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

hi Genie,

I just like to be sure it's okay to put up people's photos first. I saw another one of you on that page - would you like it to be in the gallery? Or you can send a link here to any one you would prefer.


az

i az,did i get the email one right this time,
im haphanded at writing the site links jim

>> ...cant you get the car by a backdoor, ie. have it sent to another country first,within the boundaries, then on to canada. <<

Thanks for the sympathy jim, but the problem is (as is often the case) with the Germans and their opinion that their old marks should be worth a Euro at par.

Let's say a German guy has such a car and would have wanted to get 1000 marks for it - that would have been $700 Canadian - a bargain even with a 25% import tax here.

But now, through no fault of his, he wants 1000 Euros - all the same to him, because one mark equals one Euro from his point of view, but 1000 Euros would cost me $1300 not $700. Nearly double!

So no matter how you cut it, I'd be paying an extra 60 cents on the dollar for the same car. Plus additional tax on the increased value. Plus the outrages cost of shipping. From anywhere.

BTW. In Japan they take cars off the road after only ten years. Many have very few miles on them. They drive on the wrong side the same as England so someone over your way should/could/would be making a fortune importing ten year old Hondas and Toyotas.
Of course most Japanese cras are sold in North America where we have left hand drive versions. So the wiley Japanese guillotine the front end (engine, tranny and front axles) of any 10 year old FWD car being scrapped and ship the bits to places like Canada where they can be had for a mere $500 to replace older worn out engines. This is truly another great bargain for owners of older Japanese cars here, but it too will be ruined by the new higher shipping costs. Fortunately, I know a guy, who knows a guy, who knows a guy who imported a few hundred of these last year. Now if only I owned an old Japanese car that needed a new engine. Not likely.

Thank god in North America the kind of stupid (but well-intended) legislation that arbitrarily limits the life-span of a car to 10 or 15 years has failed to get passed because there are millions of us who enjoy restoring, customising, racing and collecting old cars. The collector car and vintage racing hobbies are a multi-billion dollar indistry that would die if we had no old cars to play with. Yes money still talks.

Any legislation requiring new safety devices like brakes, horns, lights, seat-belts, air-bags, etc. on 'new cars' has always had a "grandfather clause" which allows that all cars manufactured before the legislation comes into effect will remain legal. So people here can legally drive an antique car which had none of these safety devices when built. For example, seatbelt legislation and pollution control devices date from the early 70s so 1960s muscle cars still do not have to have them now.

Of course in some places there are still laws on the books that require an auto to be proceeded down the street by a man carrying a red flag (or red lantern by night). Not that anyone has ever really been charged for failure to obey this law since 1907 when headlamps and horns had pretty much become standard equipment.

Until the question of internet copyrights came along, the automobile was perhaps unique in the history of lawmaking by growing and developing faster than politicians could pass laws to control them.

I'm rambling aren't I...


~jwf~

An excellent ramble as rambles go. Does that make you a Rambler?

Let me know if you find a 1969 right hand drive MGB, will ya?

Oh! And....

http://www.amcrc.com/

Yes.

Noggin

Yes you're looking for a *B* as well, or yes he's a Rambler? If so, what make, model, colour, and year?

hi jwf
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i forgot even though the walls down, germany is still behind in many ways,
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if its classed as crap,is there no way you can have it sent as crap,that should cut the cost down,just an idea jim

unless it has been recinded recently the law still remains that "hackney carriages"should carry a bale of straw for the horse!!!

unsubscribed!!sorry!!!

"unless it has been recinded recently the law still remains that "hackney carriages"should carry a bale of straw for the horse!!!"

...and be tall enough inside for a gentleman to wear a top hat....

We now have Hackney cabs here in Canada.

blimey, that must have been an expensive cab fare, all the way to Canada!

The most difficult part was finding the water wings for the horses.

Also, once they arrived, they had to get used to the accent.


az

hi all
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can someone enlighten me,
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water wings for the horses,the acsent
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its gone over my head lol jim

Sorry Jim, I'm back at my desk for lunch so I'll try to explain.

Mudhooks said we now have Hackney cabs in Canada, referring to the horsedrawn hansom cabs we have here for tourists.

Ictoan said it must have been a long cab fare (to get them to here from the UK).

I said the most expensive part was getting water wings for the horses. Now here is where we may have lost you. Do you have those litttle inflated wing-shaped devices for little children in the pool? I always forget that English is the common language that divides us!

Finally Azahar talked about the horses having to get used to the Canuck accent when they got here. Actually I suppose that is also part of the common language barrier I was talking about!

Anyway, like any joke when you explain it it's no longer funny, if this one ever was.

Well, putting it like that zoomer, nah, wasn't funny at all.

But in fact, my experience in Bristol was that a few people had trouble understanding my Toronto accent (even though I think it is more sorta/kinda mid-Atlantic maybe). I could explain one of the circumstances but it would come out something like - 'You say tomato and I say tomato' - which doesn't work very well in print.


az

Tomaaato, tomahto, yes. One of the reasons we still manage to communicate here is that no one can hear us. (What an odd statement.)

I've found that thanks (or no thanks, really) to the Demon Television (of which I am a paid imp) lots of UK residents have no problem with elevator, pick-up truck, or Jello. Not that this is a good thing, I suppose. When they understand poutine, Molson's, and Hat Tricks we will be well on our way to our ultimate conquering of the rest of the world, though, eh?

"Tomato", you say? I'm sorry, I don't understand...

RF