The Dark Wob

CLINT wrote: ↑Fri Jan 17, 2020 8:27 pm

The Reverend Bluejeans wrote: ↑Fri Jan 17, 2020 6:48 pm All old cars are shit. They're a headache but, as old cars are an absolute pittance why are we even discussing shit like Mondeos and French crap? They were recyclable junk when they were new and of no fucking interest to anyone with a pulse.

Someone I know has recently bought a 51 plate A8 2.8 Quattro for 600 quid and it's clean. It might go wrong. In fact it probably will. But it was 600 quid and I'd rather push that that own a car that is right at the bottom of the food chain. Have some ambition people FFS.

Yeah but what mpg does that get? Will I knock the exhaust off when I visit my friend with his potholes farm driveway? Can I put large objects in the boot? What are spare part prices like? Are they an easy DIY fix? Nice cars but not all that useful to me.

Who gives a fuck? Are you a car enthusiast or not? Let those on The Beige talk about boring old shit. I’ve got an old petrol 7 Series and had a threesome with a couple of hookers on holiday. That’s how I roll. You can be sensible when you’re 85 or dead.

The point of the thread unless I'm mistaken is about motors that can do everything you want be it shit carrying to the tip,garden centre,days out or any other bollocks folk want to do. Along with parts being plentiful and cheap,reliable to a degree and cheap to run and maintain. That's why I said about a picasso. You cant do tip ruins,shit carrying etc in an a8. Parts aren't cheap and you cant bomb down to the scrapyard on a sunday morning for a front wing,bumper and headlight that was damaged when you happened to be fucking about on country lanes the night before and bin it to fit it so you can use it to go to work on monday. Cars like the a8,large executive cars in general,older classic cars,anything not run of the mill is certainly not a good idea when you can only afford to run one car and it needs to do absolutely everything. If I gave up the motability car I'd be back in something french before the day is out because I can only afford one main vehicle and can be had ten a penny on gumtree. My wife loves toyotas but the prices for early 2000s avensis are obscene.

No, you aren't mistaken, Bub. At least not in my understanding of the intent of the original post. However, as the Rev says we are enthusiasts and look beyond what we can have and can afford. My first thought of real-world motoring always turns to my Minor except that it is sadly lacking in the ability to cruise quickly and quietly home from a pub 150 miles away after a night out. I still keep a stash of most-used parts to cover your criterion of fix-for-Monday (a state of play that existed for me for at least 10 years) and a small trailer takes care of the tip run consideration.

It's fair to say that both Minors and 190Es remain relatively affordable choices, especially if you are only looking to buy once. Anything presently cheap to buy and run will either disappear from the face of the earth, unfortunately, or join the "classic" car over-value spiral.

Edit - I should like to add that I have followed your posts on here and on the beige hearing-aid and I don't consider you to be any less of a car enthusiast than anybody else, Bub! Might not share your own enthusiasms sometimes but that is also the case for many others.....The only worthwhile diversity in life is what we would chose to drive.

I'm certainly an enthusiast. I will also admit my taste in cars isn't the same as everyone elses and I'd rather be driving for example a rover s1,ford granny estate ghia x and numerous other cars from 70s and 80s but I cant ever afford them,no where to store one and fear of vandalism. I'd rather have an early a8 over a picasso but I have to buy what's cheap to purchase and run with spares.
In the subject of 190s,I've always like them and its certainly something I wouldn't kick out of bad. Predecessor to the c class in size I'd imagine?

My nomination is for the 740 /940 Volvos, big enough to fill with people, dogs, shit for the tip but not too big to park. Comfortable, reliable and excellent visibility out of the thing,usually fixable with scrapyard parts when it does go wrong and a nice one shouldn't cost any more than about twelve hundred pounds. I do admit however that I was looking for a Mercedes 190 when I stumbled across mine and it would still be my second choice now.

Funnily enough, a big square Volvo always comes onto my (very short) list when thinking of a possible 190E replacement....

Only my opinion of course but I don't think there's much out there to match them. I really wanted a 240 but the ones within my price bracket were tatty old heaps. On a slightly different tack I'd like to try an early nineties Lexus before all the cheap ones are gone/raced.

OK... if the point of this thread is EITHER to enjoy motoring with a massive petrol-engined car OR to have something practical and sensible, then I've won both categories with my daft yet sensible 7-seater 4.0 V8 Discovery that's accepted as a car at the tip.

Next!

bub2006 wrote: ↑Sat Jan 18, 2020 1:17 am The point of the thread unless I'm mistaken is about motors that can do everything you want be it shit carrying to the tip,garden centre,days out or any other bollocks folk want to do. Along with parts being plentiful and cheap,reliable to a degree and cheap to run and maintain. That's why I said about a picasso. You cant do tip ruins,shit carrying etc in an a8. Parts aren't cheap and you cant bomb down to the scrapyard on a sunday morning for a front wing,bumper and headlight that was damaged when you happened to be fucking about on country lanes the night before and bin it to fit it so you can use it to go to work on monday. Cars like the a8,large executive cars in general,older classic cars,anything not run of the mill is certainly not a good idea when you can only afford to run one car and it needs to do absolutely everything. If I gave up the motability car I'd be back in something french before the day is out because I can only afford one main vehicle and can be had ten a penny on gumtree. My wife loves toyotas but the prices for early 2000s avensis are obscene.

I also mentioned old A4 Avants. Worth fuck all, as practical as you like. Fuck that TDI shit off as well, 2.8 V6, 25 mpg on a good day, auto box, leather.

Life's too fucking short to drive around in Gallic misery, sitting in a grey plastic and cloth cocoon.

I’m sticking with the 405STI wagon as it is nippy enough, comfy, good looking, banging stereo that adjusts the volume with your speed, and I could afford to run it under most circumstances.

If I manage to be awash with disposable (and had the 405 on standby) then a Ferrari 412.