The Continuous Car Thread of S_S - Skodas, BMWs, Austins...

[surprising_skoda]

I don't know if this is a good idea or not, but, well... here goes.

I've long argued against starting project threads as I take a long time to do anything. Years, in fact. But, one thread for the whole lot might move at a pace slightly above a snails, so here it is, one big project thread.

So prepare yourself for a history lesson first.

Started young.


Dad had this


Then this


Then this. I had no chance.


Everyone I knew in 2002 wanted a Corsa GSi. I wanted a Skoda Estelle. I saved up and bought this before I had a licence.


[ I still have this, it is a rolling bare shell awaiting customisation. Is still solid!]

and meanwhile used this "Suzuki RG125 UN Wolf Hypersport" until I passed my car test (fifth go...)

[used for two years then sold on when it failed the MOT on no less than FOURTEEN failures including brake fluid dripping on the front disc and 2-stroke dripping on the rear...]

then mistakenly bought this in 2004 when I passed


Came to my senses very quickly, sold Arosa at a massive loss then bought this

[still have this, NEARLY DONE!]

and then proceeded to buy a whole host of old Skodas that were not very good.

Then I did something right, and bought this orange 120L

originally a 120L5 in yucky green, had been badly painted and badly fitted with a 130 engine, I stripped the engine down four times in two weeks (while using it daily for work!) until i found the flywheel bolts had not been torqued up by PO, had rattled around in the gearbox casing and only one bolt was holding on... ended up needing a gearbox as the fly was off and cut the casing apart]

Which I then turned into this:


Kept that for a long time. Took it to Retro Rides show in England...

There's not many I miss but I miss that one.
[sold it after putting it back to sort-of standard spec to someone from Donegal who promised to keep in touch... and didn't ]

Then a friend from England gave me another Favorit and drove it over to me! and I had some fun...

[still have this, hibernating after terminal rust put it off the road.]

Lots of Estelles, a couple of Rapids and a couple of other Favorits floated around in here. So did some other detritus. I liked 106s for a while (still do!)
One of many:



Then the first BMW arrived.

[went through several wheel/stance guises over a few years then put back to standard and swapped for a white E32]

Followed by more, more and more. Went through approx 75 E34s.


Took a break, had a Rover. Loved it.



[needed a car quick. Found this with T&T for £100, smashed into on one side. Used other door, e-braked everywhere as no pads left, rolled for two weeks, got told off by my boss and spent £100 on fixing parts only to find it had a bent B pillar, scrapped for £100. Would have been A-OK if I hadn't bought the panels! Kept the 88k peachy engine for future somethings]

Also had a Xantia, Pony, 820si, Safrane, more Favorits, and lots of these:

[this one cost £17.01 NOT off ebay! and needed a wheel bearing to get past MOT. Sold to a mate]

Built a drift car. Never used it.


[tried to sell, yoof bought it, took for long test drive, broke the engine, came back, assaulted me and retrieved his money. Police showed up 90 minutes later. Scrapped the car in disgust]

Moved to E32s.

Full thing here:
1991 BMW 735i 14-into-1 (or 2) project | Retro Rides
[could have cried. took years to build up the most fantabulous stash of awesome bits to build this, M5 LSD, 6 speed, proven strong 4.0 V8, red leather, Zender body parts - and then the chassis rail crumpled under the jack when I went to start trial fitting the engine. Scrapped car and project]


Did a couple of Imprezas...

[both sold on after a few months]


and a couple of these

[blue one and silver one both sold on when MOTs expired. Hateful things]

Busy now:


Somewhere in there, Minis became the next fad.


Did not last long, sold them all on. Will have another later.

Along the line I had developed an E28 crush
Another RRG visit (2011?)

1988 BMW E28 525e (x2) (saved from the scrap... | Retro Rides
[this went to fund business. Still around, have almost bought it back twice. Needs rescued now, current owner not being good to it]

So to recap:
Drove Estelle in 2004-05
Passed test 05
Drove Arosa 05 then Favorit Estate (green)
Drove Estelle 06-11
Drove 525iT 07-10
Drove FavorAt 07-09
Drove 525e '10-11

Then I went car-less for a little while as I sold everything that moved to start my business.

 

[surprising_skoda]

Skimming the surface!


1993 525i Touring auto. set of winter tyres and I could go ANYWHERE in the snow, leaving the whole family to school/work when no-one else could even escape their drive. used more PAS fluid than petrol, lasted the two months of winter then got broken.


Ex-stock Rapid for bits


E34 tds that had the exhaust cut off and used as a barge. I did actually use this on the road for a very short time, minus a rear door and the sills literally disintegrated. Such a strong motor in it.


Oh this was good. 1988 525i Auto with 72k one owner. Bought for cheaps, had no use of it and then suddenly my dad did, he took it away, used it for 18months then the cambelt snapped. Engine wrecked, could not get one anywhere for almost a year! It was almost mint too. Ended up broke which was an actual shame.


Another one. Bought for £130 but it was fab. Seat fell back under acceleration, suspension was very soft, but it was fun. Sold it for £180 with two weeks test left.

And another one. Don't remember this one.


This TDS was all manner of disgusting. Eventually managed to sell it for what it cost me.


This was the first FavorAt. Cost £90 with MOT, stripped it out and used for work 3 miles away. Which was as far as it could go before seizing as it used up all of it's oil in 1 minute. So I just ran it without oil and didn't go very far. it was fine.
Obviously no mission of putting an MOT on that so it ended thusly:



Rescued purple estate from scrapyard. Terminal ECU melt-down that pro garages couldn't diagnose or fix was cured in moments by replacing ECU with another one. They're not coded, it's just an ignition ECU. Rang up to book MOT, found it had 8 months still on it, happy days! Full tank of petrol and had just had new filters. I used it, then my dad had it, it got rusty as he's beside the sea, came back to me, sold again, bought back with blown HG, scrapped it four years later than it would have been.


Eugh.




Eugh, proper eugh. what a crock of poo this was.

Another stock car rapid for bits. Easiest way to strip it...


The only picture of it, thankfully.






Oh! I got another black E30 coupe then...

did some work, sold to a mate, he did some, found bulkhead was rusty, sold it back, we broke it then. Wsa nice car too but we'd had enough of rust.


My mum way way back had had a matching Favorit estate to mine. I eventually teased it off her when she got the black E39 above. Fitted wheels and lows and scrubbed my way around for a few weeks. This one is parked as work as a parts donor for mine.


Friend bought this for £20 and brought it to mine. We stripped it.

Oh, there it is, the 528i Touring I miss.


And that's a high note to stop posting on.

 

[surprising_skoda]

Oh, along the line, approx 2010/11, these were in the picture

[ sold to a guy I know who likes restoring BMWs. Sold in this instance means swapped for E21 bits.]


[ The plank that I rented my first unit from put the toes of a forklift through this. Refrained from smashing his face in. Just.]


[This was my first Rapid, and about my 6th-ish car. Bought from a Skoda-forum member in Liverpool, 2 owners. Did not need it so my mum used it. Then it lay around, sold it to a work-mate, he slid and walloped the back end. Bought it back, sold to my brother, who let it lay and it eventually rusted beyond salvaging. Bought it back, still sitting in work.]







and one of the "list" items was ticked off when I bought this 5,400 mile 2-owner original NI Skoda Rapid 136 in white, October 2010 if memory serves.

[still have it]

Also in late 2010, 1978 BMW E21
http://retrorides.proboards.com/thread/87787/1978-fault-rob0r-engine-reveal
[sold to a customer/friend in Wicklow, who is almost finished rebuilding it]

So having sold all the usable cars when starting up the business, I needed something to drive.
Cue another E34. 535i manual with welded diff.

[passed MOT with welded diff! Brilliant to drive, lairy but tight. Never made any effort to make it nice, covered it in advertising, then sold it, bought it back smashed, sold as donor car for a white 520]

One of the best car purchases I've made, among many bad ones, was this 2001 Alfa Romeo 156 V6 Veloce Sportwagon in August 2011.Came from Bangor with FSH and 82250 miles, now has 96750.

[still have it. have upgraded seats, wheel, mirrors, and added some touches around it. recently got stainless exhaust made and I HATE it. Totally wrong tone for the car, makes it unbearable.]

And quickly started building a new fleet.

[sold to my dad in the end. Did him several years then boiled over and then did the autobox in after having a new engine. Scrapped]

[cut the exhaust off and enjoyed terrorising everyone with a manual V8 with no silencing. Then one day it just quit. Broke it after that]

I had to dig the pink wheels I'd had on many a 5 series out again for this:

[broke after MOT ran out. my mum and I and someone else all had a bit of driving out of it first mind]

and this was a great car

[sdi, great car, used it for three weeks then sold it]

The summer of 2012 - time to get a bike again!

[Sold October 14. Had loud exhaust. had to fit flip-up screen as it was made for little Japanese sized people]


and this 535i Sport

[looked and went well but such a bad shell. broke it.]

replaced by this 540iA (in full new car every month swing by now)

[sold it]

The end of 2012, time for another car on the list to be ticked off!

http://retrorides.proboards.com/thread/138398/again-road-trip#.U_1DdmOUGic
[still have this monstrosity]

And a 528i manual to daily over winter

[was a great car in the making, heated black leather, lent it my dad and he totally burnt the clutch out, then denied it and said it had broken down. was not impressed.]

Early doors 2013 and a friend and I were off to pick up another Skoda for me and a BMW for him


[he still has the Daytona, now more appealing looking, and I still have the Skoda]

Summer '13 is when I decided I liked Alfa 164s.
No time to waste. 1996 v6 24v Cloverleaf manual project purchased.

[scabby Brummie PO stole important bits before it was collected and told me it was solid when it was in fact NOT. Still almost got fixed until I had a wedge of cash waved at me. Someone else now fixing it.]

And also when E34s made their comeback into my collection

[Sold this November 14. I put a lot of effort into this one. Regretted selling since the moment the cash hit the bank.]

for the winter another 164 was required, clearly. 1989 v6 12v Super manual.

[bought from a Retro Rides forum member. Couldn't get on with it, just wasn't quite there for me, so sold it. The same family bought this one and the red clover.]

 

[surprising_skoda]

So we're almost up to date.

early 2014 these came and went



(2001 X5 4.4 V8 Sport, gearbox went funny as per usual)
(1997 M3 3.2 Evo Cabrio, engine exploded! as per usual)
(1994 740i auto, immaculate, sold it, was perfect - as per usual)


Sold both of my CZ motorbikes


so mid-2014 the Rapid looked like this:


and Favorit:


540i before it was sold:


1994 BMW 525i Sport:


The 156:

 

[surprising_skoda]

In the summer of 2014 I added these two:

M535i I picked up in July and drove the length of GB to a wedding in Dornoch in the highlands to be best man and wear a kilt.
S110R I picked up in August and drove the width of GB via Retro Rides show and home through Wales.

10" rears clear the arm by 5mm. Success!

At the end of August I blew a house deposit on something shiny.

Along with the new Austin I bought the makings of a third 7.
Got this semi-rolling chassis to work from...

September the E28 needed wheels:

and stripped the Austin 7 #1 for new body preparation:

 

[surprising_skoda]

October, nearly up to date now...
Bought Saab. hated Saab. Swapped Saab for E39.

Also bought Impreza.

Took Silver Austin racing

November, spent another fortune of money going to England and buying this:

hand-built reshell body for Red 7.


my first car after passing my test was a red 03 Arosa, I returned to where it sort of all began -
- with this 2002 1.0 Arosa in the same red

Which drove just as badly as my first did after I walloped it. So it was some kind of "resolve your unresolved issues" thing as I never did fix the first one properly, and this one needed all the suspension and lower arms renewed. This wasn't hit though, just lowered too much(!) and not looked after.
It does have 44k from new though and I'm the third owner.

 

[surprising_skoda]

November 14:

This age-old E32 project is back on:
Because 740.

and a copy&paste:

So, lets update again:

1930 Austin 7 Ulster - New Alloy body being prepped for first fit.
193? Austin 7 Special - old GRP body stripped for cleaning and paint.
1936 Austin 7 Special - no change.
1978 Cadillac Coupe De Ville - no change.
1978 Skoda S110R - inside hiding from scary wet stuff.
1985 Skoda Estelle 120L5 - semi-inside, hopefully selling soon.
1986 BMW M535i - in need of HG. still.
1986 BMW 635i - now will not run.
1987 Skoda Estelle 130LSE - no change.
1989 Skoda Rapid 136 - no change.
1992 Skoda FavorAt - no change.
1992 Skoda Favorit Pickup - provisionally sold.
1994 Skoda Favorit GLXiE CD - no change.
1994 BMW 740i - waiting manual swapsies.
1997 BMW M3 Evo - MOT due, needs a couple of tiny things
1999 BMW M3 Evo - no change.
2000 BMW 535i Sport - finally here!
2000 Subaru Impreza Sport Special - in daily use.
2001 Alfa Romeo 156 - just a brake flexi then MOT and daily.
2002 Seat Arosa - almost ready.


A couple of weeks ago I flew to Glasgow to pick up another E32. It made it 200 yards then terminally died. I got a lift from an old friend who lived nearby back to the port without the car and frankly had a pretty miserable Saturday evening/Sunday morning.
Had the car recovered and it is still not any keener on starting and the fuel can I left in it has gone walkabouts.

Literally hate it now, so it will get broken. Slight shame to annihilate a 735i manual, but then it should work if it wants to live.

The 540 went to live be horribly mutilated by an "enthusiast" far, far away:

I sold this 328:

and bought this one from Norfolk:

Also arriving at the same time were a couple of cars I bought in summer but hadn't brought home until now:

The 535 Sport will be a daily for a while, the 635 will get an MOT and then maybe used a bit when the weather improves next year.

And while waiting for them, someone I know accosted me by text and worked out a deal that saw me take possession of yet another M3:

I'm no E36 fan, but Techno Violet is hard to resist.


And so to the Arosa. It was purchased a few weeks ago, but drove horribly. New wishbones, ARB bushes, and all new struts and springs should sort all the handling issues out, and new tyres too.

A little trial fit...

it will end up on standard wheels but these just look so cool on it.

 

[surprising_skoda]

And we're bang up to date, as of Febbelary:

New to me Triumph TT600

In other news one of the Estelles was dragged out and powerhosed...

That's the best picture I've taken to date and I've had this car 9.5 years...

silver M535i is up for sale

So is the E39

 

[surprising_skoda]

And so to make it accurate:


Red 1930 Austin 7 Ulster - New Alloy body waiting for some paint.
Blue 193? Austin 7 Special - old GRP body stripped for cleaning and paint.
Silver 1936 Austin 7 Special - no change. Preparing for upcoming race.
Black 1978 Cadillac Coupe De Ville - in workshop waiting on some new parts fitting.
Orange 1978 Skoda S110R - inside hiding from scary wet stuff.
Beige 1985 Skoda Estelle 120L5 - hopefully selling soon.
Black 1986 BMW M535i - in need of HG. still.
Silver 1987 BMW M535i - for sale
Black 1986 BMW 635i - needs brakes serviced then MOT
Orange 1987 Skoda Estelle 130LSE - hiding away under cover.
White 1989 Skoda Rapid 136 - in workshop waiting on some love. Since forever.
Burgundy 1991 BMW 730i - was cheap, and I can't resist a cheap E32!
Green 1991 Skoda Favorit Pickup - considering diesel conversion or for sale.
Red 1992 Skoda FavorAt - abandoned out of sight!
White 1992 Skoda Favorit Pickup - considering diesel conversion or for sale.
Green 1994 Skoda Favorit GLXiE CD - at work now so I cna think about doing something with it.
Black 1994 BMW 740i - awaiting manual swapsies.
Purple 1997 BMW M3 Evo - MOT due, needs a couple of tiny things
Blue 1999 BMW M3 Evo - now going to break it.
Black 2000 BMW 535i Sport - for sale, been a great car.
Black 2000 Subaru Impreza Sport Special - sold.
Red 2001 Alfa Romeo 156 - battery went flat, again. Sort of daily, some weeks, a bit.
Red 2002 Seat Arosa - my mother has appropriated this. Then again I've "borrowed" her 528i Touring.
Blue 2002 Triumph TT600 - using as much as possible. Only 12k, needs run in yet!


Now I have a bit of a conflict of interest in that some cars come through work and I own them but they're not part of "my" cars... I'm not sure by what measuring stick to decide if they get a mention or not. If I keep them at home or use them daily for a while, does that count?
Currently using a 2002 X5 diesel
840ci I plan to use a bit once it's MOTd
E46 330ci I appropriated off a mate then sold on again after using it a wee bit...?
And two work vans, but yawn.

Well, we shall see where this goes. it may just die a death, and that's fair.

 

[Andy044]

Great thread, hope to see it updated regularly.
Could do with something similar myself too many projects (though not as many as you) bought for the right money at the wrong time so end up sitting until I have the time/money to get near them

Surprised to see so few 3 series
325i sports have always been a favourite of mine but am yet to own one.

 

[micko]

Enjoyed that! Some car history. Always enjoy your threads/posts, you have a unique way of putting things...

 

[Coog]

Enjoyed that! Some car history. Always enjoy your threads/posts, you have a unique way of putting things...

X2. Great read!!! I love some of the older Skoda's!

 

[Lyons]

Fantastic post. You've had some cars!

Would be good to see some of those projects finished.

 

[j44nty]

Perfect loved that cheers. I would love a yard at the House I could fill with pruck but the wife would crack.

 

[collyirwin11]

Really enjoyed reading that. You have come across a great variety of cars. I look forward to seeing progress.

 

[Jamie-g]

That was a cool read for a Sunday morning. Cheers for that. Keep us updated.

 

[iimm]

Entertaining read, but my god you've had more scrap than t-met.
I 'think' your heading the right direction though (at times)......

 

[McFall1984]

Great read
You have some more interesting bits in your yard to

 

[Gavlar]

Love your Skoda's! Lol why'd you not get on with Imprezas out if interest? Seemed like you didn't keep them long

 

[MarkyMck]

Some selection you have had!

 

[RolyaT]

Great read on a Sunday morning, I love some of the older bm's.

 

[Mark_C]

Did your dad used to go to Dungannon camera club about 18-20 years ago, if so I remember him being there as I did.

 

[surprising_skoda]

Did your dad used to go to Dungannon camera club about 18-20 years ago, if so I remember him being there as I did.

Yes!
And if you're after a real wee twist, I'm writing this reply off George Mac's daughters' ipad...

 

[surprising_skoda]

Love your Skoda's! Lol why'd you not get on with Imprezas out if interest? Seemed like you didn't keep them long

To be fair there is very little I keep for a long time. Got on with them grand,and if I had a need that one would fill I would keep one. Still very much enjoy the black sport even though it's 85% sold

 

[Ollie]

Some nice motors... Too bad you're the most awkward **** I've ever dealt with.