Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

I'll let you know what all it'll need. I know I'll want some glass headlights for it at least.
Is it the Sierra Merkur? Lots of parts easily available for that :)
 
May have bought another Merkur. More details to follow...

If you want another one, my friend is selling one for $750 :p
 
Someone on here needs to buy a F-350 diesel with a shitty ebay tune, smokestacks and a bumper sticker that reads "I'm compensating for your Tesla"
 
Forward me the cash and I'm your guy, as a bonus I will never wash it and continuosly park it on electric charging spots.
 
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Is it the Sierra Merkur? Lots of parts easily available for that :)

Yes, the XR4Ti. I believe that's the Sierra with the SVO/Turbo Coupe drivetrain.


If you want another one, my friend is selling one for $750 :p

Who knows I might corner the market. :D
 
Yeah Sierra-parts are still fairly easily available, even new aftermarket headlights are on ebay(.de) .. not even expensive.. but I am not sure how much they'd compromise my luggage capacity :p
 
Just get another suitcase you won't notice it in the BMW or the Cadillac.
 
Belgian tow trucks probably couldn't budge one :lol:

Normal cop backpocket 'towing' companies can't even budge a simple quarter tonne.... a heavy duty will have them calling their mothers :lol: :lol:
 
Normal cop backpocket 'towing' companies can't even budge a simple quarter tonne.... a heavy duty will have them calling their mothers :lol: :lol:

Something not unlike this, only they can't pull the truck onto the back? :D

ef0e9b2092d9e67f13f6d1f8532aa194.jpg


Or more like this?

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The first one, oh so very much.
 
The XR4Ti has bespoke bumpers and lights. The Merkur has plastic headlights iirc? europe was still about 15 years away from ditching glass. Also, they're split down the middle for some reason, just like on many other DOT converted euro cars of the era. Volvo 900 series comes to mind.

Also afaik all XR4Ti's used the Sierra XR4 body shape which is the rarest of them all. We also had a five door hatch (which I grew up in), a three-door hatch without the weird side windows, a conventional three-box saloon (which I owned) and a wagon.

A guy in my area had a really nice late model metallic sky blue wagon with 4x4 and factory alloys around 2001-02 when I just had bought mine. I just saw it the other day. He's still driving it. It doesn't look as nice anymore though. :lol:
 
The first one, oh so very much.

To be completely fair, even over here they would have had to send for one of these to tow my old F-350, considering that it was actually larger and heavier than many common light duty tow trucks...

1991-gmc-top-kick-medium-duty-wrecker-181896993454-0.jpg


Those things usually require hours to be dispatched and arrive on scene as they're not in common use. Which is why I would occasionally park it in inappropriate places and walk away if it was just for a short while. "What are you going to do, tow me? Good luck with that."

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Also, they're split down the middle for some reason, just like on many other DOT converted euro cars of the era. Volvo 900 series comes to mind.

IIRC, that was due to having a separate high beam bulb. Due to the DOT beam pattern requirements it was hard to meet both low and high beam patterns with a composite assembly (for some reason, I don't remember what it was - something about two bulbs?) The bottom line is that they had to make the high beam section adjustable separately from the low beam.

In the US, early Mercedes composite lights like this car's had a plastic lens over the high beam (which turned out to be not so great an idea) but a glass lens over the low beam lights.
18ncsfrao009vjpg.jpg

That isn't a sealed beam on there, it actually is a glass lens composite headlight.
 
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Baaaah, radio in the BRZ packed up.

Between this and the HVAC, I get the feeling I'm approaching the end of useful service life.
 
What? How many miles are on it? That seems odd even for a new car.
 
In the US, early Mercedes composite lights like this car's had a plastic lens over the high beam (which turned out to be not so great an idea) but a glass lens over the low beam lights.

So there's a high beam bulb under that yellowed plastic? I've always figured it was trim to fill out the front around the DOT mandated glass lens. I bet that car has awesome high beams. :lol:

Ford did something similar on the first-gen Mondeo, but the other way around. For reasons known only to engineers at Ford (or whatever European manufacturer they bought headlights from) they added a piece of plastic behind the glass lens. So they get cataract inside the headlights.

Iihk2Bm.jpg
 
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