November 2001
I've got a friend who's looking to spend ~£5k on a second hand car. She wants something sporty, but doesn't fancy taking a chance with a shabbered (import) MX-5.
She's saying she quite likes the Honda CRX (new version) and there's a good few to be found at £4-5k.
Does anyone else have any suggestions for alternative options, or experiences with the car?
Thanks,
Lee
I suggested a Xantia Activa, but she's having none of it, I just don't understand....
* HJ says in the breakdown that there's not much to worry about with the CRX save ABS & discs. Read more
I read the other week that a reader started an Escort from cold for a very short time to move its position. Next time he needed the car it would not start.
I had the same problem with my wife's 199 Mondeo auto. Had to move it out of the way, then did not use it for 2 days. Then it struggled to start.
The dealer has not heard of this phenomenan, but offered to check it over.
Shouldn't there be a warning in the car? What is the minimum running time to avoid the problem? Read more
you dont say what year the cars are but early zetec engines suffered from sticky valves this is cured by removing the cyl. head and fitting modified valve colletts and oilpressure valve in the head.My93 1800 escort zetec suffers the same problem.
Ok folks-here is todays teaser...
I was driving through Gloucester on Saturday evening and got flashed by a GATSO at 40mph (exactly) in a 30mph zone.
Yes I know it was my fault and I should not have been speeding etc etc.(please I dont want to start another long thread on the speed debate).
What I would like to know is this-the camera was on the opposite side of the road to me and faced my oncoming car.
There were no other vehicles in the coverage zone of the camera,and I clearly saw the two flashes in the top right corner of my windscreen as I drove past.
It was a standard GATSO,not the digital type.
Sooo do I expect a NIP through the post or have I avoided the fine and points this time?
I have done a search on the forum but I couldnt find anything that specifically relates to my query.
Once again I know it was my fault and I know I was exceeding the limit so fair enough if I get the points!!
Thanks in advance Read more
The worst thing they can do you for on a bike is 'drink cycling' which carries the same license losing penalty as if you were in a car. Not a prob if you never intend to drive.
dan
One of the more profitable earners must be the continental car breakdown cover offered by the AA and the like. It's reasonable to charge for the cost of English-speaking telephone support, emergency hotel accommodation and repatriation costs (although this must be a rather unusual event) but a £ 60+ rate quoted for 15 days cover seems to ignore the fact that a member cannot be requiring UK service at the same time.
By the way, my car had to stay off the road (Thursday thru Tuesday, !) to get a cambelt roller replacement having been diagnosed during a routine service in France and the maker's assistance scheme provided a rental car. Afterwards, at home, I received a phone call from their agent to advise me that, really, I shouldn't have been provided with that car because, strictly speaking, the car hadn't "broken down", but that they were not pursuing the matter. It certainly felt like our car had broken down when my wife and I were trudging around Dinan. Read more
I agree that this cover is grossly overpriced and the AA/RAC and others do very well out of it. For £109 the Lambeth Building Society sells an annual travel insurance (worldwide) covering 2 adults + all children below age 21. Cover provided by Fortis. The clincher for me was that continental breakdown cover is also included for the year. Cover is the normal RAC cover, provided by them. I believe the RAC charge about £150, on top of the normal subscription, for annual continental breakdown cover alone i.e. without medical cover etc. I've just renewed with Lambeth for the 3rd year. Never had to claim though.
Price is less if no children or for individuals.
www.lambeth.co.uk (no connection, of course)
Keith
Living in a banana republic where backhanders and graft are a way of life in almost every transaction with officialdom (and, I might add, one of the reasons it often works better than in so-called developed countries) I was surprised to read that Her Majesty's Customs are impounding vehicles arriving in UK from EU with legally imported amounts of tobacco.
Is this true? If so how do they get away with it, and how much does it "cost" to grease out of it, just in case I need to one day? Read more
I would suggest they focus on the drugs issue (immigration is not their bag, surely?) and leave poor old Joe Sixpack to try and make a few bucks as a way of getting back some of what the Govt thieves from him. My daughters studies in London and from what she tells me easy-to-get drugs are somewhat of a bigger social problem than her mates getting a couple of under the counter packs of Marlborough from Gopal Singh's ministore (her words).
Having just been in the UK for a long weekend I travelled through the tunnel onto the M20 and then to the M25 where we came to an abrupt halt ,the reason the toll booths at the Dartford tunnel .These must cause traffic chaos in a 20 mile radius of the M25 you cannot get on and you cannot get off total chaos.One more reason why traffic flows better in mainland europe is that trucks are restricted in certain areas and at certain times from useing anything other than the inside lane. And of course people wanting to travel at 50mph in the middle lane and of course no Pc plod to enforce driiving laws other than speeding. Read more
Yes, Brian, know it well.
I was beginning to wonder whether I'd got the right date on Friday, felt more like it should have been Friday the Thirteenth, it seems just about everywhere was bad.
Knowing Essex you will know that the new A130 dual carriageway is nearing completion, the northern bit anyway, and on the new A12/A130 junction there are now nice shiny new traffic lights waiting for the opening. Can't wait to drive down the new road to find a lovely red light at the end, they could have let us enjoy the new road for a couple of weeks, heaven knows we've waited long enough!
Picking up on the Volvo V40 thread, does anyone else have experience of poor headlights on Saab 9000s? Or is it just mine? I sometimes feel I'd be better off shining a torch through the windscreen.... Read more
I've had several 9000s, I would say they are OK, but not up to the mark of newer cars. The 900 Turbo I had (1979 vintage) had really bad lights, despite buying new reflectors and then 100W bulbs (yes, I know, a bit naughty). My old 9000i (1987) doesn't go fast enough to worry about the lights, as they are adequate for the performance.
Check the reflectors, if they are beginning to look past their best, you could replace them. If you get them from a Hella agent rather than Saab, you might find they are very reasonably priced. You can strip the whole unit down easily on most models.
Try the technical forum on Saabclub.co.uk, someone out there might have some bright ideas (pardon the pun).
Just on the news......
A long term study commissioned by the Government on transport in Brittain has just annouced its findings.
Would you believe that we have the worst transport system in Europe.
Would you believe that we have the most congested roads in Europe.
Would you believe that we have the longest commuter times in Europe.
Are they on a different planet to us that they need a study to tell them what we all know and have experienced.
Alvin Read more
Andrew
My boss walks to work. I commute forty miles.
On the other hand she earns three hundred quid a week more than me and can afford a flat in London for during the week.
Is anyone in ITALY reading this forum ? If so, could you please assist a UK Fiat owner with some local information ? Thank you. Read more
Hey, cretino! Why-a you think we stoppa doin' dat just because we get to 40, huh?
Does anyone know of a supplier of such items please ? Looking for unit for use on standard Fiat Panda/Uno hub. Have been unable to establish if Fiat ever provided one with any of their cars. Any input much appreciated. Thanks. Read more
Another important point that it is worth more publicity is that no garage has an air pump with the grunt to get the necessary 60psi into one, you need to go to a tyre dealer or use your own electric pump to get the necessary pressure. This is a very real problem which most people probably don't realise - until they get a puncture.
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Why not hunt out a carefully maintained UK supplied MX5? G/H platers go for less than £5k in private sales now. I recommended this to my Mum who bought a red G plate, 2 owners, 80k miles, fmsh for £4700. An inspection showed no faults and she is thrilled.
I drove a CRX recently and thought it was uninspiring, dead-feeling and not very fast. Certainly not a patch on an MX5 for fun!