The W123 That Refuses to Die
Saeed visits Thomas Varghese, a Kerala-born mechanic in Dubai who has kept a 1982 Mercedes W123 running for 30 years on patience, spare parts from Kochi and a refusal to give up.
Twelve Years and a Land Cruiser
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Show notes
Twelve Years and a Land Cruiser
Before visiting anyone else's garage, Saeed walks around his own. The 1983 Land Cruiser he bought at 26 has consumed twelve years, three engines and more weekends than he will admit. This episode is a tour of the car and the decisions behind it.
- Buying a car with no floor and a lot of optimism
- The rear axle that took four years to source from Oman
- Keeping it original versus making it reliable
- The spreadsheet he started and deliberately stopped
Saeed sets out what the series will cover and the three questions he asks every owner: what started it, what nearly ended it, and what is left.
Transcript
Hello, and welcome to Idle at the Lights. I am Saeed Al Mazrouei, I am standing in a rented workshop in Sharjah, and behind me is a 1983 Toyota Land Cruiser that I bought when I was 26 and have been restoring for twelve years. It is nearly done. My wife will tell you I have said that since 2019. This show is about cars as a hobby, the long projects and the people who keep them going when a new car would be cheaper and more sensible. Before I visit anyone else's garage I am going to walk you around mine. The car with no floor, the rear axle that took four years to find in Oman, and the spreadsheet I started and then stopped on purpose. You are listening on Witspeak Podcasts.
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