The new news 24 thread

[Marina door handles]

Gained a new fun pet that appears to live in  my Garage.......

Hmmmmmm.....

Eeak!

Its a European hornet, just what I always wanted.......

Thankfully its seems very dopey and its definitely not a spicey Asian Hornet as they travel in packs and are very bad news....

 

 

 

[comfortablynumb]

MK1 son has bought MK2 son a Scalextric Holden, because he's been driving him around to appointments following ear surgery.

It arrived today, it's an Oz only car, but we didn't realise it was still there on the auction. New South Wales to be precise. It's taken five days to get here.

Meanwhile an advent calendar I bought from Leicester last weekend wont be here until 11th November!

Confused?

[auntiemaryscanary]

4 hours ago, MrGTI6 said:

A couple of weeks ago I was contacted by a friend who does property maintenance. He was asked by one of his customers, an elderly chap who has given up driving due to health problems, if he knew anyone who could assist with selling his car.

Unsurprisingly, 2 days later, I ended up buying said car; a Volvo V40 Cross Country. The owner bought it when it was a few months old and had owned it for just shy of 10 years.

He got it serviced every year at the local Volvo dealer but hadn't used the car since last December when his licence was revoked. The last service was almost 2 years ago, but it's only done 300 miles since then.

On arrival, as expected, the battery was completely flat. The car was driven nose-in onto his narrow driveway and there was no way of jump-starting it from my car. So I returned a couple of days later with a couple of small jump-starters and set about trying to open the bonnet, which was quite challenging considering a large bush had grown around the front end of the car. 

After a bit of a faff I managed to gain access. Hopped in the car, pressed the start button, and the engine spun into life immediately.

Upon asking how much he wanted for the car, his response was "whatever you think it's worth". I honestly think he would've given the car away for free. I'd looked up the WBAC valuation earlier that day. Not wishing to take advantage of the situation, I rounded the WBAC valuation down to the nearest thousand and offered that. He seemed taken aback with the offer. I feel like I got a good deal but also I can sleep at night because I didn't take the piss!

Paperwork completed, I then drove the car the few miles home. It's absolutely splendid to drive. It's one of the last of the 5-cylinder Volvos. It's got a proper slush-box too; no Powershift nonsense here. Big comfy leather chairs too. It might only be the baby Volvo but it still feels very much like a proper Volvo to drive. No sporting pretensions whatsoever, and all the better for it.

As soon as I got home I switched the car off and the whole dash blacked out immediately. Clearly the battery was knackered, which I'd anticipated given that it hadn't moved for months.

I ordered a new Yuasa battery which arrived the following day. It wasn't cheap but with winter just around the corner I didn't see the point in skimping. Buy cheap, buy twice, etc.

I've been using the car for the last week-and-a-half and I find myself in a bit of a predicament. It's a fantastic car, but the mileage is just 19k! If I keep it, I'll end up trebling the mileage in just a couple of years, which just feels wrong! 

Looks great squire. Bonus that the old boy is happy too. Enjoy!

[richardmorris]

55 minutes ago, Marina door handles said:

Gained a new fun pet that appears to live in  my Garage.......

Hmmmmmm.....

Eeak!

Its a European hornet, just what I always wanted.......

Thankfully its seems very dopey and its definitely not a spicey Asian Hornet as they travel in packs and are very bad news....

 

 

 

You need the patented post card and whisky glass technique ( courtesy of sir Terry wogan). Swig the whisky in the glass, distract it with the postcard and thump it dead with the empty glass.

[artdjones]

2 hours ago, comfortablynumb said:

MK1 son has bought MK2 son a Scalextric Holden, because he's been driving him around to appointments following ear surgery.

It arrived today, it's an Oz only car, but we didn't realise it was still there on the auction. New South Wales to be precise. It's taken five days to get here.

Meanwhile an advent calendar I bought from Leicester last weekend wont be here until 11th November!

Confused?

It's probably that part of Leicester located in China.

[reb]

Great success!

Oh no!

 

Two things became apparent when I actually clicked through:

- there are in fact two people in Fife running hedgehogspitals from their homes

- the hedgehog who died was actually an innocent bystander who wasn't even a patient.

[Split_Pin]

8 hours ago, MrGTI6 said:

A couple of weeks ago I was contacted by a friend who does property maintenance. He was asked by one of his customers, an elderly chap who has given up driving due to health problems, if he knew anyone who could assist with selling his car.

Unsurprisingly, 2 days later, I ended up buying said car; a Volvo V40 Cross Country. The owner bought it when it was a few months old and had owned it for just shy of 10 years.

He had it serviced every year at the local Volvo dealer but hadn't used the car since last December when his licence was revoked. The last service was almost 2 years ago, but it's only done 300 miles since then.

On arrival, as expected, the battery was completely flat. The car was driven nose-in onto his narrow driveway and there was no way of jump-starting it from my car. So I returned a couple of days later with a couple of small jump-starters and set about trying to open the bonnet, which was quite challenging considering a large bush had grown around the front end of the car. 

After a bit of a faff I managed to gain access. Hopped in the car, pressed the start button, and the engine spun into life immediately.

Upon asking how much he wanted for the car, his response was "whatever you think it's worth". I honestly think he would've given the car away for free. I'd looked up the WBAC valuation earlier that day. Not wishing to take advantage of the situation, I rounded the WBAC valuation down to the nearest thousand and offered that. He seemed taken aback with the offer. I feel like I got a good deal but also I can sleep at night because I didn't take the piss!

Paperwork completed, I then drove the car the few miles home. It's absolutely splendid to drive. It's one of the last of the 5-cylinder Volvos. It's got a proper slush-box too; no Powershift nonsense here. Big comfy leather chairs too. It might only be the baby Volvo but it still feels very much like a proper Volvo to drive. No sporting pretensions whatsoever, and all the better for it.

As soon as I got home I switched the car off and the whole dash blacked out immediately. Clearly the battery was knackered, which I'd anticipated given that it hadn't moved for months.

I ordered a new Yuasa battery which arrived the following day. It wasn't cheap but with winter just around the corner I didn't see the point in skimping. Buy cheap, buy twice, etc.

I've been using the car for the last week-and-a-half and I find myself in a bit of a predicament. It's a fantastic car, but the mileage is just 19k! If I keep it, I'll end up trebling the mileage in just a couple of years, which just feels wrong! 

My dad had a similar one except it was a 67 plate 2.0D auto on 39k and had a lovely pan roof. Had it from brand new, lovely solid car. A 5 pot petrol must be superb.

He passed away last year and Arnold Clark offered me £10k which seemed on par with the market value of about 10 or 13 and way out my budget so I had to let it go 😞

[MrGTI6]

31 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

My dad had a similar one except it was a 67 plate 2.0D auto on 39k and had a lovely pan roof. Had it from brand new, lovely solid car. A 5 pot petrol must be superb.

He passed away last year and Arnold Clark offered me £10k which seemed on par with the market value of about 10 or 13 and way out my budget so I had to let it go 😞

I remember you mentioning your dad's V40 on here at the time. Mine doesn't have the pan roof unfortunately!

The engine in mine is actually a 5-pot diesel, confusingly badged as a D3. Basically a 2.4 D5 with a shorter stroke bringing capacity down to 2.0 litres, apparently to circumvent engine-based tax thresholds around Europe. It was also offered in the S60/V60.

The 2.0 5-cylinder diesel was then offered as a D3 and D4 with differing power outputs, mine being the de-tuned 150bhp D3.

About a year later an all-new 4-cylinder diesel came along and replaced it, also a 2.0! Given that your dad's was a 67-plate, I would assume his had the newer engine. More powerful/frugal, but no longer a 5-cylinder.

[Split_Pin]

Yeah just a 4 pot! He did have a lovely S60 for 9 years which was a 5 pot diesel auto, a great combination in my opinion. It wasnt a D5 though so just 163bhp but it was ample!

[MrGTI6]

10 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

Yeah just a 4 pot! He did have a lovely S60 for 9 years which was a 5 pot diesel auto, a great combination in my opinion. It wasnt a D5 though so just 163bhp but it was ample!

Your dad had excellent taste! This isn't my first Volvo, but I think I've reached a point in my life where I can appreciate them a lot more now. 

The 5-pot diesel and slush box is a lovely combo. It somehow makes the V40 feel like a much bigger car if that makes sense. You forget you're only driving something with the footprint of a Golf!

[Morris 63]

20 hours ago, Marina door handles said:

Gained a new fun pet that appears to live in  my Garage.......

Hmmmmmm.....

Eeak!

Its a European hornet, just what I always wanted.......

Thankfully its seems very dopey and its definitely not a spicey Asian Hornet as they travel in packs and are very bad news....

 

 

 

We've got them nesting in the woods at the bottom of the garden. They look scary but, unless you get too near the nest, they're way more docile than wasps. I had one land on the roof of the Subaru - as I walked closer it backed off across the roof.

Still not fun to have one fly in the bedroom window at night - sounds like the chopper scene in Apocalypse Now! 😁

[Hawkeyethenoo]

Breaking News. 

Tonight's viewing, why didn't someone tell me sooner! 

[brownnova]

This week I was teaching a particular reading skill… I can choose my own content for this.

So I chose the story about the man who drove his Frontera up Snowdon. 

 

[Lacquer Peel]

Final trip in the Big Benz 

[cort16]

3 hours ago, brownnova said:

This week I was teaching a particular reading skill… I can choose my own content for this.

So I chose the story about the man who drove his Frontera up Snowdon. 

 

And he did it twice

[stripped fred]

I keep meaning to mention my new car, a 2006 Subaru Legacy 2.0 GT Spec B. I bought it off someone I know, who became nervous about owning a rare car and bought a Tesla model Y.

It was imported in 2021 and is the 2.0 turbo engine. Auto gearbox and about 256bhp. It's done 81k.

It's SORN at the moment.  There are a few things to sort. It had a new radiator fitted by a local garage, with experience of Subarus, but I think the coolant is still going down. I don't think head gasket problems but me and my son will pressure test it and do a few other checks.

It's got a Japanese sat nav that is not plugged in as it doesn't work in the UK, so I'll be changing that for a cubby, android screen, or maybe some extra gauges.

I'm not sure about the Japanese shaped plate. I might change it for a normal shaped one as I like to be discreet.

I only drove it for about 10 miles. It seems to pick up it's skirt when it needs to. The brakes seemed good. The ride seemed stiff but not uncomfortable with it's Bilstein dampers. The engine sounded good.

I am justifying having it as it's different, interesting engineering (which brings it's own problems too!), it's practical, and I won't be doing more than a few thousand miles in it so fuel costs hopefully won't hurt too much. My son is also very good with cars and keen to try new jobs. He changed the rear wheel bearing on my mk1 TT today, without any help.

Luckily it seems pretty well cared for although there is no no Japanese service history. I think it could do with a service as the oil cap was so stiff it didn't seem like it had been checked recently, but the il level was ok.

It seems tidy and non rusty underneath. It has it's MOT soon so I will find out more then.

Makes a change from a Jaguar S Type, which fits my image more as a soon to be 55 year old male. I hope the Subaru can prove itself on the longer journeys as well as some twisty roads. i am planning a 1000 mile road trip from the midlands into Scotland next year.

[IronStar]

On 17/10/2025 at 19:04, wesacosa said:

Paid a visit to the Red history museum in Dubrovnik. 

My Bosnian friend tells me that OS number on the Yugo is from a Northern region of Yugoslavia which was very heavily hit so doubly amazing it seems to have survived in tact 

I always assumed Tomos were Czechoslovakian 

Random trivia:

Osijek is a home to a “Fico drives over a tank” monument, which is inverse of one of the events that kicked off the war in Yugoslavia, when tank drove over a car that was trying to stop their advance

Kopar, where Tomos was made, was also home to CIMOS (short for Citroen, ISKRA, Tomos), a joint venture that was making Citroens in Yugoslavia under license. 

[Spottedlaurel]

Two-and-a-bit years after buying it through an ad here on AS the Carina E has driven out of my life, to become the new owner's daily driver.

Oh, hang on. Making for a nice period scene there's a Rover 620 following it.

Funds paid on the new car, needs a bit of a clean-up and some work doing before I take ownership.......

[Lacquer Peel]

12 hours ago, brownnova said:

This week I was teaching a particular reading skill… I can choose my own content for this.

So I chose the story about the man who drove his Frontera up Snowdon.

 

Love this, what's your role?

[crad]

corolla's headlight glass was pretty much separate from the plastic unit- to stop it flying out on the m4 some sealant was applied. not pretty, but effective. it somehow keeps on chugging along.

[Marina door handles]

19 hours ago, brownnova said:

This week I was teaching a particular reading skill… I can choose my own content for this.

So I chose the story about the man who drove his Frontera up Snowdon. 

 

I do hope that with Vauxhall launching a new Fontera, they do a "Snowdon edition" in honour of this car....

[Marina door handles]

Whilst trying to sell the Forester and having put the Freelander back into service, I have run out of space on the drive, so the XK is now tucked up in the garage. I hope it doesn't get to comfortable in there!

 

 

[comfortablynumb]

I can see your floor!!!

Which is more than I can in my barn...🥺

[nomiST]

9 hours ago, IronStar said:

Kopar, where Tomos was made, was also home to CIMOS (short for Citroen, ISKRA, Tomos), a joint venture that was making Citroens in Yugoslavia under license. 

Was the Axel the result of that?

[catsinthewelder]

30 minutes ago, nomiST said:

Was the Axel the result of that?

That was Oltcit in Romania

[cort16]

22 hours ago, brownnova said:

This week I was teaching a particular reading skill… I can choose my own content for this.

So I chose the story about the man who drove his Frontera up Snowdon. 

 

Did you see this is how they got it down?

[comfortablynumb]

I wondered about that, at one point apparently they were going to chop it up and bring it down in pieces 😱

[IronStar]

1 hour ago, nomiST said:

Was the Axel the result of that?

No, but CIMOS DAK / Geri is

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cimos_DAK_/_Geri
 

It was supposedly so much better than then-current Arcadiane, that Citroen threw the toys out of the pram. They banned CIMOS from exporting it, stopped the delivery of CKD kits, canceled the contract with CIMOS and developed C15 in response. 

[Angrydicky]

10 hours ago, Spottedlaurel said:

Two-and-a-bit years after buying it through an ad here on AS the Carina E has driven out of my life, to become the new owner's daily driver.

Oh, hang on. Making for a nice period scene there's a Rover 620 following it.

Funds paid on the new car, needs a bit of a clean-up and some work doing before I take ownership.......

My best mate is over the moon with the Carina and he intends to maintain it and keep it going as long as possible. He finds it exceptionally comfortable compared to his very unreliable and expensive ‘18 Micra he’s just got shot of, with nice soft seats instead of the rock hard ones in the Nissan, great visibility with its skinny pillars, plus with its nice basic controls and quality feel it’s just a lovely place to be. Very spacious inside and yet compact outside- despite being an estate it was parked next to a modern Toyota hatch in his car park today and it was about the same length but shorter and narrower.

He doesn’t change his cars very often at all, this is only the third car he’s ever owned and is the first one he cares about. He really likes it and says he is going to try to keep it nice. I will help him and in preparation we have been and bought him some tools today.

Basically while his Micra was backwards and fowards to the dealer with a myriad of electrical faults, I leant him my Rover and he really liked it, in fact he liked it so much he decided he wanted something older, and I steered him towards something Japanese for reliability.

Got it home to St.Ives with no drama at all, a very easy and comfortable drive home as you’d expect.

Put the other trims on because they looked a bit more period, figured out the interesting fog light switch and checked and topped up the tyre pressures and the levels under the bonnet. It’s a really nice car to drive and I was quite impressed when I had a go.

Front number plate needs fitting properly as it’s currently held on with cable ties following an incident while SLs daughter was driving, which snapped both captive nuts. I’ve ordered some new ones on eBay. We did try new batteries in both remote fobs but no joy, there is a company in Leicester that did a good job of repairing the fob on my Rover but he seems happy to just stick the key in the door.

Will give it an oil and filter change soon as it’s just about due but the rest of it all looks good as SL had a full service done about 9k ago. I will show Marcus how to do this as he’s never actually done one before, he’s keen to learn though.

Its been very well looked after throughout its life, really tidy inside and out and a great big folder of history which is really nice to have.

Here it is in its new home.

Thanks again to SL for offering the Carina to me first before advertising it elsewhere, it was a pleasure to see you again Nigel and thanks for showing me the Laurel and the magazine collection (which is very impressive).

[stuboy]

9 minutes ago, Angrydicky said:

and the magazine collection (which is very impressive).

playboy 1962 to 1987..?