Car Lego!

"RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars" (rallydarkstrike) 03/29/2020 at 09:00 • Filed to: Car Lego

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Hi all!

Thought I would start the morning off with a discussion on ‘car Lego’, haha! As in, if there are parts from any other trims/models of your car, or any other cars from your car’s manufacturer that would swap out and bolt directly into your car, which of those parts would you want to swap in? :)

To make things interesting, I am banning engine/transmission swaps....because those are the obvious thing. Instead, are there body panels/kits? Wings/spoilers? Interior trim? Features (like a rear wiper, say, that was available but your car doesn’t have)? Different headlights or taillights? Etc!

So, what ‘car Lego’ parts would you swap onto your car if you had the chance? :)

I’ll start!

For me? There are a few things I wouldn’t mind swapping into Humdrum, my ‘09 Accent. One would be the rear seatbacks. For some reason, on the 2006 model year cars of the MC gen Accent hatchback , the 60/40 folding seat featured a flip-down armrest with cupholders in the center, but the 2007-2011 hatch had that feature removed! I guess for cost savings? Would be nice to swap the older seatbacks in to get that feature for when I have passengers in the back! (Can’t find any pictures because as this was a feature that was only out there for one year, it’s hard to find images of it!)

Another thing I wouldn’t mind for fun would be a gauge cluster swap. I have this cluster in my car...lime green backlighting, tach, speedo and fuel gauge:

I would love to do a swap to one of the higher trim clusters that has a coolant temperature gauge. The cool thing is I could get it either from another Accent or a Kia Rio as the clusters are the same, it’s just the gauge face designs that are different, so as long as I go t a ‘manual trans.’ and ‘kph, not mph’ cluster, it would be plug and play and work instantly! A downside is that the odometer is stored PER CLUSTER, so I would have to find a cluster with as close a mileage to my current car’s mileage as possible. Here’s the temperature gauge version:

I think the cluster I like the most, though, is the cluster from the final model years of 2006-2011 Kia Rio....the backlighting wouldn’t match any of the rest of the backlighting in my dash (white/red vs. lime green), but I love the gauge face design with that neat deep red and silver accenting! Sadly this cluster design was never available with the temperature gauge, but the style makes up for it in my eyes! :)
I wouldn’t care if the backlighting didn’t match...it’s my car, so I just like the ability to customize it to what I like. :) The stereo in bro’s car died and we replaced it from a later 2010 Accent stereo....except that bro’s car is a 2009 and 2010 cars were when Hyundai swapped to it’s blue backlighting, so all his backlighting is lime green with blue only on the stereo....keeps things interesting! :P One nice thing about a cluster swap too is that these cars are really easy to work on....removing a cluster is like...6 screws and a plug, that’s it!

So Oppo, what ‘Lego’ parts would you swap into your car? :)

glemon > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 03/29/2020 at 09:19

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I have an IS300, the wiring is there for the heated seats. Started reading an internet forum where somebody claimed all the seats had heat ing elements, you just needed the switches. That turned out to be too good to be true. But I would still like to get the switches and the some seats so I could swap over. Also a limited slip diff. Lastly, and this one isn’t really within the rules, I still have the stock stereo on a shelf, I would love to get it repaired (cassette and CD both died) and Bluetooth added, then I could have the best of all worlds.

WilliamsSW > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 03/29/2020 at 09:25

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I would put a wagon body on my 2014 E class, and also add a heated steering wheel.

Then I would have a non-AMG TTV8 wagon, which would be awesome and a one-off, since Mercedes didn't offer that (at least not in the US).

Grindintosecond > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 03/29/2020 at 09:29

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As I understand it, Subarus boxers are Lego bricks. Every ej part will go in/on every ej case. Imprezas are interchange masters. Grab scrap, you got a car! .

citrus > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 03/29/2020 at 09:39

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This car is so lego’d.

Aussie Caprice steering wheel, g8 rear seats, gen2 ctsv wheels, gen1 ctsv brakes, g8 exhaust, custom hsv style front seats, led taillights,

I really want to put carpet in it, but the carpet is expensive and would have to coincide with more sound deadening in the cabin

HoustonRunner > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 03/29/2020 at 09:40

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For the E28 I’d like an LSD and sport seats.

For my Suburban I’d like the RST package minus the wheels - 6.2, 10 speed transmission, and Brembos.

E90M3 > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 03/29/2020 at 09:41

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I’d want the backlit gear knob and small lip spoil er from the E9X M3 on my 328i.

Jim Spanfeller > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 03/29/2020 at 09:52

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I’ve made a few posts about this subject before, as it’s one of my favorite automotive-related subjects. I love it when it’s possible to create new body styles for cars using interchangeable factory parts. First, here’s an Icon Derelict DeSoto Wagon:

DeSoto didn’t make wagons in that body style. But Mopars of that era often had interchangeable (or at least somewhat interchangeable) body parts, so they were able to put a DeSoto nose on a Chrysler wagon body. Next, Pontiac Tempest wagons and Chevy El Caminos shared a platform in the late 60s/early 70s, and the front sheetmetal of one will bolt right up to the other, along with several interior parts. One Pontiac dealership did this back in the day in an attempt to get GM to build more utes:

Also, many GM cars shared the 1973-77 Colonnade platform, including the El Camino, and the front clips and doors of those cars will all bolt to the El Camino body. For some of them, you might have to modify the El Camino quarter panels slightly so the styling matches up, but the Pontiac Grand Am’s styling matched up perfectly, so it’s a relatively easy conversion:

Also, despite the GTO being built on the Tempest platform, the Tempest was available in several body styles that the GTO was not, such as sedans and wagons. But you can easily swap over the GTO-specific body parts and drivetrain to those Tempests if you want a four-door GTO or GTO wagon.

WilliamsSW > citrus 03/29/2020 at 09:54

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That looks great!  Love the wheels.  I'm used to only seeing these with Illinois State Police livery on the side,  and they look great with a little dress up. 

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Grindintosecond 03/29/2020 at 09:55

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Yup, this is true! :D

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > WilliamsSW 03/29/2020 at 09:56

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That would be pretty cool! I do love hatchbacks and wagons...my favorite vehicle bodystyles!

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > E90M3 03/29/2020 at 09:56

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Ooo, excellent choices! I do like not-overly-garrish-spoilers, so that would look nice!

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > HoustonRunner 03/29/2020 at 09:57

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I wouldn’t mind an LSD on my Accent....it was never offered with one, but it would be a huge help when driving through deeper snow in the winter!

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > glemon 03/29/2020 at 09:59

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I’ve co ntemplated an aftermarket stereo for my car lately, to b e honest, to get Bluetooth going on. I’ve been using my old MP3 player plugged in with an Aux cable...

Are the heated seats hard to find? Maybe a local Pick-N-Pull yard would have ‘em?

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > citrus 03/29/2020 at 10:00

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Ooo, very nice! I do quite like those rims on that car...they fit well!

Brickman > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 03/29/2020 at 10:07

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On my S-10 I want a blazer center console, overhead console from blazer , gauge cluster that has the RPM gauge, and m aybe some 4th gen camaro seats.

DasWauto > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 03/29/2020 at 10:13

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For my 128i a lot of E9x M3 things can be bolted on. I could swap in the entire rear subframe/suspension/diff/brakes but that’s overkill for a <200whp car. I might do the M3 front control arms for additional camber but I’ll wait to see how it is after I install the Ohlins R&T and camber plates. I will put in a set of M3 rear subframe bushings because the non-M ones are very squishy and apparently offer too much deflection when you go to stiffer suspension. I  might also grab a 135i gauge cluster, because it has a water temp gauge that the 128i doesn’t, for some reason.

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 03/29/2020 at 10:18

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Lego car. Oh, wait...

I’ve already done a bit of this to my Mazda5 6MT. In order to get the manual transmission I had to give up some of the goodies, but I figured that those would be easier to add/change than the transmission. So far I’ve added the better head unit with the 6-disc CD changer, the leather steering wheel with the additional controls (so far they’re unused, but I’ll get back to that), a leather shift knob from an RX-8, a Bluetooth kit and some other stuff I can’t remember.

I have a fancy mirror with compass and other stuff that came out of a Mazda6 as well as the leather parking brake handle that I need to install.

I’d like to find the factory Bluetooth and body control modules so that I can better integrate BT into the car and use the extra buttons on the steering wheel instead of using a separate controller. So far I have been unable to find any 2012+ Mazda5s at my usual pick and pull lots.

I would like to integrate more USB ports into my car. The 2013+ models have one, and it actually ties into the stereo, but I have a 2012. I just want them for charging, and have the parts to add them, but like so many things, I just need to install them.

I have added a number of factory switches, and a coin holder, to replace the dummy switches on the dash. One is used for an iPod/iPhone/iPad controller of my own design, but I’d like to re-engineer it to incorporate a microphone. The others are unassigned, but could be used for fog lights if I don’t go with the OEM switch on a stalk; I’d grab one of those if I ever find a 2012+ at the junkyard.

If I find them, I might add the rear spoiler and side skirts, but they’re not priority items. My car is a one year only color on this bodystyle, so finding matching parts would be a challenge.

I do want to do some other mods, like relocating rear speakers (or just the outputs) and adding some floodlights in the mirrors, but those aren’t Lego type mods, just modifications, that I want to do. As always, I have the parts, now it’s just a matter of getting good weather and the time to tear things apart. Right now I have the time, but my area seems  to be experiencing tornado-like conditions at the moment...

WilliamsSW > Jim Spanfeller 03/29/2020 at 10:21

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I’ve also seen a number of Olds 442 wagons, usually from the 70-72 time frame.

Fun fact about 60s muscle cars - virtually all were only available as 2 doors, but there are at least 2 exceptions.  The 61 Impala SS and 64 Olds 442 were available as 4 doors. At least a handful of the 442s were built, and I think that's true of the SS, too.

KnowsAboutCars > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 03/29/2020 at 10:28

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I have an N15 Nissan Almera. If it was in condition worth keeping I would be tempted to swapping gti front bumper and early JDM Pulsar grille on it (alongside with other modifications). But as it sits right now it’s not really in a condition worth building anything nice out of it.

What ( early) GTi looks like:

What Pulsar grille looks like:

What late model non- GTi Almera looks like:

Jim Spanfeller > WilliamsSW 03/29/2020 at 10:29

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Ooh, nice. Forgot about the 442 wagons. I think Australia was the only place where four-door muscle cars were common...

WilliamsSW > Jim Spanfeller 03/29/2020 at 10:37

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The Impala SS and 442 prove that we didn’t really want 4 door muscle a t that time. Any 61 SS is rare, but I’ve never seen a 4 door. And something like 10 of the 4000 1964 442s were sedans.

I think Olds built a 442 Vista Cruiser or two, just playing around. They’re really cool, but the VC weighed a lot more than a Cutlass.

The Aussie muscle cars are so cool - and yeah,  a lot of 4 doors down there. 

fhrblig > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 03/29/2020 at 10:40

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This.

My F-150 XL has the poverty-spec interior. That’s fine, but my armrest doesn’t have the cupholders shown here; it’s just a solid slab. The cupholders I do have sprout out of the dash and they suck. I was hoping to find one of these in a junkyard, but there aren’t many 11th-gen F-150s there. I really want to get one  but I don’t think I can justify spending around $300-350 until we get those stimulus checks.

fhrblig > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 03/29/2020 at 10:47

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I’ve a lways wanted to do weird mash-ups of vehicles. I love the idea of an S10 converted with Bravada parts into an Oldsmobile pickup.

I also have always wanted to convert an old Isuzu pickup into a Honda using Passport bits. I had no idea Honda actually sold it in Thailand.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 03/29/2020 at 11:20

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My Volvo 850 has a set of V70 front seats, and a C70 wheels on it. 

If I were going to mess with the Cruze (which I’m not) , I’d want to essentially do an LTZ conversion: Leather seats, rear disc brakes, sport suspension (slightly stiffer and about 1/4 to 1/2" lower). I’m also thinking Sonic wheels:

Junkrat aka Rick Sanchez: Fury Road Edition > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 03/29/2020 at 11:51

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I want the black Si interior for my EK Civic. Any cluster with a tach, at least on these you can physically swap the original odometer into the new cluster. 4 wheel discs off an Integra, and with that it will allow me to run sway bars. If I get bored one winter stitch weld the body like the Type R, but we both know that will never happen.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Jim Spanfeller 03/29/2020 at 12:15

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Yup, you can do some pretty interesting stuff with older GM platforms!

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Junkrat aka Rick Sanchez: Fury Road Edition 03/29/2020 at 12:16

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Yeah, stitch-welded bodies take a LOT of work...

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > DasWauto 03/29/2020 at 12:18

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You guys thinking of all these suspension upgrades have far loftier goals than I do :P

Not a ‘Lego’ bolt in swap, but I wouldn’t mind putting some Poly bushings into the suspension of my....at 175,000kms I don’t think the original bushings have ever been replaced....at least, not that I know of since I bought it at 54,000kms!

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 03/29/2020 at 12:20

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Ooo, all good choices! I have two 12v sockets in the front of my car, so I can leave a dual-port USB charger in all the time, with the other one dedicated to my dashcam, so that is nice. :)

Would love to see some of your mods come to fruition....the Mazda 5 seems overlooked by folks, neat MPV things and they had manual options! :D

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Snuze: Needs another Swede 03/29/2020 at 12:21

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Coolness, I had a friend with an older C70 Coupe...lightly modded (some of which was already done when he got it). He liked it a lot but eventually had to sell it as there was so much he had to put right and he didn’t have the money :(

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > fhrblig 03/29/2020 at 12:22

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Mashups of odd parts like this would be interesting! I imagine I could bolt a Kia Rio front clip into my Accent and have a 2-door Rio, but the Rio was never offered in the same paint colors, so I would need to get it all repainted :P

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > fhrblig 03/29/2020 at 12:23

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Yeah....I find used parts online can be ridiculously expensive...

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > KnowsAboutCars 03/29/2020 at 12:24

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Shame it’s not in a condition to do anything to! Just means you need to get a second project car that is? :P

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > KnowsAboutCars 03/29/2020 at 12:24

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Shame it’s not in a condition to do anything to! Just means you need to get a second project car that is? :P

Boxer_4 > fhrblig 03/29/2020 at 12:26

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The first generation can look really good with this swap.  

Nick Has an Exocet > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 03/29/2020 at 13:53

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Here’s a fun one: 91-96 Valve Cover from the Ford Escort GT fits on the Miata. The Escort GT and LX-E, along with Tracer STS, used the 1.8l Mazda motor from about 1992 to 1995

Forrest > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 03/29/2020 at 14:36

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It would be fun to put a GTI turbo on my base MK7 Golf 1.8T. It just bolts up. GoAPR.com and others sell reflashes to get the most out of this setup.

I probably won’t do it though. The base golf already  has enough power  to keep me amused.

glemon > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 03/29/2020 at 15:27

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I check the inventory every once in a while, they don't come up very often.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 03/29/2020 at 15:32

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That’s unfortunate, t he C70s are nice cars. Ive got someone looking at a 240 for me today. If its good I think I’m gonna get it. Then I just have to figure out how - its 2 states away from me! 

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Forrest 03/29/2020 at 17:45

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The 110hp in my Accent is enough to keep me amused, lol! MOAR POWER is all well and good, but only up to a point....after that, it sortof doesn’t matter because when are you going to be able to use it all!

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Nick Has an Exocet 03/29/2020 at 17:46

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Haha, it would be amusing to see people’s faces after opening a Miata’s hood to see that!

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Snuze: Needs another Swede 03/29/2020 at 17:47

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Ooo, road trip? I do much love the old ‘brick’ Volvos....so unique :)

Snuze: Needs another Swede > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 03/29/2020 at 17:52

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Yeah, but I need to find someone crazy enough to go with me, what with all the Corona stuff going on. Its almost 3 00 km away.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Snuze: Needs another Swede 03/29/2020 at 17:59

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Yeah, I’ve been hoping that the Polish Zloty would fall against the Canadian Dollar to make it cheaper for me to import a 126p and then I might consider going for it right now and say “I’ll deal with it when it arrives’ to finding a place to store it...but I wouldn’t risk it with COVID...

Snuze: Needs another Swede > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 03/29/2020 at 18:07

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I would - just open it up, air it out, and lysol the heck out of it.  Honestly the virus would probably die in the time it takes to transit, if you get it it would be from a port or customs worker on your side. 

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Snuze: Needs another Swede 03/29/2020 at 18:23

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Oh, I agree - when I say ‘risk it with COVID’ I mean, I sortof feel guilty spending that money now when schools are closed and I have no income and I should probably save it JUST in case I need to bust open the FIAT fund to pay for other stuff :(

Snuze: Needs another Swede > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 03/29/2020 at 20:41

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Oh okay. I think that makes sense. If you have no income coming in, then yeah, its probably best to wait.

KnowsAboutCars > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 03/30/2020 at 04:56

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Project car search is always on (although not Almera). This one will probably stay around though unless I run out of space (good to have a spare car around) so maybe if I have the motivation some day it will get repaired.