What makes you grin? Antidote to grumpy thread

[dollywobbler]

New owner of the BX is already cracking on with it. He's so far fixed the broken headlight switch and got the hazard lights working WITHOUT the ignition! Apparently mucking about with the bulb holder in the switch sorted this. Bloody French electrics. This is exactly why I sold it - it needs a fresh bout of enthusiasm. There's a plan forming to take it to a big BX gathering in France to celebrate 30 years of straight-edged Citroen design. I might well be going along too!

[Spiny Norman]

May not be relevant, but a few years ago the lad at my work got insurance for a 1.6 Laguna cheaper than the 1.2 Clio he'd been thinking of.

 

Car insurance seems to be about 10% relevant facts & figures, 40% 'think of a number' and 50% downright witchcraft, it never fails to amaze me how some cars can be so much dearer than others.

My E320 Merc costs me less than a Rover 75 1.8 would have. I could insure a Lamborghini Murcielago using the exact same criteria I use for my everyday car for half what young Cavette is getting charged for a 1.0 Corsa.

[vulgalour]

Congrats to mini Cav and on the insurance side of things, the reason for a policy being lower if the car is valued higher is that it displays the desire of the owner to look after his car. This is, of course, complete bull poop, but this is what I have been told by a man on the inside of the system. Valuing the car at about £2,000 seems to be the magic number, regardless of the car and a limited mileage policy of 4,000 per annum is likewise magical. Certain colours are more expensive to insure, particularly black and red while others are cheaper such as beige and yellow. Saloons and estates are usually cheaper than hatchbacks too, the assumption being that a teenager with a hatchback will always lie about modifications so the insurer assumes the car is modified even if no mods are declared.

 

Most important of all: Insurance group numbers mean diddly squat.

[wuvvum]

Got overtaken by a Honda NSX on the A47 this evening. Bugger me those things sound nice for a V6. Proper snarly.

[triumph1300]

How exactly can the colour of a car affect insurance premium???? Its never come up when insuring the large number of cars I have had..

[vulgalour]

It can and it does. Metallic paint costs more to insure than flat paint too, I know this because it came up when getting quotes for the Polo. Leather interior costs more than cloth/vinyl, just so you know.

[triumph1300]

how do the insurance companies know this? i got quotes for 2 different volvo estates, both different specs and colours, both came back at £180.43...

[trigger]

In 15 years of driving I've never been asked if my car had metallic paint or leather seats and it's never been listed on my policy, even my wife who used to do motor insurance for the CIS says it makes no difference.

 

Unless your telling them cars been modified in which case your paying more for a modification, not because it's metallic.

[vulgalour]

I can only pass on what I was told by insurers, metallic paint and leather interior put the premium up, but if it were flat and cloth it didn't. I don't understand it either. But then, the road to getting insured has been a bumpy one for me so I probably had my name pulled out of the insurance hat to be That One Person We Don't Like.

[Tayne]

how do the insurance companies know this? i got quotes for 2 different volvo estates, both different specs and colours, both came back at £180.43...

 

Well if you gave the registration numbers for those cars...

 

Statistically red cars have more accidents.

Not sure if this still holds true (given the amount of silver and grey) but once upon a time most sporty cars were red, driven harder and more likely to go through a hedge backwards.

Now if you have the red GLX the insurers will think you bought it because it looks like the GTI because its red, you'll drive it harder and will be more likely to go through a hedge backwards.

 

Now the sensible amongst us will buy a used car on condition and spec not colour, so insurer logic should only apply to people who buy new cars?

Not so, I know one woman who was faced with the choice of two used Subarus. There was an N/A model with a low-box less miles and comparable spec that was six months newer than the turbo yet only £250 more.

The low box and sensible wheel tyre combo would have suited her better, been more economical and both were in budget.

She chose the turbo model because it was green.

 

I would question the leather interior aspect. I don't disbelieve that it makes the car more attractive to thieves looking to strip a car and sell the parts but the last four cars I've owned have had it as an available option (two with and two without) but I've never been asked about it by an insurer.

[Spiny Norman]

Statistically red cars have more accidents.

 

That's because red cars go faster, common knowledge, innit?

[Tayne]

Statistically red cars have more accidents.

 

That's because red cars go faster, common knowledge, innit?

 

Absolutely.

40% of my cars have been red.

My only accident happened when I was driving a blue car.

[willswitchengage]

Absolutely.

40% of my cars have been red.

My only accident happened when I was driving a blue car.

 

QED

 

Good news: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19329200

 

Interesting news, according to the paper, the average horsepower sold in EU cars is now 138hp - a record high.

[wuvvum]

I wonder how many of those seized cars were actually uninsured, and how many were just not on the database due to an insurance company / MID fuckup?

[DSdriver]

Statistically the least stolen car colour is pink.

[messerschmitt owner]

Statistically the least stolen car colour is pink.

statistically, the biggest cause of divorce is marriage!

[Cavcraft]

I wonder how many of those seized cars were actually uninsured, and how many were just not on the database due to an insurance company / MID fuckup?

 

Or how much of it was just bollocks. Recall they had a clamp down on people riding mini-motos on the road/other palces they shouldn't and in the local paper the coppers made a big deal of how many they'd seized and crushed. The picture in the thread showed a metal yard I used so I asked them about it and they said they'd hardly seen any at all and it was rubbish.

[Pete-M]

Prompted by a discussion earlier over on facebook about it being a mystery to one chap why Cortinas are going up in value I've been thinking a bit about the kind of cars I like, and the ones I really don't see the attraction of despite plenty of people fawning over them on a regular basis.

 

I think a fair few of the folk on here know what they like, some big fans of old Volvos, Rovers, Citroens, FSOs and old BL tat. We've even got fans of Vauxhalls. Some of us like big old barges, others choose to run diesels on veg oil. Some like gadgets, auto boxes, aircon and DRLs. Others prefer their windows to fold or clip on.

 

When it comes to market values of some stuff and it really is mad out there. You could buy a good 1980's Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 and a good Bentley Turbo R for the price of an immaculate (and working) Citroen SM. An Escort Cosworth is worth less than a DS, but a Mk2 RS1800 Escort in mint condition could cost more than the four put together. You can buy an immaculate Audi A8 for less than the price of a scruffy Passat TDi, or a good Bristol for less than a mint Rover P5B Coupé - but the P5 3.0 Coupé is still pennies in comparison.

 

Y'know what? I can't work it out.

[Des]

It's a whole acting like sheep / just not very bright thing, not many have the ability to work out for themselves what they want, and will seek the most hyped up model, as decided by pub bores, magazines, beardys. Paranoid at splashing out on the 4 cylinder model and then being constantly reminded they should have got the 6 cylinder by wankers who have driven neither.

Trouble with acting like sheep though, just a matter of time and the farmers going to give them what for.

[dollywobbler]

It is a funny old world for sure. A really nice, late Bentley Brooklands Turbo is £20k on a dealer's forecourt, but a really early Range Rover will probably be more. Both eat fuel in an alarming manner but I think I'd take the Bentley.

 

Buy a nice MGB roadster and you'll need at least £8k these days, possibly more. Buy a nice TR7 and you'll have change from £3000. Even with a rather necessary V8, a TR7 is still only £5-6k. A Stag on the otherhand is increasingly the wrong side of £12k.

 

A Mk2 Jag? £14k upwards in 3.8 form, and that'll be an iffy one. Far better to spend £12k on an S-Type instead. Better suspension, better gearbox and much cheaper to buy. Insanity.

 

Or there's pretty much anything French that isn't an iconic Citroen. Renault 5s are great cars, but hard to get more than £800 for. The Peugeot 205 is arguably the car that saved Peugeot from a life of building utterly uninspiring cars, but they're worth sod all. Choose your future. Choose autoshite.

[messerschmitt owner]

it's true - I've always liked microcars and back in the day you could pick them up for £50 or so.

 

Here's my list of microcar purchases from 1987-91

 

Isetta - £525

Messerschmitt - £200

Isetta - £50

Nobel - £200

Trojan - £350

Bond MkC -£350

Isetta - £500 (T&T)

Fiat 500 - £100

Fiat Giardineria - £150

Berkeley T60 (x2) £700

Berkeley B95 - £2000 (with £3000 numberplate at the time)

Trabant P50 - £700 (T&T)

NSU Prinz - various from £50-300 (T&T)

Trojan - £200

Trojan - £75

Heinkel A0 scooter - £125

lambretta Ld125 - £100

Lambretta Li150 - £50

 

There are more but those are the notable ones - now the real bubble cars would be £3-10k in unrestored condition and most of the others over a grand a pop. I've scrapped microcars that today would be restored.

 

My Schmitt was £200 with a spare engine, manuals, tools, plus other spares - now £10k would just about buy it (solid but needing a body resto, retrim and repaint). I think what I could buy for £10k now:-

Porsche 911/912

Lotus Esprit turbo

Ferrari 308

Maserati (Merak or similar)

WW2 Jeep

Dodge Weapons Carrier

 

there's lots of stuff I could buy and have change -

vauxhall PA Cresta

Bedford CA Camper

Land Rover Series 1

Porsche 928S

Opel Manta A

Opel GT

E Series Vauxhall

a choice of TVRs or Lotuses

[messerschmitt owner]

making me grin are the good people of Autoshite, who can always be trusted to come good when favours are asked, and potential new cars need looked at ...

[Negative Creep]

The Peugeot 205 is arguably the car that saved Peugeot from a life of building utterly uninspiring cars, but they're worth sod all. Choose your future. Choose autoshite.

 

Well, it gave the uninspiring cars a stay of execution (or rather introduction) instead. I agree they aren't worth much, and there are still a far few knocking around, although hte GTI is very much the exception and will be a major scene tax victim very soon

 

 

 

Also, the latest Sniff Petrol

 

Ask A Total Prick From An Internet Forum…

 

Dear Total Prick From An Internet Forum, We have a baby on the way and I’m going to need a more practical car. I like the look of the Nissan Qashqai and I notice the Kia Sportage is good value but now I’m reading good things about the new Mazda CX-5. Which to chose? All advice gratefully received! Neil, Warwick

 

A Total Prick From An Internet Forum replies… First of all, welcome to the site. Secondly, is this how you would normally introduce yourself? You just come in here and start asking questions like you own the place? Get some manners. Here’s a tip; why not go to some car showrooms and look at these cars for yourself? We are not your personal car shopping service and the sooner you realise that, the sooner you will fit in around here. Also, why the hell are you looking at cars like that? Total. Waste. Of. Time. I have a Honda Civic Type-S that does 99 percent of the things that those so called off roaders can do, it’s great to drive and it has literally never gone wrong. If you buy a fake 4×4 you’re an idiot. Okay?

 

Dear Total Prick From An Internet Forum, I’ve had my 2005 Golf TDI for two years now and it’s been totally fault free. However, just this week the central locking has started playing up. Sometimes it won’t unlock all the doors but if I lock it again and then unlock it that usually works. Is this a known fault with these cars? Is it worth getting it looked at or should I just live with it? Cheers! Simon, Dundee

 

A Total Prick From An Internet Forum replies… Let me ask you this – have you ever heard of a little thing called the search facility? It would allow you to look for other people on the site who have had similar problems without wasting everyone’s time with ridiculous threads like this. This is not some free automotive electrical consultancy you know. Also, Golf TDI? Seriously? Why would you even buy something like that unless you were a total idiot who knew nothing about cars? When I bought my Honda Civic Type-S four years ago I looked at literally every car on sale at the time and the HCT-S was literally the best car available of any kind. Why you didn’t buy one of those I cannot understand. My central locking works perfectly. There’s a reason why yours doesn’t. Is it National Idiot Day today or something?

 

Dear Total Prick From An Internet Forum, I’ve got a beautiful blue Citroen Saxo. I call her Sadie! Does anyone else have a Saxo! I love my Saxo!!! Claire, Guildford

 

A Total Prick From An Internet Forum replies… Hey Claire! Welcome to the site! Like the sound of your Saxo! Great cars! I see you’re in Guildford. That’s not far from me. You might see me around sometimes in my black Honda Civic Type-S. We should have a forum meet-up some time! Hope you’re still enjoying your Saxo! Do you have any pictures of yourself in your Saxo? Take care. TPFAIF x

[triumph1300]

What forum is that from?! ^

[Volksy]

www.sniffpetrol.com

[autofive]

just watching The Hot Potato (2010) - a film chocked full of autoshite

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1641252/

[scaryoldcortina]

 

[chaseracer]

Can't get on with that.

 

It's not so much the use of the Fiasco doors - Bond used Herald units to good effect - but, combined with the rear side windows from the same car, I can't help seeing "early Fiesta with plastic bits wobbed on either end". Which I suspect is NOT what the maker intended...

[RedSparrow]

Man those things are awkward looking. Designer mustve been gutten when he was told he had to use fiesta doors and glass.

[tonedepear]

It looks EXACTLY like a Lotus Excel, only much cooler.