Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

Car Burnings On The Rise

It doesn't appear to have taken hold in Australia, but parts of Europe and the Middle East are experiencing a spate of car burnings.

Two recent burnings have brought the issue to the fore primarily because they're exotic cars: a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder was burned in Belgium (pictured) and an Audi R8 was torched in Dubai, one of many.

Though few arsonists are ever caught, speculation on the motives of car burners are rife.

There are suggestions that as the global economic downturn hits some countries very painfully, disgruntled individuals who have lost homes, shares, jobs, and life savings are burning exotic and luxury cars to vent their frustration at their rich owners.

However, since early 2008, it is estimated that more than 200 cars have been burned in Germany alone (see this map) and though many of these were luxury cars, not all of them were.

It would also be likely, therefore, that some of these car burnings are being carried out to defraud insurance companies.
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lamborghini-gallardo-on-fire.jpg


Source
 
If it's an Italian car on fire, how can you tell if it is the victim of deliberate arson or just malfunctioning Magnetti Marelli parts? :blink::lol:
 
Interesting PS job on the lambo.

I learned today that for the most parts, cops rely on their gps to find the speed limit of a certain area. Even on the 4th most busy road here.
 
Pics of the DSM in its current state. A bona fide barn find?

http://img23.imageshack.**/img23/8970/dsm1so1.jpg

http://img23.imageshack.**/img23/9528/dsm2yw6.jpg

http://img23.imageshack.**/img23/5026/dsm4qv2.jpg

http://img23.imageshack.**/img23/3254/dsm3ls8.jpg

http://img23.imageshack.**/img23/7544/dsm5ec4.jpg

http://img23.imageshack.**/img23/3420/dsm6vf8.jpg

According to the VIN, it was manufactured May 1st, 1992 and the documents say it was registered in Germany in Dec 1993.
That would hint towards the "boatload of DSM to Europe circa 1992" theory.
 
I don't think it qualifies as a "Barn Find" in a traditional sense unless it's rather a lot older. It may be in a barn, but it's still a "modern" car, so it's just parked.

Call me old school.
 
So it actually qualifies as the coveted "Ran When Parked" kind of car :lol:

It's not really in a barn, it's just an open garage at the back of the Hyundai-Suzuki dealership, as you can tell from the Lianas.
 
It looks rather good actually. Is it running, did you try it?
It's a lot better than the cars I've been finding...check a couple of pages back for my story with a Volvo 850R that had a big list of problems.
 
I posted stuff on the previous page. It actually started very nicely with the battery booster, so only the battery is very dead and the engine seems to be alright. I'm not going to go ahead with the car, though, because of the dodgy paintwork which would need very thorough attention to get right, as the base work has been done badly.

Anyway, they did say they're moving the obstructing cars away on the lot, so I'm taking it for a drive tomorrow, just to see how it drives and handles. It has been fitted with a -40mm lowering kit, so it will be interesting to see how it goes around.

I read the Volvo report, sounds like a nightmare.
 
Man i miss my TSi... I only had it for maybe 3 months before i sold it to a friend but it was fun while i lasted... didn't handle for shit but it was pretty damn quick
 
What do you guys think about a 1997 Legacy GT, 5 speed....they are asking $3000 for it and it supposedly has a new timing belt.
The thing that worries me is that it's a boxer - will it be easy to find mechanics to work on it?
 
_HighVoltage_ said:
What do you guys think about a 1997 Legacy GT, 5 speed....they are asking $3000 for it and it supposedly has a new timing belt.
The thing that worries me is that it's a boxer - will it be easy to find mechanics to work on it?
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check the carfax and try to knock a few hundred off it. I'm not a pro on scoobys and their prices though.
 
saw 2 surprising things on the way to work this morning

- for the first time EVER!!! a bus lane was being used by a bus. It was standing still though, with all indicators on, and all of the passengers had buggered off, so I think it must have had a problem. Still, good to see there are actually buses using these lanes.

- The US military police drive around in Brussels with Mondeo's, with a full army livery, "MP" painted on everywhere, sirens, lights, and American licence plates. Weird fact
 
Saw this on another forum somewhere:

I've heard a rumor that when the car was in development, there were many rumors about the impending mergers that would swallow up Jaguar. Jaguar did NOT want to see a Rover v-8 dropped into their car, so they made a purposfully narrow engine bay - so it would only fit tie I-6. Much to their chagrin, they were later told to cram the V-12 in there.
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Spectre, any comment?
 
This has to be with regards to the XJ40, right?

Yes, it is in fact mostly correct. During the 14+ year gestation of the XJ40, Jaguar became afraid that their then corporate owners at BL would force them to use the Rover V8 instead of the aluminum slant 6 or V12 - so the XJ40's engine bay is *deliberately* designed in such a way that only something like the slant six will fit. This made sense as Jaguar was at the time (1970s) part of British Leyland and remained part of BL until 1980. Mergers (at the time) were of no concern - being forced to use the less reliable and less refined Rover V8 *was*. (Rover V8s have a nasty habit of dropping not only valve seats but entire cylinder liners.)

This protective measure later came back and bit Jaguar in the ass when they went to discontinue the Series III and discovered that if they did so they would have NO sedans capable of mounting the V12 at all, something very important in an era that had seen the debut of the BMW 750iL and the impending S-class V12. Since by this time they were independent and no longer had to fear being forced to use the Rover V8 they had to implement a crash program to re-engineer the XJ40 to take a V-configuration engine. The XJ40 came out in 1985 (as an 86) in Europe and 1987 (as an 88) in the US (which makes for confusing discussions of cars of those years, as you can probably guess) - but despite the fact that it had technically been replaced, the Series III soldiered on in V12 powered form until 1992, when it was finally replaced by the XJ81 (an XJ40 with the brand-new revised engine bay and a 6L V12).

This is why you almost never see an XJ40 that's been converted to Chevrolet V8 power - it's a enormous pain in the ass to do, though I hear there's a new kit out with all new engine bay panels, stampings, relocations brackets, etc., that you can weld into the earlier XJ40s to allow it to take a V8. Expensive and hugely time consuming to install, IIRC. Of the 93 and 94 XJ40s and XJ81s that could natively take a V-configuration engine most are still running and are quite reliable, so there's no point in swapping their power plants.
 
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So, again the DSM. Today I finally took it for a drive, as they had charged the battery and taken it out of the back garage. It started at the turn of the key, and it actually was brilliant. Didn't make any weird noises, handled well, accelerated nicely (150 naturally aspirated horses yay), and generally felt like a solid 130 000 km car. The A/C might have worked, it's difficult to tell when it's -10'C outside. It's just a damn shame the paintwork sucks so bad and would definitely require money to sort out. I don't want any shoddy basework to ruin the whole car, or badly repaired crash damage to creep under the lusty redness.

Here are the numbers:

- Original asking price of DSM: 6900 euros
- Deal could be done at 5000 euros, without part exchange
- Part exchange deal: 1500 euros offered of my Mazda, 3500 euros needed.

If I compared the 3500 euros with the original 6900 euros asking price, my car wouldn't have depreciated at all in four years. Anyway, the DSM is definitely not worth near 7k, and even 4ke is very steep for it. Hell, if the car was for sale in USA, it wouldn't be worth 2k.

I'm going to wait this one out, and see whether they're ready to lower their price by June. As for somebody snatching it away during spring, I'm not holding my breath.

Finally: I absolutely loved flipping my headlights at people. :mrgreen:
 
public said:
blah blah
blah

blah blah

Finally: I absolutely loved flipping my headlights at people. :mrgreen:
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And you didn't buy it because..? :p
 
Hey, I can duct-tape 323F headlights on my Mazda and save 3490 euros :lol:
 
Should I scrap my old Golf to get a 3000? discount on leasing a new Suzuki Swift or Fiat 500? I don't really want a new car.
 
Polly said:
Should I scrap my old Golf to get a 3000? discount on leasing a new Suzuki Swift or Fiat 500? I don't really want a new car.
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I could get 3000? off the price of a Kia Cee'd by trading in my Mazda. I'd rather drive my Mazda.
 
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