What's Your Favorite New/Retro Pony Car?

[nerfherder]

Here's someone who would disagree with you. Of course, there is a certain amount of sentimentality involved here.

Ah, I once noticed an old car of mine parked up. I had to go over and have a look. Checking on the DVLA database, it's been unlicensed since 31/05/2008, so I'm guessing it may have been scrapped I'm pretty sure my first car is scrap now (1987 Austin Mini Metro) - yes, unlicensed since 27/10/1999. My 99 Ford Puma is still on the road, and I'm sure my 05 Honda Civic must be, too (unless it's been crashed and written off since February!).

 

[El Mahdi]

Man, I Know the cars I had in England are scrapped now.

I went through 4 cars in the 6 1/2 years I lived there (actually 5*, if you count the American spec car I originally shipped over).

My first car was an '81 Toyota Carina (in '92). Got rid of it when the brake system crapped out. Would have cost more to fix it than to just by another used car.

My second was a 1977 Honda Civic (light blue color I might add) that the heater didn't work in. Probably not too far off in size from your Austin Mini. After driving that for a winter I sold it as scrap (got £50 for it).

My third was a '84 Subaru GLF5. This one was my favorite while I was in England. It only had a 1.8 or 2.0 Liter engine, but it had dual carbs and was the easiest engine I've ever worked on. I had to change the water pump on it once, and I probably had close to a foot of open space with which to work. Took me like 15 minutes from beginning to end (including the sealant). That little car could move quick! I only scrapped it because the body and frame were rusting out. It was costing me too much each year for welding to get it to pass it's vehicle inspection.

My fourth was a Mazda 323 hatchback (don't remember what year). I bought it off of a friend just because I needed a car for the last 6 months I was in country (before I left for Korea). My friend had blown the head gasket on it when he had it, but it had been repaired. Problem was they didn't shave it down quite right so it would start to leak and stall when the engine got warm. It was okay for just driving around town or going to work, but anything over about 10 minutes would become a problem. Just driving from Mildenhall to Cambridge, it would stall about every 10 minutes and I'd have to coast off to the side of the road and let it cool down for a few minutes. Then I could start it up and drive another 10 or 15 minutes, and then do it all over again when it would stall again. The last thing I did before I left the country was drive it to a local scrap yard in Mildenhall, got my £50 for it, and left the next day for Korea.

*Technically my first car in England was an American spec 1987 Toyota Corrolla FX16 Hatchback I shipped over from the states. That was an awesome, reliable, and fast little car. Unfortunately, while it was in-transit aboard the ship, or while in the cargo yard, a large crate was dropped on it. The skids on the bottom of the crate made huge dents on the roof along the length of the car and the hatchback, broke the windshield and blew out the sunroof, then tipped off the roof onto the hood (bonnet) and creased the hood and both front fenders about 2 inches. Completely totaled the car.

I guess I just didn't have the best of luck with cars while in England.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Dude!

If I didn't know better, I'd swear you were my buddy Russ, AKA the God of F-ed Up Cars!

His bad luck with cars is utterly legendary, and certain stretches of his automotive history read like the section of Genesis dealing with Moses and what he had God do to the Egyptians.

 

[nerfherder]

My third was a '84 Subaru GLF5. This one was my favorite while I was in England. It only had a 1.8 or 2.0 Liter engine, but it had dual carbs and was the easiest engine I've ever worked on.

Subarus always seem to be popular with their owners, whenever I read car surveys. Farmers in particular like them for their 4wd no-nonsense ability to navigate muddy farm tracks.

My Honda Civic was nice and reliable.

Great fun on a race track, too

Just driving from Mildenhall to Cambridge,

As an aside, I saw a great airshow at Mildenhall in the early 90's when I lived in Cambridge

 

[El Mahdi]

As an aside, I saw a great airshow at Mildenhall in the early 90's when I lived in Cambridge

Yup, Air Fete. I only saw three of them while I was stationed there, from '90 to '97 (I was deployed during the other three). Awesome air shows but a lot of work if you're stationed there. Unless you're on leave or deployed, pretty much every unit had their people working at the show either cooking food at the booths or picking up trash (the units earned a percentage as a fundraiser for squadron activities, such as unit Christmas parties, Thanksgiving dinners, etc.). And, not to mention the people actually running the show. The morning after the last day of the show was always a basewide FOD* walk (*FOD stands for Foriegn Object Damage - basically anything an engine could suck up and be damaged by - technically it should be called a FO walk but everyone uses the term FOD). Everyone on duty lines up across the flightline and the adjacent grassy areas, and walks from one end of the flightline to the other picking up any FOD you come across. It was a lot of work but they were fun also.

I saw the Red Arrows perform (the French Aero team) and the Thunderbirds. I was also able to see one of the last flights of a Vulcan bomber before it was retired (although I think there's a group that's currently trying to refurbish one, or already has, for airshows).

It's too bad they discontinued the shows after 9/11. However, I can understand how it's probably nearly impossible to safegaurd against a terrorist attack with around 100,000 to 150,000 visitors over the course of a weekend. But it was a seriously cool airshow.


P.S.: If you lived in Cambridge in the early 90's, and if you were roleplaying then, do you remember the game store, Otherworlds? Man, that's still the best game store I've ever been to. I've heard they're no longer in business though. Shame.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

It's too bad they discontinued the shows after 9/11.

There are still airshows...otherwise, you wouldn't still have the accidents.
airshow accident - Google Search

Or do you mean a particular show?

 

[nerfherder]

I was also able to see one of the last flights of a Vulcan bomber before it was retired (although I think there's a group that's currently trying to refurbish one, or already has, for airshows).

Vulcan to the Sky Trust have managed to get it flying again, and I saw it last month at [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKSSGhFc6wE"]Sunderland Airshow[/ame], flown by one of the pilots that operated in Black Buck - at the time the longest bombing raid in history, until 1991 when B52s from Mildenhall attacked Iraq. It was as impressive as I remember.

It's too bad they discontinued the shows after 9/11. However, I can understand how it's probably nearly impossible to safegaurd against a terrorist attack with around 100,000 to 150,000 visitors over the course of a weekend. But it was a seriously cool airshow.

That's a great shame. As one of the 100,000, thank you.

P.S.: If you lived in Cambridge in the early 90's, and if you were roleplaying then, do you remember the game store, Otherworlds? Man, that's still the best game store I've ever been to. I've heard they're no longer in business though. Shame.

Is that the one that wasn't right in the centre, but opened up on the edge of the centre (if you see what I mean)? I do remember one opening while I was there that had a huge stock of stuff I'd never seen before.

 

[El Mahdi]

There are still airshows...otherwise, you wouldn't still have the accidents.
airshow accident - Google Search

Or do you mean a particular show?

Yeah, I was talking about Air Fete at Mildenhall. Unfortunately, since 9/11 they stopped doing it. When I was stationed there the admin and base housing side of the base was a bit "open" and hard to secure (although I think they have fenced in the open areas and put up secure gates since then). During the first Gulf War they had to bring in local police in order to secure it. The open areas just kind of merged in with the Beck Row area. It was kind of hard to see where the base ended and the local village began. But the security issues of putting on an airshow like that, on the base, I think was something they just decided wasn't feasible to do after 9/11. I would imagine the decision may have also had something to do with the increased ops tempo (significantly more people deployed and a higher amount of transient traffic - tankers and cargo planes stopping through on their way to OEF or OIF). But it's too bad, that was one seriously cool show.

But you are right, there are still quite a few good annual air shows out there. Even when Air Fete was still running, it was only like the second or third biggest Air Show in Europe. I think the other ones are still going strong.

Vulcan to the Sky Trust have managed to get it flying again, and I saw it last month...

Very cool. It's so big (and loud!) that it looks like it's almost just floating in the air (kind of like the effect the C-5 has). Being mostly a big wing that thing is all lift. I'm not sure what the stall speed is on it, but I'd imagine it's probably much lower than most aircraft of similiar size.

Is that the one that wasn't right in the centre, but opened up on the edge of the centre (if you see what I mean)? I do remember one opening while I was there that had a huge stock of stuff I'd never seen before.

Sounds right. I think at the time there was only that store and a Games Workshop store. Otherworlds originally had been in an older building on the other side of the "Mall" (can't remember what it was actually named but we always called it the Mall). But about 95/96 they moved over to the other side of the park, near the edge of that little outdoor shopping area. I found a mint condition Oriental Adventures there for only £20. They always had cool stuff like that.

 

[nerfherder]

Very cool. It's so big (and loud!) that it looks like it's almost just floating in the air (kind of like the effect the C-5 has). Being mostly a big wing that thing is all lift. I'm not sure what the stall speed is on it, but I'd imagine it's probably much lower than most aircraft of similiar size.

Yeah, it is so manouverable for its size. I remember watching a couple practice just off the coast at Yorkshire in the 80's, and they were turning so tightly - it looked so graceful, then they opened the throttles

Sounds right. I think at the time there was only that store and a Games Workshop store. Otherworlds originally had been in an older building on the other side of the "Mall" (can't remember what it was actually named but we always called it the Mall). But about 95/96 they moved over to the other side of the park, near the edge of that little outdoor shopping area. I found a mint condition Oriental Adventures there for only £20. They always had cool stuff like that.

I've just done a little digging. Puzzles & Games was the one that was there when I arrived - on Green Street, just off Sidney Street, which crossed over Magdalene Bridge. Apparently, it closed some time after I left. Other World Games was on King Street, about 0.5km away.

 

[olla86]

I preffer Ford Mustang. It is a reliable and smart car