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

I will never see my money back on my car, that ship sailed a long, long time ago.

However, if the engines perform as we hope, we will sell them/the parts required to make them, so other Carrera owners can upgrade their cars to GT3 level (and, if our calculations are correct, beyond) for less than the cost of a GT3.

meant the birthday. I just had one and turned 40. thought we could commiserate

Haha, right. Ok, got you... Yeah my 41st was on the 8th of Feb. Actually a month ago! Time flies. Commiserations indeed. Welcome to middle age!

On a side note, my wife is classified as a geriatric pregnancy with our second one. Now that's a harsh label.

Anyone leased or bought an electric or hybrid car recently?

Looking to spend around £200 a month and carry 2 kids and a small dog for day to day journeys around a small city / rural location.

I like the look of this, but why are the wheels so tiny-looking? What are they, 15"?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/153839699588

Yeah, 2.0 non-turbo would be 15"

Fired up the b on the weekend. Ran straight away, but no oil pressure. Boo!

Oil pump? Or the oil pickup in the sump?

yep. i think it might be a priming issue. i hope it hasn't caused any damage.

baffled sump, so that could be it, but i can't see how.

Not that I have done it myself, but you can (on some engines) use the distributor drive to spin the engine over (using an electric drill) in order to get a degree of oil pressure before cranking it properly. Popular thing to do with red-block (iron I4) Volvo engines.

Can't you remove the leads ( or whatever ignition system you have) so you can crank the engine without it firing? Just get the oil pump primed etc.

The other thing is stopping the fuel so it's not washing down the cylinder liners.

This is based on watching internet engine rebuilding....

Yeah, you load the oil pump with Vaseline, too.

It might be a gasket issue. There are two kinds. They are very similar.

I didn’t fit the oil pump so I can’t say how it went together.

How cool is this ?

https://www.alfaholics.com/our-cars/current-builds/gta-r-300-carbon-build-023/bare-carbon-bodyshell/

Stunning isn’t it!

I love the GTA-Rs as although they’re £250k+ I can’t help but imagine that if you were lucky enough to have/drive one you’d get let out at any junction or allowed to change lanes on a motorway whenever you liked.

Oh, and hope there’s no damage to the B and it’s an easy fix

Drove an XC60 this weekend and now thinking I should just skip the hatchback phase and go full adult spec with a Volvo, the ride was a bit doughy but it's a really nicely put together car

That's not a knife etc...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5BwSkSKcm4

That is really nice. I'd love to build a spaceframe chassis and fit those panels over it. 3 litre Alfa V6 on ITBs, a 75 transaxle, and a full carbon interior. Nice.

if you are going volvo SUV you might as well go xc90... i hate SUVs but think the new one is pretty cool. quite a presence on the road

Anyone in LA want a Volvo 122 Amazon, only 800 dollars

EDIT: There was supposed to be a link to thecar for sale, but can't find it now.

Faulty gauge/switch Stuck bypass valve? Is the oil actually circulating?

Oil pumps do not create oil pressure, pumps create flow. Resistance to that flow is the pressure people.

Old Alfa's can even make beige look good. GT1300 Junior in Herne Hill.

xc90 is so much bigger though and wouldn't fit in my garage...

Selling a family car that might be of interest (practical kind of interest not the exciting kind).
2013 golf plus (golf mk6 platform)
1.4 tsi (caxa engine 90kw/120hp version)
6 speed manual
Se trim (electric windows, ac, headlight washers, cruise control and self parking)
Red. 2 owners form new inc us (we've had it since August), 14,700miles. Full vw history serviced every year or 2500 miles lol!
Seats fold up down, tray tables and cubby holes. Drives perfect (by my standards, not by dealer standards, im fussy about things working as they should).
Ulez compliant, does 45 to 55mpg and can move out of its own shadow (the n/a petrols cant).
Has one tiny dint in rear bumper from previous owner, maybe 30mm long. Dunlop all round with 5mm + on them.
Mot up this month, sold with new mot. It's very tidy inside and out, back seats i don't think have ever been used.
£7500 but its in Scotland ;)
Think it has 6 months vw/lookers warranty left on it, transferable afaik.
Self parking!!! Works well, needs a slightly longer space than you could do manually but for those without parking confidence, its pretty neat.

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That is possibly the dullest car ever.. Good luck with the sale!

I dunno, theres a lot of toyota auris 1.5 cvt autos for sale round here, pretty sure that is the car cited in the definition of dull.
However, dull works, dull is reliable, dull has enough cubby holes to keep all the junk you need for going past France without having to see it

It looks like I may need to finally get a car. Would mainly be used around London and not that heavily but would also be used for the occasional journey to see my parents which is a 500 mile round trip.

Needs to be automatic, four doors, cheap insurance and baby friendly (boot big enough for a buggy, Isofix). Any suggestions on what kind of thing I should be looking at around the £5k mark?
Cheers