Overseas Cars

[topradio]

The world definitely falls into two types of people (at least) with one doing the throwing away while the other does the salvaging. I picked up a virtually new Black and Decker Work mate at our local tip, sorry recycling centre, for £2. 

[rowbos]

6 minutes ago, Terryg said:

That makes sense from your perspective.I was referring to stuff being disposed of for no good reason, I have seen a lot of stuff in skips etc that could have been given to a charity shop. Also food wastage here is horrific.

I am no saint, but I do recycle where possible, I do take stuff to charity shops and I don't waste food.

Completely with you there mate.  I do exactly the same. 

[golfprorich]

5 hours ago, topradio said:

The world definitely falls into two types of people (at least) with one doing the throwing away while the other does the salvaging. I picked up a virtually new Black and Decker Work mate at our local tip, sorry recycling centre, for £2. 

Our local recycling centre has been like 'rent-a-bike' for the last few years. Buy a decent one for a tenner, then once grown out of take it back and pick another. Both kids have bikes at ours, the in-laws and the stables so buying new bikes for each place would be too costly!!

[hs0zfe]

On 10/6/2017 at 1:11 PM, topradio said:

Great Britain seems to be particularly bad when it comes to devaluing of goods.

Perfectly good items are thrown away because they are no longer fashionable, and this applies in a big way to vehicles. 

I put it down partially to the easy availability of credit and that, borrowing for everything is now the norm. I don't believe that this is quite the same in other countries. I am told that in Germany for example people tend to save for what they want rather than using credit. Perhaps @hs0zfe could comment?

The car industry relies on us moving our cars on as quickly as possible, hence monthly payment plans that get you into a new car every 2 to 3 years. 

The salesmen must be dismayed when I turn up in my nearly 20 year old car that I bought new. 

Well, the times, they are changing: 

* check out the 718 Euro / 9 months lease of their 718. Even Porsche is desperate to sell using easy credit

* Mercedes has been offering "0 down, 0% financing

* decades ago, people would save and then pay cash. My Dad bought a new car every 2 years. But then, the government's pension fund had given him a mortgage back in 1967. And I found an old letter from the "BUNDESOPIUMSTELLE", the government's Opium Dept. 

* here in Vietnam, people are usually very poor. A Boxster starts at 450 million Dong or >150,000 GBP. 

* lots of people are hoarders. One fat-head bought several cheap 986 instead of a single great car...  Buy now - pay later. But then folks have been hurting financcially in the US where I now have to start evictions. *** There is shocking incompetence when it comes to saving money. I found 4-figure cell phone bills! Why buy a flatrate? Overheard a silly girl brag about her "200 Euro bill" by T-Mobile. Buy a Skype-in number, get the World Flatrate, use Whatsapp or Facetime when you can... 

 

https://ibb.co/hY2nNm

https://ibb.co/migQ8R

https://ibb.co/migQ8R

https://ibb.co/dnnnNm they put my tax ID on the card  Trucks have their license numbers in large letters on the side of the vehicle as well. (In Mumbai, I photographed a hundred  h a n d p a i n t e d  license plates, I kid you not. And many folks, even pro drivers, a) save fuel by switching off the lights at night and  torture engines by shifting up too quickly and then not shifting down. Older motorcycle taxi riders often stay in 3rd gear. They do this on step-through bikes like the Honda Wave 110 cc with 4-speed semi-automatic (the foot activates the clutch). *** 2 nights ago, I was stuck in Hanoi. Saw hundreds of pigs' carcasses being transported on motorcycles. Load 200 kg of porc on a bike? You bet! 

Yesterday, a woman of about 60 delivered sacks of rice. I ran up to her to take it off her. Staggering, that sack was weighing >100 lbs. Some people like my friend, a cop, are barely making 100 pounds a month. He has been guarding a bank. One night, my motorcycle had disappeared. The cops had carried it into the bank's secure compound. Then gave me permission to park there and come and go 24/7 like an employee. HSBC at Canary Wharf - such free parking is valuable.

https://ibb.co/fuRdv6 humor them and make a fool of yourself @ Karaoke

https://ibb.co/cuBp2m hundreds wanted their photo taken with me - as if I was some rock star. // Cars are a status symbol with tiny KIAs dominating the scene. There are aalso informal "ride share" deals. Taxi cabs would drive up and offer shared rides. I took one and watched the meter go 10 x higher than the pre-agreed fixed rate of 25,000 VND for about 22 km. The meter read about 296,000 VND. Some people were in the taxi with some woman handing fruit to the driver (barter?). 

https://ibb.co/gZNOTR the fish gets killed and processed there and then while they take live dogs and chicken to the kitchen. It really helps i. slimming down and ii. getting sick of meat. OTOH, the daily tofu and the lack of sauces are far from great. (I got my own ketchup - at some delicatessen with foreign imports). // Even found dry cleaners! A jacket, 3 shirts and pants were about 4.25 quid. https://ibb.co/jMNq8R 

https://ibb.co/gU4L8R my bedroom is quite unusual. High ceiling, made out of carved tropical wood. With a shrine! Food gets put on the shrine daily https://ibb.co/n9bghm 60 m2? Upon request, the boss who employs 2 live in cooks had broadband installed within 24 hours. Try that at home! 

 

[hs0zfe]

On 9/24/2017 at 2:15 PM, Terryg said:

Why do you want to? Boxsters in the UK are cheap, plentiful. relatively well maintained and right hand drive  what possible advantage could there be in buying overseas?

Good questions! Decent 986s usually cost >8,000 GBP on www.mobile.de 

Unless you are a pro and have the ability to read out the data, I would warn against such purchases. Horror stories of scams in Italy are shared on German forums. Massive damage, gotta measure the thickness of the paint...

[hs0zfe]

On 10/1/2017 at 4:08 PM, Nobbie said:

Is it though? In the same price range you will get an old car with expensive parts prices, much like the Boxster.

Dream on! My friend's SLK was submerged and then repaired. 9 CPUs, a total of even more black boxes? What can go wrong, will go wrong one day. OTOH, the SL is more reliable.

The road handling and the engine's sound are unique. Tell me, where do you find such a fun car for this kind of money?!?

[hs0zfe]

On 9/26/2017 at 5:23 PM, Nobbie said:

At that age, all that really matters is how it's been treated and it's current condition. For £3700 it sounds like a nice car. I bought a well looked after car and haven't regretted it for a minute. You could buy one for £3k or less, but I doubt it would be in such good condition. At that age, the difference between good and bad cars in terms of first year maintenance is huge if you like your cars to be sorted. A neglected one could cost you thousands, which just isn't worth it on a £3k car. To be honest, I'm not sure what the point of a rough £3k Boxster is, may as well scrap it rather than waste money on it that you'll never get back.

Hear, hear! Cheap can be very expensive indeed! Take my S's. One was an insurance write off with Tiptronic, getting crashed during the MoT. The 6-speed has been in the shop for months. Sorting it cost thousands in parts alone. No $$$s yet to my friend and I doubt that he would want singing & dancing lessons in exchange for many hours of skilled work.

I don't want to be rude, but has the poster even driven a 986? The superb road handling and cornering, the sound when the engine comes to life. It's an emotional thing. And Porsche got it right! 

 

Life's about stories and memories. How come that I still remember  my first ride on a) a Ducati Monster and  a Moto Guzzi v-twin? A beast, shaking & making noises. Tell me, riding a Moto Guzzi leaves you unimpressed. 

[hs0zfe]

On 10/6/2017 at 2:53 PM, topradio said:

The world definitely falls into two types of people (at least) with one doing the throwing away while the other does the salvaging. I picked up a virtually new Black and Decker Work mate at our local tip, sorry recycling centre, for £2. 

Well, I'm now working a mile from a giant SAMSUNG factory (40,000 employees doing 2 x 12 hour shifts) in BAC NINNH, Vietnam. You should see the ddaily street sweepers & trash collectors at work! Hundreds of thousands? But hey, no dole here. 

Another issue are "The Waste Makers" (producing terrible substandard JUNK). From <10 pounds cell phones to garments and toys. 

As a kid, I got Steiff stuffed animals, Maerklin model trains and the cars were solid metal with functioning wheels. This year, I sold a locomotive and the buyer was delighted. WMF pots - my mother got replacement handles after decades. Try that with something from ARGOS.

Regarding photography, I started out by wasting thousands on photos of junk. One day, I filled several trash bins with photographs and turned to large format work. Take  o n e  good 8x10" shot. Who needs 122 bad ones? 

Those digital files will degrade. CDs, hard drives, ... in a decade or two, will you still have any photos?!?

Buy expensive - and cry only once

[Terryg]

Life's about stories and memories. How come that I still remember  my first ride on a) a Ducati Monster and  a Moto Guzzi v-twin? A beast, shaking & making noises. Tell me, riding a Moto Guzzi leaves you unimpressed. 

@hs0zfe I completely agree,  I have owned a good few Jap bikes but the 3 Ducatis and the Moto Morini are the bikes I would have back in a heartbeat, never got on a Le Mans as I chose a 900SS instead but that dream isn't dead yet.