A newbie who can't settle on a car...
Discussion
Okay, sorry its been a long time again.. Life, switching computers etc... (excuses)
Now.....
Where were we......
Commodore, Navara, Nsx and C200.
3.5 cars.
Well, first things first.
The bogan mobile is gone.
I sold it relatively cheaply for what it was, think I lost around $400 on it which wasn't bad really, considering I learnt why everyone loses their licences in them (Chinese tyres, RWD and a V8 manual
)
The bloke who bought it came in a singlet, cap, had several tattoos and lacked footwear. I felt this car suited him perfectly
.
He actually had his ute for sale and sold it very cheaply as he literally couldn't afford to buy it that day. Even that made him short and he had to pull a work mate to lend him a few hundred dollars. This all took place on a Sunday night at 10PM. At least I left him half a tank of fuel.... I've only seen it once since, at a..... petrol station.
With that gone, I was back down to: a boring but ever dependable C200, broken NSX, and a Navara that is the best drift car ever in the rain.
This was good fun for a while, imagine driving a nearly 2 tonne ute in a straight line at 60-70KMH. If you were in 4th gear and floored it, the rear end would break free. Downright dangerous but so many laughs were had between my mate and I. The tyres on it were absolutely rock hard, but legal tread wise...
I felt that the missus didn't agree to this. She said she would break up with me if I ever bought a V8 commodore, or a ute. I've now had both and we're still together, I guess that means I'm f
ked?
Decided to surprise her with a reward, for putting up with my bullst. I borrowed this for the weekend with permission from the dealer principal. She had absolutely no idea what was happening until I gave her the keys.
My thoughts on the new MX-5? Drives incredibly similar to the original NA. I had the 1.5 6 speed but fully loaded. Really fun happy little car, definitely one for the twisties and can understand why people love them. Bad thing? Missus now wants one... Not happening.
Guess that should mean car number 50 should be something special...
Oh look, another Mercedes.
Ok, ok, its a 1:18 scale of my universally unloved W202.....
Car number 50.....
Drum roll......
(It actually is a 1:1 scale Mercedes)
Ta da!
If you haven't already worked it out, its a 1997 CL500 W140. It has around 160KMs.
2 owner car on original number plates!
It's kind of big...
Back to 3.5 cars again
.
Why?
- Because I'd never seen one before
- Because they're something like 300K new in 1997.
- Because the price wasn't bad, though it needed a few bits.
- Because I can and the missus can't stop me; she drives a Hyundai accent, she has no say in anything.
I had to have a few things fixed, mostly age related items such as trim pieces loose, driver's door handle inside broken, some maintenance items such as dirty coolant, oil change etc. Nothing major however! Score! The only thing I didn't fix, was the crack in the front bumper.
Its been a long time since I've been in an LS400, but I think this may just be more comfortable... Its infinitely cooler (or more granddad).
It's hard to believe that this was only 1 year younger than my old faithful.
Squishy, heated leather seats, airbag suspension, rear blind, soft close doors and boot, electric everything, sensors all around... endless.
And of course, all the windows go down:
Best. Cruiser. Ever.
This car was approved by the missus but for old people. I told her it was very economical.
It was funny how it received a similar effect to the NSX in that, people don't sit on your rear bumper in it. People must think it's my drug running car
, and not realise it cost a pittance in comparison to the average car here.
I noted that between the NSX and the CL500, they cost $500k together when new.
I hope number 50 didn't let you down. I thought it was definitely cool, not granddad.
So I sold it.
Why did you sell that? Come on man....!
Well, I just decided that while it was an awesome car, I was just afraid of the 'what if' factor. Its a 20 year old Benz with so much new old tech. If it was a Lexus, there'd be cheap fixes but not for this beast... Pity, I most definitely won't be owning another, simply due there being none around (and I'm too scared of it stting itself)...
At this stage, Kenny and I decided that the Navara could go as it had served it purpose and was now mostly sitting idle. A bit of a waste really.
We did an oil and filter, new battery (due to the above) and listed it for sale.
The equivalent car with say, half the KMs were being advertised at around 6-9k. I advertised at 5.5k and sold it to the first to view at 4.5k. It cost us $250 each to own for nearly a year, not bad motoring at all. That thing will live on forever! It now lives in Newman, a 13 hour drive North of Perth. Those KMs will definitely keep on going.
Just a broken NSX and the C200 now.
Almost a normal person.
Normal is boring.
Enter #51:
Back to my roots (sort of).
I've never had a S13 / 180SX.
So I thought it was time, while still no NSX.
1993 Nissan 180SX, factory SR20DET 5 speed.
Absolutely bog stock, save the wheels, springs and stereo. Not even an exhaust or intake had been done! Its definitely not perfect but in very good condition for its age. The front left guard is out of line for some reason and the rear bumper a different white. The only rust was where the spoiler met the boot lid. The rest of it has age related marks but nothing major.
241,000 KMs... Plenty but the car looked like it had done far less. It also had an almost full type X body kit (genuine Nissan). The only missing part was the spoiler for some reason.
With a work mate's EVO (yes, he actually chose and paid for those plates, its cool ok?)
No bother, but first things first, get rid of the gay wheels.
Unfortunately, they had basically 90%+ tread, oh well. They definitely had to go. These now live on a Suzuki swift somewhere.
Enter rare 4 stud Buddy Club wheels in the rarer, lower offset.
Much better.
Not a fan of the front being lower than the rear, but hey ho, I'm not spending 1k+ on a set of coilovers...
I also stole more floormats, this time out of a SP25 Mazda 3.
Some more for pictures...
Well, its really light and good fun. It weighs just over 1,100KG and is so grippy and rev happy. Can definitely see why people love these. Even with the KMs it has, it drives so incredibly tight. Kenny has a S13 (same car, different exterior, same interior and driveline, chassis etc), and his feels vastly inferior. His is full of rattles, feels 'loose' and generally tired in comparison.
Besides the wheels, all that was done was an oil and filter change.
I drove it for a while, enjoying it, then it was tax time. Yay, or so I thought. Because I had 4 jobs the past financial year, I now owe the government a big chunk of cash.
I just sold the 180SX, not even 2 weeks ago to pay the bill
.
As such, I'm now down to 2 jobs in an effort to pay less tax... Almost feels weird having most nights free now.
A couple pictures at the depot as the car sold sight unseen to a buyer in Melbourne:
The Supra (auto non turbo) is owned by the inspector there.
It's still in transit, hasn't reached Melbourne yet.
So I'm back to 1 boring reliable car and 1 broken car.
A quick C200 update:
Nothing much to report.
Just ticked over 265,000 KMs. Only issue so far, in the last 100KMs, cruise control has stopped working. Very annoying but I'll probably just leave it until the 270K service, where I have rear pads and rotors (off eBay for a steal, quality stuff) to go on, and I just then, 3 hours ago, finally bought a stereo to replace the factory one in it. The reason it took so long, was I wanted one that suited the era (I failed). I did at least get one with customisable lighting to match the cluster and other bits. Yay for Bluetooth, iPod/Phone connection and charging. I'll get this fitted at 270K too. Come to think of it, I haven't washed it in several months now... Definitely on the to do list, along with a wax.
The only thing that I've had to replace recently was the front right indicator. I lent the car to the missus.... once.....
Speaking of the missus.
I finally convinced her to part with some money and 'upgrade' her car, especially as she is starting a job 1.5 hours out of Perth in October. Apparently, whatever she bought, it had to be blue, reliable, (unrealistically) cheap, comfortable, economical and look 'good' (she likes Hyundai Velosters and Range Rover Evoques).
After 3 hours of cleaning... We have this:
a 2004 Honda Accord Euro, 2.4L 6 speed.
To her credit, she actually did help and do a heap of the cleaning!
Its got 207KMs and we actually got it from a dealer, who used to work where I currently work, at Mazda. Safe to say I'm happy at the price we paid for it, though the real test is when it visits Francois to be serviced / inspected in a weeks time.
I'm in the bad books with the mother in law because its a downgrade from her 2006 Hyundai Accent, because it is older.
Update on the broken car?
Right.
I bought custom plates for it
The replacement motor, gearbox and clutch are now as one, and physically inside the car. (Thank you Kenny and his mate)
Mounts are all lined up and in.
Clutch line is in and full of fluid, however we couldn't bleed it properly.
The clutch also needs initialising. We couldn't get this to work for a month. Kenny then decided to try something else, and it seems we've got this done.
I'm the most useless person ever with a spanner (because I am one). Kenny made me do many things, the most recent of which, was lie underneath the car doing up all the header bolts. I swore so often and so frequently.
. I do not have small Japanese hands like he does (he's half Japanese). I'm glad that's done.
Now its a matter of sourcing and buying replacement parts that are missing. For some reason, we are missing many of the suspension bolts, flywheel cover, miscellaneous interior bolts, etc. Then there's the specific NSX tools that we don't have. The crank on almost all Honda's is 50MM. The manual NSX motor is 45MM.
. Shout out to Wayne (again) who sent his over. But we can't use it yet, as no one I know owns a torque wrench that does 250NM. I'm kind of unwilling to spend several hundred to get one (tightass), for a one time use. I know my work has one, but that's off limits as it doesn't leave the property unfortunately. Still trying to work this one out.
I've also just paid for a manual steering rack - that's on its way. I'll need to find a universal joint for it to fit. Enter another several week wait.
The manual tacho I had fell (literally) through. The seller dropped it and it broke . I'll probably just end up paying over the odds (1.5-2k) for an early factory manual cluster as I won't have EPS either.
Still a long way to go, but progress does happen, even if its glacial.
I put the BBS LMs under the shell just to see what it would look like...
Damn, I promised myself an early night, its now nearly midnight.
In the last bit of news, I'm going to be in Europe for 2 weeks in September! Excited to say the least. I've booked 6 laps around Nurburgring (will be my first) and have a week in England to visit dad and the family. Simply cannot wait, though this has ensured that I stick with just 2 cars.... for now....
Thanks for reading!
Now.....
Where were we......
Commodore, Navara, Nsx and C200.
3.5 cars.
Well, first things first.
The bogan mobile is gone.
I sold it relatively cheaply for what it was, think I lost around $400 on it which wasn't bad really, considering I learnt why everyone loses their licences in them (Chinese tyres, RWD and a V8 manual
)The bloke who bought it came in a singlet, cap, had several tattoos and lacked footwear. I felt this car suited him perfectly
.He actually had his ute for sale and sold it very cheaply as he literally couldn't afford to buy it that day. Even that made him short and he had to pull a work mate to lend him a few hundred dollars. This all took place on a Sunday night at 10PM. At least I left him half a tank of fuel.... I've only seen it once since, at a..... petrol station.
With that gone, I was back down to: a boring but ever dependable C200, broken NSX, and a Navara that is the best drift car ever in the rain.
This was good fun for a while, imagine driving a nearly 2 tonne ute in a straight line at 60-70KMH. If you were in 4th gear and floored it, the rear end would break free. Downright dangerous but so many laughs were had between my mate and I. The tyres on it were absolutely rock hard, but legal tread wise...
I felt that the missus didn't agree to this. She said she would break up with me if I ever bought a V8 commodore, or a ute. I've now had both and we're still together, I guess that means I'm f
ked? Decided to surprise her with a reward, for putting up with my bulls
t. I borrowed this for the weekend with permission from the dealer principal. She had absolutely no idea what was happening until I gave her the keys.My thoughts on the new MX-5? Drives incredibly similar to the original NA. I had the 1.5 6 speed but fully loaded. Really fun happy little car, definitely one for the twisties and can understand why people love them. Bad thing? Missus now wants one... Not happening.
Guess that should mean car number 50 should be something special...
Oh look, another Mercedes.
Ok, ok, its a 1:18 scale of my universally unloved W202.....
Car number 50.....
Drum roll......
(It actually is a 1:1 scale Mercedes)
Ta da!
If you haven't already worked it out, its a 1997 CL500 W140. It has around 160KMs.
2 owner car on original number plates!
It's kind of big...
Back to 3.5 cars again
.Why?
- Because I'd never seen one before
- Because they're something like 300K new in 1997.
- Because the price wasn't bad, though it needed a few bits.
- Because I can and the missus can't stop me; she drives a Hyundai accent, she has no say in anything.
I had to have a few things fixed, mostly age related items such as trim pieces loose, driver's door handle inside broken, some maintenance items such as dirty coolant, oil change etc. Nothing major however! Score! The only thing I didn't fix, was the crack in the front bumper.
Its been a long time since I've been in an LS400, but I think this may just be more comfortable... Its infinitely cooler (or more granddad).
It's hard to believe that this was only 1 year younger than my old faithful.
Squishy, heated leather seats, airbag suspension, rear blind, soft close doors and boot, electric everything, sensors all around... endless.
And of course, all the windows go down:
Best. Cruiser. Ever.
This car was approved by the missus but for old people. I told her it was very economical.
It was funny how it received a similar effect to the NSX in that, people don't sit on your rear bumper in it. People must think it's my drug running car
, and not realise it cost a pittance in comparison to the average car here.I noted that between the NSX and the CL500, they cost $500k together when new.
I hope number 50 didn't let you down. I thought it was definitely cool, not granddad.
So I sold it.
Why did you sell that? Come on man....!
Well, I just decided that while it was an awesome car, I was just afraid of the 'what if' factor. Its a 20 year old Benz with so much new old tech. If it was a Lexus, there'd be cheap fixes but not for this beast... Pity, I most definitely won't be owning another, simply due there being none around (and I'm too scared of it s
tting itself)...At this stage, Kenny and I decided that the Navara could go as it had served it purpose and was now mostly sitting idle. A bit of a waste really.
We did an oil and filter, new battery (due to the above) and listed it for sale.
The equivalent car with say, half the KMs were being advertised at around 6-9k. I advertised at 5.5k and sold it to the first to view at 4.5k. It cost us $250 each to own for nearly a year, not bad motoring at all. That thing will live on forever! It now lives in Newman, a 13 hour drive North of Perth. Those KMs will definitely keep on going.
Just a broken NSX and the C200 now.
Almost a normal person.
Normal is boring.
Enter #51:
Back to my roots (sort of).
I've never had a S13 / 180SX.
So I thought it was time, while still no NSX.
1993 Nissan 180SX, factory SR20DET 5 speed.
Absolutely bog stock, save the wheels, springs and stereo. Not even an exhaust or intake had been done! Its definitely not perfect but in very good condition for its age. The front left guard is out of line for some reason and the rear bumper a different white. The only rust was where the spoiler met the boot lid. The rest of it has age related marks but nothing major.
241,000 KMs... Plenty but the car looked like it had done far less. It also had an almost full type X body kit (genuine Nissan). The only missing part was the spoiler for some reason.
With a work mate's EVO (yes, he actually chose and paid for those plates, its cool ok?)
No bother, but first things first, get rid of the gay wheels.
Unfortunately, they had basically 90%+ tread, oh well. They definitely had to go. These now live on a Suzuki swift somewhere.
Enter rare 4 stud Buddy Club wheels in the rarer, lower offset.
Much better.
Not a fan of the front being lower than the rear, but hey ho, I'm not spending 1k+ on a set of coilovers...
I also stole more floormats, this time out of a SP25 Mazda 3.
Some more for pictures...
Well, its really light and good fun. It weighs just over 1,100KG and is so grippy and rev happy. Can definitely see why people love these. Even with the KMs it has, it drives so incredibly tight. Kenny has a S13 (same car, different exterior, same interior and driveline, chassis etc), and his feels vastly inferior. His is full of rattles, feels 'loose' and generally tired in comparison.
Besides the wheels, all that was done was an oil and filter change.
I drove it for a while, enjoying it, then it was tax time. Yay, or so I thought. Because I had 4 jobs the past financial year, I now owe the government a big chunk of cash.
I just sold the 180SX, not even 2 weeks ago to pay the bill
.As such, I'm now down to 2 jobs in an effort to pay less tax... Almost feels weird having most nights free now.
A couple pictures at the depot as the car sold sight unseen to a buyer in Melbourne:
The Supra (auto non turbo) is owned by the inspector there.
It's still in transit, hasn't reached Melbourne yet.
So I'm back to 1 boring reliable car and 1 broken car.
A quick C200 update:
Nothing much to report.
Just ticked over 265,000 KMs. Only issue so far, in the last 100KMs, cruise control has stopped working. Very annoying but I'll probably just leave it until the 270K service, where I have rear pads and rotors (off eBay for a steal, quality stuff) to go on, and I just then, 3 hours ago, finally bought a stereo to replace the factory one in it. The reason it took so long, was I wanted one that suited the era (I failed). I did at least get one with customisable lighting to match the cluster and other bits. Yay for Bluetooth, iPod/Phone connection and charging. I'll get this fitted at 270K too. Come to think of it, I haven't washed it in several months now... Definitely on the to do list, along with a wax.
The only thing that I've had to replace recently was the front right indicator. I lent the car to the missus.... once.....
Speaking of the missus.
I finally convinced her to part with some money and 'upgrade' her car, especially as she is starting a job 1.5 hours out of Perth in October. Apparently, whatever she bought, it had to be blue, reliable, (unrealistically) cheap, comfortable, economical and look 'good' (she likes Hyundai Velosters and Range Rover Evoques
).After 3 hours of cleaning... We have this:
a 2004 Honda Accord Euro, 2.4L 6 speed.
To her credit, she actually did help and do a heap of the cleaning!
Its got 207KMs and we actually got it from a dealer, who used to work where I currently work, at Mazda. Safe to say I'm happy at the price we paid for it, though the real test is when it visits Francois to be serviced / inspected in a weeks time.
I'm in the bad books with the mother in law because its a downgrade from her 2006 Hyundai Accent, because it is older.
Update on the broken car?
Right.
I bought custom plates for it
The replacement motor, gearbox and clutch are now as one, and physically inside the car.
(Thank you Kenny and his mate)Mounts are all lined up and in.
Clutch line is in and full of fluid, however we couldn't bleed it properly.
The clutch also needs initialising. We couldn't get this to work for a month. Kenny then decided to try something else, and it seems we've got this done.
I'm the most useless person ever with a spanner (because I am one). Kenny made me do many things, the most recent of which, was lie underneath the car doing up all the header bolts. I swore so often and so frequently.
. I do not have small Japanese hands like he does (he's half Japanese). I'm glad that's done.Now its a matter of sourcing and buying replacement parts that are missing. For some reason, we are missing many of the suspension bolts, flywheel cover, miscellaneous interior bolts, etc. Then there's the specific NSX tools that we don't have. The crank on almost all Honda's is 50MM. The manual NSX motor is 45MM.
. Shout out to Wayne (again) who sent his over. But we can't use it yet, as no one I know owns a torque wrench that does 250NM. I'm kind of unwilling to spend several hundred to get one (tightass), for a one time use. I know my work has one, but that's off limits as it doesn't leave the property unfortunately. Still trying to work this one out.I've also just paid for a manual steering rack - that's on its way. I'll need to find a universal joint for it to fit. Enter another several week wait.
The manual tacho I had fell (literally) through. The seller dropped it and it broke
. I'll probably just end up paying over the odds (1.5-2k) for an early factory manual cluster as I won't have EPS either.Still a long way to go, but progress does happen, even if its glacial.
I put the BBS LMs under the shell just to see what it would look like...
Damn, I promised myself an early night, its now nearly midnight.
In the last bit of news, I'm going to be in Europe for 2 weeks in September! Excited to say the least. I've booked 6 laps around Nurburgring (will be my first) and have a week in England to visit dad and the family. Simply cannot wait, though this has ensured that I stick with just 2 cars.... for now....
Thanks for reading!
Edited by Ten Four on Thursday 10th August 16:50
scottos said:
Awesome, managed to read the whole thread in many small chunks over the last week or so! Love the NSX and the story with it, it'll definitely be a keeper when done!
What are you driving round the ring? Have you booked one of the swift ring cars? A mate i went with earlier in the year owns one and i couldnt believe how good it was round the track!
The NSX is definitely a keeper when its done What are you driving round the ring? Have you booked one of the swift ring cars? A mate i went with earlier in the year owns one and i couldnt believe how good it was round the track!
. I've booked an E36 328i from Frankie at Need for Ring... Can't wait.Rensko said:
The WA government must love the amount of stamp duty you chew through with buying and selling 50+ cars!
Accord Euros in the second hand market are a bit of a bargain considering what you get. Plenty of power, safe, reliable etc!
Tell me about it... We picked the Accord Euro up for $3.5k with 6 months rego (~$400). Only thing I can tell so far, is may need drive belt and definitely wants engine mounts (all 3 ordered for $135). Great cars for the money indeed!Accord Euros in the second hand market are a bit of a bargain considering what you get. Plenty of power, safe, reliable etc!
fido said:
Ah, found this thread again. My dad's family moved to Perth and I often wonder what my motoring life, and life in general, would have been like if he had followed them.
Never too late . Just be weary that this country/government hates cars...Edited by Ten Four on Monday 14th August 03:16
Small update time!
Europe was amazing, especially Germany in particular. People, scenery, roads and cars (well maybe not our rental...).
LHD is interesting... I got there after about an hour and a half into the long drive to Adenau. The left turns are the scary ones initially... Still, didn't cause any accidents. I found it so odd that no one does the speed limit (or I understand it incorrectly). In the end, I just did what everyone else did, around 30-40KMH over the speed limit.) Do that in Perth and you lose your car and license at 45KMH over. Took a little bit of getting used to!
Just a few pictures...
75HP of Clio wagon fury.... I've never experienced something so slow. My Benz felt like a fast car in comparison. Literally holding traffic going up hills, 3rd gear foot to floor at 100KMH...
The BMW was proper. Loved it! Even got the footwork going too. Can't recommend Frankie enough. Will definitely be back someday. 99% sure I held no one up, just an amazing experience. I won't forget the look he gave me...
So you're from Australia? Yeah.
You drive on the right side? Yeah.
-Sighs + rolls eyes- Ok.
Properly amazing. Felt surreal in parts. PlayStation really helps with learning the track in my opinion. We also had amazing weather - zero rain!
Some of the other machinery there was great to see. Will never forget a Ferrari 488 flying past at WOT like I was stationary. Also, special mention to the model car shop at the petrol station near the Ring - amazing display!
While I was there the whole time, nothing was happening with the NSX unfortunately. That said, I was glued to WIFI spots whenever I could get access.
fk.
Yep, did it again.
Mum picked it up while we were away.
It needs a lot, a lot of work, but it does drive (very well).
It's been somewhat neglected but it's all there. The previous owner went a good way to getting it "there".
I've just had Francois look it over and do:
- T belt, W pump
- Oil + filter
- K&N pod filter
- Coolant flush
- Gearbox oil (BS expensive)
- Diff oil
- All wipers
I've also since had a new euro 3 high flow metal cat ($$$$) put in (no cat at all..!) and had a spare key ordered and cut.
Left to do:
- Replace output shaft gearbox seal
- fix low oil level light (dash out, believe its to do with the delay wiring between the sensor and cluster)
- Tyres (I may borrow wheels for the pits as they're super grippy RE003 Bridgestones, just camber worn fronts. I'd like to save these for the track.)
- Install immobiliser (pits requirement)
- Pass pits
After that's done, I need to get the sound system working.
It's a 1996 (series 2) Supra SZ-R. That means for those not in Supra land, 6 speed manual non turbo. Buuuuuut this one has had the motor from a twin turbo auto (non vvti) installed. Call it a cut price version of the real thing. I decided to do this as I didn't want to end up having mint cars again that were worth too much to drive and enjoy. So, like the NSX, it isn't a factory fresh showroom example with the correct build plates but will become a mechanically sorted car that I can drive all the time, with a few dents and scratches that I won't go insane about.
It does need some (a lot) of paint and some interior work but its not too bad. I intend to just leave the exterior and maybe paint it for sale eventually. It will definitely cop some BBS LM wheels though...
Modification list is small (BPU):
Front mount intercooler
Exhaust (3" except for a section of 2.5", future job)
High flow cat
Coilovers
Intake
DVD player - no sound though
I've just bought an electric boost controller but will wait until the car is past the pits as they are illegal to have...
Here's a few very flattering pictures after a wash and wax (I'm too lazy to polish
)
Black is going to absolutely wreck me in Perth summers... But there's something about a stock bodied, black Supra.
I'll grab an interior picture once I've given it a clean.
Plans for this are just to get it mechanically sorted. It's pretty quick with the breathing mods, but I'd love a big single turbo... Maybe, maybe not. We'll have to see on that one.
Needless to say, fuel consumption is horrific. Dad's here now for 6 months and I'm paying his rent, he's also got the Benz so it's going to be an expensive time on fuel.. At least I can leave two black lines when I feel like it .
NSX?
Slow progress as usual...
Will update that when I have something for you....
Cheers
Europe was amazing, especially Germany in particular. People, scenery, roads and cars (well maybe not our rental...).
LHD is interesting... I got there after about an hour and a half into the long drive to Adenau. The left turns are the scary ones initially... Still, didn't cause any accidents. I found it so odd that no one does the speed limit (or I understand it incorrectly). In the end, I just did what everyone else did, around 30-40KMH over the speed limit.) Do that in Perth and you lose your car and license at 45KMH over. Took a little bit of getting used to!
Just a few pictures...
75HP of Clio wagon fury.... I've never experienced something so slow. My Benz felt like a fast car in comparison. Literally holding traffic going up hills, 3rd gear foot to floor at 100KMH...
The BMW was proper. Loved it! Even got the footwork going too. Can't recommend Frankie enough. Will definitely be back someday. 99% sure I held no one up, just an amazing experience. I won't forget the look he gave me...
So you're from Australia? Yeah.
You drive on the right side? Yeah.
-Sighs + rolls eyes- Ok.
Properly amazing. Felt surreal in parts. PlayStation really helps with learning the track in my opinion. We also had amazing weather - zero rain!
Some of the other machinery there was great to see. Will never forget a Ferrari 488 flying past at WOT like I was stationary. Also, special mention to the model car shop at the petrol station near the Ring - amazing display!
While I was there the whole time, nothing was happening with the NSX unfortunately. That said, I was glued to WIFI spots whenever I could get access.
f
k.Yep, did it again.
Mum picked it up while we were away.
It needs a lot, a lot of work, but it does drive (very well).
It's been somewhat neglected but it's all there. The previous owner went a good way to getting it "there".
I've just had Francois look it over and do:
- T belt, W pump
- Oil + filter
- K&N pod filter
- Coolant flush
- Gearbox oil (BS expensive)
- Diff oil
- All wipers
I've also since had a new euro 3 high flow metal cat ($$$$) put in (no cat at all..!) and had a spare key ordered and cut.
Left to do:
- Replace output shaft gearbox seal
- fix low oil level light (dash out, believe its to do with the delay wiring between the sensor and cluster)
- Tyres (I may borrow wheels for the pits as they're super grippy RE003 Bridgestones, just camber worn fronts. I'd like to save these for the track.)
- Install immobiliser (pits requirement)
- Pass pits
After that's done, I need to get the sound system working.
It's a 1996 (series 2) Supra SZ-R. That means for those not in Supra land, 6 speed manual non turbo. Buuuuuut this one has had the motor from a twin turbo auto (non vvti) installed.
Call it a cut price version of the real thing. I decided to do this as I didn't want to end up having mint cars again that were worth too much to drive and enjoy. So, like the NSX, it isn't a factory fresh showroom example with the correct build plates but will become a mechanically sorted car that I can drive all the time, with a few dents and scratches that I won't go insane about.It does need some (a lot) of paint and some interior work but its not too bad. I intend to just leave the exterior and maybe paint it for sale eventually. It will definitely cop some BBS LM wheels though...
Modification list is small (BPU):
Front mount intercooler
Exhaust (3" except for a section of 2.5", future job)
High flow cat
Coilovers
Intake
DVD player - no sound though
I've just bought an electric boost controller but will wait until the car is past the pits as they are illegal to have...
Here's a few very flattering pictures after a wash and wax (I'm too lazy to polish
)Black is going to absolutely wreck me in Perth summers... But there's something about a stock bodied, black Supra.
I'll grab an interior picture once I've given it a clean.
Plans for this are just to get it mechanically sorted. It's pretty quick with the breathing mods, but I'd love a big single turbo... Maybe, maybe not. We'll have to see on that one.
Needless to say, fuel consumption is horrific. Dad's here now for 6 months and I'm paying his rent, he's also got the Benz so it's going to be an expensive time on fuel.. At least I can leave two black lines when I feel like it
.NSX?
Slow progress as usual...
Will update that when I have something for you....
Cheers
LMs happened (already).
I'll be keeping the standard wheels for track days (when I can get to one, cost is also very prohibitive).
Did have to get two new rear tyres as the 235 (on 9") contis were basically bald.
Now sporting some Chinese 'Goalstar' 265s (that should still allow slip), it looks much better. They were cheap...
I measured fuel consumption today, its terrible... 14.8L/100km or 19MPG.
Even with my short ratio diff, it shouldn't be this bad. Will reset the ECU today (as I haven't since its got a cat) and see how it goes.
Issue is at 120KMH, I'm in positive boost because of the gearing. I could do the TTC (True Twin Conversion) which will make it laggier but hopefully better on fuel, or stump up big bucks and go for a big single...
Undecided at this stage but that level of fuel consumption is just too much for a daily but I don't have a choice until the NSX runs..
I'll be keeping the standard wheels for track days (when I can get to one, cost is also very prohibitive).
Did have to get two new rear tyres as the 235 (on 9") contis were basically bald.
Now sporting some Chinese 'Goalstar' 265s (that should still allow slip), it looks much better. They were cheap...
I measured fuel consumption today, its terrible... 14.8L/100km or 19MPG.
Even with my short ratio diff, it shouldn't be this bad. Will reset the ECU today (as I haven't since its got a cat) and see how it goes.
Issue is at 120KMH, I'm in positive boost because of the gearing. I could do the TTC (True Twin Conversion) which will make it laggier but hopefully better on fuel, or stump up big bucks and go for a big single...
Undecided at this stage but that level of fuel consumption is just too much for a daily but I don't have a choice until the NSX runs..
Well its been a while... Many things have happened... Many haven't....
First things first, I sold the car I said I'd never sell.
The C200 is gone. Personal reasons but I really, really miss that car.
Now.... The Supra.
I had to pass the pits - success after a couple tries. Turns out the gearbox in it was fked and requires a full rebuild.
This was dropped off to a shop who will remain nameless. A fire ensued and the workshop was burnt to the ground, literally. It took me 9 months to successfully get a claim through their insurance for a replacement gearbox..... Which also needed rebuilding.
Obviously during this time, the NSX was still off the road as was the Supra.
The Supra's been off the road since I got it basically. After the replacement box went in. It sat at the paint shop for 4 months.
This means no toy. I enjoyed my work BT-50 a lot
Cape Le Grand (Google it)
As awesome as it was, it wasn't a cruiser.
Then at work one day, I caught wind of a lady trading in her old Lexus.
So I bought it off our used car guys before it got wholesaled.
2001 Lexus ES300.
It was a lovely old bus. Very clean, just old in places. Zero issues.
This was far too boring, so I sold it.
Then accidentally bought a Saab.
How does one accidentally buy a Saab?
A friend's mum wanted a new CX-5 and the trade in was a pittance so I gave them more than my work did.
I definitely blasted My Heart Will Go On while driving down the coast, roof down
To her credit, this Saab was in amazing condition and to be fair, it was a hoot! A convertible you could actually get 4 people in, roof down , many shenanigans . Heated seats are also the best thing ever with the roof down. Again, zero mechanical issues! (WHAT!?)
The Saab was awesome - just drove everywhere with the roof down but eventually it was time to move it on.
Just felt like it was time for something with a bit more power again.
So I bought a 'proper' car.
Insert used but not abused, 1998 R34 Skyline GT-T. High-ish KMs, around 220,000.
Photos are after extensive cleaning. I literally removed the seats and centre console. This one was probably up there for one of the most disgusting.... The drinks holder had brown sticky goo.
. The seats were heavily stained... it goes on. The only mechanical issue was the shocks - original and it felt like a mobile bouncy castle 
.
Pretty standard except a HKS exhaust. It drove real well (and sounded epic).
Didn't keep it all that long in truth as I then sold it and bought a replacement box for the Supra which was half the R34's value .
The replacement gearbox in the Supra was bought, fitted and it was drive-able. Then I decided to repaint the car cause the paint job was ruining the look.... Also got the interior pieces repainted as they were scratched.
Oh and I also reverse mounted the rims to give a lower offset and more dish. They do need a refurb but that's not high on the list right now.
It's black with a hint of red pearl which is only visible in direct sunlight - looks amazing in person!
The screen for a stereo will also be going in place of a more traditional single din. There's always a few bits to fix on this one... Aerial has been fixed, few globes blown in the AC dials, got a replacement handbrake lever, A-pillar trims coming. Just silly little things.
Then I remember its now 23 years old .
As of 2 weeks ago, the replacement box has been rebuilt at a different shop. Due to a parts shortage it took 2 months for all the parts to arrive...
It's now back in the car and 4th crunches .
Just waiting for some shifter bushes and trim pieces and I'll drive it for a bit to see if it improves.
Mum's V35 Skyline has been doing its solid 1,500KMs a year.
So we sold it.
Why?
I wanted a car I could take down south, and I didn't want to pay insurance and rego on another car. A deal was struck. I buy a car that mum approves that she drives, I pay maintenance, she pays rego and insurance.
Enter #55
Okay it's Porsche's most hated car?
I LOVE IT.
Proper power, great tech, goes off road (diff locker, air suspension for clearance), comfortable and reliable (so far)!
The need to knows:
235,000KM
Immaculate, stacks of history.
4.5L V8 Twin Turbo
Everything works.
Mum loves it.
Can't say enough good things about this car. It's hanging around for a while, that's for sure.
It's hardly used and I'm trying to drive it more these days. Don't ask about fuel consumption (and don't look at the gauge either).
My only complaint is that it sounds like a vacuum cleaner... For now...
Now it was that time where dad was coming back to Aus so I needed another car as the C200 was gone.
I spied this on gumtree. It was quite cheap so I expected the worst.
In all honestly I shouldn't have bought it but I did. It wasn't amazing. After a good clean:
2001 C320.
This drove like st compared to my old C200 haha . Sure, lots more power but it just felt cheap. Didn't help that it had a few electrical gremlins too.
Hated it, sold it in 2 weeks.
Still needed a car.
Hmm... What's a cheaper car that I haven't owned that I can put my 73 year old dad in....
2003 Subaru WRX in the best colour.
Quite standard, so ended up being very reliable.
I got it cheap as the seller had to fly out in the coming days and the car needed a clutch.
All it had was a (loud) BOV and turbo-back exhaust which did giggle worthy backfires .
After sorting the clutch and the centre diff bearings, it was a perfectly good car for the duration dad was here. It felt so childish but that was the fun of it!
I ended up selling it after he left and spent the money on LASIK - off topic but best decision ever!
Fast forward to now.
I'm absolutely not looking to buy any cars, what with the Supra still in progress, NSX too and I have a work CX-5.
So I bought another Benz.
1996 C36 AMG. 177KMs. Clean-ish but needing some work - also not currently registered.
This will get updates when the NSX is done - it's been parked for a couple months now. The dust layer is thick....
Prior to that, driving it the few occasions - what an engine and noise! I daresay black/black is a very rare colour combination too?
Hoping to get this one going properly by the end of the year .
Right, ok.
NSX.
I did buy an exhaust for it off a fellow owner who upgraded.
It's a ZEES EX-130. The workman shop is next level but the style of exhaust.... Well the tips are 5" each side and protrude to much. If I had the facelift rear bumper section or a large diffuser, it would suit much more. That said, I paid $600 and it's in near new condition so it's staying for now.
It IS running, however it has an intermittent miss where half the cylinders would disappear.
Bearing in mind we replaced the engine wiring harness with a tested used one....
We changed:
Plugs
Coils
Injectors
Fuel pump
Nothing worked.
Eventually after begging Francois to let me dump it at his shop..... He found a bad earth.
The car is still at his workshop waiting for him to have some time to fit the manual rack (the joint took 2 weeks to come), and start on the inop AC among many other things.
Here's a few flattering pictures....
It struck me how ridiculous it is at the moment...
NSX
Supra
Cayenne Turbo
C36 AMG
-Some sort of work car
Counting my lucky stars
Just need to get them all going!
I will get there.... And apologies for the time between updates... Life's been busy!
First things first, I sold the car I said I'd never sell.
The C200 is gone. Personal reasons but I really, really miss that car.
Now.... The Supra.
I had to pass the pits - success after a couple tries. Turns out the gearbox in it was f
ked and requires a full rebuild.This was dropped off to a shop who will remain nameless. A fire ensued and the workshop was burnt to the ground, literally. It took me 9 months to successfully get a claim through their insurance for a replacement gearbox..... Which also needed rebuilding.
Obviously during this time, the NSX was still off the road as was the Supra.
The Supra's been off the road since I got it basically. After the replacement box went in. It sat at the paint shop for 4 months.
This means no toy. I enjoyed my work BT-50 a lot
Cape Le Grand (Google it)
As awesome as it was, it wasn't a cruiser.
Then at work one day, I caught wind of a lady trading in her old Lexus.
So I bought it off our used car guys before it got wholesaled.
2001 Lexus ES300.
It was a lovely old bus. Very clean, just old in places. Zero issues.
This was far too boring, so I sold it.
Then accidentally bought a Saab.
How does one accidentally buy a Saab?
A friend's mum wanted a new CX-5 and the trade in was a pittance so I gave them more than my work did.
I definitely blasted My Heart Will Go On while driving down the coast, roof down
To her credit, this Saab was in amazing condition and to be fair, it was a hoot! A convertible you could actually get 4 people in, roof down , many shenanigans
. Heated seats are also the best thing ever with the roof down. Again, zero mechanical issues! (WHAT!?)The Saab was awesome - just drove everywhere with the roof down but eventually it was time to move it on.
Just felt like it was time for something with a bit more power again.
So I bought a 'proper' car.
Insert used but not abused, 1998 R34 Skyline GT-T. High-ish KMs, around 220,000.
Photos are after extensive cleaning. I literally removed the seats and centre console. This one was probably up there for one of the most disgusting.... The drinks holder had brown sticky goo.
. The seats were heavily stained... it goes on. The only mechanical issue was the shocks - original and it felt like a mobile bouncy castle .Pretty standard except a HKS exhaust. It drove real well (and sounded epic).
Didn't keep it all that long in truth as I then sold it and bought a replacement box for the Supra which was half the R34's value
.The replacement gearbox in the Supra was bought, fitted and it was drive-able. Then I decided to repaint the car cause the paint job was ruining the look.... Also got the interior pieces repainted as they were scratched.
Oh and I also reverse mounted the rims to give a lower offset and more dish. They do need a refurb but that's not high on the list right now.
It's black with a hint of red pearl which is only visible in direct sunlight - looks amazing in person!
The screen for a stereo will also be going in place of a more traditional single din. There's always a few bits to fix on this one... Aerial has been fixed, few globes blown in the AC dials, got a replacement handbrake lever, A-pillar trims coming. Just silly little things.
Then I remember its now 23 years old
.As of 2 weeks ago, the replacement box has been rebuilt at a different shop. Due to a parts shortage it took 2 months for all the parts to arrive...
It's now back in the car and 4th crunches
.Just waiting for some shifter bushes and trim pieces and I'll drive it for a bit to see if it improves.
Mum's V35 Skyline has been doing its solid 1,500KMs a year.
So we sold it.
Why?
I wanted a car I could take down south, and I didn't want to pay insurance and rego on another car. A deal was struck. I buy a car that mum approves that she drives, I pay maintenance, she pays rego and insurance.
Enter #55
Okay it's Porsche's most hated car?
I LOVE IT.
Proper power, great tech, goes off road (diff locker, air suspension for clearance), comfortable and reliable (so far)!
The need to knows:
235,000KM
Immaculate, stacks of history.
4.5L V8 Twin Turbo
Everything works.
Mum loves it.
Can't say enough good things about this car. It's hanging around for a while, that's for sure.
It's hardly used and I'm trying to drive it more these days. Don't ask about fuel consumption (and don't look at the gauge either).
My only complaint is that it sounds like a vacuum cleaner... For now...
Now it was that time where dad was coming back to Aus so I needed another car as the C200 was gone.
I spied this on gumtree. It was quite cheap so I expected the worst.
In all honestly I shouldn't have bought it but I did. It wasn't amazing. After a good clean:
2001 C320.
This drove like s
t compared to my old C200 haha . Sure, lots more power but it just felt cheap. Didn't help that it had a few electrical gremlins too.Hated it, sold it in 2 weeks.
Still needed a car.
Hmm... What's a cheaper car that I haven't owned that I can put my 73 year old dad in....
2003 Subaru WRX in the best colour.
Quite standard, so ended up being very reliable.
I got it cheap as the seller had to fly out in the coming days and the car needed a clutch.
All it had was a (loud) BOV and turbo-back exhaust which did giggle worthy backfires
. After sorting the clutch and the centre diff bearings, it was a perfectly good car for the duration dad was here. It felt so childish but that was the fun of it!
I ended up selling it after he left and spent the money on LASIK - off topic but best decision ever!
Fast forward to now.
I'm absolutely not looking to buy any cars, what with the Supra still in progress, NSX too and I have a work CX-5.
So I bought another Benz.
1996 C36 AMG. 177KMs. Clean-ish but needing some work - also not currently registered.
This will get updates when the NSX is done - it's been parked for a couple months now. The dust layer is thick....
Prior to that, driving it the few occasions - what an engine and noise! I daresay black/black is a very rare colour combination too?
Hoping to get this one going properly by the end of the year
.Right, ok.
NSX.
I did buy an exhaust for it off a fellow owner who upgraded.
It's a ZEES EX-130. The workman shop is next level but the style of exhaust.... Well the tips are 5" each side and protrude to much. If I had the facelift rear bumper section or a large diffuser, it would suit much more. That said, I paid $600 and it's in near new condition so it's staying for now.
It IS running, however it has an intermittent miss where half the cylinders would disappear.
Bearing in mind we replaced the engine wiring harness with a tested used one....
We changed:
Plugs
Coils
Injectors
Fuel pump
Nothing worked.
Eventually after begging Francois to let me dump it at his shop..... He found a bad earth.
The car is still at his workshop waiting for him to have some time to fit the manual rack (the joint took 2 weeks to come), and start on the inop AC among many other things.
Here's a few flattering pictures....
It struck me how ridiculous it is at the moment...
NSX
Supra
Cayenne Turbo
C36 AMG
-Some sort of work car
Counting my lucky stars
Just need to get them all going!
I will get there.... And apologies for the time between updates... Life's been busy!
Edited by Ten Four on Saturday 18th May 16:26
v15ben said:
I've loved following this thread over the years and it's good to see a new update. 
Really like all your current fleet.
Always like seeing a nice beach photo to make me miss Australia too.
Cheers! Really like all your current fleet.
Always like seeing a nice beach photo to make me miss Australia too.
Small update:
Porsche exhaust done.
Happy to report several KMs in - no drone, literally zero. Muscle car below 3000RPM, turbo V8 noises past that to redline. Couldn't be happier!
Did around 150KMs in it today just because I could! (do not mention fuel)
Sorry its been a while again.... Many things have happened, others haven't...
Well.
I sold the C36 -as is-. I don't think I'd ever have gotten around to that one and after it sat for around a year....I decided to move it on.
Sold it to a mechanic who was going to restore it. Good car but never really got to drive it far - missed opportunity?
Only thing I did was replace the cheap nasty gear knob, with a good used OEM one. Did look good after a wash.
The NSX still sits in the workshop, untouched.... Doesn't actually need that much... Didn't stop me spending $3.5k on a second hand, stainless exhaust......
It's a NLA, Japanese-made thin wall steel GT-One Version 6 catback exhaust. Along with some resonated test pipes
.
Guess that's okay as the Supra was fixed after taking the box apart again. Apparently some parts weren't compatible or something along those lines - replacements sourced.
I found some REALLY old pictures of the NSX in a past life.
Gangster! Hahahahahah.
So I bought another trade in (halves with a mate).
2008 RX8 Series 2 GT
Very rare in Australia being factory optioned with all the go fast parts...
Didn't realise a mechanic in the workshop was desperately looking for one - so didn't own this one long. He takes it to track days now .
He's slightly lowered it and changed the rims since.
Then another mate decided he wanted a new car and was going to buy a Forester.
I told him off, he bought a CX-5 Akera Turbo and I bought his 2008 Audi A4.....
A4 1.8T 2008, approx 150KMs.
He's had the car serviced by the guys who look after all my cars so I knew it was a good un'. He'd owned it since 3 years old, had the CVT rebuilt at 60KMs ($8.5k.....) and generally looked after it very well.
Was boring?
Yes.
Does CVT suck?
Yes.
Did it stay around long?
No.
I heard apparently after I sold it, a central locking part failed, the car got into a hit and run, finally the nail was a timing chain failure.
Yikes.
Oh look, a car I have no need for, nor want.
I'll have that.
2006 Subaru Liberty 2L auto with 4 seriously fked door cards.
The guy I got it from, said he bought it in the country and never got around to changing them which were from the previous owner's "rat dog".
Doesn't look bad after a set of 4 $50 second hand ones.
No saving that dashboard though.
Did look really good after a clean... Thing had over 300,000KMs. Drove actually really well after some upper cylinder cleaner.
Sold it relatively quickly. Good car overall, especially at the price point.
Some may notice....
Wait a second.
That car is wearing the Supra's number plates.
(No, no one noticed that).
So....
What number plate does the Supra have?
Since the Supra was finally going amazing - I did a few events in it where possible.
The stock seats suck, appearance wise and everything-wise.
So I got some EVO 4 Recaros that match my steering wheel and gearshift boot.
Just enjoying the Supra where I could.
I also added a banner which some may hate... (Gran Turismo kid )
The idea was just to make it a period correct modified Supra. (Aka 90s).
All work mates (135i is cheating... too fast. It's mapped and de-catted), doesn't turn too well though . Please excuse brake dust!
The plate was meant to be clever (it wasn't).
T = Toyota
80 = 80 Series
09 = I ran out of ideas. (It's definitely not a 9 second car, ha)
Oh? Mum's partner's neighbour said they were looking to move their car.
Yeah?
Ok.
2005 E200K - so baby engine.
Approx 120 KMs if I remember right.
This car IS LOVELY.
I don't know why I like it but I do. It's absolutely mint bar a couple stone chips on the front end.
My auntie's Camry was expiring - so she has this one now.
She's never owned an European car before and wanted a 1 hour sit down on how to operate it (I'm deadly serious). I obliged and it's going great still - she loves it.
I had big plans for the Supra. I swapped in a serious clutch and lightwheel flyweel - even bought a single turbo, manifold, injectors, fuel pump, rail and regulator etc.
But I sold it.
Very reluctantly - but I did it. Still not sure if I made the right choice as I'll never be able to get another in that condition, mechanically and cosmetically for the price.
I sold the car without the LMs and have since sold those separately to a mate.
Here's a photo of it leaving on black Work Meister rims. Looks like a totally different car . Not in a bad way - I guess more of a modern look.
The new owner plans to keep it as is for now and followed up a few weeks later and bought all the remaining single turbo parts I had .
This is about when COVID hit.
So I'm down to the Cayenne, work CX-5 and the NSX which I hadn't seen in a long time.
I put the Cayenne for sale - it's still online as I've had nothing but time wasters.
If anyone in Australia wants a seriously good car, let me know....
It's done about 500KMs in the past 4 months.
Decided, as you do, to see if I could find a bargain to tie me over for who knows how long...
The world's ending - may as well do something silly yes?
So what do you do?
You can't really leave the house other than for the essentials, food shopping and work.
How do you look at cars?
I guess the same way...
"Look what I found on the internet this week"
I did see someone else actually beat me to it.....
BUT IT'S STILL COOL.
So
Without further adieu.
Please enter.
Car number #64.
Is.
Expensive.
Old...
Ruinous.......
Ok, I think that's as far as I can stretch it.
First, I'd like to mention and thank Simon @ Joydrive / Joydrivery (YouTube, Facebook & Instagram) for the amazing photos.
It's a 1990 Ferrari 348 TS.
Sight unseen, from Adelaide.
It's so cool!
Ok, so it wasn't the most expensive, not because it isn't good, but because it was a Euro delivery LHD. It then went to Japan and finally came to Australia in 2002 where it was converted to RHD and has stayed since. Thing is, I only have service records from the last 3 years (includes a belt change, ).
Would be amazing if anyone knows how to find out anything else about it. VIN: 85779.
Condition is amazing for a 30 year old car - few age related bits and bobs but nothing major (I hope). It's definitely had paint over the years, colour coded targa top and skirting (I'd say many years ago).
It's got an ANSA exhaust, de-catted (guessing).
From what I can work out - that's kind of like an OEM+ exhaust. It certainly isn't loud but it sounds fantastic. I've done 175KMs in the one week that I've had it (while being at work too) .
Still presents amazingly!
For the price I paid, I'm extremely happy and I don't think I'll ever find another.
I think I understand why these are a bit un-loved.
Shifting is tough - a lot of effort to go into gears and you ideally, need to match revs.
No power steering.
Heavy clutch (relative, feels like a piece of paper vs Supra)
Your average person won't be able to "drive", and will subsequently hate it.
Lucky I love it.
It's not fast.
Its not easy.
It's very rewarding when you get it right.
Versus the NSX, it does make the NSX seem like literally a generation ahead but I guess that's where Honda slowly improved yet Ferrari changed their game.
The 348 feels fragile, yet has truck like inputs.
The NSX feels solid yet light and user friendly - you feel safe in it, you can trust it.
Sure the NSX also doesn't have power steering (manual), but the gear shift is like butter, clutch is far lighter. Simply put, easy to drive, and commuting in it is no problem. The NSX feels very special but the 348 wins that game. Clink clink shift, WOT induction roar with the exhaust is intoxicating. (I'd actually like it a little louder ).
Well.
I sold the C36 -as is-. I don't think I'd ever have gotten around to that one and after it sat for around a year....I decided to move it on.
Sold it to a mechanic who was going to restore it. Good car but never really got to drive it far - missed opportunity?
Only thing I did was replace the cheap nasty gear knob, with a good used OEM one. Did look good after a wash.
The NSX still sits in the workshop, untouched.... Doesn't actually need that much... Didn't stop me spending $3.5k on a second hand, stainless exhaust......
It's a NLA, Japanese-made thin wall steel GT-One Version 6 catback exhaust. Along with some resonated test pipes
.Guess that's okay as the Supra was fixed after taking the box apart again. Apparently some parts weren't compatible or something along those lines - replacements sourced.
I found some REALLY old pictures of the NSX in a past life.
Gangster! Hahahahahah.
So I bought another trade in (halves with a mate).
2008 RX8 Series 2 GT
Very rare in Australia being factory optioned with all the go fast parts...
Didn't realise a mechanic in the workshop was desperately looking for one - so didn't own this one long. He takes it to track days now
.He's slightly lowered it and changed the rims since.
Then another mate decided he wanted a new car and was going to buy a Forester.
I told him off, he bought a CX-5 Akera Turbo and I bought his 2008 Audi A4.....
A4 1.8T 2008, approx 150KMs.
He's had the car serviced by the guys who look after all my cars so I knew it was a good un'. He'd owned it since 3 years old, had the CVT rebuilt at 60KMs ($8.5k.....) and generally looked after it very well.
Was boring?
Yes.
Does CVT suck?
Yes.
Did it stay around long?
No.
I heard apparently after I sold it, a central locking part failed, the car got into a hit and run, finally the nail was a timing chain failure.
Yikes.
Oh look, a car I have no need for, nor want.
I'll have that.
2006 Subaru Liberty 2L auto with 4 seriously f
ked door cards.The guy I got it from, said he bought it in the country and never got around to changing them which were from the previous owner's "rat dog".
Doesn't look bad after a set of 4 $50 second hand ones.
No saving that dashboard though.
Did look really good after a clean... Thing had over 300,000KMs. Drove actually really well after some upper cylinder cleaner.
Sold it relatively quickly. Good car overall, especially at the price point.
Some may notice....
Wait a second.
That car is wearing the Supra's number plates.
(No, no one noticed that).
So....
What number plate does the Supra have?
Since the Supra was finally going amazing - I did a few events in it where possible.
The stock seats suck, appearance wise and everything-wise.
So I got some EVO 4 Recaros that match my steering wheel and gearshift boot.
Just enjoying the Supra where I could.
I also added a banner which some may hate... (Gran Turismo kid
)The idea was just to make it a period correct modified Supra. (Aka 90s).
All work mates (135i is cheating... too fast. It's mapped and de-catted), doesn't turn too well though
. Please excuse brake dust!The plate was meant to be clever (it wasn't).
T = Toyota
80 = 80 Series
09 = I ran out of ideas. (It's definitely not a 9 second car, ha)
Oh? Mum's partner's neighbour said they were looking to move their car.
Yeah?
Ok.
2005 E200K - so baby engine.
Approx 120 KMs if I remember right.
This car IS LOVELY.
I don't know why I like it but I do. It's absolutely mint bar a couple stone chips on the front end.
My auntie's Camry was expiring - so she has this one now.
She's never owned an European car before and wanted a 1 hour sit down on how to operate it (I'm deadly serious). I obliged and it's going great still - she loves it.
I had big plans for the Supra. I swapped in a serious clutch and lightwheel flyweel - even bought a single turbo, manifold, injectors, fuel pump, rail and regulator etc.
But I sold it.
Very reluctantly - but I did it. Still not sure if I made the right choice as I'll never be able to get another in that condition, mechanically and cosmetically for the price.
I sold the car without the LMs and have since sold those separately to a mate.
Here's a photo of it leaving on black Work Meister rims. Looks like a totally different car
. Not in a bad way - I guess more of a modern look.The new owner plans to keep it as is for now and followed up a few weeks later and bought all the remaining single turbo parts I had
.This is about when COVID hit.
So I'm down to the Cayenne, work CX-5 and the NSX which I hadn't seen in a long time.
I put the Cayenne for sale - it's still online as I've had nothing but time wasters.
If anyone in Australia wants a seriously good car, let me know....
It's done about 500KMs in the past 4 months.
Decided, as you do, to see if I could find a bargain to tie me over for who knows how long...
The world's ending - may as well do something silly yes?
So what do you do?
You can't really leave the house other than for the essentials, food shopping and work.
How do you look at cars?
I guess the same way...
"Look what I found on the internet this week"
I did see someone else actually beat me to it.....
BUT IT'S STILL COOL.
So
Without further adieu.
Please enter.
Car number #64.
Is.
Expensive.
Old...
Ruinous.......
Ok, I think that's as far as I can stretch it.
First, I'd like to mention and thank Simon @ Joydrive / Joydrivery (YouTube, Facebook & Instagram) for the amazing photos.
It's a 1990 Ferrari 348 TS.
Sight unseen, from Adelaide.
It's so cool!
Ok, so it wasn't the most expensive, not because it isn't good, but because it was a Euro delivery LHD. It then went to Japan and finally came to Australia in 2002 where it was converted to RHD and has stayed since. Thing is, I only have service records from the last 3 years (includes a belt change,
). Would be amazing if anyone knows how to find out anything else about it. VIN: 85779.
Condition is amazing for a 30 year old car - few age related bits and bobs but nothing major (I hope). It's definitely had paint over the years, colour coded targa top and skirting (I'd say many years ago).
It's got an ANSA exhaust, de-catted (guessing).
From what I can work out - that's kind of like an OEM+ exhaust. It certainly isn't loud but it sounds fantastic. I've done 175KMs in the one week that I've had it (while being at work too)
. Still presents amazingly!
For the price I paid, I'm extremely happy and I don't think I'll ever find another.
I think I understand why these are a bit un-loved.
Shifting is tough - a lot of effort to go into gears and you ideally, need to match revs.
No power steering.
Heavy clutch (relative, feels like a piece of paper vs Supra)
Your average person won't be able to "drive", and will subsequently hate it.
Lucky I love it.
It's not fast.
Its not easy.
It's very rewarding when you get it right.
Versus the NSX, it does make the NSX seem like literally a generation ahead but I guess that's where Honda slowly improved yet Ferrari changed their game.
The 348 feels fragile, yet has truck like inputs.
The NSX feels solid yet light and user friendly - you feel safe in it, you can trust it.
Sure the NSX also doesn't have power steering (manual), but the gear shift is like butter, clutch is far lighter. Simply put, easy to drive, and commuting in it is no problem. The NSX feels very special but the 348 wins that game. Clink clink shift, WOT induction roar with the exhaust is intoxicating. (I'd actually like it a little louder
).
Haha, the Diablo owner has several and just sold one of his coupes for more than twice the value of my house... That black one is a spider.
Small update... Car number 65!
Myself and a mate went halves on a R34 Skyline. It's pretty rough and a longer term project.
Only photo I have right now:
Also I had a long term customer of mine at work wanting to offload her Mazda 6.
Car number 66.....
2005 Mazda 6, one lady owner from new. Literally serviced at my work since new...
Thing is absolutely perfect bar some exterior scrapes.
Think I owned it for a week before my uncle got rear ended in his Camry.
This now lives next to the Black E200 .
Right, it's been several months now - what's the 348 like to actually own?
I had one "break down".
Still got home but it lost one bank of cylinders.
Wasn't super stressed as I'd done some reading on the car now.
These things run like 2 separate motors, so it was unlikely to be major.
We're talking tow ECUs, fuel pumps, coils etc
Got it down to the workshop (eventually) and it ended up being a $120 coil pack. Woohoo!
The other issue I had, was that it liked to idle at 1500-1700RPM warm - Way, way too high.
After Francois fixed the coil - he "did stuff" and now we're idling back at 1000 RPM warm. What a world of difference!
Thanks again to the man at Zurich Automotives. He learnt his trade on these and earlier ones back in the day. Even did loads of track testing back then too!
The other thing I hated, was the paint in the centre console.
It was gross.
Sticky, peeling and just yuck
.
There was also a (poorly) repaired section.
Not to mention my centre ashtray lid was missing and the ashtray itself cracked.
I ordered a new ashtray and this is how it looks now.
I personally LOVE it.
Don't know how he got the "weave" to line up either
.
Many thanks to Bruno @ Hydrodipping WA!
Final problem....
ANSA exhaust way too quiet.
Bought a "bolt on" full stainless V-band exhaust that was used for a few months before sale.
Debatable......... Thing looked new and DIDN'T bolt on .
Got it dropped off to my favourite exhaust shop. I also ended up having to get new tips and the ones it came with also didn't really fit the bumper.
It all got done finally (Thank you Gary at Perth Custom Exhausts).
Extremely happy with how it's come out - I have zero drone at all and it sounds incredible.
Noise off buildings, trees, overpasses and of course, tunnels is naughty.
Video of noise:
"Ferrari 348 TS In The Hills" on Youtube.
https://youtu.be/HZkbiUF1-ew
Just been driving the hell out of it!
Thinking that what? This old Italian car is actually pretty damn good and reliable!
Small update... Car number 65!
Myself and a mate went halves on a R34 Skyline. It's pretty rough and a longer term project.
Only photo I have right now:
Also I had a long term customer of mine at work wanting to offload her Mazda 6.
Car number 66.....
2005 Mazda 6, one lady owner from new. Literally serviced at my work since new...
Thing is absolutely perfect bar some exterior scrapes.
Think I owned it for a week before my uncle got rear ended in his Camry.
This now lives next to the Black E200
.Right, it's been several months now - what's the 348 like to actually own?
I had one "break down".
Still got home but it lost one bank of cylinders.
Wasn't super stressed as I'd done some reading on the car now.
These things run like 2 separate motors, so it was unlikely to be major.
We're talking tow ECUs, fuel pumps, coils etc
Got it down to the workshop (eventually) and it ended up being a $120 coil pack. Woohoo!
The other issue I had, was that it liked to idle at 1500-1700RPM warm - Way, way too high.
After Francois fixed the coil - he "did stuff" and now we're idling back at 1000 RPM warm. What a world of difference!
Thanks again to the man at Zurich Automotives. He learnt his trade on these and earlier ones back in the day. Even did loads of track testing back then too!
The other thing I hated, was the paint in the centre console.
It was gross.
Sticky, peeling and just yuck
.There was also a (poorly) repaired section.
Not to mention my centre ashtray lid was missing and the ashtray itself cracked.
I ordered a new ashtray and this is how it looks now.
I personally LOVE it.
Don't know how he got the "weave" to line up either
.Many thanks to Bruno @ Hydrodipping WA!
Final problem....
ANSA exhaust way too quiet.
Bought a "bolt on" full stainless V-band exhaust that was used for a few months before sale.
Debatable......... Thing looked new and DIDN'T bolt on
.Got it dropped off to my favourite exhaust shop. I also ended up having to get new tips and the ones it came with also didn't really fit the bumper.
It all got done finally (Thank you Gary at Perth Custom Exhausts).
Extremely happy with how it's come out - I have zero drone at all and it sounds incredible.
Noise off buildings, trees, overpasses and of course, tunnels is naughty.
Video of noise:
"Ferrari 348 TS In The Hills" on Youtube.
https://youtu.be/HZkbiUF1-ew
Just been driving the hell out of it!
Thinking that what? This old Italian car is actually pretty damn good and reliable!
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff