve always thought a fun project would be to buy something like this and de-twatify it, returning it to stock as best I can.

Proper rubbish photo, but it’s more the fact that since getting the car 9 years ago (Volvo 440) I finally have heater control lighting! It’s amazing the things you learn to live with that are just one simple job away from being fixed…

Certified 57.2% AutoShite I’m a sad bastard. At the beginning of 2022 I wrote down all my mileages and checked them all again at the end of the year, also ensuring I recorded the mileages in all the In-and-Out cars I’ve had this year… “Wait, I do that” I hear some of you say, but the geekery deepens here as armed with these numbers I have normalised them into a ratio of how much I’ve used each car…, then assigned a subjective AutoShite Factor to each car of between 0 and 1, where 0 would be chauffer driven ’22 Range Rover and 1 would be @BorniteIdentity’s Sierra. Multiplying the driven ratio through the AutoShite factor gives me a score per car and summing the scores gives me a total out of a maximum of 100 (100% of my miles in an AutoShite Factor 1 jalopy). I’m 57.2% Autoshite. Must try harder for 2023.

2023 is off to a blinding start. Two of the fleet have secured MOT's lasting into 2024! Satisfying.

Is it whatever is on my Christmas present socks? 😉

This thing was destined to be an AutoShite from the day it was born. I love seeing cars that have ripened into their ultimate form in circumstance. Astra Automatic with Wob in the reg. 😍 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/275587550770?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=Cta9v_MFSQG&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=Nh_mcoTOQvi&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

This gets referred to as “Nob Easy” around here. And this one got an age related issue “PUB” as the GFS Edinburgh reg lost its paperwork. Naturally it shall become the pub bike (when it runs…) Neither are private but had to contribute summat 🤷‍♂️

Well, the snow’s gone but I got some more nice A_WOV 2022 pictures for reminding me of the good times before someone no doubt has to tear into it for welding. To be honest I think the rain is worse. The wet gets everywhere (including 2” deep in the footwells, see above). At least with snow it seemed to stay dry.

Mr Hopkirk would confirm. I took the Mini to see Santa. It asked for some welding, some wax and a warm garage.

We all love cars, yet a common trend at this time of year is the wish for fewer (outwardly at least, grounded in practicality usually, despite our deepest inner thoughts being to have all the cars). This year I have actually managed it! -1 car. Out: A4 Avant. B3? I can’t remember now, I briefly got into the VAG diesel world but soon moved on. It was a very capable car; all the car you’d need, but a bit grey soulless and dull despite its front/back engine FWD setup curiosity. Non-Movers (figurative) Mini, 440 and Focus. All have experienced substantial decay I feel, but are still hanging around. Non-Movers (literal) MX-5 and Granada (and a Buzz [collective Noun] of Raleigh Runabouts). It’s an older photo of the Mazda as it’s so buried now in garage junk! Oops. In and Out Sierra DieseL. A fairly substantial recommission job which was satisfying to have achieved and followed up by taking it to a couple of shows. I’ve a soft spot for this car and remember it fondly. Rover 45. I had no right getting this attached to my Rail Replacement Rover, bought to bring me, my mate and our bikes back from John O’Groats for the price of a train ticket. It was “nice” but had its problems. @MrDuke took over. Daewoo Leganza. Another of life’s curveballs. I was pleased to have a go on this and help lengthen it’s life a bit but shifted it on to @Erebus at cost less some Mars bars. Here’s to 2023.