Car Talk

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

I was told many years ago there was a tie up between Ford and Mazda, something i think must have been true, as one of the earlier Fiesta`s was badged as a Ford in europe, but as a Mazda 121 elsewhere around the world, and i have seen one with a Mazda 121 badge on it.

[VetChugger]

I had an early Citroën Xantia 1.9TD and I loved it. The hydroelastic suspension still amazed folk if I pulled up alongside, switched of and the car sank! Obviously the reverse also amused folk. It was a lively enough performer but its top quality was the ride comfort, especially for passengers. Did lots of miles and spent quite a while with a mate in Pyrenees Atalantique. Made me popular a Yorkshire man coming to France in a Xantia. Loved the bars over there and had a right royal time. The only problem I ever had with the car was down to a 60p plastic clip the gave way.  This clip held the car body down on the chassis at the rear at the limit of the suspension. The back end came up and bounced around like a superball whilst driving. Looked like a drag racing convert! Didn't think much of the follow up C5 so went for a Skoda VRS (the first version) which was a lively drive!

[Paul]

1 hour ago, SPEEDTRIPLE said:

I think the Mondeo, Mazda 6, and Jaguar X type, were all built on the same chassis. As for the DS5, it was ok, but the rear end would skip out on bumps etc, but that may have, as you say, been down to tyre choice.

Mazda 6 never shared underpinnings with Mondeo or the X Type. It's predecessor the 626 did, being built on the same chassis as the X Type and Mondeo I II and III. When Mazda introduced the 6 they used a modified version of the US Ford CD3 chassis, whilst the Mondeo IV used the EUCD which also underpinned virtually all Volvo's of that era. 

The chassis were all related, and whilst we refer to them as Ford Chassis they were really variants of the Mazda G platform.

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

22 minutes ago, VetChugger said:

I had an early Citroën Xantia 1.9TD and I loved it. The hydroelastic suspension still amazed folk if I pulled up alongside, switched of and the car sank! Obviously the reverse also amused folk. It was a lively enough performer but its top quality was the ride comfort, especially for passengers. Did lots of miles and spent quite a while with a mate in Pyrenees Atalantique. Made me popular a Yorkshire man coming to France in a Xantia. Loved the bars over there and had a right royal time. The only problem I ever had with the car was down to a 60p plastic clip the gave way.  This clip held the car body down on the chassis at the rear at the limit of the suspension. The back end came up and bounced around like a superball whilst driving. Looked like a drag racing convert! Didn't think much of the follow up C5 so went for a Skoda VRS (the first version) which was a lively drive!

My brother had a Xantia, we went up to the broads in it. 5 people, and full of luggage, start her up, and she just levelled up and was lovely and comfy.

[Paul]

I love old Citroens, they really had style. My best friends family when I was a kid had a DS Familiale later replaced by the CX equivalent. These were the (supposedly) 7 seat estates though in the days before seat belt regulations we once had the entire boys brigade footbal team plus two adults in the DS. Xantia was a lovely car to drive, but even better was it's big brother the XM, a really underrated car. Sadly it's about that time that Citroen reliability started to suffer.

The garage in the village had an 83 CX Familiale on the forecourt a little while ago, traded in ... One owner, 60k from new, yours for 8k. I was tempted for a while.

[Paul]

IIRC the older DS had a bench seat in the front, a huge sofa style seat in the back, then in the gap between a row of three individual seats that folded behind the front bench. All unbelted in those days of course. 

[Paul]

On 11/08/2019 at 14:14, Paul said:

When I come to change the CRV a Mazda 6 is high on the list of options.

It looks like that will not be happening for another twelve months. The CRV passed it's mot first time again today. 15 years old and 200k miles and it just keeps going. 

[oldgregg]

19 hours ago, Paul said:

It looks like that will not be happening for another twelve months. The CRV passed it's mot first time again today. 15 years old and 200k miles and it just keeps going. 

Hondas do have a habit of doing that...

[CambridgeCabby]

I had one of the early Xantia as a taxi , the added bonus was that if you were being undertaken and harassed by cyclists you could dump the clutch and emit a huge cloud of black diesel smoke 

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

5 hours ago, oldgregg said:

Hondas do have a habit of doing that...

I`m glad about that, Karen has an HRV. We drove her up to the Broads in June, lovely and comfortable, but very underpowered having only a 1.5 ltr engine, for what is quite a big car with large tyres, which saps power.  Normally, she only uses it for local work, but we`ve used it to do touring because we could`nt trust my Citroen. Once on the motorway, she will happily sit at 80 ish mph, until you come to an uphill gradient.

[CambridgeCabby]

Stern thruster ?

[FairTmiddlin]

On 11/08/2019 at 13:32, ChrisB said:

If I was ever so rich and you would need very deep pockets to firstly buy, run and maintain a true DS. Then the DS23 pallas Decapotable is my dream classic car.

Sometime about 1995 Judith and I attended a "Posh Do" in East Sussex with her parents. Jane Clark the Widow of the Politician Alan but then his wife came in hers and my allegiance changed from E type Jaguar to Citroen.

Jane Clark lives 2 miles from me In Saltwood Castle ( the notorious place the three knights stayed, before they rode off to kill Thomas a Becket)

Often see her on sunny days in the Decapotable

Beautifully kept car.

[Springsong]

My Grandfather lived at the other end of the village  on the Sandling  Junction  road in a house called Slaybrook.

[CambridgeCabby]

My late father had , for a few years , a Citroen SM then a rare car nowadays a much sort after classic worth a fortune , he sold it and brought a Bristol 603 , another classic 

[Paul]

I notice a Decapotable sold for $400k in the US recently, who'd have ever thought a 70's Citroen would be fetching that kind of money. I'm working on the theory If I keep my CRV for another 25 years it too will be worth half a million.

Whilst it is a very pretty car If i was looking at that kind of money there are an awful lot of things that I would go for first, which could be had for much less. A Volvo P1800 convertible would probably be top of the list, very closely followed by an Alvis TD21 Drophead. 

[Paul]

And do be warned, Norfolk Constabulary has unveiled it's new patrol car for the NDR ....

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

1 hour ago, CambridgeCabby said:

My late father had , for a few years , a Citroen SM then a rare car nowadays a much sort after classic worth a fortune , he sold it and brought a Bristol 603 , another classic 

There used to be a Bristol in someone's front garden in Chedgrave just up from the Staithe. It was a burgundy colour, but the lacquer was peeling and paint fading. It was there for years and deteriorating badly last time I saw it. Does anybody know if it's till there?. 

[PaulM]

1 hour ago, Paul said:

And do be warned, Norfolk Constabulary has unveiled it's new patrol car for the NDR ....

If indeed that is the intention for that car, speeders shouldn’t worry. It will be seen where every other police car I’ve seen on the NDR is. Tending to roundabout comings togethers.

[keifsmate]

1 hour ago, SPEEDTRIPLE said:

There used to be a Bristol in someone's front garden in Chedgrave just up from the Staithe. It was a burgundy colour, but the lacquer was peeling and paint fading. It was there for years and deteriorating badly last time I saw it. Does anybody know if it's till there?. 

 

No longer there,  sold I think a year or so ago.

[BroadAmbition]

Meet 'Trevor the Transit'  This is the replacement 'GriffTile' work horse.

Trevor is a 2015 2:2Ltr 155bhp Transit Custom Sport 2900.  With only 18'000 miles on the clock when I got him.

A dream to drive with many optional extras as standard or ordered when new. Auto lights, Auto dip / main, Auto wipers, Heated seats, Heated front screen, Hands free voice phone, Lane assist, Traction control, Elec windows, Air Con, Cruise control, Speed limiter, Led lighting, etc etc the list goes on and on.  It's a bit too plush / equipped for a works van tbh.  I am getting molly coddled in my mobile office and loving it.

He's been with me since the third week in August and we are just about up to spec.  I've not done too much to him other than fit mudflaps - They weren't any on the front - Easy to fit.  The rears had the original tiny Ford ones on.  They had been riveted through the skirting kit into the body, a right pain drilling out the replacing rivets.  Administered ZX1 to engine (Still to do it to the gearbox) fitted a K&N Air filter.  The sign writing this time - I have gone for the magnetic written pads.  Means I can go anonymous when I choose to do so.  There is something a 'Bit Different' about the sign-writing on the magnetic pads - You spotted it?

I was under threat of death from family members not to paint the door mirrors Red and Green.  So I opted for coloured vinyl large dots - That means I'm still living having 'Got Away With It' - JUST, but still have my signature Port and Stbd markings.  They aren't to enamoured with the lower rear advert pad either - Stuff em, it's my van and I have a sense of humour even if they don't.

I have brought over my cherished plates of course.  Although Trevor was ply lined out, I got stuck in and made some storage / racking in the back - pleased with the results.

Ford didn't fit a spare wheel with this van - A right PITA that is. instead they give you a compressor and a tin of their tyre gunk.  We all know that stuff ruins tyres and cannot repair a hole bigger than 6mm or any sidewall damage.  So I have purchased a steel wheel and a spare tyre.  Ordered a jack / handle / brace, and the kit to secure the spare wheel under the back floor panel.  Once it all arrives I will get stuck into fitting that lot hopefully this weekend then chuck away the can of gunk and be a lot more confident.

Talking of tyres. The tyres fitted are 235/50/18 !!   What's more they are Goodyear F1 Eagles (Extra Load) - FFS!  Who fits tyres like that to a van?   They are going to cost an arm and a leg to replace and will be next to useless in the snow / ice  I can see me having to purchase some smaller alloys with winter tyres fitted come December

So the 'GriffTile' Vivaro is now away.  I had that van for around 12 years of its to date 14 years and put about 160'00 on the clock.  It was a great workhorse and owed me nothing when the time came for it to go.  Trevor the Transit has a lot to live up to.  We will see.

Griff

[hazelgirl]

Love it Griff, my kind of van that 

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

Very highly speckled for a van?.  You've made a good job of the shelving, but can't wait to see what she looks like when you've tiled them?. . 

[BroadAmbition]

This is the foam carrier complete with jack, brace and handle.  I purchase the job lot from a scrapyard for about £30.  Bargain.

What is far from a bargain is the time / hassle it took to get it fitted into its housing.  That is under the drivers floor area.  To get it behind the plastic trim one has to remove the seat, disconnecting lots of cables, then the seat support has to be removed, followed by 2 x seatbelt housing trims, door seal, step trim.  insert foam carrier, put the lot back together, fit tools to foam - job done.  Three hours of frustration and hassle

Griff

 

[BroadAmbition]

Then it was the turn of the system to carry the spare wheel itself, that meant cutting out part of the load floor protector, drilling out the rivets for the blanking plate, fitting winding mechanism with Fords own rivets, underneath - 3 x foam buffers, three cables, one carrier and of course the spare.  A whole lot easier than the cab work I have to say.  Just two hours for this little lot.

No more a tin of gunk and compressor for Trevor.  (Later this afternoon I am due to drive up to Gourock to visit my absent wife, her Mum and family, 270 miles , there till Tuesday)  If I am unfortunate enough to suffer a puncture from now on I can deal with it without having to ruin an expensive tyre and not calling out the RAC.

The cost of this exercise has been about £160:00 and five hours of therapy.  Far cheaper than buying a replacement F1 Eagle, not to mention the peace of mind

Griff

[Mouldy]

My last car came with a can of sealant and no spare wheel and the current one at least had a space saver, which would at least get you home, but at a greatly reduced speed.  I sourced a full size standard alloy for both, together with necessary foam inserts and tools, had a tyre fitted and replaced the other bits.  The thought of sitting at the side of the road waiting to be recovered in the event of a puncture isn’t one that I enjoy.  

Removing the ability to carry a spare wheel is an easy way for manufacturers to get more money for their vehicles using weight saving and fuel consumption as the reasons for not fitting them as standard.