Sod Top Gear.....

Aye, well, it's the first time I've gone out to look for a car without just having the proviso of 'whatever I can find for a grand'....

To be honest, if I thought I'd get away with it, even with a car allowance, I'd still do the 'best car for a grand' thing and pocket the monthly allowance.

A load of old shit.

My critiera are sensible for what the car gets used for.

A 9 year old 156 doesn't fit the criteria for it being 'suitable for the role'.

A 4-5 year old 166 would, as would a facelift 156.

However, I want / need an auto, I'd quite like leather, and yes, when your car is your office, comfy seats, left foot rests and electric lumbar support are bloody important. As are decent cupholders and a decent stereo.

I bet your fleet users hate you with a passion, as you don't seem to be able to understand the needs of people who use their cars both as an office and a business tool.

Once again, if you really want to get pedantic about subjects, then I'd firstly look at your own posts and secondly consider that you may want to f*ck off to a moderated forum where off-topic conversation between mates / acquaintances are effectively banned.

However, if we're going to get things back on topic - I point you to the modified car in my sig.

So, about your modded car?

snipped-for-privacy@italiancar.co.uk (SteveH) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

I'm sure tickets would have been available right up until the game started - yes, for the right price, but...

Blimey, you two... Were you ever married to each other?

"DervMan" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Umm, your footnote went awol, but I'm suspecting it was along the lines of "Yes, I know they're your HR dept's criteria not yours..."?

snipped-for-privacy@italiancar.co.uk (SteveH) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Shove it in the "maintenance pot", and run whatever the hell you want. It's worked for me in the past. Yes, mutterings were made about the CX (at 11yo & 170k), but it wasn't outright veto'd.

I just know I'd never get it authorised by my boss.

Unfortunately, due to the 'customer facing' nature of the job, the company do need to implement some kind of veto.

snipped-for-privacy@italiancar.co.uk (SteveH) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

I used the CX - and now the Saab - to visit customers. Hell, I've used a brush-painted Dyane to visit customers in the past...

You're lucky it didn't escalate...

Fuck off we're bored now.

Ooooh, handbags......

Would they be "Green stuff" handbags, or Mintex ones?

:-)

If you're so successful as you claim to be how come the car has to be so old & how come this will be the first once you've spend over a grand on.

Alan...

Because I'm a tight northerner with a perversion for cheap bangers.

HTH.

I'm just watching in on C5 now. I'm sure it's entertaining to do, but personally, I think it's seriously boring to watch... I was just giving it a try, waiting for the Indycars which are on next. It's 5's random motorsport night tonight it seems heh.

They all do that, unless you uprate the fluid.

I did a track day on fresh pads and fresh 4.1, but the pedal still went to the floor in 4 laps.

I think that says more about you than anyone else. :-)

-- JackH

I suspect that's the reason why JC won't allow kitcars on TG: those cars are often made by the people standing next to it.

JC is a big bloke but maybe not fit enough to face an angry owner- builder whose pride and joy he just destroyed or ridiculised.

That the Bentley didn't set a time on the TG-track may be more to do with Bentley's reaction to his testing than the car not suited to that exercice.

Tom De Moor

Nope: if you use the car on trackdays and if you have a brakebalancer (which sets more leverage to the rear), then the gearbox on a 75 will be overheating after 5-6 laps.

On a trackcar it is cured easily as there is no problem other than welding 2 brackets for the calipers and getting the brakes inside the wheels again. Porsche 944 calipers fit like a charm.

Extra advantage: the CV-joints don't get beaten up anymore by the brakes.

Never had any problem on the roads with overheating rears/ gearbox but then my front rotors were somewhat larger than standard and the tires (Stomill) were a fair bit softer.

Overheating brake fluid on an AR75 is caused by cooking the fronts, not the rears: the (standard) brake balancer only sends 20% on braking power to the rears in order to avoid lockup.

With the standard setup the front will lock, the rear close to never. Of course if brake fluid is never changed (only topped up as seems commom practice at Alfa dealers and "after-market-specialists" alike, the boiling point can easily fall to half its original value.

Tom De Moor

I avoided losing the brakes on mine by turning up without any and rolling slowly up to the scrutineer..