CECC Introductions

[Double02]

If you are joining the BCBimmers forum after following the link from the CECC web site, please post a brief intro here. The rest of the board is pretty BMW-centric and may not properly appreciate your Saab, Peugeot, Renault, Volvo, Lada, etc. :D

[B10er]

Hi,

My name is Chris, and I own a 1973 BMW Bavaria, a 1989 Alpina B10 3.5, and a 1989 Skoda 135GLi.

I'd love to add another Skoda to the fleet, though I have no idea where I'd put it, and I'd very much fancy a SAAB 96 or 99, or another BMW e12 or e21.

[motrhead]

Hi,
My name is Dean, I live in the Okanagan-Similkameen, and I usually drive something that fits this club. Currently I have an '87 Volvo 740 Turbo and a 93 Lada Niva, and I have a few parked Euro vehicles awaiting repairs (86 Benz 190D, 86 Jetta Td, 90 Jetta Td) as well as a long term project 1970 Volvo 122S. I have owned something like nine Volvos so far...
I'm always on the lookout for a Lada sedan (preferably a Classic model),or a Skoda. My favourite non-Volvo European car was a toss up between the Benz and my old 86 Renault Encore GS 1.7, so I am also watching for for a cheap Alliance GTA (or maybe a decent Fuego), since the Renault is just more fun.
I ride a Yamaha RZ350 two stroke bike (and a GL1100 naked GoldWing), and am a fan of WRC, F1, MotoGP, WSB, and the EPL.
I try to get to the Knox Mountain Hill Climb, the Mountain Trials Rally and the Pacific Forest Rally every year, since motorsport in BC is so limited. One of these years I hope to be competing rather than spectating, but until my kids are grown I don't think my budget will allow for that, unfortunately. I do fancy myself a pretty competitive driver :drive:
I hope to see you around.
Dean

[Double02]

Welcome Dean, good to have you aboard.

I'll add a thread for so you can show off some of your cars. I just entered the Volvo world myself.

By the way, there is an '82 Fuego for sale in West Van. Don't know what it's like but the link is in the CraigsList thread.

[jkcma]

Hello,

My name is John, and I own a 1988 BMW 635 CSI, a 2006 BMW Z4 3.0SI, and an older Nissan minivan.

I love to attend club runs, meets, and DIY tech sessions. One of these days I want to attend the annual Pacific Sharkfest in California.

Besides BMWs, I also like British cars and other odd ball European cars.

Welcome Dean, I almost bought a Volvo 740 Turbo wagon last year from a board member here. Please post some pics of your Volvo.

[B10er]

Hey Dean,

Thanks for posting - pretty much a textbook example of why we are starting to put this club together...

Just curious - why do you list the Encore as one of your favorite non-Volvos - not knocking it at all, but since it is a car that seems to get picked on, I'd like to hear your side!

Take Care,
Chris

[motrhead]

Welcome Dean, good to have you aboard.

I'll add a thread for so you can show off some of your cars. I just entered the Volvo world myself.

By the way, there is an '82 Fuego for sale in West Van. Don't know what it's like but the link is in the CraigsList thread.

I saw that Fuego...it's a little rough in the sheet metal department for my liking, and I've spent too much money on motorcycles since Christmas to allow any new toys for a couple of months:D

[motrhead]

Hey Dean,


Just curious - why do you list the Encore as one of your favorite non-Volvos - not knocking it at all, but since it is a car that seems to get picked on, I'd like to hear your side!

Take Care,
Chris

I got my Encore for free from a friend that neglected the timing belt and bent a valve when it broke. It was super easy to work on...especially after just giving up on my worst ever automotive mistake (Toyota Camry) because it was not designed to be worked on (and I hated that POS). The fantastic Renault engineering was a treat. It was like it was engineered with the mechanic in mind! I spent less than $100 for a valve, belt, and gasket set, and in a couple of hours it was purring like a kitten.
I beat the living hell out of that car for a 5 or 6 years,:D and it was fun to drive and trouble free. I had one issue with the dimmer switch, but other than that no problems until I killed it (except for occasionally having to weld the exhaust system, but that was from abuse). I was commuting 26km (20 minutes) each way over a dirt mountain pass to work for most of the year, and badly misbehaving all the time -full on sideways, left foot braking, jumps over cattleguards and crests (in the dark in the AM) for a few years in that car -and all it needed was brake pads and tires.My alternate route was a 75km twisty rough back road that I drove much faster... Finally with well over 300,000km (the odometer quit somewhere there and I ran it for quite a while after, so I would guess closer to 400k), the brushes in the alternator started to give out. I got a jump one day at -27C after work and didn't realise I had frozen the throttle body open charging the engine at higher rpm before I shut it off. When it fired it revved way up and probably bent a valve, so I drove it home with a miss and parked it. The cancer was starting, and I had just found a nice diesel Jetta. I intended to make a real rally car out of the Renault, but work, family, and life in general got in the way, and in a stupid moment of weakness I let it go to the wreckers.:17:
That car was almost as tough as a Volvo. I never had to fix anything major. I always shifted without a clutch so it was still on the original. It felt roomier and more comfortable than the Jetta. It was almost as easy to work on as a Volvo. I can see why Volvo chose that drivetrain for their 480 series cars. Seriously, it was a much better car than the MK II Jettas and Golfs. I don't believe anyone could punish a car worse than what I did. I drove it like a Volvo and it seemed to love it. Oh yeah, the ride was fantastic, like most French cars; I could fly on the worst potholed and frost heaved roads without suffering, and it held on pretty well to boot.
As you can tell it left a lasting impression. It may not have handled as well as the Benz 190, or my GLT spec 244, but it was quite good. Better than the Jetta.
Dean

[cacciatore08]

Wow, Cool section.

Didn't even know this existed.

Can Mercedes related material be posted in here?

Cheers

[Double02]

Wow, Cool section.

Didn't even know this existed.

Can Mercedes related material be posted in here?

Cheers

Thanks.

Yes, provided it's Mercedes from 1960-89.

[sportwagen]

Hello,
My name is Regan.

It feels a bit odd posting in a Bimmer Forum as my “German” car wasn't built in Munich. Or Ingolstadt, or Stuttgart or even Wolfsburg. (Though I am very grateful this corner of the forum is available.)

It was built in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

A 1988 Volkswagen Fox GL Wagon.

Designed at least in part by Giorgetto Giugiaro and marketed by VW as “German engineering at an extremely affordable price”, it has European heritage even if it was never sold outside the Americas.

It is quirky. 3 doors. Longitudinal engine. No cup holders.
It is a VW, so many parts from two decades of VW production are interchangeable upgrades.
Popular in South America but poorly supported in North America, it is well on its way to becoming obscure on local roads.

I am 9 years into this automotive adventure. Thousands of hours and thousands of dollars later, it is a lot closer to the spirited drive I imagined when I bought it. I will never be able to explain the grin it produces.

It has been in car shows, down drag strips, on family vacations, been driven to work and gone autocrossing. Perhaps it will be in a Road Rallye.

You can learn more about it here (http://members.shaw.ca/icollect01/vwfoxwagon.html) than you should probably know about another person's car.

I believe it has found a home in CECC.
Looking forward to seeing where this adventure will lead.

http://members.shaw.ca/icollect03/8spokeon1.jpg

[Double02]

Hello,
My name is Regan.

It feels a bit odd posting in a Bimmer Forum as my “German” car wasn't built in Munich. Or Ingolstadt, or Stuttgart or even Wolfsburg. (Though I am very grateful this corner of the forum is available.)

It was built in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

A 1988 Volkswagen Fox GL Wagon.

Designed at least in part by Giorgetto Giugiaro and marketed by VW as “German engineering at an extremely affordable price”, it has European heritage even if it was never sold outside the Americas.

It is quirky. 3 doors. Longitudinal engine. No cup holders.
It is a VW, so many parts from two decades of VW production are interchangeable upgrades.
Popular in South America but poorly supported in North America, it is well on its way to becoming obscure on local roads.

I am 9 years into this automotive adventure. Thousands of hours and thousands of dollars later, it is a lot closer to the spirited drive I imagined when I bought it. I will never be able to explain the grin it produces.

It has been in car shows, down drag strips, on family vacations, been driven to work and gone autocrossing. Perhaps it will be in a Road Rallye.

You can learn more about it here (http://members.shaw.ca/icollect01/vwfoxwagon.html) than you should probably know about another person's car.

I believe it has found a home in CECC.
Looking forward to seeing where this adventure will lead.


Welcome Regan,

There is just something fundamentally cool about a 3 door wagon. Longitudinal engine FWD is also pretty rare. Very nice car and I'm looking forward to seeing it (and hopefully getting a ride) at the RduC.

Good write-up on the Fox too. You should send it, along with a few other photos, to Chris's e-mail address on the CECC site so he can add it as an entry there. I've been to Brazil many times and it took me a long time to figure out that those cool hatches I kept seeing were early Fox's (Gols there).

As for this forum, think of us as a sovereign nation of free-thinkers who generally get along with our much larger neighbour (sound familiar?). We thought about having our own forum, but realistically it would be pretty quiet. Much better to be a small (yet fully independent) part of a big community than a hard core fringe element (thinking North Korea or Albania here). Even the die-hard bimmer guys drop the odd comment here.

[sportwagen]

Welcome Regan,

There is just something fundamentally cool about a 3 door wagon.

Thank you. Many are confused by the 3 door layout. Some just don't get it. Glad to see you do.

Please let me know if you are heading back to Brazil. I'll lend you an extra suit case to bring back a few after market parts that seem otherwise unobtainable.

Glad to be part of "sovereign nation of free-thinkers ".
Regan

[B10er]

Welcome - your website is an inspiration...

It's easy to fall for fast and sexy sports cars, so its great to see someone taking the time and effort for a machine that most probably wouldn't give a second thought about.

I'll add it to the links page on the CECC website if that's ok with you.

Is it true by the way that the Fox wagon has more headroom than the sedan?

[sportwagen]

Welcome - your website is an inspiration...
Thanks, I really have to spend some time updating it.


It's easy to fall for fast and sexy sports cars, so its great to see someone taking the time and effort for a machine that most probably wouldn't give a second thought about.

Yes, many consider the Fox a disposable car, especially given the current condition of many examples on craigslist. I never fell for fast and sexy cars, preferring underdogs and slow cars (http://www.automobilemag.com/features/great_drives/0903_slow_cars_the_joy_of_slow/index.html). Of course with the effort I've put into this one I could have had a fast and sexy sports car. Or a Mk1 GTI appreciating in value. Instead I have a fast (for what it is) beauty (In the "There is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in the proportion" Sir Francis Bacon way) and no regrets.


I'll add it to the links page on the CECC website if that's ok with you.


Link as you see fit.


Is it true by the way that the Fox wagon has more headroom than the sedan?

I believe the answer is no.
The roofline of the wagon is higher than that of the sedan - from the B-pillar back. It looks to be about 3/8 of an inch higher and then continues rising slightly to a point in line with the rear seats. I think this is to give the rear passengers in the wagon the same headroom as in the sedan. It compensates for the slightly taller folding seat in the wagon.

I should have a chance to compare them next week. A co-worker drives a 2 door...

[blacke30]

Damn I need to pay more attention to this stuff. Those are some cool cars. I love the Skoda's and the Fox wagon. I have an 83 scirocco wolfsberg with way too many km to resurect but, I am doing it next week. I guess there will be some photo worthy moments coming up. Cheers,Steve.