It is fair to report that, according to the selling party, the future of this Fiat could also be seen in a man cave. Honesty compels us to consider whether that is even an option.
In the past, far before the APK duty, life was clearer
Desolate pastries were prepared for sale with old newspapers, roofing felt (if properly burned into the bottom, just like real, healthy) sheet iron and steel putty and a lot of good will and imagination. And where we now have Internet, we then had the famous or infamous Utrecht car market. That phenomenon has finally come to an end after the car market terrain and environment changed. It is a successful cross between the ultimate free market and a public toilet.
Beun de Haas
The Utrecht car market was a sanctuary for the whole family of Beun de Haas and the trial versions of what are now the neoliberals. Sawdust or banana peels in gearboxes and differentials. Coarse sand or talc in clutch housings to give dead tired clutch plates the last bit of grip. The generous use of viscosity boosters, giving the engine oil the smooth fluidity of rinse apple syrup. Rotten sills got body again by stuffing yourself with orange box wood. A layer of old newspaper was placed over it and the finishing touch was subtly applied with a centimeter of filler.
The wreck of the week
At the time, the media were not yet widely represented, but the public glee was served through Kieskeurig, a fourteen-day consumer program of the TROS. That was broadcast between 1979 and 1993. It was the second consumer program on Dutch television, besides Koning Client.
The program was first presented by Mireille Bekooij and Hein van Nievelt
After Wim Bosboom's transfer from VARA to TROS in 1980, he took the place of Hein van Nievelt and became the last substitute presenter. The program was helpful to consumers with consumer complaints or problems. Tests also took place.
One of the regular sections was “The wreck of the road”, focusing on a consumer who had bought a (usually very used) car that in fact no longer met anything. The item then almost always ended with the wreckage that was processed into scrap by a cutting torch, together with the sample 'We'll never see that again' from the song 'Het Vlooiencircus' by the Cocktail Trio.
The program was last broadcast in 1993 and was followed in 1995 by the still existing consumer program TROS Radar.
A revenue model
In that free market a few of my fellow MTS'ers had set up a nice trade. They bought terminal Capris, Escorts and Beetles for next to nothing. They were made 'tight' again with all the aforementioned means plus a few extra options. A classmate's father owned a car paint shop. There the pastries were given a greasy black coat plus a double portion of golden JPS (John Player Special). At the Graku in Wilnis you could have widening strips welded into the rims for 25 guilders per wheel, including aluminum spraying. Pimped Minilites were impressively optional. Four fat tires underneath. Ready. Those were good times. However?
Oh wonderful stories again!
My mind shoots back to my 1st Ka-dettje City SR.
After a year or so of pride: fear!! Left sill hole cheese. “Piet the Welder” said a boy next door.
So there it went and I got it back with 2 tightly welded and bitten sills.
Afterwards, with my MGB GT and my BMW 323i, I entered the battle against Mr. Rust, albeit now in restoration form.
My “rust allergy” now leads me to coat hollow parts of my Abarth Grande Punto with WD 40 every year and to rent a bridge to keep the underside clean.
Also, easily accessible, maintains the bond with my Ab.
Well, the Utrecht car market. As a moped age, I regularly visited this circus together with some friends for education and entertainment. And also regularly made the most bizarre things with it. For example, a somewhat shady trader was praising his somewhat tired Opeltje to a simple guest worker, who had earned his money with diligent work. And now wanted to turn this into something as luxurious as a car. If you believe the seller, the tired little car had belonged to an old lady who had used it extremely carefully, and the car had been meticulously maintained. Still, just to be sure, the poor guest worker dared to ask if the motor of this mobile was running smoothly. The salesman feigned to jump out of his skin because of so much mistrust of his good nature, and replied savagely: “Is it running well, sir? Shall I tell you something? You won't hear a motor like this anywhere!" So the purchase was made and the buyer handed over his hard-earned money to the subject. Which then immediately disappeared from sight… Full of confidence, the new owner stepped into his purchased status symbol and turned the key. But nothing happened. Then take a look under the hood. And you know what? The salesman was right: you didn't hear such an engine anywhere. It wasn't in there.....
peter, I also did everything with polyester. had cars inspected at RDW. I had closed all holes with polyester mats. That man RDW wanted to reject him in advance. After hitting hard with a hammer on the cluttered places, he said it's a weird sensation, but I HAVE to approve it.” All the cars came through shiny.
And whether those were good times Dolf.
Shortly after obtaining my driver's license I (built in 1955, now with early retirement) was in the rich possession of an NSU 1200 TT. Orange and in pristine condition.
After the purchase, the bottom of the wallet was in sight so that everything that came after that on the orange danger should not cost the top prize.
For the rims therefore to Graku in Wilnis to have the existing rims widened, provided with wide rubber (Klebers).
Then licked the catalog (I still have it) of Speed-Centre in Rotterdam (who remembers it?) and as soon as the wallet allowed it again, the standard NSU became less and less standard: sports steering wheel, Cibies, roll-bar, bucket seats, VDO meters, map reading lamp, the necessary stickers including Castrol because free oil via RAC-West….
Heavily used and therefore less and less in pristine condition, but a lot of fun with that car. At a time when you could still approach a car with a well-stocked toolbox for maintenance.
Now get around that with the modern stuff. Without a laptop and a good WiFi connection you don't start much anymore...
Other times …!
It was the decals that made our cars really fast!
And also kept the whole bodywork together….
We are fossils. But happy fossils
The MOT obligation on 50+ has expired:
Over the next 10 years you can come across nice 70s rat look models here and there…
Brilliantly written and sooooo recognizable!
But without a doubt there was a lot more nice stuff for reasonable prices that were not terminal but excellent to refurbish.
Come on now, prices don't make sense anymore. But yes, that must be the spirit of the times, but it is certainly a pity.
And besides, how long we can still enjoy our current nice vehicles, I do not dare to predict, but I fear that it may go quickly with extinction or that it will become much, much too expensive. In a number of things I would like to have been born a decade or two earlier
Our approach is therefore: “Live by the day! and enjoy while you still can!”
My father also filled everything with polyester and filler and Simca 1000 was his favorite car.
I have had three myself what a firewood, then I had a Ford 12M that was a reliable car without filler.
A friend in the car market. Aged Japanese of which it is reported: the rear window is broken. Look, yes, an ugly star in the window. Buy anyway and discover after transferring that the thing does not want to go into reverse. I told you, says the seller.
Selling is a profession!
Filled all the holes in the old Renault Vier with filler, sanded it and then painted the whole car over with a brush. A red trim on the flank did the rest. Then on holiday to France, Italy (Rome) and back via Austria. The car performed great. Caught five tens for it later on the demolition.
That's even cheaper than flying with Ryan Air!
Never use newspapers, has a date on 😉
See, those are the details we're going to pay attention to!
have aluminum widening strips welded into your wheel, cool…
Wilnis wasn't on the Efteling, was he? you know, from those other fairy tales…
Steel strips. Spray aluminum. cool!
Yes, or with an old roof zinc (from the roofer) and pop rivets close holes and then hear on the MOT that this is still a hard car.
Practiced a lot with that roof zinc so that things went a bit better later with the serious sheet metal.
huub.
It was the time when I also plugged the holes (sometimes very large) in my car with fiberglass mats and polyester putty.
It was only years later that I found out that a car could also be welded.
Back then there was so much beauty for sale for very little.