Balkan Bucket Bonanza

[Adrian_pt]

Not quite - it's a Renault 12 Toros SW. Mega-rare outside Turkey. Of 1990-1997 vintage. What's it doing in Bulgaria?

http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_279923-Renault-12-Toros-SW-X17-1997.html

[Bucketeer]

Yesterday I mostly learnt that when out and about with a lady you're trying to impress it is wise to at least pretend to be more interested in her than a shonky old Yugoslavian peasant wagon.

 

 

 

 

[Junkman]

It is my experience, that a lot of ladies have to learn how to be more interesting than a shonky old Yugoslavian peasant wagon.

[hairnet]

get onto bulgarian autotrader - how much for a not bad aleko??

 

dont do cyrillic........

 

ñûðóþôðрÑÂ

[Bucketeer]

This one's at the better end of the spectrum.

1990

28,000km

950 leva or 415 pounds.

 

 

 

 

It's not beige though.

[Junkman]

How much would it cost to get it beiged in .bg?

[Bucketeer]

No need.

 

 

1989 Aleko

LPG converted.

120,000km.

75 rampaging horses.

850 leva or 370 pounds.

Beige exterior - WIN

Brown interior - WINWINWIN

 

 

[Bucketeer]

Despite currently being on a female induced chod spotting embargo, I managed to sneak out this morning for a bit of a shite-hunt under the pretence of 'buying her something nice'.

I bought coffee.

Coffee's nice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First car I've ever seen where the space-saver spare tyre fitted was wider than the other three standard tyres.

 

 

 

Shy Tredia.

 

 

 

 

Cats love bubbles.

 

 

 

 

[Junkman]

There seems to be formidable house shite around too. Kind of a washed-out concrete paradise with pebble-dash frosting.

 

How do they drink their coffee there? Turkish style, or Austrian style?

[Bucketeer]

It's kind of like Russia meets Greece with added flaky lovliness. The perfect backdrop for shite.

 

Most of my photos probably don't do the place justice. It is largely very pretty*.

 

 

*edit*  The coffee we drink is Brazilian. The stuff served in caffs and the like is half decent generic brown sludge that still tastes a million times better than the Cypriot stuff I tried the other week.

One of my favourite things here is the coffee vending machines on every street corner, you need never be without.

[Bucketeer]

A few loose floaters I missed posting from the last couple of days.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I saw a RHD mercedse Vaneo on bulgarian plates today in Stoke

[Bucketeer]

^^^^ That's an odd one, everything here's defo LHD.

It took me six months to be able to cross the road without looking the opposite way to the direction the traffic was coming from and another four months on top of that to be able to do it safely* when drunk.

[skoda_fan]

I'm absolutely lovin' this thread. Please keep 'em coming, Mr B!! Have so far resisted asking, for fear of seeming impertinent, but curiosity has got to me....what are you doing over there?? (Reply not obligatory!!)

[hairnet]

I saw a RHD mercedse Vaneo on bulgarian plates today in Stoke

 

 

^^^^ That's an odd one, everything here's defo LHD.

It took me six months to be able to cross the road without looking the opposite way to the direction the traffic was coming from and another four months on top of that to be able to do it safely* when drunk.

 

sounds like he lives here and took back for a bit

 

whats tax and mot like in bulg?

[Bucketeer]

I s'pose a bit of admin is in order as up to now I've been too rude/forgetful/incompetent/lazy/drunk to do much.

 

Epic chod, Bulgaria looks a far more interesting place to live than I gave it credit for.

Great pics; I feel we are missing out on some lovely old motors here in the uk

There does seem to be a fantastic variety of Eastern and Western chod here, much more than anywhere else I've passed through. I think they tend to keep hold of cars much longer due to the general lack of wealth.

 

 

WOW! This properly reminds me of when i stayed in Bucharest for a few months in 05. What a shitefest it was, plus lots of nice big trees along the pavements in the city centre, lovely. It looks flipping great anyway and there arent even any laydees in the shots.

 

I'd love to live in Bulgaria for a bit. maybe try to get a gig with chinese shite-maker 'GREAT WALL' who I believe have a factory there knocking out 'STEEDS' and whatnot.

Transylvanian Romania was lovely, I found Bucharest rather grim. Lots of shite but a massive proportion were Dacias understandably, much less variety.

Never even knew about the Litex Motors plant producing the GW's. According to this they're increasing production range and quantity.

http://greatwall.bg/en/novini/1-%D0%B3%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B0-%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B8%D0%B7%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%B4%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B2%D0%BE-%D0%B0%D0%B2%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%B1%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%B8-great-wall-%D0%B2-%D0%B1/

Still never seen one on the road though.

 

 

I would love an Aleko, do they have a different engine to the Alpines?

Still don't know, sorry.

 

 

Seen any Volgas?

Not yet but they're now on the radar.

 

 

Keep your eyes open for any of these... I can't get any info on them anywhere!

 

I will try but my motorbicycle knowledge is not the greatest. All I've seen so far is new-ish, noisy Jap sports bikes being ridden far too fast to recognise.

 

 

I saw a RHD mercedse Vaneo on bulgarian plates today in Stoke

Coming over here, stealing our vans, etc.

 

 

...what are you doing over there?

Basically, worked for nineteen years solid without leaving Britain or having a proper holiday, got to a point where it was 'now or never' to explore a bit. Walked and camped through Europe generally following the Danube and the overall plan was to head overland to India. Planned to stay in Bulgaria for three days and that was ten months ago. Got some work here doing freelance writing (which I'm perfectly qualified for with my history as a removal man) and quite recently met a lovely local lady who inexplicably finds me non-repellent. Looks like I'm going to be here for a fair while yet, possibly forever, spending summer by the sea and winter in the central mountains.

And the booze is dirt cheap.

[Bucketeer]

whats tax and mot like in bulg?

 

Don't really know yet. My transport is shared so I don't deal with any of that. When beige Lada estate desire reaches critical level then I will have to find out. I will try and do a bit of research in the meantime.

There is a generally relaxed attitude here to all things, anything can be 'sorted' for 20 leva.

[chaseracer]

On the RHD question...

 

A while ago, I saw a right-hook Scorpio at Morrisons in Cannock sporting Bulgarian plates; my curiosity was satisfied by the Cardiff dealer sticker still attached to the rear window...

[Barry Cade]

 

I will try but my motorbicycle knowledge is not the greatest. All I've seen so far is new-ish, noisy Jap sports bikes being ridden far too fast to recognise.

 

 

 

That is a 1962 Balkan 250 which came from the transport museum in Sofia, and somehow ended up in my hands in Dundee, via a furniture auction. I have all the Bulgarian paperwork for it, in Bulgarian of course....including a letter from the owners wife allowing him to sell it, which you seemingly need to legally pass over ownership?

[vulgalour]

I'm not sure I can handle shite of this magnitude.

[Bucketeer]

Miss Bulgateer granted me permission for a brief recon sortie this evening. I realised how remiss of me it was to have not captured a single Dacia so far and decided to try and remedy this situation. To be fair, searching for a Dacia over here is akin to hunting for a needle in a sewing kit.

 

 

 

Blurry pink Dacia Thingy

 

 

 

Angry/constipated yellow Dacia.

 

 

 

I guess a Ford Contour is like an Asda Smart Price Mondeo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nearly wet myself when I saw this little puppy.

 

 

 

Just lovely.

 

 

 

Triple WIN.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shambulance.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Some flipping great roadtripe here. Feel free to try and get some bulgarian honeyz in the shots as well, ms_bulgateer won't mind. Trust me

[skoda_fan]

Thanks for answering my question, Mr Bucketeer! I'm even more impressed now! I'm sure many of us dream of taking life by the scruff of the neck like that, very few of us have the balls to make it a reality. Well done you, and I hope everything falls into place for you there (well it will once the beige Lada is found  )

[hairnet]

dacia uk should buy that mcv and import it and say in 5 years this happens

 

PoG style

[Bucketeer]

Photos with added laydeez will be forthcoming. In the meantime, here's some shite from today.

 

 

 

 

Dierdre with perfectly* matched paintwork.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fiat Palio.

No, me neither.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Like your 90's Renner with added political protest march?

I've got it covered.

 

 

 

More protests but didn't notice them due to yummy SVX.

 

 

 

Sometimes I see things and think 'no-one is going to believe I haven't made this up'.

This Trabersty was 15 yards from my front door.

 

 

Huge apologies for the use of the word 'yummy' earlier. It's been a long day.

[Junkman]

To outshite that Trabbi will be though.

[Bucketeer]

It's taken a lot of cajolling, some unfortunate mis-translations and possibly a forthcoming restraining order but, as requested, the first in a (probably very short) series entitled 'Random Bulgarian Laydeez With Shite'.

 

[Lankytim]

Is she grabbing her boob?

[Bucketeer]

If she is, I didn't ask her to. My Bulgarian vocabulary isn't that extensive..

[Mr Lobster]

This is a flippin great thread, loving your work. Pogweasel Pink Logan wagon and angry Yellow Dacia 1310 (?) can come to live with me.