I bought a car on Tuesday. In a continuation of my "cars I liked when I was younger" buying strategy, I bought a 1995 Series 1 Land Rover Discovery 3.9 V8i.
I've become something of a 4WD fan over the last couple of years, having purchased a Range Rover from EBay on an impulse one day a couple of years back, and having driven Esther's Daihatsu Rocky for the last year and a bit. So a Disco (as we veteran 4WDers call them) seemed like a damn good choice.
So I found this example at a Western Sydney dealership. It's dual-fuel, so my left-wing commie-pinko little-L-liberal sensibilities can claim it's enviro-friendly by running it in LPG mode and saving fuel costs, and my big-ass-engine gland can be satisfied by the occasional squirt in petrol mode. Bodywise, it's spotless, and the engine is clean, big and seemingly reconditioned relatively recently. It drives as well as any 4WD I've sat in, and it looks the part. It also has a CD system (my first in a car), aircon, electric everything, comfort, alloys, a fuckbucket of cup holders and a V8 hum worthy of the best. Though mostly, it's the 4WD I saw in Camel Trophy colours not long after it first appeared on the streets, and resolved to own one day.
Unfortunately it blew its clutch less than 24 hours after picking it up.
Yes, the clutch pressure plate decided life was no fun any more, and lunched itself just outside Esther's dad's place. Which kinda went against any 4WD-cred I might have built up by rolling up in it. We'd been for a short off-road blast at Oxford Falls just before, but that was completely unrelated, and besides, it's an off road vehicle.
So yesterday it went back to the dealer for repairs. Today I've been told they're fixing it up with a new clutch, no cost to me other than the fuss of having no car for the weekend, gratis, and with a great show of apology. So many cheers to Greg Watts Motors for doing the right thing and making it thoroughly bearable to have the thing fixed. Having been initially rather pissed off, they've won me round and providing this repair goes well, I'd recommend them.
For reference, I've owned a couple of Austin Metros, a Peugeot 205, a 1971 Triumph MKII 2500, a 1979 Range Rover and an 80's Toyota Celica, none of which made it as far as resale, and most of which made it spectacularly to the scrapheap. I've also had contact with various other cars including beetles, minis and rear wheel drive saloons. Again, none have made it as far as resale. I am in fact a graveyard of motoring. I hope to change that with this car, but we'll see.
In other news, Esther also dabbled in the car market, purchasing herself a Daewoo Matiz. My car and hers look quite the couple. Like Rottweiler and Chihuahua. It has an 800cc engine, which is just short of 1/5th the size of the Disco, and of course the fuel consumption is a little better.
And I've also just realised both Esther's car and mine are very bad at going round corners fast. So I'll probably bury one ina wall sometime soon. Wish me luck, please.