Road trip - Lets try again

[Saabnut]

After my failed attempt to get to Lemans for the Classic due to work extending, I am going to try again despite the carnage at the ports. To justify* the trip, this weekend is Saabfest at Haselbury Mill in Crewekerne, Somerset which is on the way to France, no?

Today I am travelling with a very laden car down to Wootten under Edge where I managed to get a good deal on a hotel for the night. Tomorrow it is Crewekerne and my tent and beer for the weekend before the tunnel in the early hours of Monday. I will update this thread over the trip with any chod I can photo, and hopefully prove a trip across the continent is perfectly fine in a £700 car sourced from AS with minimal preparation.

The steed of choice:

 

[big_al_granvia]

Chodspeed sir

[Boycie]

Did you get it MOT,d ? , showing without 1 since the end of June , just incase you get stopped mate 

[Saabnut]

Ooops! I had convinced myself it was due in October!

oh well, too late now. Will get it done when I get back 

so far so good 

made it to my first stop, 472 miles with one stop for fuel. The computer tells me I am doing 35 to the gallon so happy with that

[Boycie]

Glad the Swede is taking it in her stride 

[666jjp]

1 hour ago, Saabnut said:

Ooops! I had convinced myself it was due in October!

oh well, too late now. Will get it done when I get back 

so far so good 

made it to my first stop, 472 miles with one stop for fuel. The computer tells me I am doing 35 to the gallon so happy with that

not worth trying where you are now - wouldn't like to think of the plod confiscating it.

[Back_For_More]

Chodspeed n all that - but I'd second a booked MoT somewhere ASAP - you're heading into the heaviest ANPR populated area of the country - just in case it flags and a mobile unit is bored.... 

Good luck fella..... These old swedes are great mile munchers. My SE was a cracker. 

[wuvvum]

Plod won't impound a car for no MOT unless there are obvious dangerous defects.  They'll just issue a fixed penalty notice and send you on your way.  In my experience at least.

[Saabnut]

Indeed, no MOT is a minor offence, but normally there is a reason a car does not have one (driver incompetence is not that common regarding MOTs) and those things are what the police are looking for. I did think about getting a test done in Somerset, but if it failed I then had a car in a known unroadworthy condition 600 miles from home.  Anyway, I am now in France and was not stopped, and I will pre book a test in Dundee on the way home.

The Saab made it the 657 miles to Saab Fest in Crewkerne despite being loaded with parts for the 92b I recently sold. Whilst there I visited Karl of Noobtune and my 1.8t went from 150 bhp and 220 Nm torque to 220bhp and 320Nm for the grand sum of 90 quid! It has transformed the car and increased the smile every time the right foot is exercised. The drive to Somerset had averaged 35.4 mpg, the drive to the Loir valley has averaged 34.2 so very happy with that.

Whilst at Saabfest, I was catching up with a good friend who I had not seen for a couple of years and he ruined my day by offering me one of my dream cars! It is apparently immaculate condition with a fully rebuilt engine currently 75% installed. It is a rare car, only built for 2 years and never officially imported into the UK.  This was a one owner car until bought by my friend and imported and I believe there is only one other in the UK at the moment but more research is needed. Of course, it is not cheap and it would be the 3rd most expensive car I have ever bought and more than double what I paid for my house. I thought about it for an hour or so then said I will have it as I know the chance will be unlikely to arise again. It should be complete in a couple of months and I will reveal what it is when I see it.

The chunnel crossing this (early) morning was straightforward with no delays, and so far the 9-3 has covered 1095 miles with no problems. The next few days I intend to see what chod I can spot locally - watch this space!

[brownnova]

Didn’t make SaabFest this year sadly, even though I happened to be not that far away. But lack of working Saab prevented me. Looking forward to next years aaab international at Gaydon though! That’s in the diary! 

[LightBulbFun]

45 minutes ago, Saabnut said:

Whilst there I visited Karl of Noobtune and my 1.8t went from 150 bhp and 220 Nm torque to 220bhp and 320Nm for the grand sum of 90 quid! It has transformed the car and increased the smile every time the right foot is exercised.

I really do love the forum at times  

"Oh no I got things muddled up and I accidentally let my MOT run out while I am half way to France! *sigh* I guess ill have no choice but to lump the cost and book it in while im on the way there for... a juicy engine remapping"

[garbaldy]

 Longest I've gone without an MOT was 8 months 😚.  I've forgotten a few times due to my tardiness but now started to write it on callendar so as long as I remember to turn it to the new month I shouldn't miss anymore. Thank god my insurance is automatically renewed 😉

[High Jetter]

Dervla will email a reminder a month ahead, easy to set up.

[Saabnut]

Been a bit* warm the last few days so have not been out and about. Had to go to the supermarket to restock on beer and this lovely example was in the car park

Might go for a run out tonight and see what I can spot. Or I might stay in and drink more beer. We will see......

[Saabnut]

Well, the beer drinking won the competition! I apologise for the lack of chod spotting, but it averaged a peak temperature every day of 37c and it was just too hot to go out. A bit of car hunting for my friend was all I managed. Did manage to get pulled by Les Flics on my way into Lemans one day for a routine check. Checked my licence, log book and insurance and cheerfully waved on my way. Good job they did not ask about the MOT  . Still, gives me something to do next visit. I did manage to get the grass cut, mainly early mornings and late evenings, and the front bit is looking really green and lush  

This photo was taken at 5pm local time yesterday (Monday)

A mere 29c but as the sun came out it got warmer. Drove the back roads to Calais for the tunnel, some 300 miles with the top down. Fantastic run. In contrast, this was taken in Dundee waiting for my pre booked MOT at 0755 this morning at 13c and raining. Why did I come back again????

I think the AA are stalking me and leaving vans in a convenient location to save time/miles when I call them

Fortunately, the car passed with a few minor advisories. Now safely back home, with the Saab having covered 2645 miles in the last 2.5 weeks, 963 last night, gained a remap and an MOT, never missed a beat and did 34 mpgees on the way to somerset and post remap has averaged 36 since. Great car, very happy with it! Thanks to @marky-mark for selling it to me. Now it has a fresh MOT and I have been underneath for a good poke around, as is usual I can start improving it (which translates as spending lots of uneccessary money on it to get rid of the advisories).

 

[hairnet]

so much perv so much nick so much saab

what was wrong with the other conv?

[Saabnut]

3 hours ago, hairnet said:

so much perv so much nick so much saab

what was wrong with the other conv?

Nothing, it is just having a rest!  

[3VOM]

14 hours ago, Saabnut said:

Did manage to get pulled by Les Flics on my way into Lemans one day for a routine check. Checked my licence, log book and insurance and cheerfully waved on my way.

Did they ask if you have a Carte de Sejour? There's guy on YouTube I watch occasionally who is saying they are clamping down on foreign cars own by people with CdS who should have "imported" their cars but they are still driving on foreign plates. Risking lots of fines, taxes, duty, VAT, bureaucracy and possibly crushing in the worst situations. Allegedly.

[Saabnut]

18 minutes ago, 3VOM said:

Did they ask if you have a Carte de Sejour? There's guy on YouTube I watch occasionally who is saying they are clamping down on foreign cars own by people with CdS who should have "imported" their cars but they are still driving on foreign plates. Risking lots of fines, taxes, duty, VAT, bureaucracy and possibly crushing in the worst situations. Allegedly.

No, no questions about CDS but I was asked if I was on holiday and told them no, I have a "maison secondaire" and they were happy at that.

[lesapandre]

3 hours ago, 3VOM said:

Did they ask if you have a Carte de Sejour? There's guy on YouTube I watch occasionally who is saying they are clamping down on foreign cars own by people with CdS who should have "imported" their cars but they are still driving on foreign plates. Risking lots of fines, taxes, duty, VAT, bureaucracy and possibly crushing in the worst situations. Allegedly.

It's cars that have been in France over 6-months that need to be registered - casual trips are not covered.

However up to now whenever I have been stopped no one has asked how long the car has been in France - but over 6-months it needs to be regularised.

The same applies in the UK to foreign reg cars. It all stems from the 1968 Vienna Road Traffic Convention to allow cross- boarder vehicle movement.

In theory over 6-months I am sure you could get yr car crushed - but that would probably be in relation to another serious moving traffic offence - speeding or drink or drug driving.

French traffic police are more interested in those biggies than nit-picking over this or that rule.

I was speed-trapped here at the weekend on a very fast stretch of a Route Nationale locally going through a village - the limit is 50kph. I adhere scrupulously to the limits (and usually have a lot of honking Claudes up my bumper) but got waved through - the guy behind was pulled in for speeding. Quelle surprise.

The French drive too fast - even they think so. Road deaths per km are x2 the UK - some roads are notoriously fatal. Hence the speed traps.

I can't recall what it is - but over a certain speed it's instant crushing of the car.

[Three Speed]

Are you allowed to get out first?

[lesapandre]

No.