JoeCool

[Carolyn]

We had a short, but lovely visit from Jon (Joe Cool) yesterday.

He dropped off all kinds of useful bits, including hard to get chassis and suspension bolts, which are now available to members as needed. He also left a pair of AD08R tyres with loads of tread.  They are 205 50 16, which is an unusual size, but eminently usable.  If anyone wants them they are here.

This was all an effort to prevent good stuff going to the tip.

Jon is off to pastures new in Portugal.  Send him our good wishes on this thread, everyone.  He's a top man.

[Topdownman]

What a nice gesture.

Good luck with the move.

Think we need a club road trip to Portugal!

[Petrus]

Think we need a club road trip to Portugal!

Make it a round trip Andalucia.
Driver´s paradise here.
Happy to organise a bbq and can put several members up for the night.

Enjoy the southern life style Jon!

[househead]

Good luck Jon and enjoy the vastly improved weather in your life!

Are you going to be buying a new cabrio?!

[wotugonado]

Best wishes for the future.

[Petrus]

Good luck Jon and enjoy the vastly improved weather in your life!

Are you going to be buying a new cabrio?!

A cabrio here is a weird experience, coming from the North.
No, not the 300 days sun/year but the fact that you need an airco to drive top down in summer. And a hat.
Hence cabrios are léss popular here with the locals; totally contrary to what you´d think, what Í thought.

[Ardent]

Dear Jon

All the best with the move.
Do love Portugal.
Good food good wine lovely people.

Where generally in Portugal?

[1979scotte]

Good luck Jon and enjoy the vastly improved weather in your life!

Are you going to be buying a new cabrio?!

A cabrio here is a weird experience, coming from the North.
No, not the 300 days sun/year but the fact that you need an airco to drive top down in summer. And a hat.
Hence cabrios are léss popular here with the locals; totally contrary to what you´d think, what Í thought.

No country in Europe buys more soft tops than the UK. Mild ish winters and not too hot summers make them year round usable. In the south at least.

[Ardent]

Likewise in the far north of
Leicestershire.

[Petrus]

No country in Europe buys more soft tops than the UK. Mild ish winters and not too hot summers make them year round usable. In the south at least.

Also there is a history, just about culturally engrained nowadays.
When car technology evolved from soft top to hard top, the paths of the UK aficionados and continental ones diversed. The nimble english sports cars for some reason, perhaps embracing convention, stayed open top whereas on the continent the stiffness of the closed body was embraced. This can a bit later be seen in chassis based open tubs vs. monocoque too.
Foremostly by specialist coach bulders but soon also the manufacturers.
This basically stayed like this till the demise of the British car industry and birth of the MX5.
Although now all cabrios were same tech., the UK enthusiasts still bought and buy wáy more soft tops to enjoy country lanes, B-roads.
Resulting in umpteen times more MR2 spyders in the UK than in the rest of Europe.
Chapeau to that custom!

[Carolyn]

Come on guys.

The point of this thread is to send our best wishes.

[househead]

Come on guys.

The point of this thread is to send our best wishes.

Apologies from me for being the opener of the can of worms

I'll reiterate... good luck man (whatever new car you do or don't buy!)

[Joesson]

Hope all goes well with the move and subsequently.

[1979scotte]

Come on guys.

The point of this thread is to send our best wishes.

Ive met the bloke.
He's a good guy.
Sort a man this country needs but probably doesn't reward properly and so they find better lives elsewhere.

[Mikeymead]

Good luck with your move Joe, shame I didn't have enough spare dosh to buy your old car as it was a bargain.

[Chilli Girl]

I wish you all the best Jon.  Enjoy Portugal.

[StuC]

@JoeCool  great gesture for the club from a seasoned member. 
Hat tipped sir.
Enjoy Portugal

[Alex Knight]

@JoeCool 

Nice to meet you the couple of times I did - best wishes for sunny Portugal - indeed you are a proper fella

[JoeCool]

Wow, thanks guys! Hope the parts come in handy (it was only a few. Wish I hadn't thrown away the other bits now!) The Tyres will be spot on for rears. Correct rolling radius.

Sorry I haven't had more input to the forums/club recently, but if you'd lived my life these past 2 years.... well, lets just say spare time has not been my primary asset!

However, given that I am now heading to the Algarve with nothing to do but 'doss' for 3 years, I'm aiming to  make the most of it! Childcare, Cycling and enjoying the lifestyle are my primary goals - very lucky to be able to take 3 years to spend with the kids full time when they're younger.

My wife is earning the cash.

Sadly, time, taxes in portugal, and money dictate I probably won't be running a 'fun' car out there, but I aim to continue my yearly trips to the Nurburgring at least.

Ive met the bloke.
He's a good guy.
Sort a man this country needs but probably doesn't reward properly and so they find better lives elsewhere.

Eh, I wouldn't say that. We'll likely be back in 3 years.

Now, if anyone knows a decent tiler, I've got an extension to finish in 8 days so the house is rentable when we leave!!

[1979scotte]

Wow, thanks guys! Hope the parts come in handy (it was only a few. Wish I hadn't thrown away the other bits now!) The Tyres will be spot on for rears. Correct rolling radius.

Sorry I haven't had more input to the forums/club recently, but if you'd lived my life these past 2 years.... well, lets just say spare time has not been my primary asset!

However, given that I am now heading to the Algarve with nothing to do but 'doss' for 3 years, I'm aiming to  make the most of it! Childcare, Cycling and enjoying the lifestyle are my primary goals - very lucky to be able to take 3 years to spend with the kids full time when they're younger.

My wife is earning the cash.

Sadly, time, taxes in portugal, and money dictate I probably won't be running a 'fun' car out there, but I aim to continue my yearly trips to the Nurburgring at least.

Ive met the bloke.
He's a good guy.
Sort a man this country needs but probably doesn't reward properly and so they find better lives elsewhere.

Eh, I wouldn't say that. We'll likely be back in 3 years.

Now, if anyone knows a decent tiler, I've got an extension to finish in 8 days so the house is rentable when we leave!!

3 years away in the sun with cheap beer I doubt you'll want to.

Sorry all the tilers I've come across in the last 6 months have been awful there seems to be a shortage atm. Except Colin and I don't have his number.

[JoeCool]

Well he's got to be better than the chippy who turned up to my house, let himself in and started staggering about with a can of cider on the go, at 7am!

Or the worktop fitters who dropped the work surface with the 6 weeks lead time and broke it....

Or the carpet fitters who turned up today with their carpet roll cut 10cm too short for the room!

This is why I do my own work on cars.... I trust myself!

[shnazzle]

All the best to you sir. Bold more but definitely one I envy.
If there was ever a time to leave and come back when things calm down, it's now. 
And like you said, amazing opportunity for the kids. 

Hope to see you back in 3 years, or, even more hopefully looking forward to seeing you join  as  a "Portuguese" member and resident.

[househead]

This is why I do my own work on cars.... I trust myself!

Amen to that!

I, who started with virtually zero car maint / mod knowledge like 6 months ago, still trust myself more than a dealer or the local garage I'd previously used. It really is a sad state of affairs when the majority of these jokers either don't have the knowledge they say they do or don't carry out the actions they say they have. I am sure there are good tradespeople out there ... but how much time and money must one waste finding them?!

[wotugonado]

Ehh leave off the trades were not all bad.
Saying that I've given up on young trainees as they're flippin useless....

3 years in the sun, its gonna be hard not to enjoy that even without the mr2.

[puma2]

  all the best to you
when i have met up with you were friendly and fun to be around.
will miss your adventure videos and your friendly helpfully advice  on here

go and enjoy your new adventure and good quality family time

we are all jealous now