Northern Auto Tech - ECU and Blue & Me Repairs

General Previous antics...

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General Previous antics...

Amelia in the Panda Graveyard, Ulan Bator, Mongolia...
 

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Steve said:
Enjoy!?

I'm sad to see the cars ending up like this just for a bit of "fun". The numbers of Pandas, 2CVs and so on that end up wasted due to events like this is ridiculous. It's mindless...
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Raising hundreds of thousands for worthy causes? Improving cultural relations with over eighteen foreign nations? Bankrolling at least fifty three mechanics mortgages? Mindless it is not... Fun it most definitely is. Anyhow, think of all the Mongolians who now have the dubious privilege of driving these vehicles! (y)
 
Five Pandas, a 2CV, and our SJ in a particularly lawless corner of Georgia...
 

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It always makes me laugh when people that participate in these events do so in the name of charity. If costs so much more to compete in than is raised. At the end of the day this is about having fun, driving hundreds of miles in an unlikely car and boasting about it in the pub. In reality this has little to do with charity. If the entrants donated the amount of money spent on the car purchase, petrol, tax, preparation, accomodation, boat fares, train fares, tyres, food, bribes, etc, etc, etc then the charities would really be better off. As it is the donation to charity is but a fraction of the total cost, so pull the other one.
 
Steve said:
It always makes me laugh when people that participate in these events do so in the name of charity. If costs so much more to compete in than is raised. At the end of the day this is about having fun, driving hundreds of miles in an unlikely car and boasting about it in the pub. In reality this has little to do with charity. If the entrants donated the amount of money spent on the car purchase, petrol, tax, preparation, accomodation, boat fares, train fares, tyres, food, bribes, etc, etc, etc then the charities would really be better off. As it is the donation to charity is but a fraction of the total cost, so pull the other one.
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:bang:

Given that we raised in excess of £5000 for charity, were donated the car, spent 3 nights of a total 5 weeks in hotels (supporting the local economy), paid two bribes amounting to £1.67, waited 10 days for a ferry in Azerbaijan (again, supporting the local economy AND getting a load of other truckers on a boat that otherwise would'nt have left if it was'nt for us), then you will appreciate that such matters are not as conveniently black and white as you consider them to be... Any costs incurred on the Rally were in the purchase of local goods at fair prices.
 
Look, I really don't care about the money raised for charity. What I do care about is the sheer number of cars which are appreciating classics that are being taken out of the UK on these events. That's the bottom line. It means that in the future we will probably struggle to find cars and parts if it continues. Of course, to a non-enthusiast like yourself that makes no sense. I call you a non-enthusiast because no enthusiast would happily post a photo of a car they loved in a Mongolian graveyard after driving it into the ground and destroying it. My feelings on these events are well documented on the forum. I find it offensive and consider the participants to be idiots.
 
Steve said:
Look, I really don't care about the money raised for charity. What I do care about is the sheer number of cars which are appreciating classics that are being taken out of the UK on these events. That's the bottom line. It means that in the future we will probably struggle to find cars and parts if it continues. Of course, to a non-enthusiast like yourself that makes no sense. I call you a non-enthusiast because no enthusiast would happily post a photo of a car they loved in a Mongolian graveyard after driving it into the ground and destroying it. My feelings on these events are well documented on the forum. I find it offensive and consider the participants to be idiots.
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Thank you for clarifying your position, it strikes me that yours is one based on the tacit assumption that 'enthusiasts' such as yourself have a positive right to maintain such vehicles for your own private enjoyment, and that 'idiots' such as myself have an obligation to utilise our possessions in a manner in line with what you consider to be appropriate. Indeed, driving a car to Mongolia could be construed to be wreckless and destructive in itself, but let us not lose sight of the good that is achieved out of such follies (but then again, by your own admission you could'nt give a damn).

At a personal level, I refute your claim that I am not an enthusiast, as I am indeed in the process of completely restoring my Panda. This project has, and will continue to involve a considerable amount of my time, effort, and money. On the presumption that I am in fact a rational, purposeful human being, this would qualify me (at least in a negative sense) as an enthusiast. Despite my enthusiasm, I am not a curator of Italian automotive history, and will be sure to keep you updated of my progress as I thrash said Panda down the Trans-American highway.

Yours idiotically,

A Rallyer
 
i refute the term classic car... it's nonsense.

cars is a car is a car... the only difference is the amount of enjoyment involved.
 
flynbo said:
Indeed we shall, I look forward to continuing the conversation at the next meet-up though! :)
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I dunno, that could get a little heated. :slayer:

Tony M said:
i refute the term classic car... it's nonsense.

cars is a car is a car... the only difference is the amount of enjoyment involved.
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Tony, you're refuting an entire multi million pound industry with an established base and thousands of followers? :confused:
 
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Ok not particularly classic in the sense of the word, more cult I would say at this time or appreciating classics. It's been shown that the numbers have dramatically reduced and there are only 35 left in NI. OK much more left in the rest of the UK but that is reducing fast as well between a few Mk1's and quite a few Mk2a's & b's. The latest UK pandas are now 12 years old so in a few years time there will be very few available so the more that go to Mongolia the worse it will be for the UK panda community.

In your team there were 5 pandas, I dread to think of the total ammount overall as everyone seems to think the Panda is the perfect mongolian rally transport. Most going won't be Panda enthusiasts and probably couldn't care what type of car they use and I suppose you could ask why should they, but they would have seen clips or media interest in the rally with many pandas shown and will probably look for that type or model of car as a result which is not good for us enthusiasts.

The charity bit I would get if all money collected went to the charity, but for most it's a free paid holiday donated from people in the UK. On the charity event to Istanbul I will pay all money collected to the charity & fund the trip myself as I think it is wrong to do otherwise, why should I expect others who have paid money expecting it to go to a good cause use it to pay for my trip. So hope that wasn't what was used to fund your trip and would have my respect if that is the case, but it still doesn't help the plight of the diminishing panda. I also hear that these poor people in Mongolia get to keep & use the cars that end up there but looking at the panda graveyard it's a sad sight. No matter how, all the pandas going to Istanbul will be comming back.

I guess for those going it's a bit of a lark, but for those into pandas it's getting harder & harder to find decent one's and seen as a waste.

It's obvious that there are arguments for both sides so raising the issue here normally ends up in conflict & strong words from both sides.
 
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