Podcast 55 - Santa Pod sleepover
Added 2021-05-02 18:01:01 +0000 UTCJonny wants Richard to spend a weekend at a drag strip sleeping in a van. Richard does not want to do this.
Also in this episode, Quentin Willson's palm parking masterclass, power steering reservoir like an Alka-Seltzer, listeners' cockcroach cars and deceased spec purchases, trying to pressure wash your car during a Zoom call, and the insane prices of XJ-shape Jeep Cherokees.
Plus, driving a second-hand hearse, accidentally buying a fully-stocked mobile library, remembering Britain's sleaziest alloy wheel, and feeling self-conscious about your trousers.
Comments
I remember the Santa Pod toilets in the early 80's - it was a trench with wooden bog seat over it. Never smelt anything that bad before or since.
Stephen Cooper
2021-05-11 14:21:32 +0000 UTCUltimate palming spec for me would have to be the early Jaguar S Type. I don't know if they did anything about it in later models, but I attended a 'drive the range' day at my local Jag dealer years ago and remember being horrified at the steering. It was so light and completely lacking in feel, we had to be careful using the air vents as if you directed them anywhere near the wheel they could blow it lock to lock. The other option could be an 88 Honda Legend, supremely wafty steering designed for palming, with only the slight issue that the car was so insanely dangerous to be in an accident in that people were known to have been eviscerated just driving over speed-humps.
Snowy
2021-05-09 10:19:04 +0000 UTCI notice Lovejoy sports Slotmagz on his Old Knacker
Bob Burr
2021-05-08 15:39:16 +0000 UTCUltimate cockroach car and bereavement sale to boot. Do love an LS400. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/164843653610?hash=item26617289ea:g:N6kAAOSwWaxgjaHC
Olly Braithwaite
2021-05-06 21:07:43 +0000 UTCOddly enough, it never even crossed my mind last week, but this week on the “Deceased-Spec” sequel, I suddenly remembered that I owned a seriously creepy deceased spec car back in the early 90’s. A pair of car traders who specialised in ex-fleet stuff used to be part of the local pub regulars circle, and I bought an ‘88 Mk3 Granada 2.4i Ghia from them. It wasn’t until years later when a childhood friend asked me whether my old Granada had had a smell of exhaust fumes in it. None the wiser, I said that no, it hadn’t. Turns out that the previous keeper of the Granada hatch had done the old hosepipe up the exhaust and in through the window and had committed hari-kari and no one had told me. So I guess it was a true “deceased spec” car. *Shudders*
Richard Fitton-Perkins
2021-05-04 21:09:45 +0000 UTCGratifying to see a return of wasp content to the UK's leading wasp and tortoise podcast. Tortoise content sadly lacking in this episode. I hope that's an aberration. Regarding deceased-spec cars, one of the more heartening stories I've heard around here is that of a son who tracks his fathers 996 Turbo. His dad actually died at a track day in the car in the paddock after some kind of heart problem. He dinged the car a little (I believe this was a one-owner car), so the son fully restored it as a tribute to his father, and couldn't bear to get rid of it. 'It doesn't happen all at once,' said the Skin Horse. 'You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand.' -the Velveteen Rabbit
Brendan McAleer
2021-05-04 14:30:38 +0000 UTCBought my daughter her first car earlier this year, a late (2005) Mk1 Focus 1.6 petrol with 56k miles. Dealer said the last owner had brought it in to part ex against something newer, so not quite a dead person car, but still a bargain at £900. Daughter is over the moon with it, a new Bluetooth head unit from grandmother fitted and I'm teaching her to drive. No £30k Audi on finance for her, heck, I don't have a car on finance so why should she?!
Daniel P
2021-05-04 11:15:16 +0000 UTCThere's been sort of a Xantia "revival" among French car buffs since one of the major French youtubers bought a retired-spec petrol one for a grand and fell in love with it. Save for the missing roof liner (yep) it's absolutely mint. The Everest being the Xantia Activa (cue the yogurt jokes) with the top of the line hydropneumatic suspension, unfortunately prices have been out of reach for a long time now.
Christophe D.
2021-05-03 16:28:13 +0000 UTCGreat show again. So many rabbit holes. Got to love those.
John Lancaster-Lennox
2021-05-03 14:34:28 +0000 UTCOn the subject of Honda Elements, I’ve owned a US spec 5 speed Manuel since new. Both are right in saying that it was built to a price point for the young people, which I was one at the time. But sold to the empty nest active crowd, my current demo 16 years later. Runs like a tank and drinks fuel at the same rate. 230k on the clock has cost 5 sets of tires, a few brake jobs, one air con clutch and parking brake shoes. Surprisingly fun car to drive in the slop and snow. Fits my bicycles inside without removing the wheels and with the seats removed is 2/3 the size of a Honda Odyssey minivan. The great party trick according to my wife is the illusion that makes me look like a 13yo while driving. The belt line is oddly high as is the glasshouse rendering a very high roof. Jonny and I are the same height but still the top of the door is just below my shoulder. Over the number of cars I’ve owned, the Element ranks as the most useful and the least expensive. Current fleet including the Element- 07 997S, ‘14 Toyota Land Cruiser and ‘15 GTI.
Stigfan
2021-05-03 13:31:15 +0000 UTCHeavy smokers seem to usually have the best palming technique. Significant skill required to drive while smoking, opening windows, tipping ash, lighting new cigarettes etc. Or perhaps they aren’t that skilled with the inevitable crash explaining the “smoke free” used car premium
Jonathan
2021-05-03 11:21:42 +0000 UTCI'm guessing Vauxhall Omega for the hearse get a locking diff for it and it'll be the most fun ever, if it's ever back up that Rover 75 Hearse also needs bought.
Finn Hendrie
2021-05-03 06:51:58 +0000 UTCThe ultimate dead spec car has to be the essex boys murder range rover which still had a mot in 2009
Andrew Gibson
2021-05-03 01:36:55 +0000 UTCLoved the Santa Pod story, when I go away there's usually one evening where my gutworks go wrong so I feel for the poor soul you mentioned.
Matt Tester
2021-05-02 23:28:16 +0000 UTCOn buying cars from far flung places - a word to the wise, don’t bother with Cornwall, not that cheap usually cause theres peninsula tax as the locals don’t travel and the rust is everywhere, can here cars gently fizzing as they go by. Also I went to Montana / Wyoming for a few weeks in 2019 and there’s so much ‘yard art’ because nothing really rusts past the surface up there because humidity is so low and everyone has a 1000 acres to chuck chod in.
Jamie W
2021-05-02 21:14:26 +0000 UTCPeople are born in ambulances as well, not all bad news 👍
Maurice Barnes
2021-05-02 19:53:43 +0000 UTCGreat podcast guys. Back in 2001/2002, my uncle bought a Citroen xantia off of a dead person. Apparently the person passed away in the car and was being sold cheaper than other xantia’s at the time
zain ali
2021-05-02 19:25:25 +0000 UTC
