Back with a Beat after seven long years in the wilderness of non Beat ownership

[Andrew Fisher]

Hello everyone a new old stock owner here.

I first saw a Beat at the Japanese Auto Extravaganza at Billing in the late nineties.

Loved the car, loved the owners. ('We haven't washed them. We use them every day.' They had a car sticker 'I'd rather have a cup of tea', a possible reference to mortal enemy the Cappuccino.) I was in my Suzuki Sc100 then, my dream car of childhood (I'd set my sights low no Ferrari posters on the wall), and something of a predecessor being a semi souped up kei.

I finally bought a Beat in 2002, M294TOB seemingly now broken up and gone with a Momo steering wheel and gearknob, spoiler and subwoofer. Loved that car, for years after selling it in 2009 the kids said 'Daddy why DID you sell the little red car?'. It did my back in, was the honest answer.

Since then I've discovered Mackenzie's exercises for the back and gone through a gamut of old crock cars, including an incredibly rusty Cappuccino, and selling a funny little red soft top with a tiny engine a month ago (Fiat 850 Spider) I exhausted all possible possibilities and today drove home this little fellow:

http://www.angliacarauctions.co.uk/e...92-honda-beat/

It didn't sell on the day I think mainly because of the over optimistic reserve but also the MOT ran out two days before the sale. Not very good timing. So I offered them the low reserve if they MOTed it, which they did.

It shimmies like it's on a dancefloor at anything over 60mph and looks as though it desperately needs a cambelt change, but it has those PROPER wheels and it even has a service book and manual in Japanese.

It's so good to be back. This was always my favourite ever forum.