Eunos Chump

Trying to buy a car over Xmas is surprisingly awkward, but I put down a deposit on this 9-3 yesterday - should be collecting it soon.  Also entered another raffle for another Rover 75!  Who could resist the combination of 4 cylinder power, V6 fuel consumption, and cloth seats?  The 2.0 Club has it all. Finally got around to servicing the VFR too, it's had oil, filter and coolant at 67K.  It's had a bit of a refurb too, though the paint is flaking off the rear wheel again.

Over Xmas I worked up some motivation to fix the MX5 - properly.  This morning I replaced the buggered clutch master cylinder (£20 used one from Autolink ), changed the oil, then took it for it's first run in months. It feels a bit 'soft'.  A bit 'wobbly'. I think the Koni shocks are past their best - they are at least 8 years old, after all.  It's still rapid anti-social fun, but the handling will be familiar to anyone who plays a lot of GTA5 with a gamepad.

Currently having a frustrating time finding Mrs B another car.  She's wanted a convertible for some time now and because of her dodgy knees it needs to be an automatic, and not stupidly low-slung like my MX5.  While she has champagne tastes, I have a lemonade budget so we've been plumbing the depths of Saab 9-3s (went to see one that was 'mint', had fungus growing in it), Volvo C70s (chocolate gearboxes), Merc CLKs (always, ALWAYS rusty), and Audi/BMWs (always badly modified and/or run on a shoestring).  This morning's contender was a '98 Mercedes SLK.  Looked good, interior sound (usually the paint is flaking off the dash), but a HPI check revealed it was written-off 3 years ago. So far, this seems to be the absolute worst part of the market to be looking.  Owners seem to scrape together enough cash for piss-poor private number plates and eBay alloys, but servicing it? Nope. If only she could be happy with a tatty old Rover 75!  I realise it's the auto...

It was good. This concludes my review.

I'm still lovin' the Euro Truck Simulator 2. After a week of hard work I've saved enough to buy my own truck, and being an astute businessman I've placed my hopes, dreams, and financial security into a big pink Renault: The large motif on the steering wheel reassures me that I've made a wise choice, like so many Megane, Laguna, and Koleos owners before me. I even paid extra for the fancy Optidrive R gearbox upgrade. I've a good feeling about this.

I've got loads of vehicle-related tasks to catch up on, but I'm stuck inside thanks to weeks and weeks of shite weather.  So today, I've been driving around in a 40 tonne truck in Euro Truck Simulator 2 : It's strangely compelling, and quite beautiful to look at.  I've never driven a truck, but it seems to be a lot like towing a caravan, only slower and more frustrating, and with constant pressure to meet deadlines.  Also, I found myself questioning why I was spending my precious leisure time sitting in a simulated traffic jam.