Based on what I see on Top Gear and the vehicles here, if I ever get to go to the UK and Europe, I'm buying a beater-something, ragging the crap out of it for a month, or however long we're there, then either selling/abandoning/giving it away. Simple.
The team using the Maestro are brave, and possibly lost, souls. At least they saw fit to avoid the MG version, with its wonderful speech synthesis warning system - it'd be a nightmare given the condition I imagine that car is in...
Fuel tank is empty
Coolant is leaking
Water pump knackered,
Seatbelt not fastened,
Rear door is open,
Fan belt is broken,
Fuses have melted,
Oil.. Pressure.. Loooooow...
Temperature high,
valve seals gone,
Brake pads are worn,
And a defecit of maa-aaagic smoke.
They also wouldn't get it off the line on a hot day because the twin Webers would have overheated and evaporated the fuel in the chambers. In hindsight this would prove to be a blessing in disguise because they could then indulge in the MG owners favourite hobby of disappearing for a pint and a pie and boring everyone with precise details of what went wrong.
@.357: No way, you guys were martyrs to the cause! The difference is, at the Jalop you get dead hookers and brefass scotch instead of virgins. (Virgins are over rated anyway.)
@HoonThatFerrari:
Well, Mr. Newly Starred (congrats)...there might be some scoundrels who would take advantage of that. Just post it in my Private Messages. You can trust me (said the spider to the fly).
There was a feature in Top Gear magazine once: they discovered it was actually cheaper to buy, insure and run a car from Scotland to London than it would be to buy a train ticket. I think they used #3 to do it.
@Dhillaz 2.0: It was London to Manchester and back for £100 - they used a Volvo 760, a Rover 416GTi and an Audi 80, and finished with a genuine crash test into a wall at 30mph.
@Dhillaz 2.0: I am amused that James is the one who actually started (in this episode) the whole "banging into the other cars" during the cheap car challenges.
Two cars from two different countries which had two very different political systems when built, and yet they manage to be equally rad. Thanks for sharing, BobAsh.
Well, despite the powder blue exterior - red & black interior mis-match I'm going to go with nice price. It's rare, it's in pretty nice shape, and like a cute puppy, it'll give you a conversation starter with the girls in the parking lot at Trader Joe's on Saturday morning.
@graverobber: An older, drunker, less Canadian version of De...: Trader Joe's you say? Saturday morning... [furtively scribbles notes] So are these the unshaven patchouli over b.o. hippie chicks like you see at Whole Foods, or the 30-something MILF types who look good because they eat right? I could use some help here, erm, I mean inquiring minds want to know. Yeah, that's it, 'cause I'm working on an op-ed piece for the Ann Arbor News, yeah, that's it, an op-ed piece! For my girlfriend- Morgan Fairchild, err- Webb!
Mike the Dog is sitting by the door with a pair of cow slippers, and a very sad face. was starred
Mike the Dog is sitting by the door with a pair of cow slippers, and a very sad face. was unstarred
@Mike the Dog: I always joke with the male cashiers at TJ's about how the "scenery" is that day.
Trader Joe's has some smokin' hot 20 and 30-something talent shopping there. A good strategy is to troll TJ's with a hand basket containing a nice bottle of Pinot Gris and some organic crackers. Then, to strike up a conversation with a cute honey, you can effect a frustrated look at the cheese display and mention, off-handedly, that you can never decide on which brie goes best with the floral bouquet and spicy finish of the wine. You can then tell her that you know what would "go good with her", and then she'll smile and ask "what?" and you can say "me." Bingo!
That's how I would tackle it, if I weren't married.
Target is another good trolling spot. Try kitchen supplies and ladies underwear. Again, the confused shopper role works here too, but watch out for security, they'll think you're a shoplifter or a perv and will kick you out.
@graverobber: An older, drunker, less Canadian version of De...: I'd be a pretty confused shopper indeed if I was hanging around in the ladies' underwear section of Target. I'm not sure if I'd want to get involved with a woman who'd talk to me there. Kitchenware is a good tip, though. Women dig a man who can cook things that don't require a can opener.
Mike the Dog is sitting by the door with a pair of cow slippers, and a very sad face. was starred
Mike the Dog is sitting by the door with a pair of cow slippers, and a very sad face. was unstarred
@graverobber: An older, drunker, less Canadian version of De...: What you really want is a cute puppy RIDING in your adorable car, and a Skoda wagon is perfect for puppies-- lots of space to romp around in the back, plenty of windows out of which he might hang his adorable head and bark joyously, et cetera. My puppy/car combination isn't working out so well-- by the time my golden retriever is well-behaved enough not to jump out of my Sunbeam every time he sees something interesting, he'll be big enough that the little roadster won't be able to hold both of us at the same time.
Of course, if I adopt your foolproof methods for finding ladies at TJ's, I don't think I'll need to bring my puppy or my vintage car. Not that I'd be allowed to bring either into the store, as both have a habit of leaving stains on the floor.
08/22/09
08/22/09
Fuel tank is empty
Coolant is leaking
Water pump knackered,
Seatbelt not fastened,
Rear door is open,
Fan belt is broken,
Fuses have melted,
Oil.. Pressure.. Loooooow...
Temperature high,
valve seals gone,
Brake pads are worn,
And a defecit of maa-aaagic smoke.
They also wouldn't get it off the line on a hot day because the twin Webers would have overheated and evaporated the fuel in the chambers. In hindsight this would prove to be a blessing in disguise because they could then indulge in the MG owners favourite hobby of disappearing for a pint and a pie and boring everyone with precise details of what went wrong.
08/22/09
08/22/09
Good idea! I'll help. I will be Treasurer...send your credit card info to me.
08/22/09
08/22/09
08/22/09
08/22/09
08/22/09
08/22/09
08/22/09
What, we have to SEND it to you? That takes so much extra effort - why can't we just publicly post it here???
08/23/09
Well, Mr. Newly Starred (congrats)...there might be some scoundrels who would take advantage of that. Just post it in my Private Messages. You can trust me (said the spider to the fly).
08/22/09
08/22/09
08/22/09
07/19/09
And I've seen The Muppet Movie at least three times.
07/19/09
07/19/09
(Hot shit, we got an edit button!!.... but can we has preview back?)
07/19/09
I should be thrown in jail. I kind of have a "Czech-erd" past. .
07/19/09
07/19/09
01/06/09
Nice Price, really.
01/06/09
My wife just bought me welding classes for a Christmas gift though, so I'll need something rustier to test my yet-to-be acquired welding skills.
01/06/09
01/06/09
Skoda--So weird, it's cool!
01/06/09
01/06/09
01/06/09
Trader Joe's has some smokin' hot 20 and 30-something talent shopping there. A good strategy is to troll TJ's with a hand basket containing a nice bottle of Pinot Gris and some organic crackers. Then, to strike up a conversation with a cute honey, you can effect a frustrated look at the cheese display and mention, off-handedly, that you can never decide on which brie goes best with the floral bouquet and spicy finish of the wine. You can then tell her that you know what would "go good with her", and then she'll smile and ask "what?" and you can say "me." Bingo!
That's how I would tackle it, if I weren't married.
Target is another good trolling spot. Try kitchen supplies and ladies underwear. Again, the confused shopper role works here too, but watch out for security, they'll think you're a shoplifter or a perv and will kick you out.
01/06/09
01/06/09
01/06/09
Of course, if I adopt your foolproof methods for finding ladies at TJ's, I don't think I'll need to bring my puppy or my vintage car. Not that I'd be allowed to bring either into the store, as both have a habit of leaving stains on the floor.