The new news 24 thread

[Yoss]

Just come back from a friend's house to see this. 

The sickening thing, for me at least, is it was free. His daughter had seen it languishing in a garden and put a note on it asking if they'd like to sell it. They phoned back and said come and take it away, you'd be doing us a favour! It's going to my friends granddaughter, the neice of the daughter who found it, who has just passed her test. Apparently she loves it which is good. Nice to see not all youngsters want some sort trendy (I know using that word makes me sound old, I make no apology) Apple connected thing. Hopefully Wilf will make sure she does look after it. He wants her to be there when he services it and hopefully she'll learn how it works. She will have access to a very well equipped garage. 

New pressed steel number plates are on their way. It's not mint but very tidy. There's a few marks but nothing that shows from a few feet away. Perfect first car really, looks good but not too good to use. 

Interior really is mint. It's an N reg so has the early trim which I prefer. They only did it for about a year, N/P reg. It's a bit subdued, the later ones had a jazzy pattern but these look better quality, almost tweedy. 

And the door trims have a small weave pattern too, probably too small to see here. Mine are plain grey. 

It needs a new windscreen, which is on its way and some new tyres but that looks to be it. 

Not sure what the Plus denotes, it looks the same as my old LXi.

I am quite jealous. 

[SRi05]

You love to see it

[Fumbler]

I like the full fabric door cards on those, plus the fabric patterns are very pleasing to my eyes.

[trigger]

For anyone local and interested we are restarting our car meets at Shotley again! Obviously Covid is making it a nightmare but the Pub will be locking it doors as they still need to provide table service  but instead are doing a BBQ on the field and soft drinks.

[Split_Pin]

Friends reunited.

I'm fucking cutting my arm off letting the green one go for the total roffle price, its absolutely minted inside and out. But its not a Denzil Shaker (sounds like a good old Jazz player) which I've really taken to.

[SRi05]

I think the alloys from the blue one would look minted on the green one if you were keeping both

[cort16]

Is the diesel one intercooled? I seem to remember that made a big different to these back in the day.

My mate parents had a early mk3 Astra 1.7 TD intercooled  and it could really shift.

[Split_Pin]

I'm not sure,  if I'm honest I didn't check to see if one was there! I kind of assumed there was one.

[Split_Pin]

11 minutes ago, SRi05 said:

I think the alloys from the blue one would look minted on the green one if you were keeping both

I agree, however 1 Cav is enough!

[cort16]

16 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

I'm not sure,  if I'm honest I didn't check to see if one was there! I kind of assumed there was one.

The Astra used to have a badge like this one. I'm not sure if the facelift ones all had intercoolers.

I can't remember were I put my shoes 10 minutes ago but I remember this obscure detail from 25 years ago.

[chaseracer]

6 hours ago, Austat said:

Came across a pop-up stand for Genesis on my walk in the city today. Not sure if Genesis has been introduced to the UK market, but it appears to be Hyundai's up-market sub-brand. Nothing spectacular, but interesting regardless.

If I have had to choose one out of the lineup on display, I'd go for a G70.

What is it with MASSIVE GOPPING GRILLES these days?  😜

(said the man with the Lexarse...)

[wuvvum]

1 hour ago, trigger said:

For anyone local and interested we are restarting our car meets at Shotley again! Obviously Covid is making it a nightmare but the Pub will be locking it doors as they still need to provide table service  but instead are doing a BBQ on the field and soft drinks.

I'm planning on trundling down in the Škoda - should be a good test of whether or not the head gasket is fixed, ahead of the run up to Lincs next month for FOTU.

[wuvvum]

2 hours ago, SRi05 said:

You love to see it

The rev gauge on mine doesn't work.  Well that's not quite accurate, it doesn't work until about 3,000rpm, whereupon it suddenly springs to life and overreads massively.

[Rusty_Rocket]

1 hour ago, cort16 said:

Is the diesel one intercooled? I seem to remember that made a big different to these back in the day.

My mate parents had a early mk3 Astra 1.7 TD intercooled  and it could really shift.

Pretty much all remaining Cav diesels have the (intercooled) Isuzu engine.  There was an n/a diesel, badged 1.7D early on but it was dropped before the facelift I think - and was utterly miserable!  Many were taxis back in their day actually.

The 1.7TD Isuzu in the Cavalier was a brilliant engine; I wish I still had mine.  I can understand why you'd keep it over the 1.8 Pez, Split_Pin!

[wuvvum]

Mondeo passed its MOT today.  Not quite a straight pass, the headlight aim was way out, but the garage corrected that for me and didn't even charge me for doing so.  I'd call that a result.

[Split_Pin]

2 hours ago, cort16 said:

The Astra used to have a badge like this one. I'm not sure if the facelift ones all had intercoolers.

I can't remember were I put my shoes 10 minutes ago but I remember this obscure detail from 25 years ago.

I hear ya!

I was out at the shops in it tonight cruised along great.

There's a few things I want to sort:

Temperature needle is sticky, you need to give it a tap like a barometer. Forecast: 85bhp.

Gearstick sometimes fails to comply. A lube of the linkage and a gear oil change will hopefully sort this.

Weld a 5p sized hole in the sill.

[cort16]

Granada mot passed , the bin bags stuffed in the mirrors did the trick.

I dug out the spare key out the bag it came in.  I  Always thought it was brown plastic but it turns out someone’s whittled it out of wud.

[Yoss]

1 hour ago, wuvvum said:

The rev gauge on mine doesn't work.  Well that's not quite accurate, it doesn't work until about 3,000rpm, whereupon it suddenly springs to life and overreads massively.

I'd say you were right the first time. That doesn't work. 

[wuvvum]

Fair point.

[artdjones]

1 hour ago, Rusty_Rocket said:

The 1.7TD Isuzu in the Cavalier was a brilliant engine;

That's true, especially comparing it with the engine in its main competitor, first the Peugeot 2.3D in the Sierra, which was durable but archaic, and later the Ford 1.8TD in the Sierra and Mondeo, which was still fairly rough, and not especially long lasting.

[Split_Pin]

Having the two side by side, with the green Cav looking mint and the derv looking somewhat patinated,  I did question if I was doing the right thing. But the derv is just so much more fun to drive (temporary gear issue aside!).

@cort16 great news on the Granada MOT. How is it running now? The key is tremendous!

[BorniteIdentity]

On 6/14/2021 at 8:52 PM, Cord Forteener aka Tim_E said:

Hurray for safety glasses!

I was strimming weeds from under an electric fence with a brush cutter blade for a customer when the blade kicked a stone the size of my first two knuckles right at my left eye of my safety glasses, and therefore not my eyeball. 

There was a good thunk and much hurraying to myself for being sensible. 

My mate Mark is a gardener. This happened to him. He now only has one eye. 

Still a fantastic batsman though, so all is not lost. 🤷‍♂️ 😉 

[cort16]

36 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

Having the two side by side, with the green Cav looking mint and the derv looking somewhat patinated,  I did question if I was doing the right thing. But the derv is just so much more fun to drive (temporary gear issue aside!).

@cort16 great news on the Granada MOT. How is it running now? The key is tremendous!

It seems to be running okay. Apparently the gearbox mount is really bad and probably the cause of the weird vibration its had since I got i.

Just need to get it off now.

[High Jetter]

43 minutes ago, BorniteIdentity said:

Still a fantastic batsman though, so all is not lost.

I hope that's not an euphism!

[Cord Fourteener]

I've just sealed a deal on a new car from a shitter and a sale of a car (the Wife's) to a relative of a shitter.

Feels good. 

Come Sunday I'll be sat on a train for a very long time updating a collection thread 😄

[Split_Pin]

46 minutes ago, cort16 said:

It seems to be running okay. Apparently the gearbox mount is really bad and probably the cause of the weird vibration its had since I got i.

Just need to get it off now.

At least that's something fairly simple, if a bit of a fouter to change out.

[OM646]

So, the Audi got the much needed floor mats.

29€ well spent.

 

[SiC]

MGB is in for an MOT today 🤞

Hope it'll pass as I don't have any time to do remedial work at the moment!

[Split_Pin]

11 hours ago, OM646 said:

So, the Audi got the much needed floor mats.

29€ well spent.

 

Nice steering wheel. Mine has the big boaby airbag one as its a late model Cabriolet.

[SiC]

7 minutes ago, SiC said:

MGB is in for an MOT today 🤞

Hope it'll pass as I don't have any time to do remedial work at the moment!

Just had a call from the garage ... Fail! Brake lights not working again. Likely the switch. I've asked them to fix. Moss is only around the corner from them too.