Suggestions thread

macplaxton

Any suggestions you may have for improving or changing the Classic Cars forum please post here. Discussion on suggestions most welcome.

ba_barabus

Excellent, a chance to revistalise this place.

Might I suggest the creation of the following threads:

Classic pre 1980 (NCT exempt) for sale and discussion
Classics Post 1980 for sale and discussion.
Modern classics (20 years or older)
Current bargains and ones to watch
Workshop thread where people can post issues
I worked on my project this weekend thread
Rusting in Peace (Or what I saw today)
Shows and Runs 2017
Vintage Insurance discussion thread

Some of these threads already exist but I think they need a shot in the arm of energy. This subform has potential as there are a lot for people in the main forum withc ars over 20years old but I imagine they think of this subforum for cars pre1980 when that doesn't need to be the case at all.

Dades

ba_barabus wrote: »

Classic pre 1980 (NCT exempt) for sale and discussion
Classics Post 1980 for sale and discussion.

We already have two threads for cars for sale ("bargains") - Irish and foreign... would this not make four threads needed? I wasn't really keen on the original bargain thread being split and I see less point in breaking it again for before/after 1980. #justmyopinion

ba_barabus wrote: »

Current bargains and ones to watch

If this is a thread about classics worth watching now with a view to getting in before prices go out of reach - then great idea. As long as it doesn't turn into another "classic bargain I saw today thread".

Other than that I'm generally against every new post getting stuffed into a megathread. I trust the mods to move very common questions (insurance etc) when it makes sense, and leave individual threads to themselves.

ba_barabus

Can't quote right on my phone Dades but in relation to the first post regarding threads splitting into 4 threads I'd be more inclined to say close the current 2 and restart with 2 new ones. They've gone dead enough as it is. My idea is to open up this area to people with more modern classics or Newtimers as I've seen them referred to. Lots of people in the whole motors section with an interest here.

You've got the gist of what I'm suggesting for the second quote of mine above.

I'm not suggesting a rake of new megathreads to sort everything, although thats how it appears above admittedly, but a few new areas to steer and kick-start discussion to try and get people posting.

Dr Turk Turkelton

ba_barabus wrote: »

Excellent, a chance to revistalise this place.

Might I suggest the creation of the following threads:

Classic pre 1980 (NCT exempt) for sale and discussion
Classics Post 1980 for sale and discussion.
Modern classics (20 years or older)
Current bargains and ones to watch
Workshop thread where people can post issues
I worked on my project this weekend thread
Rusting in Peace (Or what I saw today)
Shows and Runs 2017
Vintage Insurance discussion thread

Some of these threads already exist but I think they need a shot in the arm of energy. This subform has potential as there are a lot for people in the main forum withc ars over 20years old but I imagine they think of this subforum for cars pre1980 when that doesn't need to be the case at all.

Some great ideas here ba_barabus.
I especially like the workshop idea and the modern classics but they are all great suggestions.

unkel

Not a fan of splitting the "here's what I saw for sale" threads up even further as they are quiet enough as is. I'm all for merging / renaming etc. if that spices the threads up a bit more. The original split between Irish and foreign cars was more to ease some tensions at the time than anything else, I guess we don't need that distinction anymore either

ba_barabus wrote: »

This subform has potential as there are a lot for people in the main forum withc ars over 20years old but I imagine they think of this subforum for cars pre1980 when that doesn't need to be the case at all.

Agreed. There would be people in the main forum that would never have thought of posting here. How to communicate this in the main forum with the goal of not taking away from the main forum but adding to this forum?

Cuts both ways though. More than once I have seen aggression / aversion to cars under 30 years old being discussed here. If we want to be more inclusive of youngtimers (again without taking away from the main forum), that attitude needs to change. We've discussed what a classic car is many times before and we will never reach consensus. Might as well stick to the "whatever you reckon is a classic car" unofficial rule that's been in place for a decade.

ba_barabus

The points I've made are just to help kickstart the conversation about where it should all go.

Feel free to offer others. I do think it can be opened up to any car 20 yeas or older to keep fresh interest coming.

If others feel strongly that that shouldn't bebthe case then let us know.

unkel

Is 20 even a minimum limit? I can't see why it should be. Different classic cars for different people and I for one see the benefit of generously opening the forum up to people who own or who are interested in youngtimer cars.

Even more so now, that it is increasingly difficult to insure cars even only 15 years old. Many of them are unfortunately and undeservedly ending up in the scrapyard, not because they are faulty or not roadworthy but just because they have become too expensive to insure for their owners and most other people, so they have no economical value. This does not feel right to me and maybe we can help in this forum to put a stronger voice to this.

ba_barabus

unkel wrote: »

Is 20 even a minimum limit? I can't see why it should be. Different classic cars for different people and I for one see the benefit of generously opening the forum up to people who own or who are interested in youngtimer cars.

Even more so now, that it is increasingly difficult to insure cars even only 15 years old. Many of them are unfortunately and undeservedly ending up in the scrapyard, not because they are faulty or not roadworthy but just because they have become too expensive to insure for their owners and most other people, so they have no economical value. This does not feel right to me and maybe we can help in this forum to put a stronger voice to this.

Absolutely +1

20 years was just in my head but no reason why it can't be for newer cars and for all the reasobs you said

Tzar Chasm

I would be more in favour of merging than splitting threads.

The definition of a classic is something which could easily start a flame war worthy of the annals, forevermore referenced in hushed tones as the Great Banhammering

Dades

A first step would be a new note in the charter explaining that the definition of a classic is subjective, and can include "modern classics".

We need to make it clear that people are free to discuss cars they believe to be classic, or modern or future classic. That way the mods will have something specific to point to if some wag pops up telling them they don't belong here.

Every forum thrives on tolerance. If one doesn't agree something posted in the "Today I saw" thread is a classic, for example, then scroll past. Or even jump in and say "no way not for me" - but by way of discussion rather than argument.

Just to add, I don't see any issues with this forum really. It's a quiet time of year for classics anyway. Less on the road... less DIY being done etc. Don't go changin' too much!

macplaxton

We have two threads:

"This weeks Classic Irish bargains that I'm not buying"

and

"This weeks Classic foreign bargains that i'm not buying"

Formerly it was single thread was split some time back, for exact reasons I forget.

Where do vehicles from Northern Ireland sit in all this? On the one hand there are exchange rates / importation / registration to consider when buying, but on the other there are no ferries / additional travel costs required / 32 counties on the island.

Thoughts?

Dades

Gotta be foreign if there's taxes, registration etc.

Similarly, I'd include an Irish reg car in the UK in the Irish thread!

unkel

macplaxton wrote: »

Where do vehicles from Northern Ireland sit in all this? On the one hand there are exchange rates / importation / registration to consider when buying, but on the other there are no ferries / additional travel costs required / 32 counties on the island.

I'm with Dades here. And the cost of bringing in a car from the mainland UK is trivial, so no exception for NI cars

Brought in another car myself yesterday. Left the house at 7PM and was back home before noon the next day. Total cost in expenses, flight and ferry just €150 (and the last time I did it, it was under €100)

One of the main reasons the thread was split was there used to be a difference in testing. That even if a car had a brand new MOT, it still could very well fail an NCT and need lots of work. Our NCT is far stricter. Nowadays you can swap a valid MOT for a valid NCT with the same end date and it costs nothing, so that big reason is now gone...

I'm not a fan of all the rotten wrecks with no test being posted in either thread though...

macplaxton

I understand Unkel that you're a massive fan of the NCT, but I would argue that the NCT isn't stricter than a MOT. I'm not going to get bogged down in the supposed pros and cons, but any PTI (periodic technical inspection) only means the car met the requirements of the PTI on the day and time it was conducted.

Feedback so far noted.

unkel

macplaxton wrote: »

I understand Unkel that you're a massive fan of the NCT

Not a massive fan, but most cars (including many classics) in this country are required to have an NCT test and many don't have one and the typical Irish shure it'll be grand wink wink is used by a lot of people. Which does nobody any favours imho. Stiff fines and enforcement would kill this overnight, but those things never happen for anything in this country. The only thing that works sometimes is a cultural change.

macplaxton wrote: »

I would argue that the NCT isn't stricter than a MOT.

Well you'd probably be right most of the time. The NCT is strict and objective though (or as objective as it can be). And MOT is done by your local friendly garage, which in itself is a questionable practice. I brought a car in with a fresh MOT, that needed all new metal brake lines and my welder spent 19 hours welding it (half of that needed for NCT, the other half preventative maintenance)