Nick Graves

It's probably (or was) the best-handling car on the fleet under atrocious conditions and gets held up by a lot of supposedly good stuff. It's a fantastic long-distance machine, if rather noisy at speed.

It's also the most practical so as the everyday old smoker, it gets far more use than the others.

It's getting to the SCRAP IT stage though (ie too expensive to maintain considering its realistic value) and I've NAFC what I'd replace it with.

Everything interesting is too massive (Leg End) or just too boring and massive (BMW, Infiniti) so I'm completely stumped ATM.

gaddafi

Buy another one as a spares car?

Nick Graves

It's the buggering about I'm now too lazy/precious to do. I think I've been spoiled by the tiny running costs/convenience and mine is still one of the better examples out there!

It's really minor things (like some paintwork on the bumper/arches, and rust invariably returns) and the engine mounts and probably the brakes could do with a complete overhaul. But then as it gets more knackered/baggy, when do you stop?

I suppose the point is, if there'd been a car I'd liked as much over the past decade, I'd probably have bought it by now. That was the original plan...

So I'll probably have to wait until a piano falls on this one & then make a more rational decision at the time.

gaddafi

throw £5K at it then

if you like it that much £500 a year for another ten years is nothing

GarethB

Pete, are you keeping the VW?

I could finally have a buyer for the Alfa so may be in the market for completely inappropriate estate cars again.
Sadly the RS6 is still a little out of budget.

Will know more in a week or so.

gaddafi

W8 needs to go Gareth

Gearbox is fixed now (no bodge) and the car isn't being used

Send me an email and I can send you more details on it

Or pop down and have a go in it - I wouldn't sell it to you or anyone else if I knew it was a pup

Nick Graves

Probably the most sensible thing to do actually.

It can be a rolling resto and I'm sure this funk in car design will end soon - we already have the GT86, which is quite fun.

Nottm_S2

Why is the GT86 not a replacement? It seems similar from this distance.

I saw 2 the other day so maybe sales are on the up. Nina decided it looked £30-35 ish from afar and she liked it. Step 1.

Nick Graves

It sort of is, but it's not as relaxing to drive - more like an S2000. All that tail-out action is quite tiresome on a longer journey.

And the reason it's light is a lack of sound insulation in the doors & roof.

The Prelude has a subtly different nature. I suppose its closest equivalent would have been some sort of E36/E46 325i/330i. Or something with 4WD like one of those Audi barges. But that handles well like the BMW. Or better, on a very wet road.

It's a weird skill set that's hard to explain. I think most hacks totally missed the point of it.

Nottm_S2

Fair enough, the BM is a lot heavier but its very quiet if you want it to be, even with the exhaust modded. Can you not reign in tail with tc?
Completely OT butI was looking at C4S info earlier, they weigh >1500kg ffs (conv). I didnt expect that.

Pondered a Prelude many years ago but went for a Calibra and regretted it good engine but reliability went as it got older and i had to mod it to make it handle ok. Ish.

I can think of a car that really appeals at the min to replace the M3. I did think a Passhat and an Exige though..