Sunny side up - more tropical spots

[Luxxo Waftybarger]

On a recent work trip to the Carribean I had the chance to take a few days in a neighbouring island. The shiteometer hit 11.

 

This place was a Datsun/Nissan lovers wet dream. Almost every vehicle was over 15 years old and from only that esteemed brand, often rotting gently under a banana tree. It was like a departure lounge for Yokohama's discards.

 

This particular beauty was held together with string and had what looked like an upturned bucket for a front seat.

 

I'm new to posting pics so more to follow if this post works.

[Luxxo Waftybarger]

One of my favourite non Nissan spots from the trip, a Mitsubishi Galant VR4 on steelies with a carrier bag for a door handle

[Luxxo Waftybarger]

This one ran on veg, or didn't (if you count the foliage making its way in via the rust holes).

[mercrocker]

Moar, Perleeze....

[catsinthewelder]

Well papped LW and welcome along

 

Any Cherrys sitting in the sun?

[Luxxo Waftybarger]

Considering a young couple were hacked to death with machetes up the road from here a few months earlier, papping was furtive. Even so this saloon was a minter and had to be documented.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Yo!!!! Are you anything to do with tahini-slurping former shiter and wheel nut fundamentalist LUXOBARGES R US???

[OwdChina]

No ...........#290 New members

[KruJoe]

Our old mate Luxo (aka Prodromos) has most likely been swallowed into the black hole that is the Greek political circus.

 

More pics like this Bluebird please. That one has a shite-spotter friendly number plate

[STUNO]

 Name the Island or you stole these from someone else  

[Luxxo Waftybarger]

Sadly no cherries only sunnies. Risking the irk of an angry local waiting to run me over I took a few pics of the worst hire car I've ever had (worse than fiat 500 which is saying something).

 

Sorry these pics are all mine. Island was Tobago, got a break from work on Trinidad.

 

See the wonder that is a Nissan Tiida. Wouldn't recommend. When the hire car woman told me what it was called I thought she was offering me a bad of rice. No abs, esp, traction control etc and drum brakes during the wet season is fun. 4 speed auto that was always one gear too low made flooring it out of corners do sideways wiggling things (which I NEVER do at home). Though it did have electric folding mirrors? I think a few were sold in the UK after they failed to sell in Ireland.

 

Also see a few more choice vehicles including what looks like a corsa with a Chevy badge? Sadly time was very limited and I didn't have much time to stop.Stretched Hummer lived next door.

[overrun]

Quilted leather door cards on that Tiida?

[Luxxo Waftybarger]

Yes with the finest velour seats. The one redeeming feature, I love velour.

[vulgalour]

That Corsa genuinely is a Chevrolet.  I had a look on the internet and there's enough evidence to suggest it's a bit of badge engineering.

[Bren]

I did'nt think it possible to make a corsa any more wank than it already is.

 

However I have been proved wrong - put a chevy badge on the back.

[Bren]

Are sills exempt from the carribean MOT?

[KruJoe]

HELL YEAH (Grotty Corona Liftback)

[Luxxo Waftybarger]

That corona was hand painted with a potato dipped in nail varnish. Still probably a better drive than the Tiida.

[STUNO]

That Tiida must be a stripped out poverty special. We get them here quite well spec'd, which does not mean I like them.

[Luxxo Waftybarger]

I seem to have developed a small obsession with tropical islands formerly part of the British empire. Most recent visit was Bequia, famous for an active whaling fleet and not much else. The 90s Jap shite senses were tingling, small remote - check, drive on the left - check, hot enough for shite to survive rust but develop chronic lacquer peel - check.

 

Sadly things did not turn out as exciting as hoped. Of the 6000 residents almost every single one seems to drive a Suzuki Vitara. The others have boring moderns.

 

I have a theory about small islands. A certain car becomes popular and then develops critical mass so that it’s the only thing you can get spares for which means everyone has to buy them.

 

Despite that there were some Jap export gems. There are no roads which permit you to go fast enough to hit the rev limiter in second gear so it really doesn’t matter what you drive.

 

No idea if this is of any interest but since there is some shite you would probably not see anywhere else I thought I’d chuck some pics up.

 

Spots included

 

Many Escudos (rebadged Vitara)

Local taxis which are basically cattle pick trucks. Parallel bench seats and no belts obvs. You have to just hang on like a trip to the abattoir.

Rotten old saloons

Roller painted Nissan saloons

JRG for winners

Dollar buses with 90s era airbrush

Bashed in MX6 which definitely still drove

Sunny estate

A totally fucked Twingo in a bush down an abandoned estate road

Random van which I loved

4 door original RAV4 which I don’t remember seeing in the UK.

A very old Land Rover probs from days of the empire

 

[Luxxo Waftybarger]

Again I find myself in a tiny semi tropical island once part of her Maj's empire. There is some papping to be done because in keeping with earlier posts they drive on the left, it's hot and small but sadly this being one of the most oxidising environments on earth means that shite has mostly dissolved before it's ten years old.

Added to this all the interesting old stuff is in a part of town where 21 rounds were recently discharged into a crowd in a gang related shooting.

Amusingly resprays are part of the MOT equivalent so there are some great rattle can jobs, e.g. matt black Mégane convertible on 19 inch diamond cut alloys spotted but sadly no pics.

For now have this pic of the local scrapper. There's just something about exotic vegetation growing from old cars that I like.

 

[808 Estate]

A couple from India.

[Luxxo Waftybarger]

I've been here for 18 months now and the shiteometer is sadly still reading low. Almost everything is Korean and less than 10 years old, I'd say one in five cars is a picanto.

I think the PRC esque one car per household rule means keeping rotting chod on the driveway is a non starter. There is no real equivalent of SORN, add to that the insane cost and delays of importing any parts means why would you use up your valuable quota.

Clues to location, this is the world's centre of reinsurance and the world's most expensive place to live.

Still, on my lunch break today I fancied updating this thread so have at it.

A Yaris saloon, Honda Crossroad thingy inexplicably popular, fleet of rental twizzy, Daihatsu weirdness, random rental car (golf cart) and proof that all Vauxhalls are shit everywhere.

I've seen some epic lacquer peeled Mitsubishi estates around I'll keep my eye out.

 

[Luxxo Waftybarger]

The adventures continue. Not content with living on a tiny hot island in the middle of the Atlantic I've decided to move to an even tinier, hotter island in the middle of the Atlantic. Still, following the theme of my strange existence, it's another of our dear King's territories.

No one car per household rule here means leaving your chod to become part of the scenery is a national past time.

I am currently driving a Ssangyong (R)odious, probably the worst and most ugly car of the last 20 years. Every panel has a rusty ding, some look like bullet holes. I cannot bear to photograph it.

[Noel Tidybeard]

photograph it you must or you will be dismissed!🤣

[Luxxo Waftybarger]

Here it is, sadly the intense sun seems to disguise it's flaws. It's vast, absurdly so and gopping in my opinion.

[Luxxo Waftybarger]

Have a bonus shite limo that apparently is for sale