The General Car Thread - The Facelift.

[Petrolheadia]

My dad is now thinking that he might keep the Corolla and buy a cheap car for me and him. It'd be my learner + first car, a cheap hauler for his DIY stuff, a tow car, a winter beater...

He's thinking about buying a cheap worn Honda CR-V (5-7k PLN ~ $1350-1900).

But I don't see myself getting an SUV, and propose a 1992 Volvo 945.

It has over 428kkm (266k miles) of mileage, but the 2.0 Redblock engine is known to last way longer, the owner is throwing in a new LPG installation and valid insurance+inspection until 2020, and it is listed for 2900 PLN ($750).

Do you think it is a good first car/DIYer beater idea?

I guess with the Volvo you could probably fix most of it yourself, which you should enjoy to do as you'll be fixing it a lot. You're very ballsy buying a car with more than 200,000kms on the clock let alone 480,000

It's gonna be a cheap family beater besides its use by me. The competitors are 200k+ CR-Vs, 250k+ Cherokees, Discoveries, E36s, E39s, B4 Audi 80s and Opel Omegas, and 300k+ W202 or W210s.

I'm not seeing myself in an SUV, the Benzes and Opel rust quite a lot, and I don't think the Audi or Bimmers have what it takes.

[Cannot think of a name]

You cats like those big soft luxury boats, right? You all down for this 70s bit of excess jim tackery? I had a Hot Wheel of one of these as a kid, was always fascinated by in the same way you would be if a peacock wearing a top hat with sparklers would keep walking by.

[Cannot think of a name]

Hol-lee shit...it's...my first car!

Same model and year and miles when I got it. The differences are that mine had a quarter vinyl top on the back of the roof line, gold paisley upholstery, and was bright fucking yellow.

[Elwher]

Hol-lee shit...it's...my first car!

Same model and year and miles when I got it. The differences are that mine had a quarter vinyl top on the back of the roof line, gold paisley upholstery, and was bright fucking yellow.

And here's mine https://barnfinds.com/1966-vw-15-window-hippie-bus/ Only difference is that mine was all white, having come from a local electronics store as their delivery van.

[Novus America]

You cats like those big soft luxury boats, right? You all down for this 70s bit of excess jim tackery? I had a Hot Wheel of one of these as a kid, was always fascinated by in the same way you would be if a peacock wearing a top hat with sparklers would keep walking by.

70s and tacky are redundant.

Most 70s styles did not age well.

But that is a perfect car if you like 70s aesthetics.
I am not a fan of the aesthetics of the 70s though.

But break out your bell bottoms and leopard print leisure suit, and that is the ride to go with them.

[Dresderstan]

You cats like those big soft luxury boats, right? You all down for this 70s bit of excess jim tackery? I had a Hot Wheel of one of these as a kid, was always fascinated by in the same way you would be if a peacock wearing a top hat with sparklers would keep walking by.

70s and tacky are redundant.

Most 70s styles did not age well.

A lot of 70s cars were rubbish anyways, even back then and still are to this day.

[Cannot think of a name]

Hol-lee shit...it's...my first car!

Same model and year and miles when I got it. The differences are that mine had a quarter vinyl top on the back of the roof line, gold paisley upholstery, and was bright fucking yellow.

And here's mine https://barnfinds.com/1966-vw-15-window-hippie-bus/ Only difference is that mine was all white, having come from a local electronics store as their delivery van.

Ha, that's my current ride! Mines not a deluxe, though, it's a standard and a 67. But it's red and white.

[Novus America]

70s and tacky are redundant.

Most 70s styles did not age well.

A lot of 70s cars were rubbish anyways, even back then and still are to this day.

Yeah, the 70s were not a good decade for cars.
Especially after the oil crisis.

Bad performance along with the aesthetics.

The 1970s were a very bad decade for the most part.

[Vassenor]

So I had a mock road test today.

Failed it for forgetting to signal at a junction.

With less than a week to go until the real thing that's exactly the sort of stupid mistake I shouldn't be making any more.

[Dresderstan]

A lot of 70s cars were rubbish anyways, even back then and still are to this day.

Yeah, the 70s were not a good decade for cars.
Especially after the oil crisis.

Bad performance along with the aesthetics.

The 1970s were a very bad decade for the most part.

Now, all I can think about are those lemons from the Cars 2 movie. What a perfect example of 70s cars in a nutshell.

[Cannot think of a name]

So I had a mock road test today.

Failed it for forgetting to signal at a junction.

With less than a week to go until the real thing that's exactly the sort of stupid mistake I shouldn't be making any more.

Extra annoying in that everyone around you with licenses don't signal at junctions either.

[Novus America]

So I had a mock road test today.

Failed it for forgetting to signal at a junction.

With less than a week to go until the real thing that's exactly the sort of stupid mistake I shouldn't be making any more.

No worries. That is what mock tests are for.
Just do not make the same mistake again.
Which you probably will not.

You learn more from mistakes than success.

When you think turn right, always think signal right.
In time it becomes automatic habit.

But earlier just make sure to think right turn, right signal.

[Vassenor]

So I had a mock road test today.

Failed it for forgetting to signal at a junction.

With less than a week to go until the real thing that's exactly the sort of stupid mistake I shouldn't be making any more.

Extra annoying in that everyone around you with licenses don't signal at junctions either.

Yes.

[Novus America]

Hol-lee shit...it's...my first car!

Same model and year and miles when I got it. The differences are that mine had a quarter vinyl top on the back of the roof line, gold paisley upholstery, and was bright fucking yellow.

And here's mine https://barnfinds.com/1966-vw-15-window-hippie-bus/ Only difference is that mine was all white, having come from a local electronics store as their delivery van.

Mine.
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/inventory ... =218154302

Though I bought mine for 1,000 used in 2007.
Even accounting for inflation the price seems absurdly high.

[Novus America]

Extra annoying in that everyone around you with licenses don't signal at junctions either.

Yes.

Just remember you do NOT want to be like those people.
Notice all the jackasses, and then remember you are not going to be like that.

[Vassenor]

Yes.

Just remember you do NOT want to be like those people.
Notice all the jackasses, and then remember you are not going to be like that.

Ironically I missed signalling because I was too focused on the traffic approaching from the junction that I may need to give way to.

[Elwher]

70s and tacky are redundant.

Most 70s styles did not age well.

A lot of 70s cars were rubbish anyways, even back then and still are to this day.

Just remember Sturgeon's law: 90% of everything is crap.

[Novus America]

Just remember you do NOT want to be like those people.
Notice all the jackasses, and then remember you are not going to be like that.

Ironically I missed signalling because I was too focused on the traffic approaching from the junction that I may need to give way to.

It happens. Just make sure not to make the same mistake again.
You will be fine.
If that is the worst thing you did, you are not doing badly.

[Dresderstan]

A lot of 70s cars were rubbish anyways, even back then and still are to this day.

Just remember Sturgeon's law: 90% of everything is crap.

Yeah... I don't buy that type of pessimistic and negative thinking. The 70s were just a really really bad time.

[Vassenor]

Ironically I missed signalling because I was too focused on the traffic approaching from the junction that I may need to give way to.

It happens. Just make sure not to make the same mistake again.
You will be fine.
If that is the worst thing you did, you are not doing badly.

Yeah, I made a few small mistakes as well but those on their own would not have been enough to fail me.

Reference: In the UK Driving Test you are allowed up to fifteen "Minor" faults before the test is considered failed, but any "serious" or "dangerous" faults is an automatic fail. The difference between "serious" and "dangerous" is whether doing so actively puts other road users in harm's way - the big one I used to keep making being not spotting pedestrians at a crosswalk (hopefully I got the terminology right this time) until the last second.

[Cannot think of a name]

It happens. Just make sure not to make the same mistake again.
You will be fine.
If that is the worst thing you did, you are not doing badly.

Yeah, I made a few small mistakes as well but those on their own would not have been enough to fail me.

Reference: In the UK Driving Test you are allowed up to fifteen "Minor" faults before the test is considered failed, but any "serious" or "dangerous" faults is an automatic fail. The difference between "serious" and "dangerous" is whether doing so actively puts other road users in harm's way - the big one I used to keep making being not spotting pedestrians at a crosswalk (hopefully I got the terminology right this time) until the last second.

In the US you can luck out and take your test at a DMV that only exists on a Tuesday in a lodge and have a test taker that's bored so that your test is to drive around the block and as long as you don't hit anything, you get a license.

[Novus America]

Yeah, I made a few small mistakes as well but those on their own would not have been enough to fail me.

Reference: In the UK Driving Test you are allowed up to fifteen "Minor" faults before the test is considered failed, but any "serious" or "dangerous" faults is an automatic fail. The difference between "serious" and "dangerous" is whether doing so actively puts other road users in harm's way - the big one I used to keep making being not spotting pedestrians at a crosswalk (hopefully I got the terminology right this time) until the last second.

In the US you can luck out and take your test at a DMV that only exists on a Tuesday in a lodge and have a test taker that's bored so that your test is to drive around the block and as long as you don't hit anything, you get a license.

Or you get unlucky and the test administrator’s cat crapped on his bed that morning and he wants to make you miserable.

The US is basically 50+ countries. Each state does its own test, and different test people at different DMVs might be different. Even if there is a strict criteria there is still leeway.

There is an element of luck involved. Some people will be harder, some easier.

Hopefully you get a good person at a good time.

I know some people in Maryland go test shopping.
When I took it supposedly the people at the Glen Burnie MVA were much harder than the ones up in Bel Air.
So I took mine in Bel Air.

[Vassenor]

In the US you can luck out and take your test at a DMV that only exists on a Tuesday in a lodge and have a test taker that's bored so that your test is to drive around the block and as long as you don't hit anything, you get a license.

Or you get unlucky and the test administrators crapped on his bed that morning and he wants to make you miserable.
In some places.
The US is basically 50+ countries. Each state does its own test, and different test people at different DMVs might be different. Even if there is a strict criteria there is still leeway.

There is an element of luck involved. Some people will be harder, some easier.

Hopefully you get a good person at a good time.

Plus my instructor said he was being stricter with the practice test than most examiners will be.

[Novus America]

Or you get unlucky and the test administrators crapped on his bed that morning and he wants to make you miserable.
In some places.
The US is basically 50+ countries. Each state does its own test, and different test people at different DMVs might be different. Even if there is a strict criteria there is still leeway.

There is an element of luck involved. Some people will be harder, some easier.

Hopefully you get a good person at a good time.

Plus my instructor said he was being stricter with the practice test than most examiners will be.

A good policy. Best to prepare for the toughest examiner and hopefully you get a not so bad one.
But it sounds like you should be fine.
And there is no shame in retaking if something goes wrong for some reason.

I knew someone who had to take it maybe 8 times.

Really not over stressing is the best policy.
You drive better when you are less stressed.

Make sure you get a good night’s sleep of course.
You drive better if you are well rested.

But sounds like you got the main parts down fine.
You definitely have the ability to pass.

[Vassenor]

Plus my instructor said he was being stricter with the practice test than most examiners will be.

A good policy. Best to prepare for the toughest examiner and hopefully you get a not so bad one.
But it sounds like you should be fine.
And there is no shame in retaking if something goes wrong for some reason.

I knew someone who had to take it maybe 8 times.

Really not over stressing is the best policy.
You drive better when you are less stressed.

Make sure you get a good night’s sleep of course.
You drive better if you are well rested.

But sounds like you got the main parts down fine.
You definitely have the ability to pass.

Everyone else in my family took at least three goes. And there is a little bit of pressure because my instructor is actually closing out his books so he can retire as a self-employed instructor and go off to coach police drivers instead and we don't want to feel like I've wasted the last year.