The Grand Tour

[rturbo 930]

A 30 year old car and a 200 year old house are admittedly very different animals.

Gotta disagree with you there. Yeah, a house will be many times more expensive to restore properly, but I think they're actually very comparable. Old cars and old homes both have large enthusiast communities who enjoy them for what they are, generally some that is lacking in newer examples. Also, just like some of you think old houses are worthless, there are plenty of people who have seen my car projects and asked me why I'd bother. Badly done modifications and repairs, bad electrical work, and poor maintenance are all issues shared by both cars and homes. They also have some of the same design drawbacks - Older cars are often noisy, inefficient, less comfortable, sometimes cramped (think Model A, Beetle), etc. Like I said, I think they're very comparable.

My friend just bought an 18th century new england house which had been expanded and remodeled a few times over the years, none of which were done with any sort of semblance of aesthetics and I doubt the most recent additions are even to code. For example the staircase is narrow and tall, which is dangerous in itself, but at the top you have to take one more step to either your left or your right to go in either room. This means if you are on the top floor in one room and go to another, you have to remember to step over the staircase or else you will trip and die falling down the stairs and likely be rewarded with a darwin award for living in such a stupidly dangerous house.

He wants to seal off the staircase and keep it as a sort of secret memory of years gone by. I would want the satisfaction of bulldozing decades of "ehh that's good enough" and starting from scratch with something thoughtful and proper. But his is a basketcase whereas many older houses which have been kept up aren't as crazy.

If the additions aren't more than ~100 years old, and poorly done like you say, I'd bulldoze 'em without a second thought, especially if they're some tacky 80s nonsense that doesn't match. Sounds like the building my parents had though. Started off as a house, I guess the original owner sold it about 10 years later, and the next family made it a business, and it was added onto some 4-5 times between 1840 and 1955 when the last addition was done by my grandparents. Thing is, the original part was built quite well, but the first addition, which is a full three stories, was done poorly, and that's where all the problems are. I'll spare you the details before this thread goes any more off track than it has.

Some of the things I like about old ass houses is that old world craftsmanship and building methods, things that don't line up right, beautiful pine floors that aren't level, and hundreds of years of people wearing the thing in over the centuries and giving it character.

To me, the staircase you describe is just part of the experience. Steep, narrow, winding staircases are extremely common in homes of that age. Just pay attention and you won't have a problem. If that's a problem, don't buy the house. Don't get me wrong, I get why some people want nothing to do with such a house (or that staircase), but it would be nice if those people would leave em to people who enjoy them instead of ruining them for people like me.

[Das Delfin]

^ I think they are trying to make the celebrity kill-off a staple of the show. Maybe it's in recognition of what's obviously the most boring part of top gear? I always skipped over that part.

You know, the same could be said about old cars, but here we are posting on a forum for old BMWs ;)

If an old house was poorly built or poorly maintained then yes, it can be a real headache, but otherwise, it's really no different than an antique car. A bit more maintenance, but more rewarding because generally the people who own them love them. That being said, earlier this year my parents sold a large ~180 year old building that my dad inherited, and it was undeniably a crumbling mess. Quite a few things about the way that place was built that make you go ...what the fuck...

A 30 year old car and a 200 year old house are admittedly very different animals. My friend just bought an 18th century new england house which had been expanded and remodeled a few times over the years, none of which were done with any sort of semblance of aesthetics and I doubt the most recent additions are even to code. For example the staircase is narrow and tall, which is dangerous in itself, but at the top you have to take one more step to either your left or your right to go in either room. This means if you are on the top floor in one room and go to another, you have to remember to step over the staircase or else you will trip and die falling down the stairs and likely be rewarded with a darwin award for living in such a stupidly dangerous house.

He wants to seal off the staircase and keep it as a sort of secret memory of years gone by. I would want the satisfaction of bulldozing decades of "ehh that's good enough" and starting from scratch with something thoughtful and proper. But his is a basketcase whereas many older houses which have been kept up aren't as crazy.

[varg]

The desert whatever thing in the 2nd was the barely watchable part but everything in episode 3 was pretty good IMO, I'm just hoping they ditch the celebrity kill-off bit. I have to say that whatever that color on the Aston Martin was, it was the ugliest color I could imagine on that car. I'm not a fan of the red and black on the Challenger either though.

[mrsleeve]

I thought the 1st one was great, the 2ed Mehh the 3rd was getting back to what they do the best, and more what I would expect from them. I thought the doughnut gag was spot on and the finish with the water doughnut was great.

[2mAn]

I loved episode 3, I was getting worried

[rturbo 930]

I'm currently in the process of helping my dad remodel an old house and I can definitely tell you that it's better to just tear the whole thing down and rebuild. Old houses are just a big crumbling pita.

You know, the same could be said about old cars, but here we are posting on a forum for old BMWs ;)

If an old house was poorly built or poorly maintained then yes, it can be a real headache, but otherwise, it's really no different than an antique car. A bit more maintenance, but more rewarding because generally the people who own them love them. That being said, earlier this year my parents sold a large ~180 year old building that my dad inherited, and it was undeniably a crumbling mess. Quite a few things about the way that place was built that make you go ...what the fuck...

[squidmaster]

How does someone with such tiny legs have such a massive gut?

[E30 Wagen]

As someone that loves old houses, I'm pretty disappointed to see him tear down what could have been a really nice old stone house. Shame. At least the plans for the new house look good, but still sad to lose a house that had stood so long, only to meet its demise by someone who didn't like it and wanted a bigger one.

I'm currently in the process of helping my dad remodel an old house and I can definitely tell you that it's better to just tear the whole thing down and rebuild. Old houses are just a big crumbling pita.

On topic: I liked episode three.

[agent]

Pedantic nitpicking

If it's not entertaining you, the solution should be obvious.

[george graves]

Swap meets are cool unless you go to an old saab swap meet where everyone is trying to sell the same set of wheels. Then it starts to get weird.

SPG 3 spoke wheels? Those do confuse the boner.

[Das Delfin]

I'm so much more a fan of cruises. Meets are like a giant awkward circle jerk. It would probably be less awkward if everyone didn't keep their clothes on.

Swap meets are cool unless you go to an old saab swap meet where everyone is trying to sell the same set of wheels. Then it starts to get weird.

[Stanley Rockafella]

Clarkson comes from a family of wealth.

He has far more than one lowly house...trust me.

[rturbo 930]

I gotta be honest, I didn't think Ep. 2 was as bad as you guys are saying, and I also didn't think Ep. 3 was all that good. The things they had Hammond do were just stupid, and the joke ran way too long, much like the military bit in Ep. 2. And Jeremy's Aston was definitely not brown.

Celebrity brain drain/crash needs to go, as does Hammond's beard.

It's still probably the best car show on TV, but I was hoping for more change in format. Top Gear had been getting stale for a few years before it ended.

As for Doug DeMuro, I don't read his articles, but I've seen a few of his youtube videos, and was not impressed. I once tried a local car meet here, but it was terrible. A bunch of people standing around in a parking lot showing off their shitty cars. No I'm not just being mean. Most of them were shitty 240SXs or unremarkable new cars with wheels and an exhaust.

Clarkson's house demolition. Whatever. So now he's homeless because he lost a bet? Riiiight.

I'm glad you mentioned that. No, he's not homeless, but yes, that really was his house. It's a massive piece of land that he bought it several years ago, and he has been planning to tear it down (and has had permission to do so for a few years) and build a new house for ages.

As someone that loves old houses, I'm pretty disappointed to see him tear down what could have been a really nice old stone house. Shame. At least the plans for the new house look good, but still sad to lose a house that had stood so long, only to meet its demise by someone who didn't like it and wanted a bigger one.

[Nader393]

Any of you guys familiar with Doug DeMuro's columns on Jalopnik? I think he's gone independent recently. Anyway, do you all think he's as funny as he thinks he is? I find his humor similar to Grand Tour.

Come to think of it, as much as I like cars, I don't think I like any modern car groups and clubs (outside of the club racing I do). Never felt a desire to join any clubs or go to any meets. Furthermore, the most entertaining car and motorcycle writer I've read was Peter Egan.

Trying to be introspective here about my negativity.

[Nader393]

I need to get my Amazon Prime checked out, because I don't think it's working right. I must not be watching the same entertaining show as the rest of you.

Just to be sure, this third episode, is the one that:

Hammond brings along 2 semis full of (rear) tires so he can do burnouts. File that under hyperbole (along with most of everything they've ever done).

Despite having 2 semis, Hammond has to cut his nice portrait in half to strap to the driver side of his Hellcat. File that under plot hole and idiocy.

Clarkson's rust-orange car is repeatedly called brown. Filed under color-blindness.

Clarkson wears friendship bracelets? Isn't he 60 years old? This is a man who when he laughs you see his yellow teeth and hear the emphysema in his breath.

Clarkson's house demolition. Whatever. So now he's homeless because he lost a bet? Riiiight.

Clarkson's gypsy-powered septic tank cycle was just bizarre.

God, I know I'm being a nag about this, but it does feels good to vent about each hour I've wasted on this new show. Seriously, I'll stop now. At least, I'm really going to try to be more positive.