The new news 24 thread

[SiC]

Decided to bring the "new" modern home today. A bit of champagne motoring on lemonade money this one. Cost me £4k, because thats what the parents got offered part-ex when they went to buy a new car. I wouldn't usually go for something like this, but it was cheap (for what it is) and it placates the wife wanting something a bit newer. Certainly much prefer having this over some financed Qashqai or similar she was looking at. Also means I can continue to buy crap chod in peace.

 

Why was it so "cheap"? Well because ...

 

To be fair, it drives very nicely and feel very solid, Germanic and sophisticated. Given the mileage (nearly 161k), its still feels new and has worn the miles very well. Not even the interior paint has scratched off, like German cars of old. Even for the devils fuel, its pretty quiet and smooth - still shame its not a petrol. I won't deny, I quite like it.

 

I was supposed to pick it up at the end of next month to mid September, but decided to leave the Civic at my parents and give this a bit of a use considering I've just bought it. Will bring the Civic home later instead, once I sell the Smart and cleared some room up on the drive.

[taxi paul]

Chucked a bid on a s reg toyota celica st on eBay. Was telling my mate about it and he asked "why"? Because it's bloody lovely looking ,that's why. Some people just don't have any common sense.

[Ghosty]

Doing a couple of hundred miles to the Lakes today has thrown up three observations about the Rover:

 

• motorway MPG is shit.
• spoiler isn't held on by much except shit old silicone, and one end of it is loose (whoops). Needs sikaflex.
• tracking is off. I've been suspicious of this for a bit but the wear on the outside edge of the nearside front tyre says I'm right.

[captain_70s]

Went back oop north for the weekend. Spent the vasty majority of my time up there drunk but spent some of my hungover time working on the Doloshite. Actually got the fucker to run by gravity feeding it petrol straight in to the carb, unfortunately it starts and then immediately revs up uncontrollably unless I switch off the ignition. Is this due to the current fuel delivery system causing over fueling or is something in the carb stuck?

Turns out my brand new fuel pump had decided it didn't want to work and is dead, have refitted the old one which seems to work but didn't get much further as the battery went flat before we could get a good amount of fuel pulled through to the carb. Either way if we can get it running all it needs is the throttle cable replacing and the clutch system bled and it can be driven for an MOT...

 

I also drunkenly drove my Civic down a field while camping in an effort to bring my FM transmitter close enough to the tents/fire to be able to listen to the Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack on a radio. Nobody is quite sure how I managed it without blowing a tyre as I drove over a burnt out bed frame, rocks , bits of scrap car and some cutting discs on the way, jumped over a ridge and also hit a beater Ford Focus leaving a baaaad scrape on the Civic's O/S/F door and minor scrapes to the rear wheel arch. I also MAY have hit a Fabia estate and a semi-stripped Transit van but there is no damage to my car to prove it and the Fabia and van are already so battered it's hard to tell...

[Eddie Honda]

The lesson is to not go camping in litter-strewn fields?

[Matt]

Went to the shop to, found this little beauty...

IMG_2400.JPG

 

Never actually seen one in the wild!

 

Right, tell me if this is a thing for anyone else. Why is it that whenever I'm looking at buying a certain car I start seeing them? This is the second one that someone I know has found and photographed in the wild this week.

[Eddie Honda]

That's not a car

[alcyonecorporation]

no it's a hardpoint saw (KLF 3am remix). 

[Eddie Honda]

It's a tricycle.

 

(A driver licencing, taxation and MOT testing point.)

[andy18s]

Nor an ice cream van

[stuboy]

Cheap ..practical...reliable hire car?

[captain_70s]

There's a lesson about drunk driving in there somewhere.

Possibly but I'm not sure it's obvious enough.

 

I've now decided not to sell the Civic and to simply keep it given that my prior worries of Glasgow life damaging it's nice bodywork and destroying it's value now being invalid so I may as well just stick with it until I have a decent Doloshite to play with. I'll attack the scuffs with the sandpaper and rattle cans at some point and use it as painting practice until I'm half decent...

[loserone]

Sounds like the civic is now autoshite

[Six-cylinder]

Citroen National yesterday, my usual obsession for Visas/C15s  came out.

[MarvinsMom]

spotted this wee gem in Darlington yesterday and i just had to pull over and take a snap

 

its an allegro 1100 lux, complete with square steering wheel!

 

got a pic of it with Marvin the metro, but i've not yet worked out how to get that pic off of the phone

 

we'd been over to the NRM at Shildon, and while there was some beautiful vehicles on show (a Bedford HA van, a bedford CA and also a Bedford CF as well as stuff like a couple of e-types and a couple of Vauxhall Victor FE's) i had forgotten the camera so sadly no pics.

 

we had got the Metro parked up next to a lush, 1947 Rover 16 saloon, which cost, in 1947 £947.... which i guess would have been the cost of a house back then!

 

but the the slightly scruffy Allegro running wild and free was my favorite. cos i like Allegro's.....

[bramz7]

Just trying to clean my entry for the FoU on Saturday, and it's reacting well to some clean water (well the bits with lacquer still on at least), but the engine bay is caked in, I assume, decades old oil and petrol. How on earth do I get it off?!! I could just leave it as is, but it's bothering me quite a bit that it's so grimy.

 

Lets just hope the dirt isn't structural. 

[Bobthebeard]

The new* brake caliper for the Oldsmobile has now arrived courtesy of Rock Auto. Took approximately a week. Not bad for $49 inc shipping. Will be fitting it this coming weekend. Hopefully a step closer to getting the MOT for the old girl.

[somewhatfoolish]

Just trying to clean my entry for the FoU on Saturday, and it's reacting well to some clean water (well the bits with lacquer still on at least), but the engine bay is caked in, I assume, decades old oil and petrol. How on earth do I get it off?!! I could just leave it as is, but it's bothering me quite a bit that it's so grimy.

 

Lets just hope the dirt isn't structural.

I'd have a go at it with TFR or maybe something like Jizer/Gunk; daub it on neat and leave for a bit then rinse off, or jet wash if you are feeling brave.

[17-Coffees]

Although I've finally got a garage of my own, I got the chance to finally get the 316 in the workshop at...well work.

 

Not bad, solid enough underneath, a few dabs of oil leaks but all serviceable. One being the rocker cover gasket, the other being a leak from the bottom of the power steering resivor. Oil levels all okay, so just going to keep an eye out. Overall not bad.

Oh wait, no it isn't, there actually is a borked spring on the rear.

 

Point of action? Park up in the home garage and have a proper wheel off check at my own pace...

[cros]

I had to deliver a young person to Stansted airport yesterday afternoon. If we could have simply dropped her off outside without waiting it would have cost a mere 3.50 but we needed to see her into departure so the hour it took cost 16 quid. We paid and got straight into the boiling hot P4 to join the queue to get the hell out. The ticket barriers all seemed to be playing up and cars were constantly diving into the next line to try to leave. The reason became apparent when we finally made the barrier- it kept rejecting cards and the delay was notching up an extra charge. No-one came to sort the mayhem though I dare say they would have done if one of the irate customers had smashed through the barrier. We paid the extra £5 incurred and I vowed never to go near the filthy Nazi-run shithole again. I've not been in an aeroplane since I was 10 so it won't be a hardship.

[Rusty_Rocket]

^^^ two hours free parking in mid stay.. 

[egg]

The new* brake caliper for the Oldsmobile has now arrived courtesy of Rock Auto. Took approximately a week. Not bad for $49 inc shipping. Will be fitting it this coming weekend. Hopefully a step closer to getting the MOT for the old girl.

image.jpeg

Did you have to pay import duty?

[Bobthebeard]

Did you have to pay import duty?

No... Just the shipping cost apparently. Not charged on small value items I suspect.

[cros]

^^^ two hours free parking in mid stay..

 

Should have gone to specsavers

[BorniteIdentity]

Is £20 plus postage a lot of money for a Sierra top hose?

 

I can only find one that looks vaguely correct.  

[stuboy]

I told missus her focus 2 months ago she had headlight out, i thought it had been done by her and her dad, well saturday i took her out for a meal for her birthday, 31 she rocking on a bit..!! We took 2 cars as had all the lil shits, went to leave and just getting dark she annouces she'll follow me as got bulb out!! Still they didnt do it,so yesterday 4 weeks after my op im changing the dam thing, not difficult just people dont realise theres a bolt underneath, after doing i found a how too on u tube, one thing i would say to anyone is dont put undertray back on until the grill is bolted on as theres no room and the bloody bolt falls through onto the tray and you have to remove it all again( yes i dropped both the lil feckers)

 

[egg]

Is £20 plus postage a lot of money for a Sierra top hose?

 

I can only find one that looks vaguely correct.

Sounds maybe a little steep to me, is it OEM though?

[dome]

Is £20 plus postage a lot of money for a Sierra top hose?

 

I can only find one that looks vaguely correct.  

 

 

Tried the dealer? They were OK in price for me for a bush for the Cougar

[BorniteIdentity]

Tried the dealer? They were OK in price for me for a bush for the Cougar

Aye. First stop. The bloke delighted in telling me the car is now 34 years old (in case I hadn't realised) and that after 10 years Ford stop making bits. I still made him search the database - mostly because he was being a cock and it was 5 minutes until closing, so I wanted to waste his time. He smugly showed me a print out saying NLA.

 

Verdict? Stroker.

[RobT]

I paid 12 quid for a NOS Cavalier top hose. I needed it so just puckered up and paid the money! It's still leaking from the thermostat housing, but I'll sort that another time.