Or actually some of those poor-ass Brits (or arse, to be correct) just don’t feel the need to be spending hundreds every month simply to have a new vehicle when an older one works just fine. Many of us would rather spend our money on experiences rather than things. There might only be 65 million of us here on this…

Bought a 2005 Mercedes E Class with 59,000 on the clock nine years ago. It’s now a little shy of 194,000 miles and still going strong. Cost me £7000 here in the UK, and I would say costs me around £800 per year to run, if you factor in tyres and servicing. I’ve had to replace brake discs and pads once, two intercooler…

I live in the South West of the UK, and travelled along this yesterday. If you’re coming from anywhere vaguely towards London and going to the SW (Devon and Cornwall are popular holiday regions served by this route) it’s a fucking nuisance.

I don’t know if they still have it, but I visited the Rolls Royce aircraft engine site in Derby around 15 or so years ago, and they had one there. I regret that I took the stairs, although it my defence it looked terrifying!

Couldn’t agree more. It was the same back in 2019, as presumably click-bait is the MO around here. 

Under-body scanners to measure tread depth have been around for a while, and the camera systems now are good enough to identify bodywork damage. Here is a good article about one such company in the UK who has tied up with Sony to produce digital imaging to detect bodywork damage on production lines.

“They were able to squeeze 6.45 miles per kilowatt-hour from a Mach-E on their 27-hour, 840-mile trek, driving at an average 40 mph.”

Can I get un-grayed? I’ve been here years!! 

Baby on the way, so needed (wanted) a seven-seater. Fiancee had her heart set on a Volkswagen Touran, which is a European minivan, based on Golf running gear. Hugely popular here in the UK, as the 7-seater market is limited here, so they hold their value. I found a high-mileage example for £1000 which drove well.…

I’ve been scrolling replies for five minutes now, and no mention of a DeLorean or Ecto 1. COME ON PEOPLE!!!!

As a Brit who has enjoyed vacations in the USA very much, the issue for me is just how many traffic cops there are. I genuinely want to know how you all go about enjoying performance vehicles. Do you have to seek out deserted out-of-the-way places where cops don’t go?

It’s tempting, but really I was hoping to buy something a bit longer.

Actually kind of surprised that twheels (tweels?!) aren’t a thing yet. I guess they look a bit rubbish, and no one has figured out how to make them durable enough, or what to do when the rubber bit has worn out, effectively meaning the entire thing needs replacing. 

My first car was a Fiat 127, which I believe is what the Yugo was based on. Certainly the underpinnings appear the same, or similar. My Fiat, too, had the spare mounted in the engine bay. Even 17 year old me thought this seemed like a really bad idea because of the heat degrading the tyre.

Check out Vice Grip Garage on YouTube. Here is a good one to start with.

I’ve been carrying the mushroom kit on my Multistrada Enduro for a while now. Thankfully not had to use it for about 18 months or so, but last time I did the repair stayed in the tyre for the remainder of the 5000 miles of it’s life. Took about half an hour to do, having never done it before. Could be used at the…

Literally anything by Vice Grip Garage. I discovered Derek and family about a month ago and having been binge-watching ever since. Who doesn’t like a “will it run?”?

It’s handsome! But it’s no Truckla. 

What a brilliant story, thank you! Utterly captivating and got me a bit choked up. My now two and a half year old daughter took her very first car ride in my Mercedes W211, so while it doesn’t have quite the same drama as your story, I will always have that special attachment.