h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The GT6 is defo the one i want I decided. But which mark to go for?

Having looked at lots and lots of images of them I know I don't want a Mark III. I do like Mark II..but I kind of think the slightly strange mixture of identity about Mark I is my favourite. Of course they are the oldest.

Colour is very important to me. At present I'm towards a dark shade of something.

I know these are superficials. But when all's said and done thats the thing you actually look at and feel pleasure in. It's a car, not a person you might have a relationship with and not care about such things.

But having said that of course the fundamental is the strength and integrity of the actual object. So once you know what superficials you want, you can then just keep looking out for good ones fitting those characteristics.

I'm gradually getting into the idea of it more now..and slowly looking up a bit of stuff online..but I'm *not* rushing.

One's vehicle is a very important thing. I have enough dreams about them...in terms of me driving in all sorts of dangerous and tricky situations.

Glad to see you're getting excited and staying rational
and practical. You seem to have the 'rush' thing under
control and a good sense of what a gilded lily might be.

Yes the Mark I is the true classic, later iterations had
modifications that were mostly concessions to Ralph Nader
Health and Safety in the uS - bigger tail lamps, higher
ride heights, rubber bumpers.

But they are the rarest.

Now here I must caution you that models made for domestic
consumption will differ from those made for export to North
America, so I may not know all that is needed to be truly
helpful. The differences may be slight but the numbers of
all Triumph models (domestic versus export) are staggering.
Usually five or six times as many were shipped overseas.

Again, not to burst your GT6 bubble have you considered
the MGB GT, a hardtop version that sold well in the UK from
1964 up until 1980 but was dropped over here after 1976. I
have a 74 I wish I could sell you. What is $8,500 CDN in pounds
these days? And how much would it cost to ship it there?

While you're researching you ought to inquire more about
registration and regulations in your area as well as insurance
costs. I am assuming they will be as pleasant a surprise as
they are here - on the order of one quarter to one half the
costs for regular vehicles (but some-times with restrictions
on storage and usage because of our very seasonal climate).

A friend recently found a GT6 MKI in Ontario and trailered
it home - so I do have recent exposure to the earlier and
prettier styling. Also got the lecture on how the hardtop
is considered a separate model and named the Triumph GT6
(with a six cylinder engine) as opposed to the Spitfire
convertible roadster with a 4. Both are based on the chassis
of the Triumph Herald which had many variants including a
4 seater convertible version that inspired the first Spitfire.

I know someone online in Ireland who has a GT6 which he sent
off for restoration a few years ago and keeps complaining that
his wife won't let him spend any more money on it. They recently
bought a house near Dublin. He was facing the possibility of
putting a whole new 'tub' (the inner body bits) in it because
of rust that was not visible under the paint job. He said it
would have been cheaper to build up a new car from parts so
don't forget to research lots of parts suppliers and rebuilders.
There may be unfinished and abandoned projects that could be
cost effective and reasonably safe and reliable solutions.

Hopefully you will find the one you want that someone else has
already spent a shedload of cash restoring. As I said before, even
these totally refurbished (almost 'as new') cars cannot demand a
fair price when so many basket cases are available that have
just as much curb appeal with a thin coat of shiny paint.

To your earlier question about gender bias, yes, it may be an
issue but no more so than in any other walk of life so I'm sure
you can handle it. There are lots of lady owners and lady racers,
but most are men who welcome the ladies except for the usual sort
of male chauvinist pigs you find everywhere.

Stay tuned.
~jwf~

Okay I'll consider the MGB. as well.

As for the gender bias thing..I found that very funny. And anyway if i go to a meet I might steal someone elses's female passenger..

> I
have a 74 I wish I could sell you. What is $8,500 CDN in pounds
these days? And how much would it cost to ship it there? <

I wish you could sell it to me to. I'll find out.

You know there's all these stories of people of meeting up from h2g2 and getting married or together etc...well imagine how brilliant our story could be involving a classic car shipped across the Atlantic from Canada to England ?

That would be an excellent Guide Entry. But how to write it to get it accepted? I'd get far to carried away.

One thing we're not talking about..god knows why..as its as in important as anything..is which are the most exciting to drive? I'm not buying some pretty thing only to discover it utterly dull as a driving experience. One thing I discovered from motorbikes..is that its all about the acceleration experience. The top speed is not so important to me..but that rush as the thing accelerates. (Aeroplanes can be good for that to )

Loads more research needed by me.

(I'm not expecting you to reply to all my rambles. But this is the one thread I now post on besides my journal for the time being...and you'll get a bit of ramble...)

jwf this might annoy you...but I'm having my doubts about getting an old car...its going to be a nightmare hassle getting repairs done..and do I really want the risk of leaving it in a street in Peckham?

My mind is generally all over the place of late..but I wanted to warn you..

But what I do get in the end won't be boring and will have to be a pleasurable driving experience.

You know I really do have a hankering after the original BMW sports coupe I saw up the road. BMW are sponsoring London 2012 Olympics..and doing special editions for that...

My parents do very easily have the money

BMW!

You do have good taste.
They make the best. At least they used to.
I mean the best mechanicals, the slickest gearboxes
that go snick snick snick thru the gears, the peppiest
little motors, the most comfortable suspensions that
stick to the road like glue!

But their marketing department has catered to the rich,
demanding that all sorts of un-needed, un-necessary and
un-welcomed gadgets and gizmos be added on for snob appeal.

The early Z3 roadster is a pretty car and a lot less burdened
by the bells and whistles they poured into the Z4 to attract
the luxury client.

The first Z3 (around 1996-7) was based on the 318ti, a hatchback
they developed in the early 1990s by shortening the basic 3 series
and creating an 'economy' car for the masses with a very good
1.8 liter 4 cylinder engine. In 1995-6 the were testing a 1.9
liter in the hatchback before introducing the first 1.9 liter Z3.

I have a 96 318ti. It was a bare bones, no frills econo-box that
looks like an early 90s Honda Civic hatchback but drives very
much like the first Z3 (except for being taller with a higher
center of gravity). The power comes on just below 4000 rpm and
snaps to the redline of 6500 rpm in a very exciting way.
They stopped bringing them to NorthAm because nobody was
buying hatchbacks but I think they kept making them for Europe
for another few years.

Yes a mid-90s 318 or Z3 with the 1.9 liter is a lot of fun.

Other models are too big, too heavy, over-powered with sixes
and V8s, over-loaded with luxury gadgets that are incredibly
expensive when they break or wear out.

But a good mechanic can work around such failures.
For example, the ignition switch in my 318ti failed
and the BMW dealer had the car for six weeks while the
part came from Germany and the bill was over $700.
I could have had a local mechanic bypass the old switch
and install a toggle switch for power on/off and a simple
push button for the starter - for about $50. I have never
gone back to the dealer.

I did call them once when the plastic shell that forms the
seat-back-support cracked (while racing) and I was told a
new one was $2,700.

Happily, many BMW owners go racing and replace their stock
seats with racing buckets like Recardos and one guy sold me
the front seats from his bigger 3 series for $75 (a savings
of $2,625).

Bottom line on BMW is avoid the dealer, get to know some serious
racers and mechanics and stick with 'economy' models with 4 cyl.
They produce a new 1 series that is designed as an economy model
for the European market. It comes as a 2 or 4 door sedan, a
convertible, a station wagon (shooting brake?) style and a hatch-
back. The basic peppy 4 cylinder is available there. But in Canada
and the US they only import the 2 and 4 door and convertible (no
wagons or hatchbacks) and they only come here with a six cyl,
aiming again for the higher end of the market.

If the 4 cyl hatchback was available here I would buy it in a
minute based on the joy I continue to have (for 8 years now)
with the 96 318ti.

http://public.fotki.com/azahar/h2g2_friends/jwf-2.html

Germans of course drive on the 'right' side of the road
the way we do here so I don't know how many models are
available in the UK - but stick with the low end models
with the 4 cyl (preferably 1.9) and a fully manual tranny.
The automatics and electronically shifted (paddle shifters)
are horrendously expensive to fix.

Keep dreaming and exploring m'dear!
I'm enjoying this chance to share my experience and I
have my fingers crossed that you will find a proper toy
to enjoy. I have no experience with the Golf but I suspect
you already have a sense of how good the German cars are.


~jwf~

No I'm going for something brand new I think for the first time ever. I like the 3 door in the 1 series..and you get to choose the alloys and colour obviously and interior trim. Plus they are supposed to be brilliant fun to drive. Obviously I'd test drive.

Brochure on the way.

This thing should last me years. My parents have put a lot of money in trust for me and plenty to access. They said better to have it now than wait until they die. So why not spend it on something that could so change my feelings about life and cheer me up after unrelenting misery for months?

its going to be a nightmare hassle getting repairs done...

Feel that you could do any repairs yourself...most cars or pre 90s are very easy to work on, and spare are pretty easy to get as most breaker yards carry a good stock of parts ...Dont be such a defeatist

Don't call me defeatist.

I've made a clear rational decision about what would suit me best..and also to do with having a car like that out in the streets in Peckham.

I don't want an old car I decided. I want a nice new one.

Plus with mental health struggles getting it together to fix it might be difficult. Strangely driving is something I have no problem with..except when manic obviously I don't drive.

Before calling people defeatist you should think through the reasons they may have for making a decision.

A GT6 is fast accelerating (for its age) but tops out at just over 100mph - although it is so loud that you are unlikely to enjoy anything faster than 80.
They can also be skittish in the wet - especially if fitted with the wrong tyres (as mine originally was). Mark III is supposedly the least sideways-happy.
On the plus side though they are very nice looking, they sound fantastic at low revs (look them up on YouTube) and are mechanically reasonably straight forward.

Hope this helps
A (probably ex-)GT6 owner.

But its not gonna be an old one now..unless I go for 2 at some stage that's a thought.

But now I'm thinking Audi for new...I'd rather get away from the Germanic thing actually.

just discovered volkswagen owns Audi.

But the are pretty and they are reliable...

I know logicus didn't mean defeatist in any nasty way
any more than I do now that I'm gonna call you fickle.

This is h2g2 and I`m sure it was really meant to encourage
you in what is obviously a big decision. To get you back on
the road soonest and safest and care-free-est yes I think the
1-series is probably your best bet. The Audi is considered
a bit upscale and might be maltreated by rowdies in the streets.
The 'budget' model BMW 1-series creates less penis envy and even
a bit of begrudging admiration for good taste and a sense of good
value. The three door (hatchback) is the one I'd have if they sold
them here.

And thanx to Duncan (my GT6 friend from Ireland) for dropping by.

Looks like we`ll be waiting a bit on an old car for now.

Yes a rational decision to get `new` once in your life if
you can, but again based on experience in Canada the BMW
will cost less to buy and operate and hold its value better
than the Audi. The 1-series is their basic car but like I said
earlier my BMW 318ti has been and continues to be the best
all-round car I have ever owned. Part race car, part pick-up
truck. peppy, easy on gas, comfortable and fun to drive.

to all!
-jwf-

Hey thanks for putting me in my place about logicus. You're right he didn't mean it in a nasty way. But it touched a nerve as I have a low opinion of myself of late.

Sorry logicus.

I'm not sure about the BMW or Audi. Hell I'm not sure about anything.

Except seriously I think it has to be a new thing of some sort. Something I won't need to give a lot of energy to maintaining.

Plenty of people have Audis here..they seem fairly ordianry.

But yes the driving experience is everything...and I have a feeling that will be best from the BMW...based purely on intuition and yes it will hold its value well. And will give me a sense of security in myself to own such a car.

No probs, if you are going for a new one, might as well look for those with the bells and whistles on them example park assist, one of the biggest pains being parking the darn thing...As for fairly ordinary, most cars can be customized at not to much cost, the down side is any yobs looking for cars to damage are more attracted to those out of the ordinary car, (why damage/torch a Ka when there's a merc there as well)

Just got the magazine and a load of blurb from BMW. Of the type I'm interested in...the best one goes from 0 -62mph in 6.9 seconds. I think I'll go for that one.

Oh and thanks jwf for your Shakespeare post. Anything to do with Shakespeare is always extremely welcome. Always excellent for my sanity.

jwf I have definitely decided to get the car that goes from 0-62mph in 6.9 seconds...but I really don't think I'm well enough at present to be driving anything, so I'm putting it on hold.