MisterH

Yes she has been in the family since new and is the main culprit for my fascination with old tat, when I was young values were essentially nothing so it taught me the lesson that old stuff isn't necessarily worse than new stuff 😄

I made sure not to polish the bonnet of the quattro the night before as I know it will likely be the only Audi Quattro Turbo Pogweasel on the roads

I daily my 1986 Audi 80 Sport and for the past half a year of uni life it has been absolutely brilliant. Performance that is more than adequate for modern days, well built, practical and mostly reliable. Plus it tends to get a lot of goodwill which is a benefit for sure. Parts supply is a big issue however, and I would be lying if I said the car was faultless. Occasionally there have been issues such as the throttle cable disconnecting and the alternator belt squealing, and rust is a constant worry. But, I feel safer driving it than I do the 480, although that is likely going to be my daily for the coming year due to insurance reasons. The Audi has taken me to Denmark where I am currently, and was quite happy cruising at 90mph, even managed to hit 118mph on the Bahn, proving that you can use all of the speedometer on it. So yes, I do daily my classics and apart from having a fight when it comes to insurance, it is more than fine

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/155411574904?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=zCyS_9AfQPK&sssrc=2047675&ssuid=&widget_ver=artemis&media=TW Sometimes Honesty is the funniest thing

"Concise History" Cracked me up that did

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/165801231671?hash=item269a860537:g:ZpwAAOSwfORjg31~&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAoL%2FtYJFc1y1jiejQQLjY53UV8k%2FfFhhC1Y5p8Fjj%2BgVAqTntFpR%2B99ZTYZsgJdNzSA0nUuvS4ME0bEkMR97FXwLWQfqXTuOybWxYUt%2B6DRob6zdCQEqhj5VI%2FBenxNDrtNcyNf8T%2Bji7KDyAlTScYLGnMz5f71jnSD9wfWADc3JVUW2FB1ckbHg9eHP7ZPVIYrdpolKTACpdxNkgWQJrtR0%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR6Lcw-uXYQ Love the bodykit on this, but the seller is a tad off-putting: It is never a good sign when you get exasperated when reading a description...

I have a real thing for these, but would only really want one of the uber rare turbos (only if it were completely standard so I know it is a pipe dream)

Well it has been one year since the Audi appeared on the eBay tat thread and I snapped it up, driving it home exactly one year ago. This car has weaselled its way into my identity, especially with the quattro out for the count until the engine can be rebuilt properly. This has been the car to take me on my first foreign adventure, has underpinned a real broadening of my horizons and prospects, from my admission to Classic.Retro.Modern, to passing my IAM advanced driving test, to university. It has broken down a couple of times, it has even been pranged by an errant Skoda, but it has never let me down - as it has always either been at low speed, or easily fixable. So with 10,000 miles done in 12 months, adding to a total of just under 160k miles, it truly is a daily classic. People seem to love it, even with self confessed non-car types at uni appreciating its unique presence. So where to next? I haven't got the funds or space to take on another classic, but this car and the Volvo I don't want to let go of really, so I guess it will be a case of continuing to improve their health and enjoying them... ...And hoping no one with money decides they really like the idea of a Colt Galant GTO, Isuzu Piazza, Celica ST165, Allegro 1750SS or Saab 99 EMS...

Quick, scarpo lads!

Your new Mercedes is very nice, I spotted this one recently near me!

Cheers! Sorry to hear you had to sell it, it has been quite a hectic few months over here hence AS has only had the occasional check in, hope things are going ok

So what has been going on these past few months? Well, the last couple months of summer saw me become a monthly contributor to Classic.Retro.Modern. magazine, acting as a correspondent/columnist on the plight of the young classic car enthusiast. This was quite timely, as it more or less coincided with my passing of the IAM Roadsmart test, for which I learned just what they don't teach you for your driving test, and being flatly denied by any insurance company I turned to for a better quote - turns out classic insurers don't like their cars doing more than 5k miles a year, and mainstream insurers are sketchy when it comes to 36 year old Audis. Oh and if you are young, you're lucky if your quote is anything under £2k, even for an Austin Allegro (which I don't have, just wanted to test them with). But, what of the cars? The Volvo has been slowly been getting back into shape, although I am still convinced it pulls to the left despite being set up professionally. But it has been really nice to get the wedge back on track, even treating it to my dream radio head unit, the Philips DC954, as featured in The Living Daylights. Also totally by chance turned up at the Fuel Power Party as it was literally 10 minutes down the road from me, so that was a great afternoon meeting people with some great conversations had But, the ever reliable (save for the starter motor going when we first got it) Audi suffered its first breakdown in my ownership. I was taking my Gran and Father to the Romsey show, sitting in near stationary traffic (a lot of which was at a steep downhill angle) when all of a sudden the revs dropped to the floor and the engine cut out, unable to be restarted. Luckily we could just park it on the verge while we awaited recovery, which we had to pay for because apparently the car wasn't taxed (I was shocked as I was adamant I had done it, but the computer said no). After 2 hours, the truck turned up, just for the Audi to start again. Not wanting to take a chance, the very nice R D Avery man agreed to follow us the mile or so home. Halfway there, the engine cut out sure enough and we were carried the rest of the way back. Our problem was that we needed a way to get the car to our garage as we had no idea what the fault would be. Luckily, we thought of a very...AS...way of doing things (well, relatively, as we don't have access to a beige Toyota Tercel, so had to use a 1943 Willys Jeep as a stand-in) The first time I had ever been towed, but with hindsight it is probably good experience for driving an old car with no brake servo. It was an unnerving, yet very heroic sensation that I felt on the 8-minute journey to our preferred village garage (yes, they are still a thing), although I should have been less cautious with the brake, as my dad's Jeep was finding it a bit more strenuous than it needed to. But we got it there, and within a couple of days the fault was traced to a burnt out ignition coil, which was duly replaced and the car was fine again. Next up was the move to University, a process which has seen me taking on the West country. Due to difficulties getting the Audi's V5 into my name, then taxed and insured, the Volvo had to cover the move and the first week there. I was very pleased with the amount of stuff I was able to get in the back, with my parents smoky Mk5 Golf Dizzler not having to carry too much stuff up the A36. The Volvo proved itself very adept in the tight city streets, but the 4 individual chairs and 3dr coupe configuration meant that it wasn't the best for hauling people about in. That and the fragile nature of the interior... During my first week at university, there was a treat in store. Ian Robertson, my colleague at CRM, had invited me to the SMMT Test Day, an event dangerously close to Bas Vegas. This saw me up at the crack of dawn and cruising across Salisbury plain, even managing to go past Stone'enge at a speed greater than 31mph. The event was great. Even though I wasn't covered on any of the manufacturers fleet insurance polices (of course) I still had a great time networking, and meeting fellow young people in the industry, which included my friends Jake and Genevieve of the Fuel Power team, whom it was a pleasant surprise to see. While I went there with eyes on the Citroen C5X (for just being a Citroen shaped middle finger to the idea of the crossover) I left the event lusting after the DS 4 that was parked next to it, such a lovely bit of design work That weekend, my parents ran the Audi over to me, meaning that the Volvo (which didn't have an onsite parking permit) could go and sleep in the garage. After not driving it for nearly a month, it was great to have the Audi back. The separation meant I was able to get the full hit of the 1980s Volkswagen-Audi Group Interior Scent(c) that the 80 Sport has in spades, and reminds me so much of my granddad's Ur-quattro (still having the engine rebuilt). Unfortunately, the Audi is still lumpy low down, but it seems to drive happy enough. The plan now is to keep the car onsite, in case I need an escape from the mental health grindstone, get back home quickly, or just help out if people are in need. In the week it has been here, the Audi has received more looks and attention than the Volvo ever did, which is strange given how extraordinary the latter looks, but then the Audi does look decidedly 'old-world' that contrasts much more with modern fare. So lets see just what Further Education has to offer...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/115529941265?mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0&campid=5338817149&toolid=10050&customid=DANSWORKAROUND2&ul_ref=https%3A%2F%2Frover.ebay.com%2Frover%2F1%2F710-53481-19255-0%2F1 We had this yet? Haven't seen one this good* for a while Enjoy

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/185548072564?hash=item2b3386e674:g:C~wAAOSwcwBjA40U&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAoE%2BbCg93GePqO9gHfaiKIW5WewhVUtSJU%2FvSJxgszZMBDdQURwnwoZeWcxyvWu9n1Sw0jY5u4h7isfzTKTSqtR9IW2XEGW0uQRhWRxg0k79IBYLT01UB5XIOjuXBvOVzshCkkxrlh1TOhSPg0rshEpJxEAkfKcmG2LK%2FiKhe42josQQ6DZMaIX2eCIh2u8%2BqwPHUHraCtZ13gT%2BGsPbUXVg%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR57ksuHYYA The user name on this guy tho 😆

Yeah, paranoia is constant. I hope that my cars are not the sort that would be of interest to that crowd, but just got to keep enjoying it as much as possible really, shit like this is all too common... ...Or it ends up like the Volvo getting swiped by an overconfident dustcart