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#115961 11/14/03 06:33 PM
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It's possible your used red Beetle, was the one I had too - sometime in the early '90s.

It used to belong to a young Sri Lankan who, when he was first wooing my sister (they went out for about 2 years, eventually), took her shopping in Neasden in it. Except the bloomin' thing broke down and he, frustrated that his machinery (equipment?) had thus shown him up in front of the girl he wanted to impress, abandoned it there, and took taxis for the rest of the day! He then went out and bought himself a reliable Japanese car. A few months later, when the two of them were at lunch at our place, he overheard my girlfriend saying she was thinking of getting a car and offered us the Beetle, still parked somewhere in Neasden. We took him up on the offer, and for the next year or so were the proud possessors of a love-bug. There was no heating, there was barely any trim, and we took off the bumbers in despair (legally, either you had bumpers in good condition, or none at all!), but it worked, in a way.

It was, of course, a delightfully basic vehicle and I had great fun pottering around it with a few simple tools and tuning the engine, tightening the doors, refitting the connection between the stepney and the windscreen washer bottle and so on. When one door came off, my friend (down from Bombay, and as much of a geek as me) and I took great pleasure in taking a single screw each off the other doors and using them to fix the last one back on.

They don't make cars like that any more. Today, you open the bonnet on one of them and reel back, aghast: it looks as much like a mechanism as a picture of a supermodel looks like the woman herself - bleary-eyed, first thing in the morning. Modern car innards are a definite look-but-don't-touch item, and in making them so, manufacturers have removed some of their heart. Tim was I could change a tyre, unassisted, with the entire family sat in the car (okay, granny would always ake the opportunity to run to the side of the road for a quick pee - damn embarrassing it was, too, because her eyesight was so bad she couldn't see us and therefore thought she herself was out of view, and hence was usually to be found squatting a mere metre or two from the car while we all averted our eyes) in a mere five minutes. Often less. These days I can't even get the nuts off the wheel without one of those pneumatic thingies. Talk about temps perdu eh?

We eventually gave the car to the girlfriend's younger brother. He eventually sold it, the soulless *&^^$""%^*. And that was the end of my motoring days. It was bicycles, bicycles all the way, with tin tacks strewn in my path like mad...

cheer

the sunshine warrior


#115962 11/14/03 06:46 PM
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Carpal Tunnel
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ours was red, too. well the first one, that is. it was a '72, and the heater worked wonderfully(especially nice in northern South Dakota!). I remember, fondly?, the trip to my first real job interview: August, 95°, vapor lock. I stopped several times, removed the gas line, stuck it in the cooler for a couple of minutes, replaced it, and was on my way again. the next time, I had a spare length of hose at the ready... showed up to my interview slightly greasy, asked if I should change in to my suit...

I got the job.



formerly known as etaoin...
#115963 11/15/03 12:43 AM
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Gosh eta! That thread was in the recent past. I had completely missed reading it. Thanks!!
I suspected that this thread would provoke some car stories! All of them were good fun to read. The only car I have ever lusted after was a light green beetle with orange polka dots. I loved that car and would stare at it with hungry eyes every day (was owned by a rather mean neighbour). I think I like chubby cars.
Modern car innards are a definite look-but-don't-touch item, and in making them so, manufacturers have removed some of their heart.
I can empathise with this statement shanks, even if my knowledge about cars is rather limited.

Thanks everyone!


#115964 11/15/03 01:07 AM
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I've gotten to like the pontiac cruisers but I still think they look like an old style volkswagon had an affair with a hearse and pupped.
I've never owned a car and generally go by bike, bus or shank's pony. (thanks for lending it to me) It beats working out at a gym. Then I save up all my errands and rent a car for a weekend every month or so. B


#115965 11/15/03 09:00 AM
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Wait a minute.

In reply to:

"Ancient Plymouths with suicide doors that operated away from the center post like hard covers from a book's spine."


Is this a typo? This is no sentence, surely.








Ron.



Ron.
#115966 11/15/03 11:56 AM
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I don't understand, delfarmer. Will you please explain? Maybe I should give you some context. The author was talking of how cars in Cuba have their own story to tell about the history of the nation and the after effects of the American embargo on trade.


#115967 11/15/03 03:21 PM
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it does need something at the beginning, such as "There are ancient Plymouths with suicide doors that..."
but reading the "sentence" more closely makes me question the description. I've only seen suicide doors used for the rear doors. am I incorrect in seeing that their image is of the front doors being hinged to the same post as the rear doors? actually, I'm having trouble making sense of their use of a book. when the book is shut, that would be when the doors were open, and vice-versa?
oh well, time for another cup of coffee...



formerly known as etaoin...
#115968 11/16/03 02:53 PM
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In reply to:

I don't understand, delfarmer. Will you please explain? Maybe I should give you some context. The author was talking of how cars in Cuba have their own story to tell about the history of the nation and the after effects of the American embargo on trade.


Maybe so, but I don't really need the context. It can't be a sentence, I think because it lacks a main verb, no? Suggested alterations:

"The streets are littered withAncient Plymouths with suicide doors that operated away from the center post like hard covers from a book's spine."

-or-

Ancient Plymouths were designed with suicide doors that operated away from the center post like hard covers from a book's spine."



Ron.



Ron.
#115969 11/16/03 02:56 PM
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OTOH, one might wonder whether the citation's status as a sentence has any bearing on the question of the meaning of suicide doors.


#115970 11/16/03 03:13 PM
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I think this is an example of ellipsis, delf. I, like wwh, am a great fan of ellipsis.


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