Car overthinking one more time...

"Oppenheimer - not missing my shitboxes anymore" (reivax-rotciv)
01/03/2020 at 06:03 • Filed to: None

Hi ag ain, Opponauts.

Here I am, dealing with my depression (henceforth Black Dog), and with the anxiety of my wife having discovered some lumps in her breast. She cancer history in her family , so she is freaking out (we’re waiting for the doctors to make an appointment for the mammography, and until we get some results she is anxious and in a terrible mood. I’m trying my best to maintain Black Dog on a leash to be able to support her.

Welcome to another episode of Car Overthinking, where I dwell on problems I don’t have at the moment.

There is a good chance that at the end of this year I’ll finally be able to buy a hobby car. I already have the Jazz/Fit for daily driving and family hauling.

I’m lost in the options, so I’ll share all the thoughts that come and go through my head:

- I started thinking on a Discovery 3. They’re unreliable, I know, but I wouldn’t daily drive it. The vision is putting all the family in the car and making the NC500 in Scotland. And if it ever snows again in West Midlands, I’d like having a AWD. BUT.... Family is small (3, hopefully 4 in 2020), so I don’t need a behemoth of a car. And I can’t see myself going offroad in the UK, so maybe a Freelander would be nice.

- Freelander, the original. Buying an automatic td4. Enough space for the family, still AWD with some offroad capability, problematic but not as the Disco3... BUT... too common, don’t feel “different” enough to be a hobby car. In a Venn Diagram with the Jazz, the intersection area of attributes would be over 70%, so it wouldn’t justify itself as a hobby car. Thought briefly about Rav4 and CR-Vs, but the “meh” factor is even bigger.

This line of thought stopped here. So, I need something radically different from the Fit/Jazz.

Miata is always the answer, right? So I went looking on the NCs. Good price, larger of the MX5s, sounded great until I went to a dealer to see if I fitted in it. And no, I don’t . PHRT is more expensive and my head barely touches the roof. Soft top has a roof beam that makes me slouch. I’m in the UK, it rains a lot. And changing seats, etc can cause more headaches than headroom, to NC is not OK. Bummer.

Maybe a Z3? Nope, too small as well. Z4? Yes, at least the reports for tall people are positive. But meh, don’t see myself owning one.

So enough with small cars: let’s go for a big barge! But nothing that I really like, and again, not special enough to ride on weekends only, but not cheap/practical as the Jazz to run every day .

Ideally, I’d like a car fast enough to scare me, with some comfort for two people, that I could take to Caffeine & Machine (cars & coffee ?) without parking in the back parking lot, and CHEAP.

A ny suggestions, remembering that I live in the UK?

Thanks for the space!

DISCUSSION (10)

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > Oppenheimer - not missing my shitboxes anymore
01/03/2020 at 06:34

Diahatsu Terios?

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Oppenheimer - not missing my shitboxes anymore
01/03/2020 at 06:44

Why not a little Jimny? Small still, I know, but they are a fun off-roader so would be a polar opposite to the Fit? Pretty expensive though...

Oppenheimer - not missing my shitboxes anymore > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
01/03/2020 at 06:49

I like the jimny, but can’t see myself greenlaning/offroading here in the UK. Limited options, it seems.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Oppenheimer - not missing my shitboxes anymore
01/03/2020 at 07:18

Hmm...some sort of JDM import? Uh...a classic of some sort? Do you have anything in particular you’re looking for?

I’m biased as I am saving up to import one here to Canada and they are my jam.......but FIAT 126p?

Wouldn’t be practical, or fast, or handle well and you may not fit in it well if you’re a larger guy....but it would be very fun, everybody would laugh/smile at it, it would be unique (rear-engined/air-cooled - nothing like that anymore), easy/cheap to get parts for (they built them in Poland up until 2000), really easy to work on (they’re hilariously simple), ridiculously cheap (a REALLY good one in Poland would be like 3000 Pounds...decent ones can be had for like 1/2-2/3 that price), incredibly analog (which is a nice antidote to today’s cars), no frills. Just a different driving experience. Would be pretty efficient on gas to run (2-cylinder 652cc engine)

The you not fitting thing would be the big deal-breaker though, although there is a surprising amount of room in them for what they are. Also, the ‘fast enough to scare me’ thing wouldn’t happen unless you consider driving a 126p at like v-max at 110kph would feel like a million kph. You could do a FIAT FIRE engine swap though - those are common and give surprising performance? Could also do a bike engine swap if you wanted something ridiculously quick! Two people could fit in it though, and another two 1/3 of a person in the back seats, lol? Would get lots of attention at Cars and Coffee !

Oppenheimer - not missing my shitboxes anymore > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
01/03/2020 at 07:43

Despite having sympathy, as the 127 was made in Brazil (and I don’t fit), I can’t see, apart from the quirkness, how the 126 would be a good choice.

As you said, it won’t fit me, and if it disqualified the NC Miata, it won’t do any good for the 126. And I understand the perceived performance concept, but I need to at least keep up with the traffic in the highways.

I’d say that I’ve considered an Uno, but they’re rare, slow and expensive here.

Thanks for the suggestion anyway!

Eury - AFRICA TWIN!!!!!!! > Oppenheimer - not missing my shitboxes anymore
01/03/2020 at 08:56

If you’re thinking convertible, why not Boxster or 996 generation 911? Great cars for tall people and with the 911 you can fit kids in the back seat.

Oppenheimer - not missing my shitboxes anymore > Eury - AFRICA TWIN!!!!!!!
01/03/2020 at 09:13

I’ve been in an auction in december and sat in an 987 Boxster. Didn’t really enjoyed it, which was a bummer. 996 911 is way over my budget unfortunately.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Oppenheimer - not missing my shitboxes anymore
01/03/2020 at 10:11

I tried. :P

There’s always something like the Seicento Sporting as well? But you want something a lot different from the Fit.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Oppenheimer - not missing my shitboxes anymore
01/03/2020 at 10:44

A lot of this depends on whether you want a modern classic or something a bit older.

For unique and cool and old, I would suggest an imported Corvair. They aren’t too slow with the turbo engine, it should fit on UK roads (American “compact”) and is simple to keep running. Cons, LHD.

For a modern classic, I don’t know but I’m sure there are some great suggestions here.

Longtime Lurker > Oppenheimer - not missing my shitboxes anymore
01/04/2020 at 02:02

Vauxhall VXR8 OR Monaro VXR