Slow, Rusty and Crap [is where it's at]
Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2013 4:45 pmSo after a bit of an old-car hiatus, another piece of old grot has arrived here at Brunel Towers.
In a change to the usual form, this has been selected by Mrs_Brunel based on the usual female criteria of 'it looks cute'.
Though obviously we employed the tried and proven* method of bidding on eBay without seeing it based on a one-line description and possibly* when we'd both had a small* drink....
This meant having to travel to an unpleasant part of Essex to collect and the inevitable heart-in-mouth first journey home.
Of course I had to do this solo, making it an even less appealing task. Nevertheless, TCoB (or perhaps just TCoMS) failed to strike me down and I made it back with no bother at all, and despite an aching back and ringing ears a huge grin on my face.
Let's not beat about the bush though. This car is pretty much a massive crock of shit. If it was non-scene-taxed car you'd be appalled to spend so much on a collection of oxide, fibreglass and questionable stick-on modifications. I lifted the carpets and wished I hadn't as I was greeted by several agricultural-grade repairs, and there's bits I dare not prod. Also, one of the lights was hanging off, the direction lamps are inoperative and there was an alarming amount of slop in the steering (though this was an easy fix) - this is a car that had done 20 miles since the last MoT (presumably done by mail-order). But that's what you get for your money when you buy a Mini I suppose. Fixing those blatant fails is at least easy (can't understand why they weren't done properly tbh) and it is just about structurally sound for now.
Luckily I have also scored all the bits which I need both metal and electrical and whatnot for £150 of my pal, so I can crack on with doing stuff at my leisure. Many of the stick-on stuff has already been binned off and more is scheduled to go so that the car is less of a cliche.
And for all the bad points (of which there are lots), this car is immense, huge fun. Nailing it round town is utterly grin-inducing, the little 998 whizzing away, the gearbox whining, the exhaust all parpy. The rifle-bolt action of the gearchange and dodgem-car handling mean that it just begs to be driven hard. It's a great bit of nostagia, because of rather than in spite of it's down-at-heel-ness - this is just how I remember Mini's being when I had them in the late 90's... cheap*, grotty and fun fun fun.
[*OK, not cheap... about nine times what my one cost in 1997]
Anyway.... [PICS]
Lies!
Brrrm!
Little car for little people
In a change to the usual form, this has been selected by Mrs_Brunel based on the usual female criteria of 'it looks cute'.
Though obviously we employed the tried and proven* method of bidding on eBay without seeing it based on a one-line description and possibly* when we'd both had a small* drink....
This meant having to travel to an unpleasant part of Essex to collect and the inevitable heart-in-mouth first journey home.
Of course I had to do this solo, making it an even less appealing task. Nevertheless, TCoB (or perhaps just TCoMS) failed to strike me down and I made it back with no bother at all, and despite an aching back and ringing ears a huge grin on my face.
Let's not beat about the bush though. This car is pretty much a massive crock of shit. If it was non-scene-taxed car you'd be appalled to spend so much on a collection of oxide, fibreglass and questionable stick-on modifications. I lifted the carpets and wished I hadn't as I was greeted by several agricultural-grade repairs, and there's bits I dare not prod. Also, one of the lights was hanging off, the direction lamps are inoperative and there was an alarming amount of slop in the steering (though this was an easy fix) - this is a car that had done 20 miles since the last MoT (presumably done by mail-order). But that's what you get for your money when you buy a Mini I suppose. Fixing those blatant fails is at least easy (can't understand why they weren't done properly tbh) and it is just about structurally sound for now.
Luckily I have also scored all the bits which I need both metal and electrical and whatnot for £150 of my pal, so I can crack on with doing stuff at my leisure. Many of the stick-on stuff has already been binned off and more is scheduled to go so that the car is less of a cliche.
And for all the bad points (of which there are lots), this car is immense, huge fun. Nailing it round town is utterly grin-inducing, the little 998 whizzing away, the gearbox whining, the exhaust all parpy. The rifle-bolt action of the gearchange and dodgem-car handling mean that it just begs to be driven hard. It's a great bit of nostagia, because of rather than in spite of it's down-at-heel-ness - this is just how I remember Mini's being when I had them in the late 90's... cheap*, grotty and fun fun fun.
[*OK, not cheap... about nine times what my one cost in 1997]
Anyway.... [PICS]
Lies!
Brrrm!
Little car for little people
