Petra D, how about you ?

I find one Petra D 2004 model 109345 kms on odo. Single owner on papers and the head of engine is with oil leaks and hoses and clamps seems to worn out. But the body and other electricals seem good and all power windows and mirrors working. Head lamps with water vapors and even right side with algae. Mech say these are all small and can be rectified within 5k. He suggest to go ahead since diesel engines are rare and condition can be improved. As the deficiencies are cosmetic only, can it be corrected or will it be a bit deeper since worn out parts show negligence by previous owner(s)?

2L for 1L kms done car in this condition is too ambitious. Since its negotiable, to get at a decent price. Ensure, you know the real costs involved in getting her back to 100% trouble free running condition. The car is registered at Chennai, run in Salem and now with a dealer in Chennai. The dealer say 1.20 Lakh quote by someone was not acceded to by the owner. I suspect it as a bait. I have pics of the engine oil leaks. May be 1.25 Lakhs do clinch the deal. Mech say all can be rectified, even without seeing the car.

A friend started the car and after looking under bonnet, say it is just head gasket leak and may not cost much. As the car tyres are bald and with low air, TD was not possible. Also this adds up more suspicion. I am at dark as to this is ok? or wait for another Petra or Siena? My travel would be on highways to my native, 100 kms away from Chennai, on weekends. For within Chennai drive, i have a small petrol car-Matiz.

I changed my small darling Matiz for a Petra (albeit a 1.6). 1.9's are great engines, but have their share of issues, check if any PUG can also inspect the car with you. Just 1 more thing, Petra is an excellent highway cruiser and the best part is its massive ( 500 ltrs) boot. So long drives is really comfy with all your luggage in the boot. If what your mech says is true, go for it. Its a wonderful and safe car.

Power windows, Central Locking, Electrically operated ORVMs, Alloy wheels, Imported velvet upholstery, etc, etc. Anything between 1.5 and 2 lakhs, just grab it. Just to get an idea,If you don't mind pl share me details viz. How much did you pay to get the Petra (1.6)? Odo and the year? How much it cost on regular maintenance? I am aware that urs is petrol. Though i am eager to clinch the deal, i did not show my enthu to dealer, fearing more cost. Your suggestions give confidence.

Inputs are quite encouraging. All upholstery and paint show age and faded. Tyres are all bald.Audio set is swapped for a cheaper one. But i do not mind these. I am concerned about oil leak on engine. Friend say either it is rocker or head gasket. 

I got it for 1.40 lacs with 70k,2005 model, with all accessories including Stanley leather seats and brand new Michelin shoes. Gave it for service last week, costed me 6791/- exact, with oil change, oil and air filters changed, break pad set changed and a 3M engine flush. This is at Concorde motors, Mysore rd , Bangalore. The average, without any major repairs, service cost will be 4k every 6 months or 7500 kms.

The only downside being the mileage it 8.5 ~ 9.5 only 50% ac, in city at best, but in highway have got 14kmpl with speeds of 100kms, but have been told that if we maintain 2000~2500 rpms in the HW we can expect to better it by at least 1kmpl.

This car is for HW cruising, amazing comfort and stability, you can actually whiz past modern day "Fast" cars with ease. Just look at any parts to be replaced at the rear of the car, like petrol filling door or brake lamps, as these parts are difficult to get, as this where the car differs from Palio, rest is same as Palio, so relatively easier to get parts.

Tail lamp is broken and fixed with some red tape. I think here M/s Mahavir of GP rd may source these parts.Moreover i am not much worried about looks. More cared for functional parts.

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1990 Esprit SE

My wife's Turbo Esprit has one small problem. There is a vent hose running from one fuel tank to the other. At least I think it is a vent. It runs up below the rear window and then down to the other tank. This appears to be water heater hose and is very stiff. It pulls off the carpet covering it and moves down into view of the side windows. Does anybody have an idea of a fix for this? I was thinking about some light weight PVC type hose for this? 

Avoid PVC if it's anywhere near fuel or vapors - much better to use a good fuel line. PVC is guaranteed to harden & crack in record time.

The original vent hose runs above the rear window, not below it. Are we still talking about the same hose? The factory used surgical rubber tubing that was prone to hardening and cracking, which led to a strong gas smell in the car. Simply replace it with fuel line of the same OD. Fuel line is what it should have been in the first place.

The stock vent just lays in the fiberglass groove formed by the window mounting detail, then the carpet is glued over it with contact cement. Personally, I prefer to tack glue the hose at a few points along the run before gluing the carpet. The total vent system was more than that one hose, and all the vent tubing was the same surgical rubber tubing. While you're at it, replace it all with fuel line. There's no magic to it. Just replace the hose.

I did mean OD. The groove in the fiberglass where the vent tube fits doesn't allow for a larger OD tube, and the wall thickness of fuel line is greater than the stock surgical rubber tubing. If you start with the same ID and add a thicker wall, the resulting larger OD won't fit in the groove. The fuel line's slightly smaller ID does result in a tighter fit on the spigots at either end, but the fuel line can be forced on with some effort. It works.

OK. The DPO had already been at work on mine and had fitted quite large diameter tubing. So I just went by ID to fit the existing hardware and somehow managed to make the routing work!

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Weird!

As long as the numbers match, I wouldn't worry about it, When the cops checked my number they didn't even ask what it was.

Hi Fellers. I finally trust the Sharkey car enough to drive it more than a mile. It's running very well and keeps running! So before I am tossed into our jail (former outhouse), I thought I'd go ahead and get plates for it. So I dug out the title and registrations, all of which give the VIN number as CD254311, and called our Butch to see about a metal plate as the one on the car is missing. Then just now and for no reason I looked at our site and at the "Identifying Your Crosley" data sheet and found that there was no such number listed. The car is listed on the original title as a 1950 Crosley roadster. What do you guys think ?

I wish I could remember the details on the car. I know it was made from a sedan but my memory said it was a CC. In any case, I know the maker's wife told us that he had to have a new title done after he "made" the car. He may have intentionally done it with a number that was outside the range of regular production so that he did not duplicate an existing car. I'd ask Butch to make a plate that duplicates the numbers you have and let it go at that.

I have the opposite situation. A vin tag but no title. A friend who is a state cop ran the number thru the national data base and it came back that it was not stolen or any other problems, so I need to go to DMV (or can download off the 'Net)get the proper form, the cop fills it out and I take it back and apply for my title. Indiana is pretty easy to work with. Now there is a caveat. Some guys building hot rods and stuff apply for what's known as a "built car " title . But if you do then the var has to have new , up to date safety equipment. You want to stick with the title you have.

IN MOST STATES YOU CAN TAKE YOUR TITLE WITH PROFF OF SOME KIND THAT YOU OWN WHAT THE TITLE SAYS TO THE JUSTICE OF PEACE OF YOUR COUNTY AND THE JP ISSUES A SUBMISSION OF EVIDENCE OVER THE PARTIES THAT EVIDENCE IS OF GOOD CAUSE AND ISSUES A COURT ORDER FOR DEPT OF TRANSPORTATION TO ISSUE A TITLE IN YOUR NAME "REALLY VERY SIMPLE AND NO COST" AND IN A CASE OF TITLE IN HAND ON A VINTAGE THE TAG BUTCH AND WANDA IS THE WAY TO GO ANDY

PER MY LAST LINE I AGREE WITH TIM

Yep, he probably done the same thing that thousands of young men done back in the day. Build a car from various scrap yard cars, and then title it as a "built car". Geoff, I'd bet somewhere on that car the serial number is already stamped. Frame, or somewhere.

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Lotus Press release

Following on the announcement of the new model range, Lotus has also given us a preview of a news release to go out next year in April:

News just in........

There was bad news for Lotus today as Lotus declared that only Lotus could use the Lotus name and that Lotus would be taking steps to prevent Lotus from calling itself Lotus.

'Lotus is not going to let Lotus trade off the Lotus name that Lotus has built up,' said Lotus spokesman Alan Lotus. 'Lotus had an agreement with Lotus but Lotus has not honoured the terms of the Lotus agreement,' Lotus continued. 'For that reason Lotus shall no longer be permitting Lotus to use the Lotus-registered Lotus name of Lotus.'

Lotus was quick to respond to Lotus's action, claiming that Lotus had agreed with Lotus, the division of Lotus that has rights to the Lotus name, and that Lotus could not prevent Lotus from using Lotus unless Lotus expressly said this to Lotus.

'Lotus will take every step to prevent Lotus from removing the Lotus name from Lotus,' said Christopher Lotus, spokesman for Lotus-appointed solicitors, Lotus, Lotus & Lotus. 'Let me assure you that Lotus is not going to simply refrain from calling itself Lotus just because Lotus says so. That would be Lotus… sorry, I mean, ridiculous.'

(not my work, forwarded with permission)

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FIAT Linea Dynamic Petrol 1.4

I have been a recent entrant to the group – joined in mid-September, thanks to Bhushan Bhai, when I sold my Palio 1.2EL, after 7 and a half years. Though I have commented on a few posts, I have been more of an observer. In fact I got one of my colleagues at Tata Sky, Mukund Sharma, to join the group – he is the guy with the 1.9D Palio which had a starting problem due electrical issue just a few days back. However, the reason for this post is because I thought of sharing with you my experience in purchasing my current toy, the Linea Dynamic Petrol 1.4 (Foxtrot Azure).

Having test driven the Verna Transform, Aveo, Fiesta (Limited Edition), Linea, Dezire and SX4, I decided on the Linea on a cost to features ratio – though looks and feel of both the interior and exterior also played a vital role. Having decided on the Linea I played two different dealers one against the other and extracted a very good deal from Galaxy Motors, Mulund, Mumbai. I booked the car on Sept 10 and requested delivery on Sunday Oct 10 – though the delivery period was 20 days, I added a few more to address superstitious believes. In this 1 month period the sales team was put through a severe tormenting time due to my fastidious nature. I kept fighting with them for discounts on audio system, reverse sensors and leather seat covers – not to mention the FOC material I needed them to provide. They addressed each and every query and argument with a smile and took extra pains to ensure all my queries were addressed.

They even requested me to visit their showroom a day earlier just to spend time with their support staff just to understand all the controls available in the car. I actually did take them up on their offer and visited their showroom on Oct 8 for the demo. And then D-day arrived and as promised with all documentation completed, the keys were handed over to me on 10/10/10 @ 10:10am – just as I had requested. Things couldn't have happened better.

This experience of mine, I am sure, will give confidence to one and all. It certainly was a very sweet experience. I doubt the Tata-Fiat marriage is on the rocks – on the contrary, I feel it is a winning one. And I can quite confidently say it is dealerships like these that will take the story forward – and I have dealt with the likes of Fortune, Powai (before they shifted this July), Anuroop, Malad in Mumbai and Mohan Motors, in Calcutta before they lost the dealership, and have never really felt comfortable.

Did you get your registration number also 1010 ? :) 

Good to see positive (more than that actually) reviews on the Fiat-Tata JV

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Lotus reveals radical new direction

Of course you refer to the 'new' Elite - the 'original' was the Type 14...

If you think about it, it could be either Elite. At the time the only streeteable car Lotus sold was the VI. The Seven and Elite were introduced at the same time. The original Elite, a GT car, was definitely up market.The Elite's pricing, at the end of the run, was similar to that of an E Type.Of course I am referring to the Type 14 Elite.

This was Chapman's first attempt to move up-market. The car was state of the art or beyond in literally every aspect. Formula suspension, adapted race engine, bespoke transmission, monocoque body, etc, etc. A road car that could be driven to the track and raced - a true sports car. Competitive on the race track throughout and after its production. Too expensive for what it offered and under appreciated by the casual sports car crowd, it lost money for Lotus. The follow on Elan 26 was a money maker but not nearly as pure an automotive design.

I must have driven a different Evora. The one I drove had heavy, dead steering, overly boosted non-linear  brakes (the salesman warned me about them before I started), transmission with strange ratio gaps. My girl friend also got a test drive. She has driven my Elan many times, and her comments were similar. Reading between the lines, it is a tough market competing against Ferrari, Porsche, etc. It might be easier to carve a niche with an uprated version of their range extender engine in a very small ultra light weight two seater that could appeal to people who look for a more modern version of the Miata (which is a modern version of the Elan) or of the S2000 in a more socially responsible package.

I've owned a couple of 'new' Elites- I've never had the chance to drive the original Elite. I quite liked the new Elite, handled very well, quite comfortable and even looked good. Many things were quite a pain to work on (the AC/Heat system with all those hoses and poor connectors are no fun) and perhaps more troublesome than the other Lotus cars I've owned. They were light for a 4-seat car of it's type, I recall just over 2000 lbs.

Not much more than the Elise. (I never weighed mine, so I don't know if the specs I remember are accurate).

I certainly liked the way my early Europas (type 54, federal) drove better. Much lighter and responsive.
The Elise reminded me much of a modern early Europa in a lot of ways, although it didn't have the 'dancing' feeling of the early cars- it has incredible feedback (and more power etc). PLUS it is super reliable. While I don't currently have a Lotus (just didn't have time to drive the Elise, so it is gone) another will come my way I'm certain.

I hope they keep making the Elise, since I really, really enjoyed that car. I'm not sure they can do well going up market either, but hope they can stay afloat."not nearly as pure an automotive design." That's certainly a matter of opinion that many would debate.Reading between the lines, it is a tough market competing against Ferrari, Porsche, etc. It might be easier to carve a niche with an uprated version of their range extender engine in a very small ultra light weight two seater that could appeal to people who look for a more modern version of the Miata (which is a modern version of the Elan) or of the S2000 in a more socially responsible package. Some folks in the U.S. may not be aware that Lotus has released a new entry level Elise as of June 2010 that has a Toyota 1.6 liter engine with 134 horsepower which gets 45 miles per imperial gallon:

http://www.topgear.com/uk/lotus/elise/road-test/1.6

"The new entry-level Elise emits just 149g/km of CO2 while returning 45mpg." "Lotus claims the new Elise provides 'the most performance per gram of CO2 of any sports car in the world'."

That's perhaps as far as the concept can be pushed and about as light as a production car intended for world wide distribution can be made.

Unfortunately due to all the current regulations, it would probably be very difficult to make cars as light as any of the mostly fiberglass, metal backbone Lotuses.

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