The grumpy thread

[autofive]

What really narks me is numpties who do 40-45mph everywhere. Regardless of speed limit. They potter along on fast roads, look all indignant if you have the cheek to overtake them at a fully legal 60mph, then tailgate you through 30mph zone areas, before disappearing in your mirror when you hit the NSL signs. Or you catch them just before a village, knowing there's a great overtake just the other side. However, you're doing the 30mph limit and they're still doing 40-45mph. By the time you reach that delightful overtake, they're around the next bend. Gah!

 

they are called taxis / minicabs /minibus taxi

[whitevanman]

I was so miserable I recorded and accappella version of an old Steve Earle song

.

Been there, did that as well.............mind you, the album had just been released about a month before she dumped me....oh SO old...

[whitevanman]

Sorry to hear about your recent shit Tony but friggin hell you have a great voice!

 

Craig, find a local motor factors that stocks Comma Premium 20/50 oil, I pay about £13 for 4.5lt at my local one.

 

 

Ooh, will have to find a stockest in Peterborough, thanks.

 

Tony, sorry about that it's a shitter.

 

Milfield Autos next to machine mart....assuming it is still there....

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Fuggin wars, any shiters round peterborough who don't know Millfield Autoparts need to get with the program, that place is the best car shop of ALL TIME!

[Craig the Princess]

Fuggin wars, any shiters round peterborough who don't know Millfield Autoparts need to get with the program, that place is the best car shop of ALL TIME!

 

Message received

[dollywobbler]

Indeed it is Bol - but I once got talked into buying some really shit wiper blades there. When I turned the wipers on, there was more chatter than the ladies loos on a Friday night. I stormed back in and demanded they sold me the slightly more expensive Bosch blades instead. Hah! Oh, that's another £4, er, yeah. Sure. Here you go. Thanks.

 

Otherwise they're absolutely great. Know their onions and can even supply stuff for Franco-shite of the type I'm always meddling with. Sadly I haven't found anywhere half as good since moving West.

[whitevanman]

Must admit it was an ace place to shop when I lived in the area...they really could get anything you wanted....and that was back in 1990 - 1993

[vulgalour]

Has anybody tried to do 30 lately?

 

Try sticking to "20mph when lights flash" school area speed limits... I do, and I take great delight in watching the person behind me turning all sorts of shades of red and purple in frustration, there's only a small number of drivers that actually don't seem to mind me obeying speed limits. 20mph at school kicking out time I can really understand, especially given how stoopid so many kids are around here, I swear they think all the vehicles are made of soft downy pillows.

[Negative Creep]

Has anybody tried to do 30 lately?

 

Try sticking to "20mph when lights flash" school area speed limits... I do, and I take great delight in watching the person behind me turning all sorts of shades of red and purple in frustration, there's only a small number of drivers that actually don't seem to mind me obeying speed limits. 20mph at school kicking out time I can really understand, especially given how stoopid so many kids are around here, I swear they think all the vehicles are made of soft downy pillows.

 

 

I drive through a 20 zone on he way to work which is a load of bollocks, no need for it to be there. However 90% of people completely ignore it anyway

[vulgalour]

I don't agree with 20mph through an entire village sort of stuff, that's just daft, but when schools kick out round here there's kids EVERYWHERE and even 20mph is a bit quick for some of the numpty behaviour I've seen from them when it comes to road safety.

[M'coli]

20mph at school kicking out time I can really understand, especially given how stoopid so many kid's parents are around here, so unconcerned for other parent's kids safety they are because parking close to the school takes priority...

Photo when I'm not on the Linux thumbdrive...

Edit: couldn't find the photo on the internets, so photo'd it from the local paper - the primary school is just out of shot to the left, the doctor's surgery is in the background, and BOTH front wheels are on the pavement...

[CYANIDE STEVE]

Paid a 450zl Deposit on an FSO Polonez Caro in Poland via bank transfer on 29th May. My Mate in Germany had made arrangements to meet the Polish owner at Gorlitz on the German / Polish border. We've had about a month of emails back and forth arranging this and asking how much the seller wanted in expenses to meet my mate etc. So the date and time were set for Monday 18th at 2pm. Chris and his Girlfriend went to Poland Sunday night and stayed the night to make a bit of a break of it. Went to the meeting point at just before 2pm and waited for 2 hours and was trying to contact the seller and his german translating friend. Yes you've guessed already, no show. So Chris toddled off home without my new car.

Gutted, upset, angry, cross, extremely fucked off! I had a kind offer from one of the Polish Members of the FSO facebook group to translate an email rather than use Google Translate as we had been up until now. This way at least the Polish Email will be correct and the Polish Dick Turpin would Know I mean Business. I won't go into the details of the email but I basically said either he pays the deposit back to me plus the £25 charge I had from my bank to send the Zlotys, or he can contact my mate in Germany and arrange to deliver the car to his house. I also told him that even though he lives 800 miles away don't for one minute think that I won't take appropriate action to recover my money!!!!

To add insult to injury, I found an advert on Polish Gumtree which he had placed on 6th June....7 days after I'd paid him the 450zl!!

He's got until Sunday to reply.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

What a bummer. I reckon you need to find a friendly polish guy at this end who can ring him up and ask him straight out WTF the crack is, its no good buggering about with google translated emails when that happens, too much stress waiting for a response!

 

Have you paid in full or just a deposit?

[nigel bickle]

Steve -I've a friendly Brit living/working out in Lublin, (south west Poland) who's sorting a couple of Zuks & Nysa's for me. Apparently the Polish 'dont do' deposits -its all or nothing/drive it away.

 

So- he's acting as my Agent -and although I havent yet committed on anything -I almost certainly will once the Euro Footie stuff is over. I have tried several times to buy direct but its never worked, (thankfully never 'been taken). Current intention is for Paul to source, service, fill with spares & ensure Insurance (its on the vehicle there, not the owner) when I'll take a quick flight over & a gentle drive back.

 

Anyway -he's English, car savvy, astute & happy to work for 'expenses +'.

 

If you need his details -PM me, I'm sure he'd be happy to help.

[CYANIDE STEVE]

Thanks for your replies.

Luckily I had only paid the deposit/ his expeneses to deliver to Gorlitz, which works out at £83 + £25 bank charge to swift it. So I'm not massively out of pocket on the grand scheme of things but it's the principle of the thing. I would have owed him a further 1150 zl but I wasn't going to pay a penny more until the car was in mine or Chris's hands.

I had Someone kindly translate my 'strongly worded' email into Polish so this would be grammatically correct.

On a postive note, I've been offered a Polonez based in this country by someone else who saw my predicament so I'm going to look at that in a week and a half so that's cheered me up no end!

Long term, I would like to bring over some eastern european shite from Poland, Czech republic etc but that will have to wait until next year as I'm buying a trailer for my camper and it'll be a good excuse for a car buying holiday over there. Now I've learnt another valuable life lesson, nobody will be getting a penny off me in Poland unless I deal with them face to face with the car present!

Nigel, what is your friends name in Poland? I had a Brit friend out in Lublin years ago but unfortunately we lost touch. I'm not sure he'll still be alive because working it out he'll be knocking on a bit now. Please PM me his name if you are not comfortable putting it on the forum. I know it's a long shot but if it's the same chap, he's Scottish.

 

I probably realistically won't see the car or the money but I'll still torment the Polish bloke for a while with Polish verbal abuse just to make me feel better!

[nigel bickle]

S'not a problem. Chris Naylor -mechanic Paul (surname unknow). Mid 20's, a teacher, drives a Brabus Fourfor. been there about 4 years. Address & phone details if needed

[CYANIDE STEVE]

No that's not him

I thought it would be a long shot. I worked out that if he was still with us he'd be around 85 by now. He had a Polish wife. Really nice Chap.

I'll wait until early next year anyway, once I've bought this trailer and hopefully we can start saving some of these old eastern bloc cars from an untimely death

I may well get his detail off you nearer the time. It'll be nice to have another British speaking contact there. I've got my friend Chris in Chemnitz near the czech border but he only speaks English and obviously German. He is a car nut too but not so enthusiastic about the eastern bloc stuff like me.

[CYANIDE STEVE]

Quick update The Polish seller has replied to my email!!!!!!! Shock!

Somebody has translated it and he has apologised for not being able to deliver the car, do I still want it or my deposit back?

I fell in love with the car! of course i still want it!

He has asked me to phone him. I only speak German and English. He only speaks Polish! That'll be an interesting conversation!

[Mr H Sceptre]

Quick update The Polish seller has replied to my email!!!!!!! Shock!

Somebody has translated it and he has apologised for not being able to deliver the car, do I still want it or my deposit back?

I fell in love with the car! of course i still want it!

He has asked me to phone him. I only speak German and English. He only speaks Polish! That'll be an interesting conversation!

 

 

I've got loads of Polish mates who speak English - I could get one to phone on your behalf.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I reckon you defo need a polish speaker on your ‘side’ Steve!

[Mr H Sceptre]

Drop me a PM with what info you want conveying & I'll get it sorted.

[CYANIDE STEVE]

Thank you for your advice and info. I've decided after chatting to my friend in Germany that I can't go through with this sale and I will get the deposit back and the traveling expenses and go for the british based one I'm viewing on 30th. Benno has been so helpful contacting the seller and arranging a viewing for me and generally cheering me up after Mondays Major disappointment and this sale in Poland has been a right heaache from the start.

I'll find my iban number for the seller and drop you a pm

[barrett]

Have you seen this thread on RR?

http://retrorides.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=130933&page=2

 

Ignoring the retarded FWD CARS R SHIT/ FSO R SHIT responses, there's an interesting reply on p2

 

any one want one a friend has two that are in good nick slight work for mot 1 polonez and 1cario same shape newer model .I think he is looking for around £ 600 for each

 

Worth a PM I'd have thought, though there is a chance it's the same one you're looking at over here anyway

[CYANIDE STEVE]

It's slightly less money but could still be the same one

I keep on saying it but I wish I hadn't sold any of mine in the early ninties now because after I kept them all immaculate the new owners all wrecked them

[RedSparrow]

Dropped my smart phone in the toilet.

 

Fucksticks!

[cort16]

It's not that smart then.

[cheguava]

It's not that smart then.

 

It's got a crap for that.

[Guest]

I can confirm they are the same ones. As it stands myself and Steve are going to view one if them on the 30th June.

[RedSparrow]

On the contrary, the phone is (was) quite smart. It is I who is the moron.

[MrDuke]

Van hire

 

Off to the worst possible start: after informing someone on the phone yesterday that I needed a van with at least 8 feet of load space (I've no idea what actual van that would be, sorry), today they hand me the keys to a van with 6.5 feet of load space. Cue spending an extra 2 hours deconstructing the 8-foot greenhouse panels that won't fit.

And it wasn't just any SWB van, oh no. It was a hateful, evil, miserable Nissan Primasomethingorother which has apparently been through several years of destructive testing before being sold to the hire company. I've driven clapped out Lada Rivas with more precise steering, I am not exaggerating. The only time I knew with any certainty which way it would go, was when I dropped the clutch and it lurched violently to the left. Oh, and the joys of a speed limiter, which instead of just limiting your speed to 70, waits until you hit 72 while overtaking a lorry uphill, then forcibly slows you down to 60, causing understandable distress to drivers behind while you downshift and try to squeeze some more guts out of the wheezing tractor. I've driven rot-infested Mk4 Trannies with about 500k on them with more confidence and pleasure than this stupid, badge-engineered pile of chode. I really should complain when I take it back tomorrow, but I'm not sure they'd really care.