marzman

3 hours ago, Lynchyy said:

That’s a good shout

Yep, button on the right is fog lights.  Fob slot on the left is likely immobiliser.

I've got loads of pics and vids of the drifting...here's a few of the pics.

I'm surprised it was 2010 though... i could have sworn this was in '08 but i was wrong.  I was still in my poverty spec JDM at this point.  I remember posting the below pic of the girls on my car on facebook and the only comment i got was someone suggesting i disinfect the car ASAP. 

Went for a blast today and stopped off to take some pics

Propane is odourless so need a better description than that. 

If you've been on a track day, it'll be something burning so... tyres, brakes, clutch, or any of your fluids (oil/coolant/clutch etc).

I'd go with tyres i think.

Bit too different for me that.

9 minutes ago, DoogyRev said:

 

This is different . . .

 

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202103250563918?model=3 WHEELER&include-delivery-option=on&postcode=so211tu&radius=1501&onesearchad=Used&onesearchad=Nearly New&onesearchad=New&sort=relevance&make=MORGAN&advertising-location=at_cars&page=1

 

😂

50 minutes ago, DoogyRev said:

 

Don't do it, I ended up hating my Jeep, yeah ok they are good off road, but the seats are bad/driving position is bad, gave me a bad back after 1 hour. the roof panels will leak and it will be full of water, the rear canopy is effing heavy and is a faff to get on/off. Driving in high winds the bonnet will be flapping and flexing.... you will think its going to fly open any second. Also the rear diffs are prone to seizing. And lets not forget about the "Death Wobble" 😂

 

Unless you are going to do lots of off-roading I would steer clear. 

Thats great insight, cheers Jim.  To be fair i only do about 8k miles a year most of which would be in the daily, so only 2-3k in either the Jeep or Stang, so it's nice to have something different/agricultural for special occasions. 

I've been on Autotrader/eBay literally every day since Christmas trying to work out what i want.

I can't stop flip flopping between options, but i feel like i'm getting closer to a decision!

I have £10k to spend, plus the value of my Mustang (£31-32k) if i decide to get rid.  Or I dont mind borrowing a bit more if needs be.

My dream car is a Mercedes AMG GT.  These start at £52k, so are within reach, but it doesnt satisfy my needs.  I want a nice, easy to drive daily - my current front runners are a C250d C-Class or a current shape Audi TT - both are approx. £13k for the spec i'm after.  But i also keep coming back to 4x4's.  I've had 2x first gen Range Rover Sports which i loved, but they were really unreliable - i'd love a new shape one but expect they'd be equally as crap to maintain.  X5 or F-Pace is an option here.

Beyond that - I definitely want a special car for the odd weekend trip out.  A classic Mustang is the front runner here... but a heavily modified Jeep Wrangler is also high on the list (I want both!!)  Or a caterham-style car of some sort.  Or TVR.

But with almost all of those options, it means my Mustang has to go.   It hurts because it's lovely to look at and gets an unbelievable amount of (positive) attention... i just don't love it.

Below are some of the cars i'm strongly considering:

23 minutes ago, Mikey_S said:

A nice little investment may be a OBD reader (and associated app)

 

Helps identify these issues. I have the below one: 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01AC7I7BO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_QP5D5XHBW05Q0FZK72BA?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

 

Hope you can get it sorted though quickly and inexpensively 

His car is a JDM so will need a JOBD capable reader rather than ODBII. 

Trace the pipe back from the bonnet spray jets to under the front windscreen cowl.  There will be a Y shaped 1 way valve which gets blocked.  I replaced mine with a Bic Biro pen lid for a fe months and it worked perfectly.

Happy days.  Looks identical to my first one.

19 minutes ago, Lynchyy said:

@marzman How did you find the brakes? Im hearing people say they are almost dangerous when they are the OEM (not Brembo) 1 pot discs?

My first one had stock JDM brakes, second one had Brembos with uprated discs and pads.  Definitely a big difference between the two, but i wouldnt say they were dangerous - but definitely dont take it to a track!  I managed to cook my JDM brakes on a spirited drive out with this club, and i had to limp home with a spongy pedal.  Although this was easily remedied with braided lines and a fluid flush.

4 hours ago, Lynchyy said:

So other than the not knowing when that converter was fitted, it sounds like i should be OK. Going to see it on Sunday. Will make sure i take all the hints and tips from this site, and i should be fine.

If the earliest MOT was 2012, does that mean it was imported then?

Hmmm... could do.  Not sure how long electronic records go back for.  

It'll be fine... nothing to be afraid of.  

Mine were very well blacked out... just a tiny rectangle of electrical tape cut and stuck over the K.  You'd be hard pressed to tell even if you knew about it.

Do my GT350R replica's count as oem?  

I would guess that if the clocks say M/H then the K has been blanked out, as i would have thought they'd say MPH otherwise.  But you say thats not the case, so i dont know.  You'd need a UK owner to confirm whether their clocks say M/H on them presumably.

BUT... 

On a typical import the speed signal wire behind the clocks will usually have been modified by fitting an HKS Speed Defencer (no, not a typo!) which modifies the signal to output MPH rather than KPH.  However ideally you need to find out at what mileage that was fitted, as the miles on the car pre-fitting will be KM's, and post fitting will be miles.

If they are genuine UK clocks though, i think the mileage is locked to the clocks themselves so whatever mileage was on that would remain after being installed in the car i believe.  Could be wrong though.

Regarding the central pods, i believe if HKS SLD is fitted then they output in MPH anyway - but for me at least it was the lack of MPG readout that was the bigger concern - the JDM pod reads in KM/L.  But yes you can just straight swap for a set of UK pods without any further modifications.

EDIT - one more thing to ask (cant really check lol)... by default JDM's are electronically limited to 112mph.  My first one was, my second one wasn't.  Im not sure how this is lifted... whether you need a map or something else.

...And after 9 years of Jim being on this forum i've only just realised that DoogyRev is Very Good backwards. 

I'm half a generation after 'Joey' was popularised... i'm 37 but my brother is 50... and i still remember one Sunday dinner in the 90's him explaining to me the origins of the term.  I've only come across it a handful of times since. 

5 minutes ago, HEADPHONES said:

Zed had no chance of seeing the cyclist.

Cyclist had every opportunity to stop between the stationary cars and slowly peek out.

Same if I was crossing the road on foot.

Only a Joey would run between without looking!

Joey. Not heard that in years! 

Doesn't sound like droplinks to me.  They're not that loud and are more of a creak.  Could be wrong though.

1 hour ago, HEADPHONES said:

I'm no expert.

I was in an NHS final salary pension.

Over the past few years I saw my monthly contribution increased FOUR fold and the retirement age increased a few years.

With another 15 years before they want me to retire I eventually opted out as they keep moving the goal posts I don't trust them anymore.

Invested in a couple of properties instead.

Then to top it off there's these rumours of a WEALTH TAX where they look at all your assets, house, car, savings and pension pot etc and if it reaches £500k they want 5%

 

 

 

 

Bastards!!  

Cheers, thats good insight.  I didnt really consider them moving the age brackets as raiding pensions, but i guess it is exactly that.

19 hours ago, The G Man said:

Once this Covid mess is under control, from a medical point of view, standby for an unmitigated and persistent assault on any and all pension pots from the westminster government.  Just like they did after the financial crash, only two, three, umpteen times worse.

 

Best hide yer dosh under the mattress..............

What sort of stuff could they do, or did they do previously?  I assume removing the tax relief on contributions to some degree, but can they do anything to actually invested cash?

I hate the concept of a pension anyway and would rather invest in the markets so that i'm not locked in till i'm 57... especially if there are other pitfalls im not aware of.  

14 minutes ago, Stutopia said:

I too am late to this party. My plan is I’m gonna buy a cool ICE car and then sell it to a hipster post 2030 for 10 times its value when electric cars have made everyone fall asleep. It’s basically fool proof. Plan B is to get a second place on the go and clear two mortgages by retirement age and then move to somewhere hot with a weak currency.

Good plan... until the government whack a £5k a year road tax on ICE cars, forcing the market to implode. 

My mate's got a Ferrari F430 which he refers to as his pension. 

Hi guys,

Very off topic, i know, but i'm interested to know how much people are saving for their pensions / investments for later in life, e.g. how much are you putting away each month, or what final pension pot size are you aiming for...?

I genuinely haven't got a clue on how much is 'normal' to be putting away, although i guess that's irrelevant as everybody's circumstances will be different.  I'm aiming for early retirement (57 at the latest) but I've neglected my pension until recently, only contributing minimally.  I'm now 37 - so i'm aware I'll need to 'kick the arse out of it' from now on... but I'd still like to understand what normal is!

For reference, i've found the below quote on The Telegraph website.  

According to the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association, a single pensioner would need a pension income of £10,200 to live a “minimum level” lifestyle in retirement, which is already slightly more than the current maximum new State Pension of just over £9,100 a year.

Profile Pensions estimates that a single pensioner could live comfortably on £17,818 a year, which would require a pension pot of £237,000 at retirement. If you’re in a couple or don’t own your own home, you will need to aim for a higher income and pension pot.

The average UK pension pot after a lifetime of saving stands at £61,897. With current annuity rates, this would buy you an income of only around £3,000 extra per year from 67, which added to the maximum State Pension, makes just over £12,000 a year, just enough for a basic retirement lifestyle.

Cheers.