Belgian lads restoring a 240GL diesel

[kiloran]

Not sure whether this has popped up already but it's a great series to watch (yes, I know this is the the 700/900 forum but the enthusiasm for a tatty old Volvo from a bunch of "millenials" is great to see). Decent lunch hour watch.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...1AyO3JRAvPTU3K

Still giggling about the fact they called her Greta!

[Steve 940]

Stop it Kiloran please, just had a quick look at first episode, must not watch any more, must not watch any more!! Appears their garage has a 2 post lift, and a woodburner.......😀👍

Oh well, think I can feel bank account draining, and planned budget for garage ballooning.

Cheers,
Steve

[kiloran]

There's a whole series of vids on their workshop build - father/son thing over lockdown. Parts washers, sand blasters, the works.
Gotta love the Belgians - cracking beer, wild boar, the best chocolate in the world, epic cycling, and loads of space to do highly practical things. We'll gloss over the roadside bordellos scattered throughout the countryside.
I work with an IT company in rural Belgium occasionally and they have a free beer fridge in the canteen. Everyone from cleaner to CEO has lunch together, plays pool, darts, carom, etc. Very different attitude to life.

[griston64]

Originally Posted by kiloran

There's a whole series of vids on their workshop build - father/son thing over lockdown. Parts washers, sand blasters, the works.
Gotta love the Belgians - cracking beer, wild boar, the best chocolate in the world, epic cycling, and loads of space to do highly practical things. We'll gloss over the roadside bordellos scattered throughout the countryside.
I work with an IT company in rural Belgium occasionally and they have a free beer fridge in the canteen. Everyone from cleaner to CEO has lunch together, plays pool, darts, carom, etc. Very different attitude to life.

I thought everyone had a beer fridge in the office ??

[Steve 940]

Yes the Belgians, and Dutch to be fair, both have a great view on work/life balance.

Back in late 1990's early 2000's when a £ was worth around 1.6 Euros, I bought a brand new Impreza Turbo from Holland for if I recall around £17k all in, including travel.

Of course this entailed a trip to do the deal, and then again to collect a month or so later. Dealer on outskirts of Amsterdam actually picked me up from airport train station, took me out for leisurely lunch, done the deal, and drove me back for a late train back to the ferry. Don't think you'd get that from many UK stealers.

Picked it up, and can remember driving it back on export plates, with the 99 Champions League Final on t'radio.

After a year of sub 20mpg, even worse than my new Volvo 940, ended up selling it here for £500 profit, then ordered new VW Golf TDI 115bhp,from Belgium, much more sensible, I think it came in around £5k cheaper than UK.

Oh Belgian beer, beware anything with a monk on the label!!! had the hangover from Hades in Bruges.

Oh happy days, hope you get to do some more work in Belgium soon to enjoy their hospitality.

Cheers
Steve

[griston64]

Originally Posted by Steve 940

Yes the Belgians, and Dutch to be fair, both have a great view on work/life balance.

Back in late 1990's early 2000's when a £ was worth around 1.6 Euros, I bought a brand new Impreza Turbo from Holland for if I recall around £17k all in, including travel.

Of course this entailed a trip to do the deal, and then again to collect a month or so later. Dealer on outskirts of Amsterdam actually picked me up from airport train station, took me out for leisurely lunch, done the deal, and drove me back for a late train back to the ferry. Don't think you'd get that from many UK stealers.

Picked it up, and can remember driving it back on export plates, with the 99 Champions League Final on t'radio.

After a year of sub 20mpg, even worse than my new Volvo 940, ended up selling it here for £500 profit, then ordered new VW Golf TDI 115bhp,from Belgium, much more sensible, I think it came in around £5k cheaper than UK.

Oh Belgian beer, beware anything with a monk on the label!!! had the hangover from Hades in Bruges.

Oh happy days, hope you get to do some more work in Belgium soon to enjoy their hospitality.

Cheers
Steve

What a pity such a great day was ruined by the CL final

[cheshired5]

Originally Posted by griston64

What a pity such a great day was ruined by the CL final

1999 final was one of the greatest finishes ever so would have been an enjoyable backdrop to a great day.

[kiloran]

Interesting, proper Trappist ales don't give me a hangover. I went on a three-day stag do in Antwerp, drinking constantly (a Duvel for breakfast sir? OK, why not?), zero hangovers. And also zero violence/stupidity. The whole cafe society thing really works because waiters control the flow of beer and frites.
My old Mk4 Golf TDI ('02 plate) came from Holland originally, massive price saving plus an enjoyable thrash back to the chunnel. Happy days. My 940 started life on an airbase in Germany so probably took a similar route to these shores.
The IT company I work with pick us up from Brussels and work slowly back north to where they're based (just south of Antwerp), ensuring we're fed and watered on the way. Work bloody hard too but the standard of living is much higher. Should we ever leave this sceptred isle Flanders is very high on the destination list. Either that our south west Ireland.

[griston64]

Originally Posted by cheshired5

1999 final was one of the greatest finishes ever so would have been an enjoyable backdrop to a great day.

I think you will find you need to go back a decade for a truly memorable finish !

It's up for grabs now ..............................:teeth_ smile:

[Steve 940]

Hi Kiloran,
Don’t suppose you have the link to the garage build please? Can’t seem to find them.
Fortunately I took redundancy from a well known high st banking group around 2016.
The mention of beers at work does immediately take me back to the good old 1980’s days, Friday lunchtimes always set up, so half staff went to pub 12-1, then other half went 1-2. The manager went to the pub on Fridays at 11 for ‘meetings’ if we were lucky, he stood a few rounds at lunch, he would roll back in around 3pm
Fag smoke and his cigar smoke permeated everything 😀
Suppose it must be a hankering for simpler pleasures , that I’m back in a 90’s car
Getting an itch for a 145 with skinny bumpers
Cheers
Steve