The new news 24 thread

[dollywobbler]

Top chod.

[stuboy]

riding my peugout looxor about...

[cobblers]

shine a light trigger, thats fantastic! My grandad turned up with one of those just like that as a gift for my mum when I was about 5 or 6, she couldn't drive so it sat on the road outside the house for a couple of years and he eventually took it away, I remember being told to bash the plums out of the back wheels with a hammer to free off the stuck brakes as he dragged it down the drive.

[trigger]

I'd imagine I'm the only person now in the country to own both a early Suzuki Alto and a early Honda Civic, does that make me special?...

[Lord Sterling]

Sweet little motah these Trig, top bombing ole chap. I take it the plate will be retained by the seller? If not I might be interested, I've always wanted one of these low digit private plates to my car that 'old money' look.

[trigger]

The owners keeping the plate, He's been offered £20000 for it! It's been on the car since around 1980!

[Pete-M]

Nice Civic, Trig. I'd leave the Marlboro sticker as you won't see another one of them for a long time.

Meanwhile, I've been having an OCD moment.

I actually bothered to get this sticker reprinted because it was missing from the door.

All it says, in Japanese, is "Don't put this car through a car wash without consulting the operator first" 

Or, according to Google translate;

" If you want to wash the car roof spoiler instrumentation and attention Sella in the use of the roof spoiler with car and Sella, depending on the species of car wash machine, a possibility that spoiler caught, hurt the vehicle Masu Li §. Please consult our staff always."

 

Sad, huh?

[Cavcraft]

For I think the first time since I've owned it (nearly a year now) I hovered the 306 out this evening. It was absolutely bogging, I banged the seats and have probably caused Manchester airport to close due to poor visibility such was the clouds of shit that came out.

[stuboy]

I'd imagine I'm the only person now in the country to own both a early Suzuki Alto and a early Honda Civic, does that make me special?...

add this to make a tantalising trio...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1974-DATSUN-100A-GOLD-Stunning-rust-free-car-/161038963390?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item257eab92be

[dollywobbler]

I don't think that's sad Pete - quality detailing. I do think you should have translated it back into Japanese from Google translate though, then had the sticker printed.

[Pete-M]

I was tempted to get it re-done saying "Beware of the car wash" and a Ralliart logo. Just to see if anyone ever actually noticed it.

[drum]

Took the allegro to the Tayside classic car club show at Errol yesterday. While there I had a sniff round the adjacent car boot sale and happened upon a box of car mags. A few Custom Car mags from the early 70s and over 20 Car from 73 to 75 and a few Autocar, Motor Sport and a couple of Americam mags all early 70s. Short barter chat went as follows-

 

Me: How much for the magazines?

Seller: £2 each

Me: Oh! (Look of surprise)

Seller: Or ten for £3

Me: (Scratches chin) How about a fiver for the box?

Seller: Ok

 

 

 

Here's a quiz. What new car is being described in ths Car scoop report?

Down in a Welsh valley, something stirred! And on a quiet motorway, something stopped on the hard shoulder! Two versions of the same 'thing'....What are they? Well, they're British, that's for sure. and they appear to be aerodynamically good and unusually stylish. In size they seem to be larger than, say, Cortina or Rover, but reasonably close to Ford Granada.

[drum]

Also at the Errol show, this tidy maestro was for sale

 

 

Wee bit pricey at £1000

[warren t claim]

Got another note on the windscreen of the Volvo. From that 'darryl' jeb-end wanting '2 by engnie n box'. 

 

EVERYONE LEAVE ME ALOOOOOOOONE.

 

I'd consider parking it somewhere else in future.

[wuvvum]

Trig, you're a fugging legend.  Mk1 Civics are ace.  The one I had was rotten as a pear but massive fun to drive.  When they're running right they go like the clappers.

 

When you get fed up with it, simply go on Retro Rides and offer to swap it for every car in the For Sale section for about nine months.

[skattrd]

Trigger - that Civic does look rather nice, it'll be good to hear how it compares with the Alto.

 

Well done on shifting the Fullvia H.Imp & Volksy, now what to replace it with ... I think you guys need another Lancia, maybe even a convertible or if a renault GTA inspires you I may have one of those I'd be willing to part with (not for £600 though).

[michiel]

Nice purchase Trigger, never seen one with that big a sunroof. Lovely and well jealous.

[Cavcraft]

 

Here's a quiz. What new car is being described in ths Car scoop report?

 

Gilbern, probably Invader?

[barefoot]

Insurance query...

 

Anyone come up against this?

 

Renewal for Porsche £236 so not the end of the world but started to shop around a bit as you do.

Neither Direct Line or LV would quote comprehensive 'because its over 25 years old'

Could only offer third party only!

 

Curiously the Scirocco is also 27 and insured comp with Direct Line, but that's because it's a renewal.

 

Bizzarro.

[daveb47]

Nobody will insure Q Plates on a trike on comprehensive any more.

Bloody insurers are extracting the urine as usual.

[Vanny]

Cost for me to insure the J-reg BX16v, £650. Cost to insure £8ks worth of 55 plate Discovery 3, £700.

 

Given the damage i could do with the Disco compared to the lack of damage the BX would do, how in god's name does that work out?

 

Barefoot, LV are just odd. The things they will ensure has been getting worse for years. They used to insure anything while they where still Liverpool Victoria, modified, off road you name, they would cover it. These days i think i'll have to buy a Focus if i want them to insure me! They won't insure the cat because i dont know what day it was born ffs.

[dollywobbler]

It started with European breakdown cover - the mainstream guys stopped covering anything over as little as eight years old. Guess insurance is going the same way. Good job there's a whole world of classic insurance specialists out there! My guess is that anything that doesn't fit into the 'send to stupidly expensive bodyshop, buy stupidly expensive body panels from manufacturer' remit is considered a pain in the arse and not worth bothering with.

 

EDIT - Vanny, why are you paying so much for the Valver?! I reckon you'd be under £300 on a classic policy. It's old enough.

[cort16]

I finally got to drive this little Smart after the brakes finally gave up their battle to cling onto the rear discs.

This one's a 3 pot diesel as used in the Merc A-Class 150 diesels, which gives it a bit of a weird sound but it goes alright (my one has maximum powa 95bhp motor). Although the ForFour's closely based on the Mitsubishi Colt the Smart has all plastic doors, bonnet, wings and bumpers meaning it's very light. My one also has a full glass roof, which is a pretty cool feature as the big windscreen stretches right up into the roof.

 

Driving wise it's actually pretty good for a small car. It's comfy and it'll bomb along at illegal speeds no bother and doesn't have any problem over taking stuff on a-roads. It also handles pretty well although the electric power steering can have a bit of a weird feeling sometimes. It also seems to be geared really oddly as in there's a big leap between 2nd-3rd. I guess this is an attempt to keep it nippy around town but not revving it's nuts off on longer drives. I slung £15's worth of diesel in it and did 70 miles and still seem to have roughly half of this left, which I recon means 50+mpg.

They still seem to hold their values and my ones got a years mot after it was accidently mot'd last week, 6 months tax and just had a full service and new brakes so I'm hoping it'll sell okay so I can re-use the money to either revive my languishing SD1 or buy something interesting.

 

Smart by cort16, on Flickr

[dollywobbler]

I'm really quite fond of those big Smarts. An actual attempt to make a modern car look a bit different. Probably nowhere near as annoying as a proper Smart to drive either.

[cort16]

It's got a normal 5 speed manual gearbox, which is a massive head start on the smaller Smarts. They're pretty nice inside too and don't feel as cheap inside like some of the earlier for two or roadsters.

[Cavcraft]

He's a scouser, that's why Ian!

[plasticvandan]

Hi Guys,and girls? lol havent posted for a while,had the whole getting ditched for someone else shit to get over,2 years and a ring all for nothing....

 

In more exiting news im now shiteing again I have managed to get hold of a 1998 Reliant Robin LX,one owner from new,and 12k on the clock,back of the net!

Pics to come,it is suffering from the biggest case of laquer peel i have ever seen,virtually the whole of the roof and bonnet area,which is right annoying as the sides and back are brilliant!im going to experiment with relaquering it,just for the hell of it.

[drum]

Gilbern, probably Invader?

No, it was the Princess.

[Skizzer]

Hi Guys,and girls? lol havent posted for a while,had the whole getting ditched for someone else shit to get over,2 years and a ring all for nothing....

 

In more exiting news im now shiteing again I have managed to get hold of a 1998 Reliant Robin LX,one owner from new,and 12k on the clock,back of the net!

Pics to come,it is suffering from the biggest case of laquer peel i have ever seen,virtually the whole of the roof and bonnet area,which is right annoying as the sides and back are brilliant!im going to experiment with relaquering it,just for the hell of it.

 

Yo, welcome back Dan.  A Reliant with eczema sounds just the shitey ticket for helping to move on from personal loss - go for it man. Pics required.

[Pete-M]

Those Smart ForFour things. I've tried a Brabus one of those. It went quite well, but in my hands only averaged 22 mpg around town...

 

It had the kind of chunky ride that a BMW 3 on runflats would be proud of.