Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

captain_70s;n3548908 said:
Current fleet status:

2005 Honda Civic - Rear calipers seized, sitting outside my flat on axle stands waiting for parts to arrive to allow me to reassemble it. - Unusable.

1983 Triumph Acclaim - MOT failure, is at garage having one rear shock fitted, then needs taking to Fife for welding as the MOT tester took my fresh underseal job as a challenge. - Unusable.

1977 Triumph Dolomite 1300 - SORN'd. Runs and drives fine, welding is all complete, but as it is going to become MOT exempt on the 20th I don't want to waste the £45 to have it MOT'd. - Unusable.

1976 Triumph Dolomite 1850HL - SORN'd. In a field in Aberdeenshire, has been for many years now. I gave it to a mate but my name is still on the V5C 'cause I've not arsed to send it off so it is technically still mine and makes this list more amusing. - Unusable

1994 Rover 220SLi - A car that has very graciously been lent to me for free until one of my own cars is functional. Looks terrible, drives fine, has 136bhp! Girlfriend has banned me from keeping it. :( - Usable!

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You like torturing yourself, don't you? :p
 
I have experienced a terrible thing, Plastic shopping bags do not belong wrapped up on exhaust components.

Not nearly as bad a smell as manual trans, or gear oil, but plenty bad.
 
Mitchi;n3548939 said:
You like torturing yourself, don't you? :p
I think I genuinely have some sort of hoarding problem. In the short time I wasn't fucking about with old cars I managed to acquire five record players... :-|

public said:
Out of all those cars I'd just have the Rover...
Aside from a noisy wheel bearing it actually drives pretty much perfectly despite having just under 162k on the clock. It is, however, rusty as fuck.

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The owner said I may as well just keep it if I can be arsed fixing the wheel bearing but the bodywork is hanging even by my standards. It also makes no sense to keep as a beater because my insurance quotes are eye watering...

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The main reason the Civic is getting swapped for the Acclaim is that it costs £400 less to insure because "classic car".
 
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Are those prices per month? Cuz that's retarded... Also do they not have decent cars where you live or something? I'm fairly certain that for the price of all these old cars you could get a somewhat recent one...
 
Nah, that's yearly! Any modern car sat outside is going to cost £600+, "classics" over 25 years old are £175-200 on a specialist policy. Back in the countryside I had the Civic and both Dolomites insured a total of £400!

My car buying budget is pretty low, essentially I could buy another 10-15 year old car outright but that'd just be full of the same sort of problems the Civic has already. Alternatively I could buy a car on finance but then I'd still be paying £600+ in insurance and £150+ a month for the car, there is also pretty much nothing that I have any interest in owning within my budget.

So I bought the Acclaim to replace the Civic to take advantage of the lower insurance costs, the cheaper parts and the ease of DIY work. The Civic will be sold for what the Acclaim cost (£850), before it any more expensive bills appear. The Doloshite is staying because it is perennial and because in 8 days it'll become MOT/tax exempt so it's monthly upkeep costs will be pretty much nil.
 
That's about a grand a year in Freedom Bucks, and you think that's expensive lol, I paid basically twice as much for just about any car I owned. (Not counting current because its for two cars, though funnily enough with multi-car discount it comes out to almost the same). While I appreciate the love for classics I don't really understand why you like those specific classics.
 
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prizrak;n3548990 said:
That's about a grand a year in Freedom Bucks, and you think that's expensive lol, I paid basically twice as much for just about any car I owned. (Not counting current because its for two cars, though funnily enough with multi-car discount it comes out to almost the same). While I appreciate the love for classics I don't really understand why you like those specific classics.

My fleet runs $2400 a year.

After the BRZ wreck, my premiums went up... $14 a year. Tragic.
 
I've taken a page out of the Spectre book of parental automotive care.

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And taken it about 3 steps downmarket.

New Orleans PD.

2008.
Has cage. Has bars on rear window. Has a trunk full of filled out tickets and police reports.
Has a siren module that whoever was uninstalling shit got frustrated at and hit with a hammer, assuming that'd kill it. It still works.
Has a TON of hastily cut aftermarket accessory wiring.
Rear bumper cover has been caught on a few thousand curbs and is sitting on top of the exhaust (which was ripped out at some point and replaced with a set that step up in the rear, presumably to avoid getting ripped out on curbs, exacerbating the bumper cover to exhaust clearance problem).

Runs, drives, stops, haven't checked to see if it does burnouts.
 
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Yay! More Battlecruisers!
 
It's a totally unloved, beaten to shit workhorse and I love it! :lol:

I still wish you could get one over here for a reasonable price, they're all polished up show cars.
 
EyeMWing;n3548994 said:
My fleet runs $2400 a year.

After the BRZ wreck, my premiums went up... $14 a year. Tragic.

My current for two cars full coverage is roughly 3 grand
 
Mine are uninsurable :(
 
Spent the weekend driving my mom's MKZ around MA and it reminded me how nice those things are. Its quite and picks up pretty quickly, and she only has the 2.0L Ecoboost in hers. Got me thinking back to the time I had a 3.0L MKZ for a weekend a year or so ago and how much I loved that car. Started looking online, found a CPO one with the RS torque vectoring option, massage seats, the Harman Revel audio system option, less than 5,000 miles and a better warranty than new for about $17k off MSRP. Not going to lie, I'm pretty tempted. Chuckling to myself imagining showing up to a local SCCA autocross with duct taped numbers on the doors of a entry level luxury sedan that is typically associated with old people driving slow barges.
 
Just remember to get a video when you do it. ;)
 
Matt2000;n3549004 said:
It's a totally unloved, beaten to shit workhorse and I love it! :lol:

Going to name it Rocinante?
 
Matt2000;n3549004 said:
It's a totally unloved, beaten to shit workhorse and I love it! :lol:

I still wish you could get one over here for a reasonable price, they're all polished up show cars.

How much is reasonable? Because I live 30 miles from a RoRo port.
 
prizrak;n3548990 said:
While I appreciate the love for classics I don't really understand why you like those specific classics.
I just like old everyday cars! I also like small, light cars with lots of visibility and saloons and estates in particular.

The Dolomite provides the stereotypical "old British car ownership" experience. It requires constant tinkering to keep it running properly but is also so simple you could rebuild the top end of the engine at the side of the road over a sunny weekend. Any journey is an adventure, a test of skills as a motorist and mechanic, you arrive at your destination with a sense of accomplishment that modern cars simply don't provide even if sometimes your carbs are held on with shoe laces large bits of exhaust have fallen off mid trip.
The Acclaim provides an old fashioned driving experience while also being reliable. All the mechanical driving feel is still there but you can jump in the thing on a cold morning and it'll fire on the first turn of the key. The little OHC is happy to rev all day, the 5-speed gearbox is tight and notchy, the car feels very light and nimble despite only producing around 70bhp. I can also happily drive along the motorway at 65-70mph in a manner that the Dolomite simply can't do. It provides a very nice balance between the direct and involved driving feel and modern reliability.

Both the above cars also demand your attention while driving. Lower power outputs mean overtaking and hills have to be planned in advance, less powerful brakes demand a careful eye on the road ahead and plenty of anticipation, tight steering racks and narrow wheels need frequent inputs to keep the cars tracking straight. Most modern cars try to divorce you from the driving experience as much as possible, for most people driving is just a chore they need to do to get to their office job that is also a chore. There are plenty of enthusiast cars still out there but there aren't many that I'm keen on. They are also a good social talking point, I get plenty of compliment from passers by when I'm spannering and waves and honks when driving about, the Acclaim actually seems to be my most popular car. Probably as they are pretty much extinct up here in Scotland!

The Rover is just a beater. Pictures flatter it, it really is quite fucked. However it is better than my Mk7 Civic in every way with the possible exception of the radio being a bit crap. It is faster, more powerful, more comfortable, the interior plastics are nicer, visibility is miles better, the boot is huge, rear seat passengers have more room but it is a decade older and would cost about £100 to buy. Although most importantly it also finally completes my "small British family cars through the decades" collection by filling the 1990s spot...

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