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

Deposit on the Forester XT, 4 pots, braided hoses, new disks and pads all round and Nokian WRA3 winters going on.

It's going to be a winter weapon.

The Fiat up thread is boggin.

Fiat MX5 combo isn't the worst, I can imagine seeing loads of them about the place, defo better than new Mx5 in looks.
Used to have a Barchetta, really liked it then got a Coupe 20vT, seen loads of coupes dumped in scrapyards recently with cambelt failures (as almost an engine out to replace on the 5 pot) would like another*

*They look alright, interior I really liked, engine/drivetrain was great, but suspension very basic at best, rear was pre-historic, I think the mk2 punto/Barchetta was quite a bit better than what they put on the Coupe.

The barchetta is pony!

I've got 4 free tickets to The Race of Champions TONIGHT at the Olympic stadium in Stratford. Decent seats in the lower tier

Free to anyone who can pick them up from Bethnal Green today before 2pm or meet me in the Canning Town area a bit later. Get in touch.

Dibs. 😀

Cars with no roof are dumb.

^never been in one

hehe

Spent many hours being cold wet and miserable in the back of a TR4 as a child.... But that has nothing to do with with why all convertibles are dumb!

Owning a convertible as I do, I've got to say I'm with Hoops on this.
It's just a bit crap with the roof down - all blowy and annoying.

What did you do with regards to the IMS when buying your car Niall?

Undibs. 😀

It had just had a new clutch so I asked if there was any sign of oil leaks from it (which is what indicates an issue) and they said it was fine. Generally they tend to go a lot earlier than 70k (which was what mine has done) and if they haven't gone by then they're not going to.

If someone wants these, let me know quick and I'll see if it's possible to do an exchange. I'm going to be in the Upton Park and Canning Town areas for the afternoon.

fuck, i wish i could take them.

granted, motorways are noisy and blowy and there aren't many modern cars i would opt for, but as a toy, convertible cars on british b-roads are fucking awesome. and windy tuscan roads, too.

and they are so pretty, too.

Proximity to PCH demands a convertible. Even if we do only drop top occasionally, it's always a charming experience.

Only thing I've got against convertibles is when over 70/80mph the noise and buffeting distracts me a lot, so if driving hard and you need a lot of concentration, the distractions get in the way of the fun.

Don't forget the suncream on you bald spot.

How about a nice slk or barchetta?

With the wind breaker behind the seat job jobbed.

How about a nice targa top sir.

Nowt wrong with the running gear they were/arefun little cars.

Thought you'd love it being a mini.

This was a prototype that was never made...

Aye the mesh thing makes a difference, barchetta wasn't exactly a handling car but fun. Mine was dark blue met, 1.8 from a punto HGT was great, not massively revvy but shed loads of torque, bit like how a MX5 1.8 feels, so not fast but gets on with the job (eventually)

[img]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Barchetta003.jpg/img]
That colour, worked well, or the dark silver/graphite colour with a dark red roof and grey wheels.

That and the fiat punto sporting I had before it were probably the most reliable/least £££ per thousand miles of any car ever, and I kicked the shit out of them constantly, not that it would get anywhere quicker, just sounded good for a 4 banger.

unfortunately those tantalizing shots don't show what a lemon it really looks like: