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

yeah, just keeping the outback going is a sensible option.

agree on the budget - see edit above.

hand't looked at volvos, could be an option.

Skoda Octavia scout?

Audi allroad?

I didn't suggest this as I think it would be on another cost scale to the Subaru, what with the airsuspension etc.

I'd love an A6 all road but not sure I could run one.

Yes, my concerns with the Audi would be reliability and cost.

Actually seems you could get a 335 xdrive.
Tbh an Audi at that price bracket might be just fine.
I'm not sure why I suggest a bmw when just saying no to Audi. I'd buy both if I could stomach a bill.

Personally I'd run whatever I have into the ground. I think it's unpredictable time with emissions restrictions, fuel cost special and move to EV. If you can hang on 3 ish years a lot of that will stabilise and become more clear. Also stops you sinking money into something that could become worthless.

Where do people get the electric bits for these conversions? What do the parts cost? The total price inc. labour and profit etc always looks shockingly steep to me. Will the cost plummet one day?

Yesterday I had to drive 80 miles, which is the longest I’ve driven in ages. So I thought it was worth checking the coolant level, something else I haven’t done in a while. It was fine, but I forgot to put the expansion cap back on. When we arrived at our destination we had to sit in a small queue of traffic to park. After a few minutes I could smell a hot smell and then noticed the coolant was dumping on the ground. I parked up straight away and topped the tank with water and wrapped a crisp packet over the filler neck with an elastic band.
Today I made an 8 mile round trip and I’ve just checked and the expansion tank is empty again. No dash warning lights or anything. I’ve ordered a new cap which my in laws are going to bring with them when they meet us here on Monday. I don’t need to drive between then and now.
Is it just a case that the crisp packet isn’t air tight so the coolant (mainly water tbh) has evaporated, or could it be something more serious?

i doubt that the crisp packet has made a pressure tight seal.

There are also some risks with adding cold cooling water to a hot engine but it'll likely be fine when you get a proper cap on the tank.

what sort of car is it?

Most likely you will have air in the system. You would ideally refill with coolant and idle the car without the cap on while the air burps out of the tank. Once that settles top up again an replace the cap.

And @TRA, thanks that’s reassuring.
It’s a Citroen Cactus 1.2 something something

You type like a younger person.

I'd check if it was self bleeding, or there is a bleed procedure.

Favourite spot on recent French sojourn

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I think and live my life like a younger person.

On the downside, the alternator on the Z4 died the other day. I just about managed to limp it to a friendly garage, everything including the electronic power steering gave up as I pulled up on their yard. But I got that far, 100 miles away would have been less good. New alternator and belts, which were also old and tired (like me) £480.

Very good point. Modern highly pressurised systems are different.

@Trunkie since it's a 1.2 puretech engine it will have a bleed screw on the thermostat housing, but the cap open will still work to quickly get the level right.

Be careful though, I don't think these engines are very tolerant of any overheating at all.

The steering pump on my 2010 Nissan E52 Elgrand (a JDM van) is leaking badly. This seems a not uncommon problem. Internet people say the usual cause is topping up with the wrong fluid. The O rings blow because they are very sensitive to the fluid viscosity. Other possibilities are loose connectors or whatever else can go wrong with steering pumps.

My choices are: try to fix it myself, with the help of this ker-ra-zy video https://youtu.be/44QuAJtDYIk

Or remove it and send it away for a rebuild for £2-300 and refit it. (This would only work if the problem is fixable with new O rings.) Or exchange it for a reconditioned one for £600. Or get a new one from Japan for £1100+.

The pump part no is 49110-1JA0B. I don't think any Nissan UK models have a similar one.

Anyone have any thoughts?

What's the difference between a reconditioned unit and your one being rebuilt?

I ask because my friend has had quite a bit of problem with his Nissan S14 power steering pump and he's had his "rebuilt" a few times.

I don't know for sure, I would need to check the small print and ask the sellers what they're offering. But I think my one being rebuilt, at a charge of only £200, would probably be just new O rings. Whereas a reconditioned one, at a charge of £600, would be new O rings plus a guarantee of no electrical faults or other things. Perhaps replacement of whatever parts wear the most in a steering pump? I'm just guessing, I have no idea how they work or what tends to go wrong with them.

"new" engine on the MX5 is in. Today everything will be connected, timing set, then hopefully be running by the afternoon. The map from the previous engine should be close enough but we've got the AFR gauge to check.

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There are a few of the previous gen Superb with 4WD and V6 engine, although I think they stopped making them around 2013. Might be quite nice.

Someone parked a C63-S outside the pub we were in yesterday, I do miss the way that engine sounds and goes. When will second hand car prices become non-insane?

2-3 years is my guess. Supply chains and then more widely available and affordable electric cars will be the catalyst for that.

Today I can sell my Beetle, the one I bought in March 2020, for about £4-5k more than the £9k I paid for it. That is bonkers.

Inflation in general has an impact as well. That 9k is worth 10.5k now before you even think about anything else. Time to invest in wheelbarrows?