10 Years of American Motoring – Audi/Morris/Porsche
Discussion
As a soon to be Ex-Expat Brit I thought I’d post a few pictures as a visual timeline of my motoring experiences in New Jersey from 2004 to present as we prepare to return to the UK in September.
Always suffering from what my family refers to as ‘itchy car key syndrome’ I’ve had an eclectic sometimes eccentric variety of rides while Stateside, oddly enough few of which have been American.
Not knowing a soul in New Jersey on a social level, cars and car forums quickly became a great way of meeting people and as a result I’ve made some good friends along the way.
2004 – 2005
Can’t seem to find any pictures of the Ford Explorer or Jeep Liberty that were my company car’s and they were a bit boring.
2005-2008
VW Golf GTi
While Europe was enjoying the much improved Mark V GTi North America was still putting up with the sluggish Mark IV and I made the mistake (not my first as you will see) of leasing a 1.8T with a NJ traffic friendly autobox. Dull is not the word. Badly built would be two better words to describe it.
Assembled in Brazil my particular GTi was definitely a Friday car suffering a laundry list of problems from Day 1 when the A/C crapped out on me on a beautifully humid 95f July day. Coupled with the memory of 2” of standing water in the footwell after a particularly violent rain storm this was a 3 year automotive period I’ll happily forget about.
This hapless steed also introduced me to a lovely old gent and his equally ancient Nissan.
Doing my bit for international relations I tried to avoid a major diplomatic incident.
Suffice to say I failed.
Reset 21 accident-free years clock to zero. Thanks Mr. Myopia
Edited: Jan 25th 2015. Added long lost picture.
2008 Audi TT 2.0 FSI DSG
While Yank V8’s and V6’s are still popular here I could never quite get my head around the woeful build quality or the 1970’s amusement arcade interior styling that incorporated reverse Tardis engineering.
A good example being the Ford Mustang V6 I hired for a touring trip round Maine and New Hampshire. I think the barn would have handled better than the ‘stang
Amidst a sea of beige Japanese 4 door sedans European Coupe’s have a bit more exclusivity on the U.S Eastern Seaboard and the launch of the Mark 2 Audi TT caught my interest.
Before the PH powerfully built RWD devotees laugh at the much maligned TT bear in mind my everyday motoring pretty much looked like this.
And as my budget would only stretch to the FWD I justified leasing one on the grounds that as bends and curves are in short supply in my urban bit of New Jersey a FWD car would not be at much of a loss to the slightly more powerful AWD V6.
The TT proved a reliable and fun daily over the three years I had it with some memorable journeys in New England and Ontario Canada.
It really proved itself in December 2009 when we set out on what was supposed to be a quick 1300 mile round trip blast to North Carolina to pick up a new terrier pup.
Once out of the New York Metro area the little silver TT always drew a lot of attention, if only for the lack of proper sized cupholders
In rural Pennsylvania we stopped for a washer bottle top up. We really should have bought some sheepskin slippers for what was about to follow as the Eastern U.S got slammed with a major blizzard.
It was fun to see 10 year old kids in North Carolina experience snow for the first time, likewise some locals get some 4WD off highway snow driving practice
Oops
Having picked up this little fella.
We turned straight round and set off on the return 650 mile return journey which should have taken 10-12 hours. Until the snow REALLY came down.
This Chevy Impala driver had the right rubber for the conditions, just possibly on the wrong car.
Things then went from this.
To this
Stationary for 6 hours outside Washington D.C in a smallish TT with a dwindling supply of fuel, non-house broken puppy and only some M&M’s to eat was a bit of a downer but heated seats and 900 tunes on the ipod made life a bit more bearable.
We finally found some clear road, north of Philadelphia at about 3.00am on the Sunday morning and I got up to what felt a very brave 50 mph on run flat all season tyres….
And a little bit faster once on the I-95 NJ Turnpike.
Having left North Carolina at 9.00am Saturday with only 8 hours sleep over 72 hours we pulled into our driveway 22 hours and 40 cups of coffee later.
The missus and I didn’t speak for about 4 days.
3 years, 28,000 miles and only a broken door handle due to ice and a hamfist later the TT went back to the dealer.
Coming soon, when house packing allows, the Morris bit.
Thanks for reading.
Edited. Jan 25th 2015. Oooh - an anniversary. Six months today since I started this threadette.
Always suffering from what my family refers to as ‘itchy car key syndrome’ I’ve had an eclectic sometimes eccentric variety of rides while Stateside, oddly enough few of which have been American.
Not knowing a soul in New Jersey on a social level, cars and car forums quickly became a great way of meeting people and as a result I’ve made some good friends along the way.
2004 – 2005
Can’t seem to find any pictures of the Ford Explorer or Jeep Liberty that were my company car’s and they were a bit boring.
2005-2008
VW Golf GTi
While Europe was enjoying the much improved Mark V GTi North America was still putting up with the sluggish Mark IV and I made the mistake (not my first as you will see) of leasing a 1.8T with a NJ traffic friendly autobox. Dull is not the word. Badly built would be two better words to describe it.
Assembled in Brazil my particular GTi was definitely a Friday car suffering a laundry list of problems from Day 1 when the A/C crapped out on me on a beautifully humid 95f July day. Coupled with the memory of 2” of standing water in the footwell after a particularly violent rain storm this was a 3 year automotive period I’ll happily forget about.
This hapless steed also introduced me to a lovely old gent and his equally ancient Nissan.
Doing my bit for international relations I tried to avoid a major diplomatic incident.
Suffice to say I failed.
Reset 21 accident-free years clock to zero. Thanks Mr. Myopia
Edited: Jan 25th 2015. Added long lost picture.
2008 Audi TT 2.0 FSI DSG
While Yank V8’s and V6’s are still popular here I could never quite get my head around the woeful build quality or the 1970’s amusement arcade interior styling that incorporated reverse Tardis engineering.
A good example being the Ford Mustang V6 I hired for a touring trip round Maine and New Hampshire. I think the barn would have handled better than the ‘stang
Amidst a sea of beige Japanese 4 door sedans European Coupe’s have a bit more exclusivity on the U.S Eastern Seaboard and the launch of the Mark 2 Audi TT caught my interest.
Before the PH powerfully built RWD devotees laugh at the much maligned TT bear in mind my everyday motoring pretty much looked like this.
And as my budget would only stretch to the FWD I justified leasing one on the grounds that as bends and curves are in short supply in my urban bit of New Jersey a FWD car would not be at much of a loss to the slightly more powerful AWD V6.
The TT proved a reliable and fun daily over the three years I had it with some memorable journeys in New England and Ontario Canada.
It really proved itself in December 2009 when we set out on what was supposed to be a quick 1300 mile round trip blast to North Carolina to pick up a new terrier pup.
Once out of the New York Metro area the little silver TT always drew a lot of attention, if only for the lack of proper sized cupholders
In rural Pennsylvania we stopped for a washer bottle top up. We really should have bought some sheepskin slippers for what was about to follow as the Eastern U.S got slammed with a major blizzard.
It was fun to see 10 year old kids in North Carolina experience snow for the first time, likewise some locals get some 4WD off highway snow driving practice
Oops
Having picked up this little fella.
We turned straight round and set off on the return 650 mile return journey which should have taken 10-12 hours. Until the snow REALLY came down.
This Chevy Impala driver had the right rubber for the conditions, just possibly on the wrong car.
Things then went from this.
To this
Stationary for 6 hours outside Washington D.C in a smallish TT with a dwindling supply of fuel, non-house broken puppy and only some M&M’s to eat was a bit of a downer but heated seats and 900 tunes on the ipod made life a bit more bearable.
We finally found some clear road, north of Philadelphia at about 3.00am on the Sunday morning and I got up to what felt a very brave 50 mph on run flat all season tyres….
And a little bit faster once on the I-95 NJ Turnpike.
Having left North Carolina at 9.00am Saturday with only 8 hours sleep over 72 hours we pulled into our driveway 22 hours and 40 cups of coffee later.
The missus and I didn’t speak for about 4 days.
3 years, 28,000 miles and only a broken door handle due to ice and a hamfist later the TT went back to the dealer.
Coming soon, when house packing allows, the Morris bit.
Thanks for reading.
Edited. Jan 25th 2015. Oooh - an anniversary. Six months today since I started this threadette.
Edited by Whatty on Sunday 25th January 09:14
Thanks for your comment Mr. Tuna
I’m really writing this so that my now 16 month old son can look back in 10 years time and find out what his dad did with his spare time and money when he actually had some of each.
Anyway…..
While the Audi was a fun daily other than wash it and admire its curves I really felt the need to tinker with something old.
Note the word ‘tinker’. I’m no spanner twirler and having helped my brother refurbish a couple of MG’s I knew that a full blown restoration was beyond me. So what was needed was a structurally sound car that could be improved on.
But what?
Thinking back to my first car, Ma’s hand me down Mini 1000, the memories of a misspent youth buzzing round the lanes of Norfolk prompted me to go on Ebay and see what might be about that could be a bit Cooperized.
Why, you might be asking, in a land of V8 muscle, would you want a British rustbox mustering all of 38-90bhp?
I still have no idea but a couple of months later I tracked this 1969 Morris Mini Mark 2 down on Long Island, New York.
The non-original Primrose yellow paint was a bit Marmite but the Cooper-ish white roof toned it down a bit.
A genuine Sixties LHD North American model imported into Canada this Mark 2 lacked the more desirable Mark 1 grille and small rear lights but at least it had the exposed door hinges and … well finding a solid example of 20th Century British engineering in 21st Century America within a day’s drive of New Jersey was always going to be a tall order so a compromise had to be made.
The guy selling was actually the owner of an independent German car repair shop. Owed money by a bodyshop unable to pay a large bill he’d had the Mini restored by them in lieu of payment.
A test drive and thorough inspection on his lift found a structurally and mechanically sound car with paintwork that exceeded anything ever to roll off the British Leyland line.
A nice fat folder of receipts including a new alternator conversion kit plus new shock absorbers and the fact that the drum brakes sort of actually worked saw money change hands.
Lacking the brave pills required to drive it back across Manhattan the seller kindly trailered it out to Jersey for me a week later.
Newish rear subframe and solid if not concours standard battery box.
He’d got a bit carried away with the accessories so within hours of taking ownership I’d removed the self adhesive Union Jack flag from the roof and the 4 of the 6 battery killing chrome foglights and the chrome badge bar.
The engine bay was the only real negative, ditto the ageing wiring loom.
The A-series 998cc seemed a bit lacking but I simply put that down to the contrast with the Audi.
Much much more to come, thanks for reading.
I’m really writing this so that my now 16 month old son can look back in 10 years time and find out what his dad did with his spare time and money when he actually had some of each.
Anyway…..
While the Audi was a fun daily other than wash it and admire its curves I really felt the need to tinker with something old.
Note the word ‘tinker’. I’m no spanner twirler and having helped my brother refurbish a couple of MG’s I knew that a full blown restoration was beyond me. So what was needed was a structurally sound car that could be improved on.
But what?
Thinking back to my first car, Ma’s hand me down Mini 1000, the memories of a misspent youth buzzing round the lanes of Norfolk prompted me to go on Ebay and see what might be about that could be a bit Cooperized.
Why, you might be asking, in a land of V8 muscle, would you want a British rustbox mustering all of 38-90bhp?
I still have no idea but a couple of months later I tracked this 1969 Morris Mini Mark 2 down on Long Island, New York.
The non-original Primrose yellow paint was a bit Marmite but the Cooper-ish white roof toned it down a bit.
A genuine Sixties LHD North American model imported into Canada this Mark 2 lacked the more desirable Mark 1 grille and small rear lights but at least it had the exposed door hinges and … well finding a solid example of 20th Century British engineering in 21st Century America within a day’s drive of New Jersey was always going to be a tall order so a compromise had to be made.
The guy selling was actually the owner of an independent German car repair shop. Owed money by a bodyshop unable to pay a large bill he’d had the Mini restored by them in lieu of payment.
A test drive and thorough inspection on his lift found a structurally and mechanically sound car with paintwork that exceeded anything ever to roll off the British Leyland line.
A nice fat folder of receipts including a new alternator conversion kit plus new shock absorbers and the fact that the drum brakes sort of actually worked saw money change hands.
Lacking the brave pills required to drive it back across Manhattan the seller kindly trailered it out to Jersey for me a week later.
Newish rear subframe and solid if not concours standard battery box.
He’d got a bit carried away with the accessories so within hours of taking ownership I’d removed the self adhesive Union Jack flag from the roof and the 4 of the 6 battery killing chrome foglights and the chrome badge bar.
The engine bay was the only real negative, ditto the ageing wiring loom.
The A-series 998cc seemed a bit lacking but I simply put that down to the contrast with the Audi.
Much much more to come, thanks for reading.
Edited by Whatty on Jan 26 09:18
Edited by Whatty on Monday 26th January 14:46
Hmmm, not much feedback but I’ll push on.
Started to drive the Mini a bit at weekends and found a Saturday morning car’s and coffee event a few towns away.
Being so close to the wealth of Wall Street meant that there was always a big turnout with a variety of cars present.
Italian stuff
Ferrari 250 GTO
Daytona
And Dino
And Alfa
Old
Newer
Lamborghini
Track orientated stuff.
993
914
American stuff
Viper
Italian American stuff
DeTomaso Pantera (edited Oct 14)
British stuff
On American roads the Elise/Exiges look tiny.
MGA
And errr
Oi! Don’t lean on my car.
More pics http://www.flickr.com/photos/daytrip...76216996339...
Thanks for reading.
Started to drive the Mini a bit at weekends and found a Saturday morning car’s and coffee event a few towns away.
Being so close to the wealth of Wall Street meant that there was always a big turnout with a variety of cars present.
Italian stuff
Ferrari 250 GTO
Daytona
And Dino
And Alfa
Old
Newer
Lamborghini
Track orientated stuff.
993
914
American stuff
Viper
Italian American stuff
DeTomaso Pantera (edited Oct 14)
British stuff
On American roads the Elise/Exiges look tiny.
MGA
And errr
Oi! Don’t lean on my car.
More pics http://www.flickr.com/photos/daytrip...76216996339...
Thanks for reading.
Edited by Whatty on Monday 6th October 23:14
lewisf182 said:
Interesting read so far!
Very strange how you've gone for VERY common cars in the UK when you had the choice of American stuff which is properly rare (due to fuel costs) in the UK. I guess out there like you said the TT is generally rare so that was the left field choice from an american perspective but still, looks like you missed the opportunity to own some big yank engined cars?
Not having a dig at all, just merely an observation! The mini looks cracking.
Good point Lewis, I went the Audi route because other than liking the design, Audi, BMW and the like residual values are very good meaning cheap lease deals over 3 years. Very strange how you've gone for VERY common cars in the UK when you had the choice of American stuff which is properly rare (due to fuel costs) in the UK. I guess out there like you said the TT is generally rare so that was the left field choice from an american perspective but still, looks like you missed the opportunity to own some big yank engined cars?
Not having a dig at all, just merely an observation! The mini looks cracking.
Up until the Great Recession Euro / Japanese build quality was so much better in comparison to run-of-the-mill American built kit. That’s now changed as the Big 3 have finally woken up to the fact that quality actually sells quite well.
I have had access to a number of V8’s – my favourite being my good friend and neighbour’s Chevy pick up.
5 litre V8 + rare 5 speed manual + no weight = ENTERTAINMENT.
With 103K miles, my friend has bought it back twice as a write off from his insurance company thanks to local teenage drink drivers hitting it in the street.
It refuses to die but it won’t pass a British M.O.T but I guess the sills aren't really THAT structural.
Great for amusing runs to the tip. Must try and get some 0-60 times with it before I leave.
Edited by Whatty on Sunday 3rd August 12:43
While the occasional run out to these car meets was fun the Mini did begin to show up its shortcomings.
Boiling hot summer’s with temperatures in the 80f’s and 90f’s and high humidity meant that with only sliding windows ventilation was pretty non-existent and the heat soak from the engine made my ‘fun’ car pretty much not fun to drive from late May through to mid September.
The other issue was that while fun to scoot round the suburbs in, trips further afield on major roads and the Interstate highway were pretty terrifying thanks to the Mini’s absence of power and its lack of size in proportion to other traffic.
I did manage a 60 mile trip out west to the Delaware river on the New Jersey-Pennsylvania border for a British car meet.
In addition to BMC product there was also a good line up of TVRs, Jensen and an Lotus Elan which was particularly memorable but only because the owner was completely sh!tfaced.
TR2 with spare spark plugs.
Seeing these little details on other cars inspired me to overlook the Mini’s issues and a plan began to form for the little yellow ‘clown car’ as my American mother-in-law called it.
We even came home winners with an award.
Although as the only Mini there it was a slightly hollow victory.
Thanks for reading.
Boiling hot summer’s with temperatures in the 80f’s and 90f’s and high humidity meant that with only sliding windows ventilation was pretty non-existent and the heat soak from the engine made my ‘fun’ car pretty much not fun to drive from late May through to mid September.
The other issue was that while fun to scoot round the suburbs in, trips further afield on major roads and the Interstate highway were pretty terrifying thanks to the Mini’s absence of power and its lack of size in proportion to other traffic.
I did manage a 60 mile trip out west to the Delaware river on the New Jersey-Pennsylvania border for a British car meet.
In addition to BMC product there was also a good line up of TVRs, Jensen and an Lotus Elan which was particularly memorable but only because the owner was completely sh!tfaced.
TR2 with spare spark plugs.
Seeing these little details on other cars inspired me to overlook the Mini’s issues and a plan began to form for the little yellow ‘clown car’ as my American mother-in-law called it.
We even came home winners with an award.
Although as the only Mini there it was a slightly hollow victory.
Thanks for reading.
Edited by Whatty on Tuesday 27th January 17:54
Thanks guy’s, in between kicking estate agents, packing our stuff, filling out endless forms for exporting dogs, wife etc plus amusing a 17 month old this thread is helping to while away the hours before we leave.
Anyway….
Recognising that the little donkey 998cc A-Series was probably serviceable for another few thousand miles I hatched a plan to inject a bit more oomph into it with a view to buying a new lump, 1275cc or 1380cc down the road when funds allowed.
Disciples of David Vizard will know tuning the A-Series engine provides a multitude of options. Based on the proven wisdom that most opt for a single carb set up and some nifty work to the head I decided to do the complete opposite knowing that this was going to be a temporary set up. I also wanted to keep the car looking suitably period.
So in the search for power these had to go.
As did these. Looking at the condition of the original radiiator it was a miracle that it never overheated.
In the spirit of a true Boy Racer it was going to be all show but hopefully a little bit more go and shopping commenced.
Twin S.U HS2’s
Plus, in no particular order, and no pics either it would seem.
A new custom wiring harness to account for the alternator conversion from Autosparks in the U.K, to replace the crumbling original.
As the nearest North American Mini spares firm is 3200 miles west of me in California I elected to face eastwards and do my bit by Buying British from DSN Classics in good old Norfolk.
K&N pancake air filters, RC40 exhaust, freeflow exhaust manifold, Cooper S disc brake and hub assemblies, 6 blade tropical fan, adjustable tie rods plus a load of other bits and pieces duly arrived at my office.
Thanks for reading.
Edited for typos.
Anyway….
Recognising that the little donkey 998cc A-Series was probably serviceable for another few thousand miles I hatched a plan to inject a bit more oomph into it with a view to buying a new lump, 1275cc or 1380cc down the road when funds allowed.
Disciples of David Vizard will know tuning the A-Series engine provides a multitude of options. Based on the proven wisdom that most opt for a single carb set up and some nifty work to the head I decided to do the complete opposite knowing that this was going to be a temporary set up. I also wanted to keep the car looking suitably period.
So in the search for power these had to go.
As did these. Looking at the condition of the original radiiator it was a miracle that it never overheated.
In the spirit of a true Boy Racer it was going to be all show but hopefully a little bit more go and shopping commenced.
Twin S.U HS2’s
Plus, in no particular order, and no pics either it would seem.
A new custom wiring harness to account for the alternator conversion from Autosparks in the U.K, to replace the crumbling original.
As the nearest North American Mini spares firm is 3200 miles west of me in California I elected to face eastwards and do my bit by Buying British from DSN Classics in good old Norfolk.
K&N pancake air filters, RC40 exhaust, freeflow exhaust manifold, Cooper S disc brake and hub assemblies, 6 blade tropical fan, adjustable tie rods plus a load of other bits and pieces duly arrived at my office.
Thanks for reading.
Edited for typos.
Edited by Whatty on Tuesday 27th January 18:00
So in early May of 2009 suitably armed with a small fortune in bits, car and parts were dispatched to Motor Car Garage in southern New Jersey specializing in things British.
Lacking the time, skills and level garage floor (more on this small detail later) the only tool I’d be wielding would be cheque book shaped.
You could tell that they didn’t lack commitment.
As I was getting married in late May and on honeymoon in late June there was really no rush to get the job of repainting the engine bay and parts installed so the guys took their time.
In exchange for regular $$$ I was rewarded with email updates as the strip down commenced.
Thanks to 41 years of self oiling the front subframe was solid(ish) but tired.
Like wise the bulkhead.
Some time, some paint and some more $$$ later things progressed.
Getting there. Manifold looks the part if nothing else.
New front Cooper S disc brake and hub assemblies still to come.
Ally rad from ebay and tropical fan would hopefully keep the engine cool in the summer months if not the driver.
While Motor Car Garage pushed on with the job fitting the new wiring harness….
I got hitched to my long suffering girlfriend, flogged a tired Alfa 147 diesel round Tuscany and more importantly sourced a few more period cosmetic bits for the Morris.
Only in production from ’67 to ’70 most of the Mark II Austin and Morris specific emblems are NLA. With the exception of the boot badge.
And while all the Cooper and S bonnet badges are readily available I resisted the urge to take the easy route and badge it as a wannabe.
And because it’s the journey not the destination I started my OCD driven quest for the mythical Mk 11 bonnet emblem.
After several weeks of nightly searching Ebay and Mini forums worldwide I finally found a bloke in Seattle (or was it Vancouver?) who had one.
Small problem. He admitted it wasn’t in great nick.
No matter, with an artist for a wife I was confident it could be restored. Along with my leisure time and sanity.
I asked him to name his price.
Bigger problem. He wouldn’t sell it at ANY price.
Huge problem. He would happily trade it for an equally rare Austin Mk11 one.
At this point those Cooper S badges began to look pretty tempting.
So for the thrill of the chase and with victory in sight plus every Mini forum classified section already saved to my favourite’s I rose to the occasion and….
5 years later I'm sure the Austin guy is still laughing.
But an hour, the wife and the U.S equivalent of Humbrol later.
Cheers.
Lacking the time, skills and level garage floor (more on this small detail later) the only tool I’d be wielding would be cheque book shaped.
You could tell that they didn’t lack commitment.
As I was getting married in late May and on honeymoon in late June there was really no rush to get the job of repainting the engine bay and parts installed so the guys took their time.
In exchange for regular $$$ I was rewarded with email updates as the strip down commenced.
Thanks to 41 years of self oiling the front subframe was solid(ish) but tired.
Like wise the bulkhead.
Some time, some paint and some more $$$ later things progressed.
Getting there. Manifold looks the part if nothing else.
New front Cooper S disc brake and hub assemblies still to come.
Ally rad from ebay and tropical fan would hopefully keep the engine cool in the summer months if not the driver.
While Motor Car Garage pushed on with the job fitting the new wiring harness….
I got hitched to my long suffering girlfriend, flogged a tired Alfa 147 diesel round Tuscany and more importantly sourced a few more period cosmetic bits for the Morris.
Only in production from ’67 to ’70 most of the Mark II Austin and Morris specific emblems are NLA. With the exception of the boot badge.
And while all the Cooper and S bonnet badges are readily available I resisted the urge to take the easy route and badge it as a wannabe.
And because it’s the journey not the destination I started my OCD driven quest for the mythical Mk 11 bonnet emblem.
After several weeks of nightly searching Ebay and Mini forums worldwide I finally found a bloke in Seattle (or was it Vancouver?) who had one.
Small problem. He admitted it wasn’t in great nick.
No matter, with an artist for a wife I was confident it could be restored. Along with my leisure time and sanity.
I asked him to name his price.
Bigger problem. He wouldn’t sell it at ANY price.
Huge problem. He would happily trade it for an equally rare Austin Mk11 one.
At this point those Cooper S badges began to look pretty tempting.
So for the thrill of the chase and with victory in sight plus every Mini forum classified section already saved to my favourite’s I rose to the occasion and….
5 years later I'm sure the Austin guy is still laughing.
But an hour, the wife and the U.S equivalent of Humbrol later.
Cheers.
Edited by Whatty on Tuesday 27th January 18:29
Stu R said:
Must be, plenty seem to come out of the woodwork for the summer meets and so on.
I was actually thinking about bringing a few over last year, still might but not sure I can be bothered with the hassle.
Not sure about Ohio (?) but I could find buyers for a container load of straight car's in NJ. I was actually thinking about bringing a few over last year, still might but not sure I can be bothered with the hassle.
Slowped said:
Very interesting! How did you end up stateside if you don't mind me asking?
Work brought me out here 11 years ago. Fast forward to September 2009 and the Mini was duly trailered back to me in Northern New Jersey.
Now equipped with twin carbs, bigger bore manifold and exhaust the car certainly sounded more throaty (albeit drowned out by K&N induction noise and the turbine roar of the tropical fan of which I had been warned) but in truth had probably liberated only another 5 or 6 more hp.
Still the engine bay was much improved.
And the disc brakes definitely stopped the little bugger better.
And a dollar for every hour spent searching for this would have paid me back for what had become a rather expensive exercise.
Still a hobby is a hobby and while not smart enough to get off the slippery slope I was canny enough not to add up all the bills.
With the NJ non-driving season fast approaching ( Late November to early April, the salt is a killer) I managed a couple more drives out. And then…..
Ton up (don’t look at the speedo too hard) climbing temperature and falling oil pressure pointed to imminent head gasket failure.
Faced with the realization that I now owned the world’s most expensive 1:1 scale model and lacking a coffee table big enough to display it on I stood the car up for the winter and retreated indoors to ponder its fate.
And then the (pork) fat really hit the fire.
Thanks for reading.
Edited by Whatty on Thursday 29th January 13:08
Thanks for the comments folks.
With the clock counting down to our departure, 32 days to be exact and with house packing almost done I should be able to bring this completely up-to-date.
With a job related to the U.S manufacturing sector I had a grandstand seat as the U.S economy began to melt down following the banking crisis of 2008.
With that in mind and determined that I wasn’t going to follow some of my neighbour’s under the wheels of the 06.42 train to Penn Central Station I decided to convert some of my dwindling savings into hard assets and seek some different automotive therapy.
Late 2009 the Mini went up for sale.
Now looking quite good.
Though I never could get the Smiths tachometer to work properly.
Or get very comfortable in the rare Cooper S recliners that came with the car.
Despite the recession there were still plenty of folk in NJ with some cash to spend so the Morris found a new home relatively quickly.
Full disclosure about the engine’s condition resulted in me sourcing a 12G940 big valve head in the UK as part of the deal. As the buyer had some proper fast cars he sensibly decided to keep the 998cc block and go a different route.
Stolen image of 12G940 head,. Original picture deleted along with all receipts.
This deal taught me three important lessons.
1. Some people will buy a car without a test drive. This was to become quite common in what was to follow.
2. Heavy hand luggage and T3 Heathrow don’t mix. Why are the gates so far away?
3. U.S Customs officers have zero sense of humour.
Bought by the heir to a Swiss cheese making fortune I assume the car is now still residing alongside his Lotus collection in western NJ.
Hopefully in pampered luxury and being fed a regular diet of Castrol 20W50 and Toblerone.
With the clock counting down to our departure, 32 days to be exact and with house packing almost done I should be able to bring this completely up-to-date.
With a job related to the U.S manufacturing sector I had a grandstand seat as the U.S economy began to melt down following the banking crisis of 2008.
With that in mind and determined that I wasn’t going to follow some of my neighbour’s under the wheels of the 06.42 train to Penn Central Station I decided to convert some of my dwindling savings into hard assets and seek some different automotive therapy.
Late 2009 the Mini went up for sale.
Now looking quite good.
Though I never could get the Smiths tachometer to work properly.
Or get very comfortable in the rare Cooper S recliners that came with the car.
Despite the recession there were still plenty of folk in NJ with some cash to spend so the Morris found a new home relatively quickly.
Full disclosure about the engine’s condition resulted in me sourcing a 12G940 big valve head in the UK as part of the deal. As the buyer had some proper fast cars he sensibly decided to keep the 998cc block and go a different route.
Stolen image of 12G940 head,. Original picture deleted along with all receipts.
This deal taught me three important lessons.
1. Some people will buy a car without a test drive. This was to become quite common in what was to follow.
2. Heavy hand luggage and T3 Heathrow don’t mix. Why are the gates so far away?
3. U.S Customs officers have zero sense of humour.
Bought by the heir to a Swiss cheese making fortune I assume the car is now still residing alongside his Lotus collection in western NJ.
Hopefully in pampered luxury and being fed a regular diet of Castrol 20W50 and Toblerone.
Edited by Whatty on Sunday 10th August 11:20
Been really busy the last couple of days, packing household items, endless document shredding, selling off surplus stuff etc.
Anyone want a shotgun?
Throughout my Morris Mini adventure I was also trying to suppress the need for a 911.
Just before I bought the Mini in 2008 my neighbor and now a good friend bought one unseen on Ebay and had it shipped across the country from Seattle.
1976 911S – 56k original miles, repainted so prob. a California car originally and now with an antique china like patina. Zingy 2.7 runs like a champ, boringly reliable.
Not a garage queen. I’ll expand on this definition a bit later.
So while throwing money at a Mini I was also burning a lot of midnight oil disappearing down the virtual rabbit hole of the 911 air/oil cooled variant forums if only to try and talk myself out of actually buying one.
Rather than waste precious time preaching to the choir about what is fairly common knowledge I’ll be brief.
Wanted a pre-1973 – couldn’t afford a decent one and I don’t do spanners.
1974-77 – the ‘middies’. Lot of horror stories about the 2.7 engines in the U.S being buggered by Federal Government imposed emission equipment.
1978-1989, SC’s and Carrera’s. I struggle with the whole 80’s Guards Red yuppie image.
1989-1994, 964 Carrera 2 & 4. Better looks to my eye but heavier and getting more GT-like than its predecessors.
Wanting to tick the ‘Had an 911’ box, while also remaining relatively solvent and happily married, a relatively short quest led me to a surburban driveway in NJ and this.
1991 Carrera 2 – 54k miles, 2 owners, lots of bills, one unhappy seller.
Thanks for reading.
Anyone want a shotgun?
Throughout my Morris Mini adventure I was also trying to suppress the need for a 911.
Just before I bought the Mini in 2008 my neighbor and now a good friend bought one unseen on Ebay and had it shipped across the country from Seattle.
1976 911S – 56k original miles, repainted so prob. a California car originally and now with an antique china like patina. Zingy 2.7 runs like a champ, boringly reliable.
Not a garage queen. I’ll expand on this definition a bit later.
So while throwing money at a Mini I was also burning a lot of midnight oil disappearing down the virtual rabbit hole of the 911 air/oil cooled variant forums if only to try and talk myself out of actually buying one.
Rather than waste precious time preaching to the choir about what is fairly common knowledge I’ll be brief.
Wanted a pre-1973 – couldn’t afford a decent one and I don’t do spanners.
1974-77 – the ‘middies’. Lot of horror stories about the 2.7 engines in the U.S being buggered by Federal Government imposed emission equipment.
1978-1989, SC’s and Carrera’s. I struggle with the whole 80’s Guards Red yuppie image.
1989-1994, 964 Carrera 2 & 4. Better looks to my eye but heavier and getting more GT-like than its predecessors.
Wanting to tick the ‘Had an 911’ box, while also remaining relatively solvent and happily married, a relatively short quest led me to a surburban driveway in NJ and this.
1991 Carrera 2 – 54k miles, 2 owners, lots of bills, one unhappy seller.
Thanks for reading.
Edited by Whatty on Sunday 10th August 12:19
Edited by Whatty on Sunday 10th August 12:20
Edited by Whatty on Sunday 10th August 13:24
Edited by Whatty on Tuesday 12th August 09:47
Edited by Whatty on Tuesday 12th August 11:51
Edited by Whatty on Tuesday 12th August 12:04
Edited by Whatty on Sunday 1st February 09:36
Roo said:
Interesting reading.
Many thanks, and keep it up.
No problem, thanks for reading. Looking at your website I see the 2015 Mustang - if they'd brought out that out two years ago I might just have been a convert to the Church of Detroit.Many thanks, and keep it up.
Found this the other day while killing time at the local BMW/Fiat dealer.
Not sure what the list price was new but this looked like value to my unlearned eye. Even with the 'girly' V6 a manual gearbox version looked like good fun.
Might just have to back and blag a test drive if time permits.
28 Days or 686 hours to go before departure.
Lacking the cajones of Mike-the-neighbour I really didn’t fancy exchanging a s
t load of cash, for a car unseen, only to receive a load of st in return.
Not that I haven’t in the past. The memory of an impulsive long distance BMW 2002 purchase still haunts me.
Deciding to inspect the underside my shiny 1972 ‘new’ purchase in 1991 I suspected my jack must be faulty.
Not so. Jack go up. Jacking point go up. Rest of car stay down.
Education, its an expensive thing.
With that in mind and suppressing the normal buy-the-first-one-you-see urge I saw the 2010 New Year in scanning the interweb for things 964 shaped.
While my military experience spans only 3 short years in the Air Cadets and 4 Richard Holmes books I know that:
‘Time spent in reconnaissance is never wasted.’
So the mission brief was:
964 Coupe or Targa
2WD preferred over 4WD
Documented history and condition trump colour/mileage
While Porsche didn’t make a huge number of 964’s in comparison to the SC/Carrera era my New York Metro area hunting ground yielded three potential cars in quick succession.
A suspiciously shiny and over detailed Guards Red C2 Coupe, a short test drive of which convinced me that a oil cooled 911 was the place to park some of my savings for a bit.
On closer inspection a rust bubble under the rear window suggested that beauty was only skin deep and no amount of Mother’s or Meguiars was going to seduce me.
Left that one for the next bloke.
The second candidate was a rather sorry looking example in black parked outside a condominium complex on the Jersey side of the Hudson River. The pool of oil underneath was probably visible from the Manhattan side.
January in Jersey is not the best time of year to go car hunting. So cold I’d often look down to check I was actually wearing trousers I was reluctant of get out of the TT to even look closer. But, having called the owner to announce my imminent arrival I braved the elements to confirm that no two panels were actually the same black and there had been a lot of parking by touch.
Retreat to TT’s heated seats, exit stage right for hot chocolate.
Cheers.
Whatty.
PS. Mr Silent, your question will be answered as the timeline continues.
Lacking the cajones of Mike-the-neighbour I really didn’t fancy exchanging a s
t load of cash, for a car unseen, only to receive a load of st in return. Not that I haven’t in the past. The memory of an impulsive long distance BMW 2002 purchase still haunts me.
Deciding to inspect the underside my shiny 1972 ‘new’ purchase in 1991 I suspected my jack must be faulty.
Not so. Jack go up. Jacking point go up. Rest of car stay down.
Education, its an expensive thing.
With that in mind and suppressing the normal buy-the-first-one-you-see urge I saw the 2010 New Year in scanning the interweb for things 964 shaped.
While my military experience spans only 3 short years in the Air Cadets and 4 Richard Holmes books I know that:
‘Time spent in reconnaissance is never wasted.’
So the mission brief was:
964 Coupe or Targa
2WD preferred over 4WD
Documented history and condition trump colour/mileage
While Porsche didn’t make a huge number of 964’s in comparison to the SC/Carrera era my New York Metro area hunting ground yielded three potential cars in quick succession.
A suspiciously shiny and over detailed Guards Red C2 Coupe, a short test drive of which convinced me that a oil cooled 911 was the place to park some of my savings for a bit.
On closer inspection a rust bubble under the rear window suggested that beauty was only skin deep and no amount of Mother’s or Meguiars was going to seduce me.
Left that one for the next bloke.
The second candidate was a rather sorry looking example in black parked outside a condominium complex on the Jersey side of the Hudson River. The pool of oil underneath was probably visible from the Manhattan side.
January in Jersey is not the best time of year to go car hunting. So cold I’d often look down to check I was actually wearing trousers I was reluctant of get out of the TT to even look closer. But, having called the owner to announce my imminent arrival I braved the elements to confirm that no two panels were actually the same black and there had been a lot of parking by touch.
Retreat to TT’s heated seats, exit stage right for hot chocolate.
Cheers.
Whatty.
PS. Mr Silent, your question will be answered as the timeline continues.
Edited by Whatty on Tuesday 12th August 12:01
Edited by Whatty on Tuesday 12th August 12:03
Last post looked a bit too wordy so I’ll try and inject a few more pictures into the next bit.
Back to the suburban Jersey driveway and the 56k mile white Carrera 2 which I found in the online classifieds on the Porsche Club of America website.
Alongside the Pelican Porsche, Rennlist, Autotrader sites etc the PCA site was now required breakfast reading over my bowl of cornflakes or Weetabix (when I could find them).
Knowing by now that the 964 was fast becoming the soup de jour 911 Stateside, especially in 2WD form, I wasted no time responding to the ad when the owner listed it.
A very slow week passed as the owner was away on business but a quick drive up the Garden State Parkway the following Saturday found me trembling with a mixture of cold and excitement as he backed out of his garage.
While he made a passing reference to being the second owner, the first being Bruce Springsteen’s dentist, I leafed through bill after bill for a variety of big jobs including a new DMF and clutch, Bilstein HD coilovers and myriad bills for remedial oil leak repairs.
While he took a quick spin in my digital age DSG TT I looked over the last century analogue 911 and while I tried really hard to find fault with the body it was all looking rather good bar the chrome D-90’ rims.
The only real fly in the ointment was the interior.
Here’s the picture he sent me.
Cobalt blue with white piping. Well it was different.
And in fairness his camera was in need of some adjustment regarding colour saturation.
And I couldn’t be too picky knowing that a pack of 964 hunting wolves were probably closing in.
Rather than show my hand too soon I asked him to bring it to my local ‘shop’ for a Pre Purchase Inspection stating that I was prepared to meet his asking price.
]
Back to the suburban Jersey driveway and the 56k mile white Carrera 2 which I found in the online classifieds on the Porsche Club of America website.
Alongside the Pelican Porsche, Rennlist, Autotrader sites etc the PCA site was now required breakfast reading over my bowl of cornflakes or Weetabix (when I could find them).
Knowing by now that the 964 was fast becoming the soup de jour 911 Stateside, especially in 2WD form, I wasted no time responding to the ad when the owner listed it.
A very slow week passed as the owner was away on business but a quick drive up the Garden State Parkway the following Saturday found me trembling with a mixture of cold and excitement as he backed out of his garage.
While he made a passing reference to being the second owner, the first being Bruce Springsteen’s dentist, I leafed through bill after bill for a variety of big jobs including a new DMF and clutch, Bilstein HD coilovers and myriad bills for remedial oil leak repairs.
While he took a quick spin in my digital age DSG TT I looked over the last century analogue 911 and while I tried really hard to find fault with the body it was all looking rather good bar the chrome D-90’ rims.
The only real fly in the ointment was the interior.
Here’s the picture he sent me.
Cobalt blue with white piping. Well it was different.
And in fairness his camera was in need of some adjustment regarding colour saturation.
And I couldn’t be too picky knowing that a pack of 964 hunting wolves were probably closing in.
Rather than show my hand too soon I asked him to bring it to my local ‘shop’ for a Pre Purchase Inspection stating that I was prepared to meet his asking price.
]
Edited by Whatty on Wednesday 4th February 06:09
Euromotors Garwood NJ,
Every town in NJ seems to have at least one independent car shop specializing in German, Swedish and British fare.
I was a faithful customer of Euromotors from 2005, with the owner Vic, originally looking after our 2002 Mercedes ML320.
He routinely serviced it while patiently listening to me bh about its crap build quality and leaking power steering pump (MB USA eventually repaired it in the name of goodwill at eight years old, even refunding the money I’d spent with the indie.)
August 2014.
There's always a variety of cars awaiting attention.
Dropping by last week I snapped a few pics of stuff that might interest the PH massive.
MB 190E – very flat paint but otherwise sound.
82K miles.
Very straight looking body suggests the mileage is genuine.
This AH 3000 has been sat here since 2005, possibly longer.
Bar lots of rust in the foot boxes it’s pretty complete.
Thinking of a Sebring Replica I did make a casual enquiry a few years back about it being for sale. Still time to get into my shipping container.
Saved the best till last.
AMG MB SLS or is that MB AMG SLS
A former AMG Experience track day car it was awaiting shipment at Port Newark to a new owner in South America in 2012.
Sadly Hurricane Sandy got to it first, flooding it up to where Whatty Jr’s head is.
Despite the flood water it still smells great.
Commissioned to get it running by the shipping company the shop started stripping it but work ceased when there was some confusion as to who was actually paying for its refurbishment. Running or not the owner doesn’t want it.
Unlocked and unloved its now sat for nearly two years, its future uncertain.
Every town in NJ seems to have at least one independent car shop specializing in German, Swedish and British fare.
I was a faithful customer of Euromotors from 2005, with the owner Vic, originally looking after our 2002 Mercedes ML320.
He routinely serviced it while patiently listening to me b
h about its crap build quality and leaking power steering pump (MB USA eventually repaired it in the name of goodwill at eight years old, even refunding the money I’d spent with the indie.) August 2014.
There's always a variety of cars awaiting attention.
Dropping by last week I snapped a few pics of stuff that might interest the PH massive.
MB 190E – very flat paint but otherwise sound.
82K miles.
Very straight looking body suggests the mileage is genuine.
This AH 3000 has been sat here since 2005, possibly longer.
Bar lots of rust in the foot boxes it’s pretty complete.
Thinking of a Sebring Replica I did make a casual enquiry a few years back about it being for sale. Still time to get into my shipping container.
Saved the best till last.
AMG MB SLS or is that MB AMG SLS
A former AMG Experience track day car it was awaiting shipment at Port Newark to a new owner in South America in 2012.
Sadly Hurricane Sandy got to it first, flooding it up to where Whatty Jr’s head is.
Despite the flood water it still smells great.
Commissioned to get it running by the shipping company the shop started stripping it but work ceased when there was some confusion as to who was actually paying for its refurbishment. Running or not the owner doesn’t want it.
Unlocked and unloved its now sat for nearly two years, its future uncertain.
Edited by Whatty on Wednesday 4th February 06:22
Back to 2010 and the day of the Pre Purchase Inspection duly arrives.
Busy at work I’d asked the shop to only call me if the car didn’t come up to scratch and that I’d drive over to meet the owner and continue negotiations at an agreed time if they felt it worth buying.
Half expecting my phone to ring at any moment I duly arrive to find the car up on the lift and the owner sat patiently in the shop’s reception area working on his lap top.
Bar a noisy alternator bearing the car got a clean bill of health, I got my cheque book out and one week later my garage looked like this.
Note the snow. Jersey gets a lot. The roads get a LOT of salt in return.
This winter was particularly bad.
NJ town ordinances dictate ‘Thou shalt keep thy own sidewalk clear of snow and ice for the benefit of those stupid enough to leave the warmth of their own home’
Snow shoveling is the biggest cause of heart attacks in American men.
Essential kit. Ms. Whatty test driving the neighbour’s new AWD self propelled snow blower.
Fortunately I'm not American but it was her turn.
So while waiting for the snow and ice to melt I sat indoors trying to make flat six engine noises while pushing my best Christmas present ever around the dining room table.
Actually I didn’t. Porsche 901 1:18 scale by CMC. Far too nice for playing with. Incredible detail. Everywhere. Crap pic fails to do justice to the interior.
Cheers, Whatty
Busy at work I’d asked the shop to only call me if the car didn’t come up to scratch and that I’d drive over to meet the owner and continue negotiations at an agreed time if they felt it worth buying.
Half expecting my phone to ring at any moment I duly arrive to find the car up on the lift and the owner sat patiently in the shop’s reception area working on his lap top.
Bar a noisy alternator bearing the car got a clean bill of health, I got my cheque book out and one week later my garage looked like this.
Note the snow. Jersey gets a lot. The roads get a LOT of salt in return.
This winter was particularly bad.
NJ town ordinances dictate ‘Thou shalt keep thy own sidewalk clear of snow and ice for the benefit of those stupid enough to leave the warmth of their own home’
Snow shoveling is the biggest cause of heart attacks in American men.
Essential kit. Ms. Whatty test driving the neighbour’s new AWD self propelled snow blower.
Fortunately I'm not American but it was her turn.
So while waiting for the snow and ice to melt I sat indoors trying to make flat six engine noises while pushing my best Christmas present ever around the dining room table.
Actually I didn’t. Porsche 901 1:18 scale by CMC. Far too nice for playing with. Incredible detail. Everywhere. Crap pic fails to do justice to the interior.
Cheers, Whatty
Edited by Whatty on Wednesday 4th February 06:25
astirling said:
Enjoying this thread. 964 looks lovely!
Thanks, the 964 was indeed lovely.In fact it was a bit too lovely really. And this is where the Curse of the Garage Queen enters the story.
For a 19 year old car it was pretty well perfect. From the complete tool kit to the unblemished carpets (even the over-mats had over-mats) the car was without cosmetic fault. Not a door ding, dent or scratch and in New Jersey that’s more a negative than a positive.
NJ - the Garden State. It’s an automotive jungle down there.
With a population of 13 million people, we’re all fighting for the same bit of road and the same parking space, preferably within 10 paces of our office or ‘retail experience’.
Factor in a high number of uninsured immigrant drivers who,s last car was perhaps a bullock cart and you begin to see how unblemished bodywork is a rare thing. Anyone who has driven in the States knows that often the act of driving is secondary to another activity. Drinking coffee, reading a book, breastfeeding etc.
Quote : ‘ The sun was in my eyes but I thought the light was green’
The van driver who hit Ms. Whatty’s ML320 saw his Ford written off.
In fairness to the badly-built-in-Alabama Benz its sheer bulk probably saved her from serious injury.
But I was determined that while the previous two owners had only racked up a miserly average of 2800 miles a year the 964 was going to see a bit more action in my custody.
First job, off with the disco chrome D-90’s & rock hard Dunlop's, on with some easily sourced 16” Cup 1’s & Yokohamas while the hunt began for some Cup 1’s in 17”.
While the previous owner had (unknowingly, another story) had his shop fit Bilstein HD’s to the car just before selling it I thought it only right to swap the original springs for H&R Green’s.
Actually I didn’t think I just followed the sage advice of the Rennlist 964 gang.
Subject to U.S Federal regulation ride height North American 964’s sat a bit higher than their Euro counterparts.
So, going down.
Spot the not-deliberate mistake?
Cheers, Whatty
Edited by Whatty on Friday 6th February 16:14
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