Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

I've been looking at the Outback as well, might suit us better than a Forester... Is fuel efficiency any better in an Outback?

RX8 is out. Too many horror stories, and everyone I know that’s had one has told me that their mate/brother/dog had a reliable one - intimating that they themselves didn’t. Young family + cancer = no time to waste on a shitshow of a car.

I’m not keen on the 3.2, simply because I don’t think there’s a need. The 1.8 225 is plenty enough for me, plus the 1.8 is known for being bombproof.

Beemers are, erm, not for me. Anything past an E28 Alpina and I’ve no interest. I like soul in a car...

Thanks for the positive vibes about treatment. I fear I shall probably be restarting in the next few weeks, after a couple of nasty discoveries during our two week holiday in the south of France. Which is a bummer, but ce la vie, eh...?

(Rode up Ventoux though. Fuck that for a game of soldiers!)

The 1.8 225 is plenty enough for me, plus the 1.8 is known for being bombproof.

Good choice. Having thought long and hard about it, I can't think of a better option at that price.

Rode up Ventoux though. Fuck that for a game of soldiers!

Big ol' fucker, ain't it. Especially if you do Les Cinglés.

. I once sold one that hadn't had the recall done to retrofit the spoiler and thats probably a rare car now.

A guy near my folks had one when they first came out and never sent it back for the recall. Think he still has it.

At the time I remember thinking I wouldn't have sent it back to aid future uniqueness / price etc.

I didn't actually realize the only difference was the spoiler. I assumed there was more.

Also never* has a spoiler been more aptly named.

*possibly a ducktail porsche - still don't get why people like to ruin the back with those.

Not sure if it applies but the Audi cdaa 1.8t engine has a long history of oil consumption.

I've recently had my A3 engine rebuilt by Audi... Quote was $12000 AUD... So make sure that doesn't apply to early TT's!

Otherwise, I reckon they are a future classic and still look great. Also, the 1.8t is a very strong engine when it's not drinking oil like fuel! Edit: quick Google says TT engine code is BAM... Not an oil drinker...

I didn't actually realize the only difference was the spoiler. I assumed there was more.

From memories of Autocar etc at the time I'm pretty sure there was - the goal was to stop people leaving Autobahns backwards at high speed, so lift off/high speed oversteer was clearly catching people out. I thought there were geo changes, if not outright suspension changes, plus the spoiler to remove rear axle lift.

As such, the unmodified cars are meant to be more, erm, lively - more of a sports car than what came later in the words of one reviewer.

Heartbreaking stuff. He loved that car so much.

https://youtu.be/QtdDOeAlzrQ

Yeah, it did for me. I’ve got a sense of humour, but it ran out on Ventoux.

Cheers, I've asked my mechanic and he says the pins are fine, it's the caliper itself that's knackered. I'll get the £80 ebay one, as he's OKed it now and I'm not sure I'd be confident with a £30 one. Plus the seller for the really cheap one is away at the moment it seems... I'll report back if it fixes it!

The search for the new Mrs Baldmobile continues, so far it has been miserable. What makes people think that a total shed of an MX5 is worth £5.5k? It appears that the presence of any paint on an MX5 is optional.... On the brighter side, I have found a car, if the bugger will sell it to me, it isn't an MX5.

I really think you should share what it is so we can all disagree with you inline with our biases

Yeah the 225 is BAM which was the same as in my old Seat Leon Cupra R. Easy to remap and add quite a bit of extra power too iirc.

We found a couple of older but looked after mx5s for under £2k back in Jan/feb but maybe the summer emboldens people.

I shall share, presuming the purchase goes ahead. It is quite difficult to negotiate with a local rich person in the pub, said motor is his (unused) toy. You will probably approve.....

Dramatic Hammer: yep, there appear to be a few loved earlier MX5s around, but the later models which She Who Must Be Obeyed wanted tend to be somewhat shop soiled. I did 160miles and 7 cars on Wednesday, it was depressing.

if you're willing to travel for the right car then I could try and point you in the direction of my dad and his garage up in Northumberland. He's been selling quite a few MX5s of various ages over the years and might be able to find you something nice.

Thanks Ricky, from what I have seen of your Dad's stuff he really knows his business. If I were any further south I would be a Channel swimmer, so I will see if I can buy the car from rich geezer in the pub first!

For anyone that's ever been a fan of the S2000, this is a pretty good watch over a coffee. Guy does good reviews.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNPj4InNEDw

Mx5 crew
I’m looking at buying one.
Someone fancy helping me make sure I don’t buy a dud?
I’m looking at you @NurseHolliday and @jambon

Gladly! Which Mk (not so secretly hopes for Mk1)?

Er MK1, rest no idea.

Where is the car?

It's car buying time after 4 years in London and no driving - finally swapped over my NZ license. The frustrating thing is, you only get an auto license until you sit a manual test, which I'll do eventually but need a bike lugger soon.

Living central means Ulez will be an issue - inside the Ulez zone by a few metres, literally - so I'm limited to Euro 4 or something really old. Old auto merc tempting, but probably not sensible...

I'm thinking a DSG Golf ED30 might fit the bill. Most cars which fit the requirements - Euro 4 or 5 and auto - are so dull.

It breaks my heart that I have an Audi S2 sitting back home while I have to drive around in something modern, auto, and dull... any suggestions?

Dammits suggestion that I should buy a 3.0i Z4 with 90k on the clock (rather than an MX5) was clearly a daft and impractical idea.

Therefore, it would appear that I have bought a 3.0i Z4 with 55k on the clock. It is covered in dust from sitting in a garage for the last year, but the paint is mint underneath and everything works perfectly. It even has the super-duper optional wheels.

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Great choice. Love a z4

Nice - cracking engine that 3.0. Mrs had a Z3 for a little bit and it was a sweet little thing.

Took the Fury out for a spin yesterday...nothing blew up and although I was very circumspect with the loud pedal, it blew the tyres off from a 35mph roll with a quick stab of gas. Can't be bad.

Valve noise is still louder than I expected, I went through and reset the lash which didn't really make any difference. It's also still overheating after a while - seems to sit around 170-180 but once it gets over 180 it's straight up to 200 and not slowing. I've got plain distilled water and rust remover in it at the moment, so I can take that out and hopefully some good coolant and a new rad cap might make the difference.

It's surging a bit on light loads which I think is the EFI self tune learning, that just needs more miles.

Dude, rad! Those z4 are looking better with age. Good choice. Was this off the guy in the pub?