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The Car Thread ... !
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Waiting for the 12 Pro Max phoneAnd a day it doesn't rain.
Fair enough. 12 Pro is shaping up to be Amazing phone. Hands on reviews this week!
It probably also weighs about half as much, if at all. ?[…]
LOL at 6.5s being deemed bonkers
[…]
The Marina kind of never took off here the way the Mini did. I think there were only about 10,000 imported. Skip, The Marina Man, claimed at one tome he thought there were between 20 and 30 left, but I keep hearing of little unknown ones that I suspect it might be a bit higher, although probably still not 100.
There’s some other kind of fun US market stuff too. The wipers, for example, poke through what looks like kind of crudely drilled holes, and there are plugs in the “normal” spots. Of course the big blocky bumpers are pure US.
If this was a car one could actually see from time to time in real life over here, I'd check on the wiper axle thingy. But, alas, I doubt I saw more than two of those in my whole life.
You know what I want? The new Alpine 1600. Actually I want the “rally” version. That’s everything I want in a car except that they left out the true manual trans. Light, nimble, just the right amount of power for the chassis, just the right amount of grip so you can slide it around if you want. Sidewalls tall enough that you don’t have to worry about actually thrashing it and having fun! It looks utterly glorious and from everything I’ve read about it it drives exactly the way I prefer a car to drive. But we will likely never see it in NA because the vast, vast majority of persons living here prefer driving obese turtles flailing on their backs in the sun.
The other shoe drops...For those paying attention to this discussion regarding my 82 Fiat 124 Spider 2000, a preliminary test indicates I have a bad alternator. In addition when I come back from driving the car for wbout 20 minutes, the battery voltage has noticeably dropped as in it’s not being charged.
And then an interesting thing happened, a person who says he has worked as a mechanic saw my for sale sign and fell in love with this car. I disclosed to him the issue about the alternator, and he said that if the battery was disconnected while the car is running, that the alternator is bad, but I’m not sure that is true for this car. Anyway we tried this and the car died.
@Beerstalker I discovered that fuse I pulled causing a draw of current was the air circulation fan.
I sold the car for $5000, which ironically is what I paid for it 32 years ago.
A good lesson for anyone buying 40 year old hobby cars:
At the time the seller purchased the car, he drove the car, he inspected it and was satisfied with it’s condition. I had expressed my concern that the alternator was not working and advised him that it had been replaced by a nearby auto repair shop about 7 years ago when the car was first brought to Texas.
Suspecting or knowing the alternator was not working, we agreed to a purchase price in as-is condition. There was no body rust evident at the time of sale. He and I both acknowledged that this was a hobby/project car that would require work to restore.
During the week I made arrangements with the buyer to come over on the Saturday (today) to pick up extra car seat hinges, a drive train part, and a Valve Adjustment Tool.
When he arrived today he told he that he was having difficulty, had spent two days trying to remove the alternator on the car. He said whoever had installed the alternator, had forced a pin that holds the alternator into a piece of the engine body (that he had with him to show me) and that he had broken off the bolt/pin on the end of it in the process of removing the alternator from the engine. My impression is that the pin/bolt that was broken that had the nut on it is what holds the alternator in place. He may need to find this piece off a junked Fiat engine if he can't get the pin out. That is the issue with this age of a car, especially a foreign import. You have to find a replacement part or have one made, if that is possible.
Here's a kicker. He told me there was a pin that was missing that holds the alternator pulley wheel to the alternator rotor that was missing, and there was a possibility that the alternator had been working, but the pulley wheel had been free turning. But he had destroyed the alternator trying to take it off. Now I don't understand why that happened, anyway...
He also said when he put it up on jacks there was a lot of rust on the underside and felt that he would be lucky to get his money back out of the car. Well there is going to be rust, but as I said, there is no visible body rust on this car. He wanted to know if I would buy it back from him for $4000. (sold it to him for $5k). That would be $1000 profit for me. I told him, no, that when I sold the car I had decided I did not want to invest any more more money into it and that he had broken a part on the car. It was too late to take it back. We left it on civil terms.
Very true. But none sound like big issues for someone willing to put a bit of effort in. Been there and done it with my daughters Golf MK2 GTI.
Started with a radiator that broke, and ended up not only removing everything connected, but also replacing and cleaning it all up. And even build my own engine loom.
Had to drill out a puller nut from the power steering. Snapped a nut in the cylinder head for the coolant flange, against drill out and retap. And so on.
Don’t do it if you don’t mind doing a bit of fabrication.
Started with a radiator that broke, and ended up not only removing everything connected, but also replacing and cleaning it all up. And even build my own engine loom.
Had to drill out a puller nut from the power steering. Snapped a nut in the cylinder head for the coolant flange, against drill out and retap. And so on.
Don’t do it if you don’t mind doing a bit of fabrication.
I’m not sure if you did this or not, but one thing that I did when I sold my bad A** Mustang GT years ago (I miss that car), was I would have the buyer sign/date and agree to a release waiver where they are purchasing/accepting the car ‘as is’ with no warranty, I Would also notate if they chose to not have the car inspected, current mileage, notate said agreed price and how they buyer for paid for the car, once buyer Takes possession of the vehicle, notate buyers D.L #, all liability is released from seller and insurance is to be installed before the buyer drives vehicle away per state law, etc.. Once the buyer understands and agrees to everything, both parties sign by state, and it completely covers me from ‘pointing the finger’. I’ve never had a problem selling my cars in the past, but it is something I suggest any time with a private sale of an auto to always cover yourself.
Anyway, glad it was civil and it didn’t turn south. Mainly, you did the right thing by not accepting the car back, because you don’t know if there’s something else that he didn’t disclose he may have done to the car since he took possession of it after-the-Fact.
Definitely don’t want to get into a buy back. Nobody buys a car of that age and expects it to be perfect. Even if it’s been fully restored, there’s always something that needs attention.
Talking out loud here (Literally as I use Siri for dictation...😁) For anyone ever considering car capsule in the future:
So I was considering car capsule, which is basically a plastic enclosure for your car that provides 360° protection against outside elements of dirt, minor impact and moisture, and of course any type of rodent intrusion.
For those who don’t know, here’s what it looks like with an example picture:
So after extensive research of reading reviews, watching user videos, I decided it’s probably not the best investment and here’s why. It actually expands an additional 3 feet in length and another 3 feet in height, which depending on your garage measurements, it can consume quite a bit of space, as you can see in the above photo. It’s probably better suited to use car capsule in a warehouse setting. Also, other issue I’ve read with car capsule, is that it continues to keep expanding, which The bubble continues to distend further then it normally should.
Also, one of the main features to car capsule is that is intended to lock out moisture, well, that’s not the case for about half of users that I’ve read about car capsule, where moisture tends to get trapped inside the bubble, causing mold and mildew issues to grow in the interior of your car. There’s a couple ‘work arounds’ that you can use like moisture absorbers leaving the windows rolled down, but even that’s not guaranteed. If you have leather as an interior, heavy moisture can basically distort the leather and cause mildew growth.
The other caveat, is car capsule is intended to put the car in a ‘semi dormant‘ state where it’s left alone. For me, I would want to periodically start the car just to get fluids flowing and let it run for a little while, however, in order to do that, you have to completely deflate car capsule, you cannot run the vehicle with inflated for obvious reasons.
I don’t think the price is unfair for the product, as it tops off around $600 for my version, but for my usage, I do worry about the moisture, especially with varying temperatures during the winter in my state and I would want the car to be started periodically, which would defeat the purpose of car capsule. My other cars are in heated storage, but I’m keeping one of my cars in my personal garage, which was originally intended for a car capsule.
That said, I did find a really nice car cover (Ultraguard) for about $300 from Amazon, and it actually even covers the wheel base. I’m all set to purchase, as the reviews are near perfect and provides adequate protection, and I can easily unfold the cover to start the car.
So I was considering car capsule, which is basically a plastic enclosure for your car that provides 360° protection against outside elements of dirt, minor impact and moisture, and of course any type of rodent intrusion.
For those who don’t know, here’s what it looks like with an example picture:
So after extensive research of reading reviews, watching user videos, I decided it’s probably not the best investment and here’s why. It actually expands an additional 3 feet in length and another 3 feet in height, which depending on your garage measurements, it can consume quite a bit of space, as you can see in the above photo. It’s probably better suited to use car capsule in a warehouse setting. Also, other issue I’ve read with car capsule, is that it continues to keep expanding, which The bubble continues to distend further then it normally should.
Also, one of the main features to car capsule is that is intended to lock out moisture, well, that’s not the case for about half of users that I’ve read about car capsule, where moisture tends to get trapped inside the bubble, causing mold and mildew issues to grow in the interior of your car. There’s a couple ‘work arounds’ that you can use like moisture absorbers leaving the windows rolled down, but even that’s not guaranteed. If you have leather as an interior, heavy moisture can basically distort the leather and cause mildew growth.
The other caveat, is car capsule is intended to put the car in a ‘semi dormant‘ state where it’s left alone. For me, I would want to periodically start the car just to get fluids flowing and let it run for a little while, however, in order to do that, you have to completely deflate car capsule, you cannot run the vehicle with inflated for obvious reasons.
I don’t think the price is unfair for the product, as it tops off around $600 for my version, but for my usage, I do worry about the moisture, especially with varying temperatures during the winter in my state and I would want the car to be started periodically, which would defeat the purpose of car capsule. My other cars are in heated storage, but I’m keeping one of my cars in my personal garage, which was originally intended for a car capsule.
That said, I did find a really nice car cover (Ultraguard) for about $300 from Amazon, and it actually even covers the wheel base. I’m all set to purchase, as the reviews are near perfect and provides adequate protection, and I can easily unfold the cover to start the car.
My usage is a little different from yours as I use our cars every few days. I have a full car cover but never put it on as its a real pain to fit, then deal with when you remove it and its soaking wet.
Main issue here is frost. The basic rule is if you cover the car/screen it won't freeze (but probably rain!). If you don't it will. Usually stick a hot water bottle or two on the dash whilst I take my shower. Then its good to go. I miss my heated front screen on my Ford Focus. Used to be great. Especially at work. Everyone would go out to their car and start defrosting. I'd get in and drive off!
Yeah I know Sport has better throttle response - you really notice the difference between that and the normal drive setting - though it really hammers the economy...adaptive suspension is standard on the Biturbo - not even an option (or it wasn't when I first got mine) on the others - again you notice the harder suspension but I don't think it makes much difference to ride height??? One of the first diesels I've driven that has instructions for Launch mode!Also in the UK; got a VW Golf MK2 GTI and a Full Fat Range Rover on the driver.
LOL at 6.5s being deemed bonkers
PS. Sport setting doesn't make it any faster in reality, all it does is give a different feel to the artificial steering, slightly adapts the throttle pedal response, and holds the gears a bit longer. Potential if you have adaptive suspension stiffen the suspension. But as you were flooring it, it makes no difference to the acceleration times.
Yes dude. If they gave it god's transmission, it would be everything I want in a car.
Legal wise that all sounds good, but I was satisfied with the “as is” verbiage in the bill of sale. I can imagine a case where that is not enough to avoid legal headaches.
Yeah, private car sales can become messy if you’re not thorough with disclosing everything that you need to, which is why I’m very particular about making sure I disclose everything to the buyer and they understand/acknowledge everything with a signature/date. Never had any issues with any car sales in the past, but I try to always cover myself. But then again, everything I’ve ever sold has been low mileage and meticulously maintained, which really helps.
As for the buyer who purchased your car and found the rust after the fact, they could’ve easily had an inspection on the car placed on a lift, and they didn’t. That’s their problem. But like you said, it’s sold ‘as is’.
It’s a 38 year old car that even though it has been kept in the garage, is going to have rust underneath. I even told him I was hesitant to sell because I suspected an alternator issue. He and his wife stood outside looking at this car for an hour as I was telling him no worries if you don’t want it. But he got bit by a car bug.
The good aspect for the buyer, it shows zero body rust, plus it runs and is inspected.It’s a 38 year old car that even though it has been kept in the garage, is going to have rust underneath. I even told him I was hesitant to sell because I suspected an alternator issue. He and his wife stood outside looking at this car for an hour as I was telling him no worries if you don’t want it. But he got bit by a car bug.
I saw your pictures, and for being 38 years old, it looked great from what I could tell. When you buy a car of that age, Unless it was always stored in a controlled environment, there is no way that you could expect a car to not have any type of surface rust underneath the vehicle. When someone purchases a car that old, you have to lower your expectations a bit for a $4000 car that’s 38 years old.
You mentioned he even acknowledged that it was a ‘project’ that would require require some restoration. The fact that he said something along the lines of “I’d be lucky to get my money back from it”, which indicates he really never has any intention of keeping the car Long term and should’ve been more thorough in the first place if he planned on ‘flipping‘ this car for another potential sale.
Anyway, that’s how the used game market is, it’s on him and not you. I mean, if it was me and he wanted to look at my car you for an hour, I told him that you’d have to buy me lunch too.😁
@Apple fanboy
For whatever reason, I didn’t see your above reply about the car cover. Ever since the latest Xenoforo software patch last week, I’m not seeing hardly replies from other members.
Anyways, so If I read your post correctly, you don’t have a garage, and you cover your car externally When you’re not driving the Volkswagen.
I think the big reminder when it comes to car covers, make sure you’re using a quality cover with materials that won’t scratch the clear coat, because what happens is, car owners think they’re protecting their paint from UV, rain and other elements, but if it’s a cheaply made car cover, it’s still scratches the clearcoat if you look under various lighting conditions.
Car covers can be your worst enemy when you’re trying to ‘protect’ your paint, when you’re really not if it’s cheaply made with poor materials. The more expensive car covers aren’t always attractive with the price, but they Preserve your paint by gliding smoothly over the surface of the paint when installing/removing the cover.
Unless, of course, If someone doesn’t care about if their clearcoat is scratched and swirled all over, then by all means, you can always buy a $25 car cover that feels like it’s made of Brillo pads.😁
For whatever reason, I didn’t see your above reply about the car cover. Ever since the latest Xenoforo software patch last week, I’m not seeing hardly replies from other members.
Anyways, so If I read your post correctly, you don’t have a garage, and you cover your car externally When you’re not driving the Volkswagen.
I think the big reminder when it comes to car covers, make sure you’re using a quality cover with materials that won’t scratch the clear coat, because what happens is, car owners think they’re protecting their paint from UV, rain and other elements, but if it’s a cheaply made car cover, it’s still scratches the clearcoat if you look under various lighting conditions.
Car covers can be your worst enemy when you’re trying to ‘protect’ your paint, when you’re really not if it’s cheaply made with poor materials. The more expensive car covers aren’t always attractive with the price, but they Preserve your paint by gliding smoothly over the surface of the paint when installing/removing the cover.
Unless, of course, If someone doesn’t care about if their clearcoat is scratched and swirled all over, then by all means, you can always buy a $25 car cover that feels like it’s made of Brillo pads.😁
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I have a garage. Just full of stuff. U.K. garages are rarely very big. Mines not too bad, but I need to get a shed to dump stuff in.
Also, the best quality car cover cannot prevent scratching if the car is overly dirty when applying it …
Any vehicle owner who’s purchasing the ‘best quality‘ car cover, one would reasonably assume its basic knowledge to not apply it when the car is dirty. That’s a simple concept any car owner should grasp without saying.
Sure. But in this case we talk a daily driver. So you either wash your car every day on your way home, or a cover isn't an option.