What's In The Garage/Street

Having read the tale of EERO's Golf, I thought why not submit posts on what you have tucked away in the garage, the length of time of ownership, any good bad experiences, the number of miles/kilometres traveled and whether you would recommend the vehicle to others.

Over to you...

Okay then...

Current everyday car is a 1998 Vauxhall Corsa (Holden Barina to you, Mr Moffat!)

Ongoing rebuild project in the garage is a 1970 Mercedes Benz 220. This is the old Beirut taxi-style Merc, with the stacked headlamps and the separate radiator grille. She's called Isolde, and she's been in my possession for ten years. As Bluebottle will attest, this is more a "laid up until I can get around to working on it" project than an active restoration. But it will be done.

The Corsa has been okay, although the handling dynamics are a bit iffy, and it is terminally gutless. It's also not as economical as you'd expect from such a small car. Apart from the ECU packing up last winter, it has been no trouble. Passed 30,000 miles in it this week.

Also in the family stable is a 1994 Rover 216GSi. Say what you will about Rovers, it's blooming fast for a 1.6 hatch, it has a rorty exhaust note when it's on cam, and is thoroughly chuckable. Heartily recommended as a family car with a little bit of a capacity for fun.

My transport is a BMW 1100RS of 1995 vintage. Extremely practicle with panniers, heated grips and ABS. Goes well with a stainless after market exhaust and is riden everyday.

The four wheeled member is a Ford Fairmont 1996, 6 cylider 4 litre sedan. Good family motoring with the emphasis on comfort not dynamics.

The current project is a 1980 model, rear wheel drive Mazda 626 manual, that my son and I are bringing back to life. The engine swap is complete and so is the rust removal. Now for the interior. This is a supprisingly good car. At least it has supprised me!

Thanks, AMoffat - another perfect excuse to bore people about Maestros :)

Outside my house currently are 2 Maestros. I've had Hexie, a 1985 1.6 metallic Silver Leaf Vanden Plas for approaching 2 years now. I love him to bits, and I've spent a lot of money getting the bodywork in pretty damn good condition, and getting the mechanics into shape. Currently the steering rack is a little suspect, so that's due a change, and may have been the cause of the crash I had in it a couple of months ago. Still, I would rather sell a relative than part with him.

My more recent aquistion, nearly 2 weeks ago, was a very rare Austin Maestro camper van. It's a 1989 vintage, with a 2.0 Perkins diesel engine. It was a real bargain, and is something I've been after for ages, so the fact that it needs a little bodywork and sprucing up doing to it isn't a problem - besides, I bought him as a project car anyway.

Pics to follow as separate posts - for some reason I can only post 1 at a time.

Vanden Plas:

http://www.maestroweb.co.uk/pages/vpstand.jpg

Camper

http://www.fullthrottle.co.uk/other/camper2.jpg

Yes, well timed Mr Moffat.

My ride is a 6 month old (tomorrow actually) Nissan Pulsar SSS. Nice little car, very good value for money.

The good timing is my mum just bought, today, a new Lexus IS200. Great car, better than the Volvo S40 she had before. And for those that know me well enough you can now recover from the shock that someone in my family has bought a non-Volvo.

If you've read TimD's thread about Frights, you'll know my everyday car is a 1997 (R) Peugeot 306 DTurbo S. Surprisingly quick for a 1.9 Diesel, and 45mpg without having to try. Perfect for what I want.
And yes it is painted that gold colour - it's official name is Blaze Yellow. Although the car is actully a rather attractive shade of muddy brown at the mo!! I know everyone hates the colour, but I wouldn't have had any other colour.

I'm currently looking for an old Porsche to use as a project/weekend car - an old 911 or 944 will do nicely, but at 22 I haven't figured out yet how to insure it. Are those kind of cars old enough for Classic Insurance anyone??

In the street is a the company supplied 1.6 Astra estate, which is utterly awful. On the drive is our wonderful Ford Puma, which is an absolute delight to drive and has been trouble free during my 20 months of ownership, and in the garage is my occasionally used Hillman Imp.

MichealC, perhaps you should consider an Imp instead, the handling is similar to an old 911, just at much lower speed. Slightly cheaper to insure too. Oops, I'm getting carried away again, you can't tell I've got a thing about Imps can you? :rotate:

I have a 91 Ford Explorer w/ 140,000 miles (and Goodyear tires, having wore out the much maligned Firestones years ago). It has a bit of skin cancer, but has been a nearly perfect car mechanically.

However, I have on order, a new Ford Escape, a smaller SUV. I hunt, camp, fish, etc so I need something that can carry cargo, a canoe and has 4wd.

My wifes car is a 99 Mercury Sable (Ford Taurus). It is bland and uninspiring. It is a round, soft blob. We call it a Teletubby car. It is not even worth mentioning in this thread, so I wont.

Day-to-day I generally swipe the wife's Ford Ka for the run to the station , great little car with bags of headroom - never missed a beat but seem to have more than it's fair share of punctures. My generally used car is a '93 Range Rover , all the toys-although the electrics have always been temperemental(a not uncommon problem with the make) , lovely to cruise around in but bloody thirsty , I recently saved myself £90 quid by doing a round trip to Yorkshire in the Ka , this has made me seriously think about replacing it but I need it to tow the wife's Horsebox and......my Thunderbabe 1980 Rover SD1 fitted with a 4.5L Tuscan engine - which broke a propshaft and Rocker shaft after one race :( Then in the garage is my sprint car (now surplus to requirements-anyone interested?)- a Nissan GTIR(pulsar) heavily modified-what a weapon!-Electric in the rain at Goodwood and the snow at Mallory this year! And then tucked right away and sadly not used as much as I would have hoped this year is (one of) my dream car , a 1972 DBSV8 - when my ex-wife divorced me about 5 yrs ago I thought what the heck (or words to that effect ;) ) , went out and got a loan and bought exactly what I wanted regardless of the consequences - best swap I ever did !! (and for the price of a new Mondeo) :cool:

Originally posted by Marshal

MichaelC, perhaps you should consider an Imp instead, the handling is similar to an old 911, just at much lower speed. Slightly cheaper to insure too.



This is (probably) true. To be honest, I wouldn't know as I'm too young to remember them. Come to think of it, I don't think I even know what a Hillman Imp is. I do know that Jarvis Cocker has a Hillman Minx though...

Either way, I can't see it having the same affect as when I cruise up to the pub one sunny summer evening in my open-top Porsche. Though having said I have no idea what one is, perhaps it might.

Don't be too sure about that , I know a chap (vaguely) with a Hillman Imp in his garage , he also has a Tuscan 4 1/2 litre under the bonnet - WOW would be an understatement of some magnitude- he wins a great deal of sprints and admiring looks with it !!

Back in about 1980 I had a good friend that back traded a Golf on a Hillman Imp. He then spent $$$ making it go fast. He did manage to do this though, it was a great hill climb car. At the time this was a subject of laughter to the rest of us who mostlt like me has Cooper S Minis. Anu one got one of those stashed away?

Well, I myself don't have a car (obvious really, as I'm not old enough to drive) but I can contribute something to this thread. My dad has a BMW 528i and my mum has a Mercedes C180.

i drive a 316i (old, ownded by my aprents). she's in beautiful nick, and is a bit dirty. her engine is too small, and she's french.
i call her 'stelluccia', meaning 'little stella', the 'uccia' thing on the end means you are very fond of them. aah.
she's also been called 'skylark' (all aboard the skylark), and delilah (her showname). and she's cute. and french.
my olds have a m3 evo convertible (get a coupe - the convertibles handle ****. i should know, i took it up to yorkshire the other week), a suzuki sj413 (with the family as a run about. being in this car means you come out with shaken baby syndrome. conversation is very difficult. but it makes you smile when you see it in the morning), and my dad's old f reg porsche 928 (v.v.v.v. fast. v.v.v. old. not worth anything money terms. unless you drive it). we have an old retired escort with the numberplate ace 151 t - ace is it. by accident. and a lived in alpina. she's got a story or two to tell. i remember when my parents bought it - i was 3 and a half. my brother was nearly born in it (while being driven to addenbrokes at 100mph through cambridge..oops). i took my first tentative steps into the driving world in it, age 13. 179,000 on the clock and still going. well done beano (reference to the numberplate). oh yes. it has 'nostrills' written on the bottom of the numberplate :)

but i like my little stelluccia best. she's the slowest, but she's the nicest to be in. she likes to go to manchester. and she wins me admiration from plenty of young gentlemen. she hates mornings (misses a cylinder. or two. or three. or sometimes, the lot, and she stalls. bless.), especially cold english ones. and she likes it when i play girl racer and undertake people when they're sat in the middle lane for no reason (mondeo, i have your card marked). she likes her petrol unleaded, but if necessary during the next fuel crisis, she will drink leaded.

i don't need a fast modified racing car. me and my car get along juuuust nicely. :)

AMoffat, sold my Cooper (not an 'S', but all 'S' running gear) just over 18 months ago.

V. sad day... :(

http://steve-cooper.members.beeb.net/Cooper_Motor_E/Page_2/IMAG0004.JPG

Never driven an Imp, though...

And this is my current beastie...

http://steve-cooper.members.beeb.net/Cooper_Motor_E/Page_3/IMAG0006.JPG

RS2000 running gear, 2.1 OHC, 45 DHLA's, Group 1 cam and head, ultra-light steel flywheel, 5 spd 'box, adjustable platforms, HUGE brakes... It's a Gem. But...

It's rusting away.

My other lil' baby has been discreetly inspected by members of this here forum. It's a 1972 Minivan, tastefully modified and dragged into the next century with Mk3 doors, AP 4-pots, Tilton master cylinders, fully adjustable rose jointed suspension, 'shell mounted 6 point cage, 6x13 Revolutions, BRG with a white roof, central locking, MOMO wheel, Honda Integra seats...

I haven't scared it with a camera yet. But when I do, I'll show you first!

Sparky,

The Cooper I had was a 1971 Clubman GT with 1310, Twin choke 45mm Webber carb, straight cut gears, 2" exhaust and "cosmic" mags (these looked better than they sound.

Great car. Love the photos. The Mini looks very nice indead, what did it sell for.

My same mate who had the Imp sold it for an original Lotus Escort Mark 1. Nice car in white with green flashes on the side.

I had a Clubman with Cosmics on once! freaky!!

My van is my 33rd Mini. I've just built a '71 saloon for the missus. When she drove it for the first time (after totally destroying the previous one in a bizarre strawberry jam incident) she said it handles a lot better than the last one. I hadn't told her about the Spax shocks, negative camber arms and brackets, solid mounted subframes, nylon bushes...

At least she noticed!

The Mini sold for £3500, which considering I bought it for £50 isn't too bad. (Heck of a lot of work to put it right, though!) In fact, I've never paid more than £100 for a car, just £1000's putting 'em right!!!

Interesting. We never had a 'Lotus Escort' over here. We had the Escort Twin Cam instead, fitted with the Lotus 1598cc Twink.

And the Ermine white/green flash paintjob was reserved for the Cortinas.

I love reading about the differences between Aussy and British cars. Essentially the same, but waaaaay different. ;)

I can vouch for Sparky's Mini Van. An absolute credit to a conscientious engineer - with a real hooligan streak.

You know you're looking at a good job when you look at the car closer and closer, and the detailing just gets neater and neater.


Bella, if your family Porsche 928 is "not worth anything money terms", please be sure and remember me when he gets bored with it...!

Thankyou Tim. I'm touched. http://www.ten-tenths.com/forum/images/icons/icon6.gif

'Hooligan streak' - I am, and I have, but I always keep my boots on!

If you could find a Mini over here (oh, there are a few), I'd be in one sooooofast...

Instead its the 1999 Passat wagon and the afore mentioned new Golf.

By the way Sparky, I've always loved those 70's Escorts which you never see here....


John Buffum ran one in IMSA in the early '70's and it flew.

Ah! That's who it was!

EERO, you just answered something that's been bugging me for about a week. I turned up a picture of an early wide-arch Escort, at what looks like Sears Point, and I was wondering what it was doing there.

Armed with that, I'll see if I can't pin down the event. Thanks for that!

Tim, it was in the IMSA (International Motorsports Association) under 2.5 Liter championship in '72-73 I think if my memory isn't failing me. It was pretty narly-looking. I think he may have also run it in the revamped championship with a BDA in 74 or 75. I'm a little hazy on all of this.

I think he had much more success rallying .

How about a Buffum Biography (http://www.rallyracingnews.com/teams/bio-jb.html)?

Thanks for the trip down memory lane Sparkster.
;)

I'm still trying a massive search to find a pic of this big-winged scary monster Escort.

Can't find it anywhere. :(

By the way, I entered 'John Buffum' into an all-Ford website search engine. I forgot to include speech marks, and I got 300-odd replies for 'Buffum' and over 35 million for 'John'!!! :eek:

Be careful what you ask for, you might just get it!!

Anyway, I think we were discussing real cars! ;)

NEXT!

Any ideas on how a group of people on different continents can come together in praise of Minis and Escorts??

I know I'm fortunate when I look out of the window in the morning and see those lovely old cars, instead of some plastic Euroblobs.

Apologies to all Euroblob owners. ;)

Another benefit over here is that they're old enough to qualify for FREE road tax discs!!! :laugh:

Don't you just love older cars! :cool:

There were actually quite a few Mini's in the US in the 70's, but they were very popular as SCCA club racers (G or H sedan class I believe). So many got bought up and used up on road courses here. Not a bad way to go, actually. Live fast, die young and all that.

Neil, wasn't that "C Sedan" or " G and H Production"?

About once a year I see a Mini or an old Jag. Saloon or even a Citroen in Boston. The problenm is that the combination of Salt air and harsh winters sends a lot of cars to an early grave here. In Boston, it is not unusual to see 3-5 year old cars dissolving in iron oxide.

tim, i'm first in line for the porsche. and i can get insurance for it, age 18...wo-hoo!!!! i love motor industry insurance!!!

sparky, that car is lovely! look after it well.

Thanks Bella! I will! The Escort was built about five years ago, and has been sold on four times! Every time I sell it, I'm glad to see it go, but I regret it for weeks afterwards. It's very temperamental, it drinks like a fish, it’s forever chewing up sparkplugs and starter motors, and leaks oil if I don’t wash it! ;)

I love the old heap though, so I've bought it back AGAIN to rebuild it properly. Unfortunately, it's a high maintenance motor, and the others just caned the bejeeezuz out of it. Unfortunately, they ignored her pleas for the weekly clean, and it’s started to rust.

So, I'm looking for a replacement bodyshell. I've just bought 'new old stock' gennie Ford Mexico steel wings for it (at £225 EACH !!! :eek: ) and a new front panel. I've got most of the rebuild parts (chrome, glass, rubber seals etc), I JUST NEED A BODYSHELL!!!

So, if anyone sees an old Escort Mk1 2 door lurking in their neighbours garden, growing moss and looking unloved, tell 'em you know somebody who'll take it away for 'em!
:laugh:

what's the chassis like?? god knows where you could find a shell for one of those. i'm sure scrapheaps are a bit, well, scrappy.

a hint - if you want to make your car last longer (and not fail the mot), then wash the ledges around the doors and things like that. the wheelarches, etc. plus, it looks well posh when you're either trying to sell it, or showing off. plus you won't get grotty trousers when you get in :)

i have to say, we handbag the french, but my car's in perfect nick (it's going back to france, this week, honest officer). the previous owner may be a bat, and she may have spilt perfume in it, but man, the engine and chassis and body's perfect.

and then it comes to england and doesn't get washed for a while. it's filthy, and i jet washed it on monday. i have to treat her well, or she doesn't start. she hasn't forgiven me for leaving my lights on at silverstone yet....we had to get a jump start at 11.45 at night.....cringe. so i wash and hoover her regularly to make up for it.

hey, sparky, when you love a car, you just can't part with it. don't ever ever sell it again :rotate:. it never liked those new owners anyway. the log book must be something to behold. how does the family sparky feel about it?

Sparky,

this was in 1981. I could have the name wrong!

But the vehicle sounds the same. Of interest is the secretary at work whose husband has restored an original mark1 Cortina GT, he the sold it bought a heap that he painted and restored to original specs - then dropped an 1790 Alfa motor in it. It goes well!

Bella, I'm sorry I didn't respond earlier. I've already sweared an oath of allegiance to all things Escort. I can't get rid.. er... sell it again. But I can't be doing with a moth-eaten chassis!
Something will turn up. :rolleyes:

AMoffat, Don't worry, I wasn't saying I thought you were wrong about the name!
I'm amazed at the number of differences between UK and Aus cars, when they are essentially the same yet they are sooo different!

You asked me for more photos of the Escort and Mini. Try my site. (http://steve-cooper.members.beeb.net/Cooper_Motor_E/Home_Pagex.html)

If that doesn't satisfy your cravings, ;) I'll send you some more. (Once they're scanned.)
Unfortunately, I don't have any of the van yet. Soon, I promise! :rotate:

The site is great!

It makes the resto job being done on a '79 Mazda 626 with my son look very measley indeed! It is funny, he wanted a Mini that was a shell and then every other component spread under the sellers' house. Cost $400 (Aus). I got a headache just thinking about it. After looking at your photos I wish I had taken some paracetamol and bought the Mini!

Regards..

I've watched the Nissan motor co video about the IMSA 2.5 liter challenge several times, at Datsun club meetings because of course the Datsun 510 (1600 to us Aussies) dominated that series. There was a Twin Cam Escort in the video, but surprisingly it never seemed to go well. The other cars at the front were Alfa 105 and BMW 2002. The weird stuff at the back, raced by the eternal optimists society was far more interesting. :)

My daily driver is a company owned, Ford Falcon station wagon (estate car), it was 4 months old last week and goes in for its 15,000km service on Thursday.

Mr. Patterson,


SSShhhhhh....


Don't tell Sparky. ;)

My daily driver is a 1991 Saab 9000 Carlsson, 220-odd horsepower through the front wheels :)

My brother and I jointly own a 1990 (Rover) Mini Cooper, which after being driven into the ground by both of us as a road car over the years is being tarted up in the hope of running a few sprints/hillclimbs next year.

I'm currently running a fifteen year old Mk3 Granada that I bought nearly five years ago after some toerag drove into the side of my Opel Manta GTE. The Granada was one of those "we need something now" stopgap kind of things that only cost £1300, but it's just kept on going, up til now.... Well, I s'pose when you've got 149000 miles up you're allowed to complain a bit. If it rains, and I haven't used it for a couple of days, it takes about half an hour continuous driving before it stops misfiring. (You can barely imagine the entertainment value in the current climate) Poor old thing. Likes oil though, lots of it.

Would I have another? Aside from the fact that it's been by far the most reliable car I've ever had (though the Manta was pretty good too), and I can get a drumkit in the back, it's also an excellent long distance cruiser. For a big blob, it's also ridiculously economical on long motorway journeys. My record, during the fuel crisis, was more than 45mpg (honest - we were carrying 40 litres in the boot and calculated it off that) on a trip down to Wales. But 50mph for seven straight hours is not recommended for your sanity. But if you want fun and chuckability...Naaa, buy something else, no, actually, buy anything else!

..... Like A Dutton?

Our currant fleet includes a Mk2 Granada (Last proper Granada!) a Dutton Sierra and a Vincent Hurricane.