Pistonpoppers MotorJournal.

I couldn't agree more jpr1977, there is nothing wrong with the CR-V, far from it, but it stirs nothing in me, like you say its an appliance, but its quite a good one. The Mini, I am kind of enjoying, it's not breath taking or anything like that, but its the little touches that are around the thing that I like. Like you, I also thought I really like those toggle switches in the middle of the dash, with the little chrome half hoops either side of every switch I think it's quite a stylish touch.

As for 4x4s, got offered this tonight...



For FREE!! It has a suspected head gasket failure, and it was given to my tame mechanic, and he was just going to weigh it in, but he said he just doesn't seem to get around to doing anything with it, so if I wanted it I could just take it. I quite fancy the freelander, especially the three door, so even though I'm trying not to take anything on, FREE is hard to pass up. So I showed it to Mrs Pistonpopper, the 4x4 fan who says she doesn't want it! I figured it was because it needs work straight away, but its not. Infact, by all accounts she doesn't want a 4x4 at all, she's sticking with the Focus... Hooraaahh!! Umm, I guess! The reason is not because she's loving the Focus, although she says she does like it, and likes it a lot more now that her eyebrows have grown back! The reason is that over the last couple of weeks or so she's sadly come to realise that her friends, none of which drive, but who were always being taken here there and everywhere when they all fitted in the CR-V have stopped asking her to things they're doing any more. This has all coincided with these ladies discovering that women of luxurious figures don't fit very well into the back of a Focus CC, and so sadly now that Mrs Pp is of no use to them it would appear as if she's been dropped from the friend circle. Its funny, I could see this coming back in the Summer holidays when on a couple of occasions Mrs Pp couldn't take them a couple of times because she was working, they kinda got the hump with her a little bit about it then. I feel that now she's got a smaller car it's been the straw that broke the Camels back. I've told her not to worry about it as they're not worth worrying about if they only want you while you can ferry them about, but she's gone to bed upset. It's funny, I thought this kind of behavior ended in your twenties, but obviously not. Still, in the plus column in the grand scheme of things theyr'e kinda new friends (In the last five years or so) anyway, and sometimes you've just gotta cut back the dead wood, and move on...

No it doesn't stop in their teens or twenties, it does seem a continual roller coaster ride of women just being richards to one another...
As you say the dead wood is best left behind, friendship is not taxi based...

On the other hand glad it saves you more purchasing, though a free-lander is tempting. We had a few of those (all be it the commercial version with the detachable roof) as fleet wagons when they were first released. I quite enjoyed them, yes they will never be a defender and they may be a meastro on stilts but how can you not love an electric rear screen.

Of course it depends how toasted it is and Free is always good but not the cost of fixing something you don't need...

Ahh you say that mr2fc, but if you'd seen a couple of them in their primark leggings you'd probably understand.

Excellent blog on the mustang btw, how is wedded doo-bliss? I apparently will be dragged that way next year... I though I hear tierra del fuego is particularly nice. On the subject of 'proper mustangs' I was a teenager when your one came out, and me and my friends concluded it looked the part, sounded the part, and was damn cool, so I'm sticking to that! you have also got to love a car thats been in a family for yonks, if just for the memories.

Oh, and nice to see the Celeste creeping around... Now you just have to unearth your Talbot! haha.

edit: HRV wise, granddad had one, again when I was a teenager, for a little bit. quick but not the most comfortable thing in the world, a memory confirmed by my mother dearest lol (She is actually on RR somewhere, so she has credence!)

Oh and congratulations!

Oh pooh... Just realised I didn't post a link! Here it is incase anyone didn't see it...



Episode 114. Ford Mustang. WK05 AOU. (Part 3).

As for wedded bliss s1105117 , well we're about five or six weeks in now, and incredibly nothing has changed. She still rants and raves a lot, and apparently I'm still an annoying bumhole, or something along those lines! It is funny though that the people who told me that I would have to change when I had kids, are now telling me that I'll have to change now that I'm married! Well, I didn't change when I had kids, I still do all the stuff that I always did, except now I take two children with me! as having kids didn't change me I doubt that being married will either. Infact Mrs Pistonpopper (amoungst others) tagged me in this meme during the week...



Cheeky witch! I'm not that bad lol. Anyhoo, we're not here to discuss my personality disorders!



It's quite nice to be out and about in the Celeste, it's been a long time off the road (nowhere near as long as the Talbot!) but I still enjoy driving it. I am hoping to get to one last show in it before the year ends, and that will be on Boxing day in Romsey. Although it's strictly pre 1976, so I doubt that I'll get it in there. But its a good show even if you just park in the car park. As for the Talbot, it's on the list of cars to do. I'm trying not to get involved with any more car projects until I've cleared the back log!



You're not far wrong there steveg, Mrs Pistonpopper refers to them as the Mummy Mafia! They're a strange bunch thats for sure!



From what I understand the Rover K-series engine is a very good engine, very tunable, and very reliable. However, the head gasket was the weak link, but by all accounts if you replace it with the Multi-layer steel gasket like Land Rover did to all the later Freelanders, then they're all good. But I think we're getting ahead of the game here... I doubt I'll have it in all honesty, its a lack of time thing, and if i'm not careful it'll end up another project on the to do list!

So, todays episode for your reading pleasure or otherwise...



Episode 115. Mini One. YT02 LAA. (Part 2).

You can deffinatly see the Rover design ideas in the dash, same as the SD1, symmetrical both sides so can be easily and cheaply built to be either RHD or LHD.

I am unsure how I feel about that dash. But then again, it looks way too modern for me.

I think I just worked out the problem, actually.

I use chrome, and an extension called Adblock.
It looks like some of the images are registering as ads to it, as if I pause it an refresh, it loads fine.
Weird.

Also me! I was re-reading some of your blog on a flight last month (clever idea to pack your book) inc the first installement of this, wondered what if anything had occurred!

Happy New Year everyone!

And with the new year I finally bring you the beginning of a long waiting story...