So last Summer saw the departure of this old dear
forum.retro-rides.org/thread/206873/1999-honda-legend-motd-washed
I spent more time working on her than driving her, and I thoroughly enjoyed wafting around despite not being able to go over speed bumps. This made Mrs P unhappy.
I took a real sideways turn into Audi TT territory with my Mk1 225 that's been significantly modified (and not of much interest here) but the hankering for waftiness remained.
S Class? Too risky, and the interesting ones (ie. V8s) were all basket cases)
LS400? GS430? Seem to be on the up value-wise, finding one without moon mileage looked tricky. Besides, I'd done JDMYO! on the Honda.
Alfa 166? Always fancied an alfa and read good things about these, but again decent ones are rare
So what else is there? What itch have I yet to scratch?
Idly flicking through FB marketplace this ad caught my eye...
Oh my God. That's the lead picture too. The best picture. The. Best.
I just had to see it.
First viewing before Christmas went about as well as expected...ie. the motor wouldn't start.
Most people would walk and never come back...but not this hardy soul.
Christmas comes and goes and a 'blocked air filter' is the official diagnosis. I am...suspicious...
...but also stupid. So I go along again for a proper look and - shock of all shocks - a drive.
An estate agent once took me around the house of a long-distance trucker when I and at-that-point girlfriend P were looking for our first house. It smelt of sweaty death, had one of those blue tubes in the bathroom buzzing away killing all manner of bugs (despite the house being vacant at this time) and a sofa with a fat-trucker-shaped imprint on it, surrounded by nail clippings and takeaway containers. The 'floor' was peeling in a way I didn't know wood could peel, and the garden had a denser growth to it than all of Jumanji. The enthusiastic estate agent uttered the words that have always stayed with me: "yeah, it doesn't view well".
If this house was a car, it would be this one. There's not an angle you can view it from that won't show you rust, dents, paint flaking off or the huge line down the side where she was keyed. Birds have been using the boot lid for fecal target practice with fervour, and I'm unsure how a stone-cold car can smell of burning.
Paperwork? There's the MOT. And the receipt for the MOT. What more do you want m8?
Slipping into the inside one is immediately greeted by the headlining resting gently on your scalp; a dank, beige sign of failure. Yet, strangely, when the electrics have spluttered into life and the engine wakes up (as it did remarkably easily all told) she is not without her charm. From the inside you can ignore the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune that have clearly been slung at the outside. Remarkably (almost) everything works. Sure, the dash is missing a bulb or two, aircon all gassed out, steering wheel frayed and strangely...sticky, and the stereo is stuck on Heart FM because if you touch it, it threatens to snap away and disappear - but she's insanely comfortable. And quiet. And largely does as she's told.
The test drive (the owner, still in pyjamas, threw me the keys and went back to his much nicer XJ Sport) was uneventful. Even pleasant. I returned unscathed and, quietly confident that the owner wasn't going to be flooded with offers imminently, went away to ponder further.
For about 4 days.
I have no time and less money for a project but a V8 Jag was always on the 'wantface' list. So I went back with an insanely low-I'd-kick-you-in-the-nuts-then-set-fire-to-you-if-you-were-next-to-me offer, the owner pushed me up a wee bit, and eventually a deal was done.
Queue the quickest car collection ever as the owner didn't come out to wish her well, just gave me the keys and ran (did I hear cackling?) indoors.
Cue an equally uneventful drive back to her current resting place (a safe distance from my front door as I'm still too scared to tell Mrs P what I've done), and here's how she looks (if you bothered to read this far you deserve it).
In the dim light of a Kia garage forecourt she doesn't look too bad - but rest, assured, she is.
Plans? I don't intend for her to be a keeper. I imagine I'll smoke around in her for the entirety of her MOT, stick her in and see what the result is. At which point she'll probably be up for grabs here. So she'll be getting as little money spent on her as possible. Probably give her a wash, though.
forum.retro-rides.org/thread/206873/1999-honda-legend-motd-washed
I spent more time working on her than driving her, and I thoroughly enjoyed wafting around despite not being able to go over speed bumps. This made Mrs P unhappy.
I took a real sideways turn into Audi TT territory with my Mk1 225 that's been significantly modified (and not of much interest here) but the hankering for waftiness remained.
S Class? Too risky, and the interesting ones (ie. V8s) were all basket cases)
LS400? GS430? Seem to be on the up value-wise, finding one without moon mileage looked tricky. Besides, I'd done JDMYO! on the Honda.
Alfa 166? Always fancied an alfa and read good things about these, but again decent ones are rare
So what else is there? What itch have I yet to scratch?
Idly flicking through FB marketplace this ad caught my eye...
Oh my God. That's the lead picture too. The best picture. The. Best.
I just had to see it.
First viewing before Christmas went about as well as expected...ie. the motor wouldn't start.
Most people would walk and never come back...but not this hardy soul.
Christmas comes and goes and a 'blocked air filter' is the official diagnosis. I am...suspicious...
...but also stupid. So I go along again for a proper look and - shock of all shocks - a drive.
An estate agent once took me around the house of a long-distance trucker when I and at-that-point girlfriend P were looking for our first house. It smelt of sweaty death, had one of those blue tubes in the bathroom buzzing away killing all manner of bugs (despite the house being vacant at this time) and a sofa with a fat-trucker-shaped imprint on it, surrounded by nail clippings and takeaway containers. The 'floor' was peeling in a way I didn't know wood could peel, and the garden had a denser growth to it than all of Jumanji. The enthusiastic estate agent uttered the words that have always stayed with me: "yeah, it doesn't view well".
If this house was a car, it would be this one. There's not an angle you can view it from that won't show you rust, dents, paint flaking off or the huge line down the side where she was keyed. Birds have been using the boot lid for fecal target practice with fervour, and I'm unsure how a stone-cold car can smell of burning.
Paperwork? There's the MOT. And the receipt for the MOT. What more do you want m8?
Slipping into the inside one is immediately greeted by the headlining resting gently on your scalp; a dank, beige sign of failure. Yet, strangely, when the electrics have spluttered into life and the engine wakes up (as it did remarkably easily all told) she is not without her charm. From the inside you can ignore the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune that have clearly been slung at the outside. Remarkably (almost) everything works. Sure, the dash is missing a bulb or two, aircon all gassed out, steering wheel frayed and strangely...sticky, and the stereo is stuck on Heart FM because if you touch it, it threatens to snap away and disappear - but she's insanely comfortable. And quiet. And largely does as she's told.
The test drive (the owner, still in pyjamas, threw me the keys and went back to his much nicer XJ Sport) was uneventful. Even pleasant. I returned unscathed and, quietly confident that the owner wasn't going to be flooded with offers imminently, went away to ponder further.
For about 4 days.
I have no time and less money for a project but a V8 Jag was always on the 'wantface' list. So I went back with an insanely low-I'd-kick-you-in-the-nuts-then-set-fire-to-you-if-you-were-next-to-me offer, the owner pushed me up a wee bit, and eventually a deal was done.
Queue the quickest car collection ever as the owner didn't come out to wish her well, just gave me the keys and ran (did I hear cackling?) indoors.
Cue an equally uneventful drive back to her current resting place (a safe distance from my front door as I'm still too scared to tell Mrs P what I've done), and here's how she looks (if you bothered to read this far you deserve it).
In the dim light of a Kia garage forecourt she doesn't look too bad - but rest, assured, she is.
Plans? I don't intend for her to be a keeper. I imagine I'll smoke around in her for the entirety of her MOT, stick her in and see what the result is. At which point she'll probably be up for grabs here. So she'll be getting as little money spent on her as possible. Probably give her a wash, though.
