Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

^:lmao:

That was mean. :)
 
NooDle said:
Belgium car fail of the day : apparently ALL new Fiat 500s automatically fail their MOTs since there seems to be a problem with the rear suspension. too hard springs, too bouncy seems to be the verdict

So now you can't sell any secondhand 500 anymore...

weird that it's only happening here though, and since the Ford Ka has the same chassis, why doesn't it have the same problem?
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They may have the same chassis but not the same suspension setup, that may be why. I drove a friend's 500 for some time and the suspension really is bouncy as hell... I heard the 500C (the convertible one) shares its suspension setup with the Ka, I don't think Fiat knows how to tune suspensions correctly :-D
 
Why not just swap in the Ka suspension to the 500?

I smell a class-action lawsuit.
 
Calling out all the Swedish members !!!

I have been eyeing one particular car in Stockholm for the last week or so and have sent e-mail to the owner, asking about the car. Unfortunately while I speak swedish, my linguistic capabilities end where techical stuff begins. Therefore I had to write in english and I am not sure if the guy is going to bother answering it. I would call him, but again my swedish isn't good enough to do this.

Therefore I am asking a favor, if any of you fellow scandicavians would be so kind as to try and find out something about this vehicle, by e-mail or otherwise. Or just write a general enquiry which I can use and send myself, that'd be awesome as well.

I'm not sure there is anything I could do in return or compensate the trouble, but asking can't hurt......right ?
 
Some wine has helped me realize i now have a Project car, and i don't need to worry about ruining it while learning to fix stuff. And who knows, maybe someday i can start it again.
 
gaasc said:
Some wine has helped me realize i now have a Project car, and i don't need to worry about ruining it while learning to fix stuff. And who knows, maybe someday i can start it again.
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And I think some sobriety will help you realize your car BURNED IN A FIRE.
 
^ yeah that's not a good project



WHy is it they have made cars to drive themselves but not when we need them to like come get us from the other side of campus when it is raining and 9pm.
 
if it hasn't got a battery or volatile fluids it can't happen again.What i'm saying is that i can finally learn some things about mechanics without running the risk of killing the car.

and kat, where the hell were Peggy or Christine in all this.
 
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What you have isn't a car, it's a carcass. Now, performing an autopsy and taking it apart to see how it all works is certainly worthwhile (it's a great way to learn), but don't bother putting it back together. It's not worth resurrecting. Most cars that burn aren't.
 
The Zagato 500 Spyder really has some Corvette C1 vibes.

500x_ferrari-550-gtz-6.jpg

500x_ferrari-550-gtz-1.jpg

500x_ferrari-550-gtz-12.jpg


But I like it a lot.
 
gaasc said:
if it hasn't got a battery or volatile fluids it can't happen again.What i'm saying is that i can finally learn some things about mechanics without running the risk of killing the car.

and kat, where the hell were Peggy or Christine in all this.
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Peggy does not have magic driving self powers she can only play pranks on people :(
 
If you advertise a car online and choose not to leave your phone number, would you not try and respond fairly quickly to emails? Or if you sold the car already, take down the ad and/or let interested people know thats its been sold so you dont get pestered with emails for the next month.

I emailed someone about a car a week ago and I'm still waiting for a first response. Every new email in the inbox has me thinking I'll finally be able to take a look at the car. I know the rough area of where the car is so maybe I'll try and hunt it down on my day off.
 
So I decided to change the tranny fluid on the 318 to Penzoil Sychromesh (shit works wonders!) and I had a case of "while i'm there..." and "as long as I'm ordering parts I might as well get other parts i need..." turned into a several hundred dollar bill of parts.

Had I actually LOOKED underneath the car and checked things out I would have noticed that 1/3rd of those parts had been done quite recently by the Previous Owner. Lets hope I can return the useless parts.

Moral of the story? Make sure you actually need parts before you buy them from a website with a 15% restocking fee.
 
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killpanda said:
They may have the same chassis but not the same suspension setup, that may be why. I drove a friend's 500 for some time and the suspension really is bouncy as hell... I heard the 500C (the convertible one) shares its suspension setup with the Ka, I don't think Fiat knows how to tune suspensions correctly :-D
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That may be true, but the main reason it's getting redflagged here is because of some stupid law that means if you have a "light" car they test the suspension in a different way. The 500 juuuuuuuuust falls outside this category, and thus needs a much stricter test, pitching it against much heavier, sturdier cars.

From what I hear the solution is to fit narrower tyres,and put some weight in the boot, that'll get you to pass the test.


gaasc said:
Some wine has helped me realize i now have a Project car, and i don't need to worry about ruining it while learning to fix stuff. And who knows, maybe someday i can start it again.
Click to expand...

This'll be a trainwreck. Pics please

Donington said:
The Zagato 500 Spyder
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WANT

Shawnw said:
If you advertise a car online and choose not to leave your phone number, would you not try and respond fairly quickly to emails? Or if you sold the car already, take down the ad and/or let interested people know thats its been sold so you dont get pestered with emails for the next month.

I emailed someone about a car a week ago and I'm still waiting for a first response. Every new email in the inbox has me thinking I'll finally be able to take a look at the car. I know the rough area of where the car is so maybe I'll try and hunt it down on my day off.
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Who doesn't check their emails atleast once a week?
My guess is the car is already sold or the dude is a total douchefag.
Either way, it doesn't seem to be this car you'll be getting
 
gaasc said:
Some wine has helped me realize i now have a Project car, and i don't need to worry about ruining it while learning to fix stuff. And who knows, maybe someday i can start it again.
Click to expand...

That's all well and good, but in the end, you'll have done all that work just to end up with an old Mitsubishi that will catch fire again.
 
I need ideas, and I won't make a new thread for this, since it isn't exactly advice I need, just ideas and suggestions to add to my current selection.

I am most likely buying a car in about two week's time. The only problem is that I have yet to completely decide what I want. I have a couple of strong candidates, but I would like to have some more, so this is where you guys come in.

Some requirements:

- Has to be big - as in a proper sedan/estate OR a BIG coupe, mid size preferred i.e. 5-series/E-class/V70
sizewise.
- Manual gearbox
- Air conditioning is a must
- "Enough" get up and go, meaning doesn't have to have 500bhp, but enough so it is effortless to drive and
when needed, will move rapidly. Of course extra power can't hurt...
- Has to be good to drive. Now this is crucial, but again doesn't have to be an Exige, but something
which I would not mind just taking for a drive in the middle of a night. Something which can handle spirited
driving
- Diesels have to really special in order for me to consider them.
- Fuel consumption is NOT one of my biggest worries.
- High mileage isn't a concern as long as the car is well kept.
- Fairly reliable in all conditions, mainly ruling out Alfa Romeos.
- Doesn't have to be from Finland: I am considering Germany and especially Sweden as potential market places

And these are what I have on my list at the moment:

- E39 5-series with various engines, all with M-sport/equivalent setup.
- E34 5-series, mainly 540i and M5
- Volvo V70R/850 T-5R. This would be bought from Sweden, since they have a lot more variety and better
conditioned ones.
- E38, with a manual transmission (unlikely, but it's on my list)

So there. Ideas especially from the Swedes, Germans and Finns are welcomed, since those are the car markets I am looking at. Just throw suggestions and ideas, for example cars YOU would be looking at if you were in the market for something with similar specs.
 
You said it already: BMW 5 series. Audi A6 could also be an option. If I were looking for a used executive sedan with a kinda sporty suspension, that's about it - the Frenchies are too soft and you don't want an Alfa. But let me think...

Honda Accord? Saab 9-5?
 
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