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

Pleased you saw it through! I was worried it the economics had meant it was languishing in a sad state somewhere.

The economics should have by rights, but clouded judgement prevailed! :D

What car is it?

Go for the V12 while you can afford it.

So if you had £27,500 would you by a sub 10,000 mile skoda rapid 130?
https://www.donedeal.ie/vintagecars-for-sale/skoda-rapiad-130-coupe/28937290

No

A Volkswagen type 2, and an apple.

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exploded on my drive back from a hand car wash.

smashed out the broken glass and drove home, appointment for replacement not till friday.. how do i keep it weather tight till then?

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Bin bags and gorilla tape

57 plate Honda Civic

No, gaffer tape to match the car colour....remake the whole window with gaffa tape.

My father’s e46 330 has reached the point where the economics are against it so it’s going in the bin.
He has sent me this autotrader link. How can I tell him he’s insane in an effective purchase-discouraging manner.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202104201581747
I drew attention to the colour, the look of the thing and the inevitable repair bills looming in its imminent future but it hasn’t done the job.

That model is notorious for being underpowered- it’s just too small an engine to punt a barge that size around in the manner which the car is designed for.

268bhp, 3.6l is too small? It’s an executive barge, but it’s pretty much the same weight as an e46 estate, and with 120 more horses than the 2l diesel or petrol. Is it that bad?

Out of curiosity, what miles/state is it in? They seem like they can go forever if looked after (but also expensive to maintain if you’re not doing the work yourself).

But what’s the torque? Which in a car like that is the important figure- and should be around 700Nm.

Also, 268 is hot hatch territory, not autobahn cruiser.

The 330? Not sure on the miles, mid 100s probably? Front wings bubbling, interior glue failing so trim all over the place, and then a looming 3k bill from the local specialist for lots of things, steering rack being the main one I think. Hence bye-bye time. Not exactly run into the ground, it still goes well and looks good from 5m away. There’s some life stuff coming up and he can’t be bothered with car trouble diversions, but he’s from a time when you could buy a decent used car for <£800 so always struggles when it comes to assessing economic replacements. Car likely fine for someone who wants to get their hands dirty but I’ll doubt he’ll ask anything reasonable for it even though at this point it doesn’t owe him anything.

The UK is notorious for its complete lack of autobahns, surely 268bhp is plenty for toddling along at a cop-safe 85mph. This is pretty much as fast as most of our major roads allow without driving into the arse of an SUV being driven by sensible Dad anyway. Much as many of us love cars which might double that speed, that is the reality of Britain's roads.

How much does he want for the car and will it be good to 2k miles in a month?

Depends what you want from the car - I think it will feel slow, and will need to be wrung out to get it to move with a decent turn of speed. A luxury limo shouldn’t need 6,000 rpm on the clock to change lanes with authority.

Driver’s seat looks very worn for 50k. Lots of short trips.

Sure, it will feel slow, neither of us would want one, but it will probably do 120 which is more than enough to gather some points even if it gets there eventually. Most cars rarely change lanes with or without authority, unless they can be certain of getting in the way of someone else. Particularly true of Dadmobiles progressing in the certainty that 70 is the upper limit.

But what’s the torque? Which in a car like that is the important figure

Only if you don't have a gearbox,or know how to use it. Power = torque x rpm. If you can use a gearbox to adjust rpms, torque is irrelevant.

God knows and god knows. Got to find a replacement first, and anyone selling a car pushing 20 years old would be nuts to commit to that.