What makes you grin? Antidote to grumpy thread

[cort16]

Had an early start yesterday. 7.25am Train to Paisley the I got picked up by a friend from work who was moving his son into a new flat in Aberdeen.

8am picked up the transit van, 8.30 realised there was no way to get all the stuff into a normal transit so a quick call to the hire place secured a luton. We went back to the hire place and did a van to van transfer, picked up a kitchen (filled the luton to the brim) and headed off up the road.

Arrived in Aberdeen at 1.30 then humphed the contents of said luton van up two flights of stairs in a narrow tenement block. A quick wash and change of clothes and now for the reason I was humphing all the boxes. I got dropped off to pick up my new 1985 e28 525e, which turned out to be less than a mile from the flat.

 

You're always a bit nervous buying a car unseen but this was as described and obvioulsy well loved. Even the interior, which is normaly a snot fest on old cars was spotless and fitted with a decent stereo. The guy obviousl loves his cars as in his garage he had a mk1 Capri 3.0 GXL a mk3 Capri 280 special and a mk3 Capri Ghia fitted with a 2.9v6 Cosworth running triple webers!

 

So I headed off for the long journey back around 3.45 and you just never know with these old things if they're gonna blow up in the first 100 yards but the previous owner had been doing 500 miles a week on it with 6k oil services so it had the feel of a car that's been maintained well for daily use. And it was. It ran perfectly all the way back home and was a cracking day to be driving through scotland with the sunroof open listening to choonz through 80's blaukpunkt speakers,

[outlaw118]

Totally Jealous Mr Cort.

had a 520i in that shap about 12 years ago, DNO844X, tatty old thing, but possibly the best built car EVAH. 175,000 miles at that point, no rattles, nothing had fallen off. Drivers seat a little threadbare, but you could have easily shaved 75k off it and got away with it.

 

Sold to an idiot who had it stolen by pikeys, and it was me that got the phone call at 2am from the Metroplitan Police asking why I had filled it up with juice in Hackney, and driven off without paying. thanks for that.

[dollywobbler]

I may have had to miss what is apparently the largest classic car gathering in France ever, but it's still making me grin just because of the thought of it.

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 28667.html

[cort16]

  outlaw118 said:

Totally Jealous Mr Cort.

had a 520i in that shap about 12 years ago, DNO844X, tatty old thing, but possibly the best built car EVAH. 175,000 miles at that point, no rattles, nothing had fallen off. Drivers seat a little threadbare, but you could have easily shaved 75k off it and got away with it.

 

Sold to an idiot who had it stolen by pikeys, and it was me that got the phone call at 2am from the Metroplitan Police asking why I had filled it up with juice in Hackney, and driven off without paying. thanks for that.

 

I bought an e28 520i when I was 23 and after having driven right duffed up old Ford, Volvos and Citroens I couldn't get over how refined and quiet it was.

This 525e one's really, really good other than a flaky roof and split seat.. It drives perfect and would make a great daily given the 525e does decent mpg. It's nice to drive a proper one given how much of a stinker my old m535i was. Pity I'm going be selling it really.

[Rhythm Thief]

My Ami's got a nice new MOT.

[eddyramrod]

  ashmicro said:

Nice to know us auld fellas have still got it.

 

Do we now get to call you Dirty Harry? Well done ash, exactly how such scrotes need to be treated. Round of applause for you, flowers, nubile wenches bearing champagne. (Shame I can only offer the foregoing in virtual form, sorry...)

[Station]

I walk about 10 miles everynight, and on my travels, I peer over a shoulder height wall backing against some old style Land Rover facility and find a truly dumped X/19! Hurray, I was looking for one not long back.

[The Moog]

Had to get a duplicate tax disc for the micro as it disappeared in the post. Went to the DVLA office in Wimbledon expecting a load of hassle and hours of waiting ...nope. Walked in and was seen straight away, walked out disc in hand 3 minutes later. What top service..

[cobblers]

Got some seats of of the back of a 300k mile railway maintanece van that had been sat behind a paintshop for 5 years and used as a bin. Dug them out from under 4 feet of old paint cans and old paint.

 

Got some TFR and the pressure washer on them - which shifted all the paint, and general filth. Guess which bits I've washed.

 

 

I know I'm easily impressed, but it was very satisfying. Seat is now worth £100+, for an hours work.

 

In short, wash your seats with a pressure washer, but only if you don't need to sit on them for a month or so.

[TimothyClaypole]

Would older ones with "horse hair" type stuffing dry out from a good squirting?

[Alexg]

Followed a mint(ish) Metro Advantage today (remember them?), turns out it lives 1 minute from my house in a housing estate I never new existed!

[Des]

I bought a Matiz for my brother and his missus last Xmas, they were stuck for wheels and the car cost me peanuts as head gasket was truely shot, but 3/4 tank of fuel, 11 months tax and 7 months mot meant it was worth a punt, the head and block surfaces were pretty bad so I did the JB Weld thing and murdered it back together, thinking use it until the mot ends and then probably cash in tax / weigh in (nick its cd) and possibly show a small profit. As it turns out the little car has behaved impeccably, seen a good amount of use too, and some serious weekend motorway action, so I threw it in for an mot, all went well until the emissions, unsuprisingly putting out filth that would shame an Allegro, threw a lambda in, a decent 60 quid one, popped straight back to the mot man, emmisions much better but just not quite good enough, looking like game over but I checked the price of a cat anyway, 54 quid! As the cat and lambda were changed for the last mot, they came apart nice and easily, looks like this Matiz may live another year.

Check ma ghetto ramps.

[wuvvum]

I like the hot weather - as well as reducing the amount of clothing worn by the female of the species, it also brings out some rather tasty cars. Driving home from work last night a 1959 Corvette overtook a dithering coot in a Corolla right in front of me, and then coming back into work just now a spotless Fiat 850 Spider drove past. No photos, unfortunately - I was driving when I saw the 'Vette and I was too busy standing there with my mouth open when the Fiat went past to get my phone out (I've never seen one in the flesh before outside of a museum) - but still made me grin.

[trigger]

  Alexg said:

Followed a mint(ish) Metro Advantage today (remember them?), turns out it lives 1 minute from my house in a housing estate I never new existed!

 

There's a young girl who lives near me with a Blue G reg one of these rolling on 3 spokes, I need to track it down and get a photo.

[trigger]

Oh, And I thought I'd just leave these here

 

 

[Cavcraft]

The bird in the local DiVLA office. Went yesterday to sort out the twice taxed Clio situation and she couldn't have been more helpful if she'd tried and she suggested I applied for a job there. Two thrirds of the way to a refund now, just need to speak to the previous owner, whang up to their house and hope they play ball.

[cort16]

The Merc is now MOT'd. All I had to pay for was the MOT and the track rod end. no labour. Woopwoop.

Now does anyone want to buy it?

[trigger]

Just to echo what Wuvvum said, I've just driven 5 miles/15 mins to collect some cat food and home again and in that time I've past a early 90's Mitsubishi Lancer with flames on the side, a spotless blue E reg Montego VDP, a Triumph Spitfire, A Triumph TR6 and best of all a Indian man with a blue turban driving 1940's Willy Jeep painted in sand colours complete with 4 machine guns on the back!

 

A this was just driving down two different roads in town!

[dollywobbler]

This makes me grin.

 

Both my cornering antics and the very Yorkshire lass who gives it some commentary at one point. Bring on Prescott Hillclimb in just over two weeks' time!

[RedSparrow]

Saw one of them Romanian ARO trucks today. I guess about 30 years old. I will bung a picture up when I can be arsed.

[mattblack]

Seeing a lada Riva and a Sherpa ice cream van within 10 minutes of each other this afternoon made me grin.

[TimothyClaypole]

Cup of coffee a and Tesco Luxury Chocolate Roulade plus a day off tomorrow.

 

Sorted.

[eddyramrod]

Having some email traffic over the last day or two with my friend in San Diego. He's spotted a Rover P6B for sale over there, and knew very little about it, so I've been educating him. Think he's getting quite keen on the idea now...

I've also sung the praises (several times) of this place, so he may yet join us. He's a good bloke, even if he does have this unresolved love of Peugeot 505s...

[warren t claim]

Valeting Le Francais Vectra (Laguna) outside Claim towers tonight when a neighbour wandered out to give it the once over. He walked around it a couple of times and remarked that he hoped I hadn't paid much for it 'cos I'll struggle to get more than £1200 for it.

 

Where are these people when I'm in need of some profit?

[Negative Creep]

Notes from my work evaluation stating "im a valued member of the team" which has genuinely pleased me

[autofive]

  Negative Creep said:

Notes from my work evaluation stating "im a valued member of the team" which has genuinely pleased me

 

 

mine used to say "an in-valid member of the team"

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

  Negative Creep said:

Notes from my work evaluation stating "im a valued member of the team" which has genuinely pleased me

 

Hopefully they mean that...While it's always good to feel appreciated, being a HR person and a bit cynical, whenever I hear this stuff I become alarmed thinking it'll probably be management-speak to cover up something sinister. I would be having sleepless nights:

 

"Both of you are valued members of our team, but unfortunately there will be no promotion because the Supervisor role went to an external candidate. Jason, the 'young go-getter' who Pete-M came across in the council building the other day, will be joining the company. Jason's a real nice chap- I met him at the Christmas party last year, as he coincidentially happens to be the Finance Director's stepson."

[RoadworkUK]

  Luxobarges_Are_Us said:

  Negative Creep said:

Notes from my work evaluation stating "im a valued member of the team" which has genuinely pleased me

 

Hopefully they mean that...While it's always good to feel appreciated, being a HR person and a bit cynical, whenever I hear this stuff I become alarmed thinking it'll probably be management-speak to cover up something sinister. I would be having sleepless nights:

 

"Both of you are valued members of our team, but unfortunately there will be no promotion because the Supervisor role went to an external candidate. Jason, the 'young go-getter' who Pete-M came across in the council building the other day, will be joining the company. Jason's a real nice chap- I met him at the Christmas party last year, as he coincidentially happens to be the Finance Director's stepson."

 

/\ This.

 

I'd be more than impressed if people would stop telling me how valuable I am and start paying me some actual fucking money...

[Negative Creep]

Since I'm on a temp contract i know i could be let go with zero notice. On the other hand i do seem to be getting an increasing amount of specialised work (i.e. the type that requires initiative instead of copy and pasting)

[Pete-M]

Just searched ebay for rear shocks for the XJR and found a pair. Thought I recognised the user name, and it's the chap I bought the car from.

 

Hmm. He did mention they were getting tired.