The grumpy thread

[dugong]

What's it worth in spares?

 

Shall we find out?

[dugong]

Perhaps you are the Chosen One and will rule Autoshite until the dawn of the new age?

Possibly..

 

That would be horrifying for all concerned. 

[Lord Sterling]

Honestly, if they're not working, you have to weigh up whether they are ever going to work again. You're not going to be able to drive 4/5/6 cars at once and if you're forking out god knows on storage, it's just best to cut your losses and either scrap them or 'make a loss' by selling one to someone who has time/money to fix them.....

 

What cars do you own, by the way? And which ones work?

I have 5 cars at the moment. 4 out of 5 of my cars work, they start and drive. The only things they'd need to be roadworthy would be a good service, fresh oils/coolant and an MOT. The G-reg Mk1 Sterling is an excellent car. Bodily it is almost like new. It just needs a new engine which is easy to find and fairly simple to put in, it just needs time and a bit of money.

 

Get rid? No thanks. I am happy with the cars that I've got and am happy with where they are. I am not going to try and justify to anyone why I am keeping them. There is no rational reason I can convince anyone with so I'm not gonna waste my time.

 

If I am supposed to be sensible, a normal bloke with one reliable car, why not just give up Autoshiting altogether? Get rid of all the 800s and buy something sensible/reliable? Thats what everyone else thinks I should do, so I can save money and "fit in".

 

I have run into a bit of a tight financial corner and been a bit grumpy about it, so what? We all go through it whether we have no cars or loads of cars. What annoys me is when people start suggesting that I should give up my hobby to upease the financial situation. Soz, but that ain't gonna happen, I'm not going to be a complete slave to money. I'd rather be happy than financially "safe".

[coalnotdole]

My old school was one of the 10 biggest in the country, it's in a bit of a rough area but it wasn't too bad when I went (some who attended actually got educated) a few years after I left it became an academy and they knocked the old school buildings down and built a new one. Investment in the future and all that.

 

They have just been put into special measures by ofstead.... Debunking the myth that simply chucking money at schools will fix them!

 

There are some photos of the old school on my website taken just before they knocked it down

[Angrydicky]

I suppose I'm lucky in that with the exception of the Maestro, all my cars are tax exempt, MoT exempt and have very cheap insurance, which make them very cheap to keep on the road. After next week I will hopefully have six cars, three of which work, but soon one of the working ones will be going.

 

The sensible thing to do would be to cut it down to two cars, but where's the fun in that?

[philibusmo]

I got outbid by £5 on that Mondeo Ghia X 4x4 that Boll posted in the eBay thread.

 

I should probably be pleased about that as I have literally no need for it, the £220 I bid would have doubled due to the travel costs by the time I got it home with it being in Durham and me being in Devon and it would have pissed off all the neighbors something chronic but I still wanted it.

[Mr Lobster]

 

 

The sensible thing to do would be to cut it down to two cars, but where's the fun in that?

 

^ Horses for courses though isn't it. I used to have five or six but for me they became a right pain in the neck - I was always skint and struggled to get all the jobs done and sort storage and what have you. I doff my cap to the Bickles and Wuvvums of this world, don't know how they keep up!

 

That said, I wouldn't recommend a'normal' car just for the sake of fitting in - drive whatever the hell you want! The other day when it looked like I needed to spend £1k on the SEAT it was very seriously suggested to me that it would be more sensible to scrap my otherwise working '04 plate car 'because its old and not worth much' and borrow £5k or something and buy a couple of year old Fabia 1.2 because it would be reliable and cheap to run. Sometimes I despair. I really do.

 

A lot of people think that to conform and be 'normal' you should drive a nearly new car thats inevitably costing a couple of hundred quid a month on finance and go watch football and go binge drinking once a week. Wheres the fun in that? I'll enjoy myself a lot more having a couple of hours in the garage getting dirty and dealing with rusty French bits  And if I want to replace my SEAT with a newer car then it'll be something I want rather than a sodding Fabia. 

[Lord Sterling]

True. It's just I find many people point the fingers at my hobby when I even mention a slight financial upheaval. I've not been in regular work since I started working, I've had a few jobs that have lasted a fair while but I've always been a temp. Now my continental job may offer me some financial ease, but until I confirm the details and know that is where I am headed, I'll not say anything more....

 

I know a fair amount of people now who have more than 10 cars. VeryTallBrad had at least 100 cars at one point (I think he now has about 10/15 cars) and my mate "Tinworm" Steve has 130+ cars, so yes, I truly do doff my cap to them too.

 

I am determined to keep my stock and even add to it when if the time and situation allows. I've had my eye on a D-reg 825 Sterling for a while now, but I couldn't afford it. Maybe this year I'll be able to afford it which means that the E-reg Sterling will be sold off.

[MrDuke]

I am happy with the cars that I've got and am happy with where they are. I am not going to try and justify to anyone why I am keeping them. There is no rational reason I can convince anyone with so I'm not gonna waste my time.

I have run into a bit of a tight financial corner and been a bit grumpy about it, so what? We all go through it whether we have no cars or loads of cars. What annoys me is when people start suggesting that I should give up my hobby to upease the money situation. Soz, but that ain't gonna happen. I'd rather be happy than financially "safe".

 

What annoys me, is when someone with 5 or 6 'hobby' cars whinges chronically about storage/insurance costs as though their basic human rights have been shat upon, then gets defensive when someone suggests a sensible alternative. Yes, we all 'go through it', however many cars we have, but some of us would dearly love to be able to afford to run just one 'hobby' car, except we don't have any other luxuries in our life that can be sacrificed to allow it. Looking after and tinkering with Angyl's Renault has literally been the highlight of the year for me, as I would never have been able to afford the transport costs involved in buying it myself. Unfortunately, being 'financially safe' isn't something I can be blasé about, being an adult with all the responsibilities that I apparently brought on myself just so I could 'fit in'.

 

Apologies if that sounds a bit arsey, it's not motivated by envy. With any luck, this time next year I'll be indulging my automotive passions and posting up whinging complaints about my fleet of decrepit shite

[Lord Sterling]

 

What annoys me, is when someone with 5 or 6 'hobby' cars whinges chronically about storage/insurance costs as though their basic human rights have been shat upon, then gets defensive when someone suggests a sensible alternative.

 

Apologies if that sounds a bit arsey, it's not motivated by envy. With any luck, this time next year I'll be indulging my automotive passions and posting up whinging complaints about my fleet of decrepit shite

 

It seems everyone is wanting to have a go at me lately. Obviously my original post was not understood or written correctly. My original moan was supposed to be about receiving an insurance renewal that I simply hadn't expected so soon thus potentially ruining my plans to pay up a few other things. Then suddenly pretty much everyone starts making suggestions that I get rid of my shite/not moan about insurance/not moan at all etc...

 

I seem to remember this happening a few times on Autoshite. I type an opinion about something that I think would be forgettable then suddenly it gets blown of proportion. What is going on here? Is it Autoshites time of the month or something?

[dollywobbler]

Mo - you do tend to complain quite strongly about things most folk see as minor occasionally, and I can see how your rants about work could be interpreted as a bit baseless compared to the situation some folk find themselves in. That said, the written word is always open to interpretation! And I think folk have only given you 'too many cars' feedback because they've been there and decided it's a shite idea and want to pass that experience on. Unless you've got Bollox-esque storage somewhere, having loads of cars can quickly become a crap way of enjoying cars. So, not sure everyone's having a go, just trying to suggest ways to ease the strain.

[Lord Sterling]

Cool, I understand now. As you said, writings can be open to interpretation and I do think sometimes what I write can be taken the wrong way. 

 

I only write in this thread to blow off steam. I don't seem to be able to speak about it to anyone without receiving a mouthful of criticism and stuff, I honestly didn't expect it this time, though I understand that a lot of what has been said was merely advice and I am greatful. My original moan was more against myself (if that makes any sense) as I'd not kept up with when my insurance might be due.

 

What I will say is that whilst I might moan about small things in a big way, everyone's life and outlook is different, so some stuff that might be small time to most folk might be rather big to some folk.

[purplebargeken]

I seem to have the Amazon, the Daf 66 Combi, the green MGF and a 50% share of a red MGF. How the feck did that all happen? I was supposed to be trimming the bloody things down, not up FFS.

 

Oh well, it's all part of the fun, juggling finances, road tax and so on. I just need to clone myself so I can do something with them.

[eddyramrod]

Work, sort of. 

There's an extension at the back of our bakery, built onto the main building which is an old church.  The extension houses the toilets, a cold-room, a sandwich-fillings kitchen and a big room where buns are pre-packed.  Well now... the toilets, in particular, were looking a bit manky.  It's probably been a long while since they were painted; certainly 95% of the old red has worn off the floors, and the walls were looking a bit tatty.  There's no heating in the building, by the way, so any damp hangs around.  Want to take a guess who got the job of painting the toilets and kitchen this week?

The paint I'm using supposedly touch-dries in 1-2 hours, according to the tin.  The cold and damp means it's taking at least 48 before I can put a second coat on any wall.  Bugger, I wanted to have it all done this week.  It's now going to hang over into next week and possibly beyond, depending how the new tin of lush Terracotta covers the floors.  There are only certain days I can do this, as the rooms will be in use the rest of the week.

Oh well, it's all paid time.  And if someone else has been out with my van for a few days, I get a very nice welcome back from nearly all my customers!  Be thankful for what you get, eh?

[Lankytim]

Right, 

 

I've disconnected the battery for hours and this frigging fault on the multipla persists. Still no speedo, still have the EML light on and it's still in limp mode. Checked for connections I may have disturbed but they all look fine. Maybe the ATF has clogged the new filter?

 

I see no alternative but to fill it with semtex and blow it up.

[dugong]

I would like to clear the decks to a fair extent. However, this opportunity will probably be sponsored by HIAB and Davidson's Scrap Metal. 

I'll feel better about it afterwards, mind. 

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

I've got a laptop to sell in the next couple of weeks, and usually I'd just list it on eBay but the fee calculator says I can expect a £65+ final value fee! I thought it was capped at forty quid, but looks like it's 75 now. 

 

So looks like I'm going to have to dive into the uncharted territories of Gumtree. Sigh. 

[overrun]

One 'project/old/fun' etc car and one modern daily is right where I want to be.

 

To have more than one car that is forever in need of attention, would take away any enjoyment for me.

[burraston2006]

Are indicators still an optional extra on BMW X5's? I was following one for the best part of 30 miles tonight and there didn't seem to be any. Or are Beemer drivers just ignorant tosers?!

[overrun]

Are indicators still an optional extra on BMW X5's? I was following one for the best part of 30 miles tonight and there didn't seem to be any. Or are Beemer drivers just ignorant tosers?!

 

Probably borrowed the Beemer. He must normally drive an Audi.

[fordperv]

so either way a tosser

[wuvvum]

The 406 cut out six times on the way into work today.  Mostly at low speed, although it did once conk out at 50mph on the A1151.  It always starts up again straight away, but keeping the engine spinning whilst turning the ignition off and on again doesn't work - I have to dip the clutch and restart the engine with the key for it to go again.  The EML comes on as it cuts out.  It sometimes also comes on when changing gear, but then goes out again and the engine picks up. 

 

I'm hoping this is still oil-in-the-fuel-system related, but the presence of the EML is making me wonder whether it might be something more sinister.  I know these have a semi-electronic injection system - I wonder if the semi-electronics are getting confused by the clogged pipework and going into meltdown?

 

Either way, it's going to get a new filter cartridge and a dose of Wynn's, and if that doesn't cure it it's going over the bridge.

 

Fucking French cars.

[saucedoctor]

Lindsay Mazda Mallusk.

I went through the whole rigmarole of ordering a new locking wheel nut key, chassis number, reg, all that shite. And they still got me the wrong fucking one. They're bloody McGard ones too, a right bastard to get off.

 

Doesn't ANYBODY do anything right anymore?

[hairnet]

waiting for plane back to manc from charleroi and figuring out belgian keyboards...............

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Spent most of Saturday scrounging up a decent trolley jack,axle stands and star sockets. Then lying on the floor in torrential rain,hail and thunder and lightening, for two hours to access then remove the Crank Position Sensor on my Chrysler. Only to find the replacement,supplied by Chrysler main dealer using chassis number is different!

My,how I laughed when I had to put the old one back in to move the car as it's blocking others.

 

In good news I took it back,went to Merc dealer this morning with part number off the old one- 'Yes sir ,they're in stock-£33.00' the wrong Chrysler one was £145- I've said it before and I'll say it again Chrysler are Cunts.

[Cavcraft]

Hey, I watch football (occasionally) and go binge drinking pretty much every Saturday night. There's plenty of fun in it, believe me! 

[TimothyClaypole]

Sent my dad to scout an Astra Estate today.

 

Not used it since September apparently, just got a van, so that's why the inside of the Astra looks like a shit hole then after you've used it as a van, all the interior panels ripped/broken and headlining torn etc.  Only one key (new one's only £45 he says so why not buy one?) tax is out in 3 days, rust spots all round, rear bumper hand painted, needs 4 new tyres, not bothered with the timing belt -90k, load that pistol and cock the trigger...   £1950.00 

[Bobthebeard]

Sent my dad to scout an Astra Estate today.

 

Not used it since September apparently, just got a van, so that's why the inside of the Astra looks like a shit hole then after you've used it as a van, all the interior panels ripped/broken and headlining torn etc. Only one key (new one's only £45 he says so why not buy one?) tax is out in 3 days, rust spots all round, rear bumper hand painted, needs 4 new tyres, not bothered with the timing belt -90k, load that pistol and cock the trigger... £1950.00

£1950.00?

Hahahahaha..... (Pauses for breath)..... Hahahahahaha.....

[chaseracer]

The other day when it looked like I needed to spend £1k on the SEAT it was very seriously suggested to me that it would be more sensible to scrap my otherwise working '04 plate car 'because its old and not worth much' and borrow £5k or something and buy a couple of year old Fabia 1.2 because it would be reliable and cheap to run. Sometimes I despair. I really do.

Aye.

 

In the past six weeks, the Blingo has had 800 sheets spent on it. Should be good for another 103000 miles now*... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* Other possible outcomes are available - and, frankly, not unlikely...

[Cavcraft]

Modern technology; Fuck. Right. Off.

 

Just watching a massive bargain ending on ebay as I was taking the missus to work. Entered a bid amount on my phone and sat there for 20 mins. Bid at the death and it'd timed out. Desperately tried again and missed the end of the listing. had I been at home on my pc I'd have been in with a fighting chance, stupid bastard twat mobile bastard phone.