What makes you grin? Antidote to grumpy thread

[Metal Guru]

On 09/05/2026 at 18:18, Zie said:

An infestation....

Is the owner’s club known as The Buggers?

[Andyrew]

Asked by a friend if I could weld up some holes on a nearly new van after a failed break in. 

Multiple holes punched in the bodywork, all in the wrong places to get to the lock mechanisms. 

I know that doesn't sound like a grin, but the bell ends have punched a hole in the side of the van roughly in the area handle would be instead of the lock area, I say would be because its the side that doesn't even have a fucking sliding door!

Brazen not bright.

[Lord Sterling]

Was watching a clip of Bellman & True (1987) where a S2 Jag XJ is used as a getaway car after a robbery. Browsing the comments, this made me laugh. 

Clip from none other than our own @autofive

I mean, it was true. In the 60s and 70s most criminals and gangsters did prefer Jags/Daimlers. Of course, most criminals sadly love German wheels today. BMWs, Audi and to a certain point Mercs.

[hairnet]

Former YUG not the only place for mad convertibles

@IronStar

Cooin 8denc3 friend has a german book about mad japanese convertibles 

All kindsa normal hatchbacks and shit and they just had the saw out

 

 

 

[hairnet]

300 miles home 

Home for 12 hours

Then head to Folkestone for Wednesday 

Naah fuck that

[motorpunk]

Spotted; A happy chap in London traffic. Love these things.

[High Jetter]

44 minutes ago, hairnet said:

300 miles home 

Home for 12 hours

Then head to Folkestone for Wednesday 

Naah fuck that

Wot u got against the IOW?

[hairnet]

Another time

Down to worcs across to oxford down to lymington

[richardmorris]

Lorry gets stuck in hole it was sent to fix in Somerset | Somerset | The Guardian

 

[Metal Guru]

35 minutes ago, richardmorris said:

Lorry gets stuck in hole it was sent to fix in Somerset | Somerset | The Guardian

 

The pot hole situation is getting seriously out of hand when they’re swallowing HGVs.

[artdjones]

On 30/04/2026 at 09:47, myglaren said:

 

They have travellers in Liverpool, then?

That's a sulky race on the N20 Cork to Limerick dual carriageway 3 or four years ago. Drivers suddenly saw the two racers and a load of cars four abreast with half cut screaming caravanistes hanging out of their windows coming towards them, taking up both sides of the road 

It's their culture, you see.

 

[richardmorris]

59 minutes ago, artdjones said:

They have travellers in Liverpool, then?

That's a sulky race on the N20 Cork to Limerick dual carriageway 3 or four years ago. Drivers suddenly saw the two racers and a load of cars four abreast with half cut screaming caravanistes hanging out of their windows coming towards them, taking up both sides of the road 

It's their culture, you see.

 

The animals deserve better.

[Spottedlaurel]

Been here on AS for more than 20 years now! I knew it was sometime in May that I joined, turned out to be the 4th. Back then I had a toddler and a baby, now they're both driving and have various cars and motoring adventures behind them.

Will try and work out what I had on the road/languishing on the driveway back then.

[DavieW]

How difficult could it be put it on straight 🤔

[auntiemaryscanary]

Whenever I see one of their cars or hear of the Chinese motor manufacturer best known for it's nearly Range Rover why can I only think of the clothing company for larger gents?

[Spottedlaurel]

8 hours ago, Spottedlaurel said:

Will try and work out what I had on the road/languishing on the driveway back then.

Took a bit of digging around on the drive from the last-PC-but-one, looks like this is what I had in May 2006:

Laurel was my daily driver, bought for £25 from Cromer reeking of smoke. Cost me approaching £600 to get on the road again but it was always a tatty old thing that got taken off the road when the MoT expired and I broke it for spares (the rolling shell got taken to the new house when we moved in 2008 and I think it eventually went for scrap around 2010-11).

The maroon Skyline 240K GT had gone through a period of being my daily driver, bought in 1998 from somewhere near Poole off the daughter of its long-term (original?) owner. We took it to Norway in 2000 and 2002 but by 2006 I was using it less and it was starting to get a bit tired and rusty. Sold it in 2007, it's now on SORN but I wonder if it's been scrapped? The subsequent owner took the engine and 'box out for a planned engine conversion and I ended up winning them on eBay for £51 (still stashed away as spares for my current Laurel) before he sold the rolling shell on.

'PONG' the Carina E was the family car, primarily used by Mrs SL and bought to replace a much-loved and missed Mazda 323F GT which just wasn't practical for baby/child-carrying duties. It eventually got passed onto father-in-law and he kept it going until 2017 when it got sold for scrap/export. Funny that Miss SL and her BF used a Carina E estate for their own holiday travels last year

The Starlet 1.2 was a lucky find at a garage in Wroxham, from memory I got it for £350 with a new MoT. Was a great little thing and I'm pleased to say it's still with the person I sold it to later that year (to buy my first Camry estate), indeed I saw it and had a sit inside only a couple of months ago. Miss SL is still mildly peeved that I sold it, it's the first old car she remembers.

The yellow 240K GT which appears in the background of the other photos, one of my few regrets. Not that I bought it (for just £50!) but that I sold it too cheap when really I should have kept it. Was one owner from new, sold by the garage in the town near to where I grew up. Despite having been off the road for some years it'd survived its dusty hibernation in a barn without getting too rusty, indeed it was straighter and more solid than the maroon car. I should have used the latter as spares and put the yellow one back on the road. Had I done so I would probably still have a Skyline, but then I wouldn't own the 1980 Laurel I have now. The bloke I sold it to gave a it a quick refresh and I believe it found its way to Ireland and is still around.

Although all of the above have moved-on the 'flavour' of my fleet doesn't seem to have changed much over the last 20 years, and why should it? They were providing interesting (or at least reliable) transport back then and what's currently on the driveway/in the garage is doing the same for me now.

[hairnet]

Grin?

Yes and no

[sierraman]

https://www.facebook.com/61550242941850/videos/some-of-the-65-to-70-cars-we-cleared-up-/1607044807213441/
 

So that’s where they all ended up. Unbelievable these still crop up in fields etc, you’d have thought they’d have turned to compost 20 years ago. 

[Pieman]

My Polo passing its MOT with no advisories, despite being told at service that there was a (very small) split in the mid-section of the exhaust pipe and the bushes on the bottom arms at the front had started to crack.  I think taking it in at 8am had its advantages as the tester hadn't had enough coffee to wake up properly yet!

[jim89]

On 05/05/2026 at 18:31, cobblers said:

Fru 'T' Bunn been busy?

[Spiny Norman]

I had a go in one of these Legends racers a few years ago at Knockhill so I've been happy to see the race series making an appearance on the ITV4 BTCC coverage. 

This was from the first meeting at Donnington, how's this for a close finish? 

[Pieman]

Nice to see Aaron Cooke going so well, an old short oval friend of mine.

[myglaren]

[myglaren]

[Remspoor]

On 14/05/2026 at 16:27, myglaren said:

That is climate change, no?

[myglaren]

1 hour ago, Remspoor said:

That is climate change, no?

Yep.  The climate changes every half hour now.

[DavieW]

I guess I don't use red paint very often 😂

[Hertz]

On 08/05/2026 at 11:11, Tenmil Socket said:

I was planning on having noodles for lunch but now I’m not because a kind colleague dropped this on my desk this morning 😁

£5.80 for a butty! We use Superior and they are good rolls tbf.

[Hertz]

On 09/05/2026 at 17:28, myglaren said:

That Bugs me....

[myglaren]