wheel nut

Aaaargh my eyes! If only they'd followed Rolls-Royce's lead and used a lower profile or slightly raked back version of the traditional grill to blend in with the modern body shape it might have looked a bit less gopping. https://www.gumtree.com/p/other-cars/very-rare-fresh-import-mitsuoka-galue-ii-v6-auto-silver-bentley-gloria/1417428061

First registered in 2019 in an ’08 plate so I guess must be an import. Unloved micra DVLA confirms it's got a V12.

To be fair when this was brand new it was only around £9K so can't expect too much in the way of build quality. I thought of it as disposable white goods when I bought it at 3 years old. However with the price of suitable replacements rocketing in recent years, I'll be trying to make this last as long as I can.

Did oil and filter changes on both my 2014 Dacia Logan and my 1962 Land Rover. Both have cartridge type oil filters but a bit of a difference in size. I need ramps to get under the Dacia, but plenty of space under the Land Rover with it sitting on the ground. Land Rover’s filter is a bit of a faff to get back on again as it’s quite an awkward thing to support while trying to get the securing bolt started and access is restricted by a chassis leg to one side and the front propshaft directly below it. I like doing 2 oil changes at the same time as I can make use of the time waiting one engine to drain by making a start on the second. Similarly after filling with new oil I like to give it time to settle before checking the level so can usually find something useful to do on the other vehicle while waiting. When under the Dacia I noticed a considerable amount of rust taking hold on the front chassis legs so gave then a good scrape/wire brush and a couple of coats of paint while I had it up on the ramps.

I changed the spark plugs on my Dacia Logan. It’s got the 3 cylinder Renault/Dacia 0.9litre TCE engine which uses long life iridium plugs and this was the first time they had been changed. Consequently I was a bit nervous with the combination of the age of the plugs and the aluminium cylinder head but I needn’t have worried - they came out fine. Since I had been planning to do this, a few days earlier when I had my Land Rover out I had parked it in front of the Logan when I got home so that I could use the boot to arrange my tools. The main nuisance with this job was the amount of pipework hindering access to the top of the engine. I had to disconnect the intercooler pipe and pull it to the side to gain access to two of the plugs. And this is what the old plugs looked like after 9 years and 64000 miles. The engine was still running well and some people reckon you can get 100000 miles out of a set of these but i didn’t want to push my luck any further. []

I was on holiday in Madeira about 25 years ago and that style of merc was very common then. I managed to spot a couple of older models back then which I'm sure must be long gone now. Going slightly off topic I also spotted the following which as a teenager I thought was the coolest taxi ever because of the 3-spokes...🤨

Yes, sadly killed by rust. If it had only been localised rust in sills, floors, etc then it might have been welded up for a few more years at least but this one seemed to be rusty everywhere including weirdly bits like windscreen surround and as this model had a plastic trim covering the roof gutter, the roof gutter was so rusty that I wasn’t sure how much metal was left holding the roof to the rest of the car. scrapped around 2001-2002 I think, but almost all parts were removed and sold on so hopefully helping keep other minis alive.

Mini with 1 litre engine Good points - great fun to drive, especially round town Bad points - rust, tiny boot

Triumph Herald Good points - super easy engine access due to flip front bonnet. generally mechanically simple and easy to maintain, very tight turning circle, separate chassis makes rust a bit easier to repair. Bad points - separate chassis design leads to less rigid bodyshell, wouldn't want to test limits of handling due to dubious rear suspension design, 1950s design feels out of place on duel carriageways and motorways - another one that feels happiest cruising around 45mph.

Triumph Dolomite 1300 (I have driven 2 of these) Good points - comfy, nice to drive. Bad points - rust, shallow boot, a bit cramped for rear passengers with a tall driver, rust, 1300 engine with 4 speed box wasn't so good for higher speeds, rust.

Series 2 Land Rover Good points - puts a grin on my face every time I drive it, easy to fix, useful for moving stuff. Bad points - fuel economy around 15mpg, seem to spend more time fixing it than driving it, happiest at below 45mph

Mazda Demio 1.5 Good points - Big boot, brilliant turning circle, adequate amount of power, easy to drive, quite comfy, roof bars were useful. Bad points - some spare parts a little expensive, died due to immobiliser fault that couldn't find a fix for.

Suzuki Jimny (was my parents) Good points - excellent in snow, apparently also excellent off road but never fully tested its abilities there, easy to park and drive in town, useful tool for towing lower weight trailers. Bad points - very slow acceleration, wouldn't want to try cornering too quickly, fuel economy surprisingly bad for such a small car, high road tax, tiny inside.

I had one of these in the past, my impressions weren't that amazing but that could be a combination of high mileage example (100K) plus basic 1.2 engine plus one of the lower trim specs made it feel a bit dull. Also it was a step down in size from the predecessor - the Mazda Demio hiding behind the Land Rover here. Good points - fuel economy, cheap parts, easy to fix, handling was ok. Bad points - slower than the 1.5l mazda demio it replaced, smaller inside than the mazda, needed quite a bit of maintenance (maybe not surprising given mileage). Sunroof had been sealed shut by previous owner who warned me not to touch it to avoid leaks. Scrapped it when the clutch went as could see a lot of other issues coming up soon, so had no inclination to spend any more money on it.

And here's a selection of pictures of NCF Diamonds that I've collected off the internet over the years.