Zel's Fleet Blog - Xantia Activa, Jag XJ-S, Sinclair C5, Mercedes 208D, AC Model 70.

[Stickyfinger]

Miaw...

thinks big brother/cat suit/Jims head superimposed..........runs away screaming trying to get the image out of my head !...agggggggggggggg

[Stickyfinger]

oops

[CitroJim]

Oops indeed!!!

What a shocking thought...

[Stickyfinger]

shocking is not the word Jim.....

[Zelandeth]

Totally should have a forum badge or something for the "200 Club" and so on given how many of us seem to have cars with what many people would consider to be "silly" mileages on lesser vehicles...

Yesterday the Saab had a new battery fitted, and has rewarded me by blowing a hole in the front box on the exhaust. Great.

[CitroJim]

That Saab has spent far too much time amongst Citroens Zel That's why it did what it did...

I once had the joy of passing (and catching it on camera) 200K in a Xantia HDi I once had... A geat feeling..

I also passed 100K in another Xantia just passing the Angel of the North. Always lovely if such a momentous occasion can occur at a famous spot..

My 200K milestone happened on an anonymous spot on the A303 somewhere east of Andover

Did yours happen anywhere interesting?

[Zelandeth]

About 10 metres before turning into my driveway actually! Was aware of it approaching and was worried I was going to miss it. 123456 miles in the Saab was somewhere nondescript around Oxford, can't remember where exactly, but I was able to pull over to snap a photo so can't have been anywhere too busy.

[Stickyfinger]

111111 soon for me

[Zelandeth]

For the second time since I started driving (on the public road...on private ground was about ten years earlier...) in 2003, I belted a kerb today. In fairness, it was in a carpark, I was doing about 0.5mph and an idiot ran out from between two vans not across the carpark, but towards my car - instinctive reaction was to brake and evade. Cue lound "scronk" from nearside front.

Sorry Gabriel...didn't mean it.

Fact is the guy would have missed me by a country mile, it was just pure reflex.

Feel really bad now, always hate it when I do things that hurt my cars. Will probably take her up to Formula 1 to have the tracking checked this week just in case as the tyres are nearly new and I don't want to shred them. At least there's no visible damage to the tyre save for a scuff.

*dons dunce hat and goes to sit in the naughty corner*

Disclaimer: I am not counting however many dozen times I hopped the rear wheel over the kerb when first learning to drive a bus. That requires a bit of practice to avoid...and clipping one for the first time after being out for three hours right as you pull into the depot results in a *lot* of swearing.

[daviemck2006]

There is a a mini roundabout in Turriff that was really difficult to miss with a bus while turning right. Trouble is its not just paint, it's a hump about 4 inches high. Really good fun when there were passengers sleeping and just went a little too fast hee hee. Not that I ever did that[emoji33] [emoji48] [emoji12] [emoji3]

[Zelandeth]

I know exactly the one you mean, and I have both clipped it myself, and been catapulted out of the back seat on the 305 (or 35 as they call it now)! Assuming you mean the one where Queen's Road and High Street meet.

[daviemck2006]

Yes, that's the one. I cut my bus driving teeth on the 305 with the S reg volvo jonkeers. The only accident I had with a bus was in Elgin bus station. There was a newish pug 406 estate parked in a silly place. I parked my bus and went in for a break. I said that car is in a stupid place, someone's gonna hit it. It was a man in fixing the coffee machine. Whilst in there someone moved my bus as parked another right behind it, I jumped into my bus, the only way I could get out was on full lock. Cue the tail swing, hit the pug, I got its b pillar, both doors, a pills wing and bonnet. Ooooopppppss Depot controller standing watching along with most of the other drivers pissing themselves laughing. The pug was written off, the bus no more than a scratch. Me? Very sheepishly told the man his car is bent, about 25 passengers to load on the stance seen it too. A few weeks later cue a written warning for me. I appealed it and the depot controller got one instead for telling the guy to park there and he was supposed to watch buses manuvering and in the station!

[Zelandeth]

Yep, they were on there when I was commuting into town from Fyvie. Far preferred them to the Plaxtons which had seats that seemed to assume that my head was actually about three inches further forward than it is. Seem to remember that batch of Jonkheeres had a gearbox that used to make a most peculiar whistling/warbling noise at speed. Never heard another ZF box do that, for all they do make some odd noises.

[daviemck2006]

It's quite possible that we have actually met Zel. There was one that wouldn't change down gear on the hills with the result it was down to about 20 mph going up the hill just south of Fyvie, and another that held the revs until it was flat out, it was the fastest because of that! I don't think it ever got into top gear lol

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk

[Zelandeth]

I remember the one that had the issue with dropping gears, heading towards Oldmeldrum out of Newmachar I seem to remember being painful as well.

Best laugh I ever had on that route was one evening I'd got a late bus back after meeting up with friends for dinner and I was the only one on the bus. Sat in the middle rear seat so I could stretch my legs out, and did have the belt on. Driver did an emergency stop from the limiter when a deer ran out in front of the bus. I shot down the aisle like a torpedo and stopped somewhere around row three. Driver saw this all in the mirror and just about passed out laughing. As did I once I worked out what the heck had happened. Shame the bus didn't have CCTV...