March 2002
I came third in the 12 car on Friday!
Thanks due entirely to my navigator.
I was significantly slower than all the other drivers - we just made less Nav mistakes.
I'm well chuffed! Read more
Ok, ok, I know, but what a marvellous story!!!
A robber was mauled to death by tigers when he scaled a fence at the Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve at Kromdraai, near Krugersdorp on the West Rand, while escaping the scene of his crime, police said on Sunday.
The man and two others had allegedly held up a cashier at the kiosk at the reserve's entrance around 5.30pm on Saturday, Superintendent Melica Bezuidenhout said.
Posing as tourists, the three men drop up in a blue Ford Sierra (MOTORING LINK, Martyn!!!). The driver stayed in the car (ANOTHER ONE!) while two of them allegedly demanded money at gunpoint. Bezuidenhout said once they realised the kiosk had no money, they took the cashier's wallet, cellphone and two-way radio.
A co-worker of the cashier realised something was amiss and pursued the two men.
They ran off in different directions - one towards the car (AGAIN!), and the other into the reserve.
The man running to the car (DITTO) was observed throwing away a pistol. He and the driver were later arrested and a pistol, licensed to the driver, was confiscated.
Early on Sunday morning police returned to the reserve to search for a another fire arm. They were summoned to the tiger's enclosure where the body of the other man was found. He had a fractured skull and a broken neck, which suggested the tigers had mauled him.
The big cats were tranquillised so that the police could recover the body.
The cashier's wallet and cellphone were found in his clothing and returned to the rightful owner.
The surviving men will appear in court soon. Read more
Any comment from THe Growler on this one?
Came in to work this morning. Thirty mile drive, clear blue sky, and guess what? Twelve cars with their front fog lights on! These people should be taken from their cars and publically flogged!!
Andy Read more
Yep, joining a motorway from stationary is daft.
If you stop behind the ditherer and then try to join immediately from that position then you end up with a queue of cars on the slip road all trying to do standing starts.
After all, if you stop on the hard shoulder for an emergency you don't do a sharp right and then accelerate, you gain speed to match the traffic and then merge.
Blind obedience to the rules can be as dangerous as deliberately flouting them.
I am currently helping my younger brother to buy his first car. Having considered the usual Saxos, Micras, Corsas etc. I was flicking through the Auto Trader and noticed that Rover 200s seem to be very good value. His budget is about £2700 for the car, and his insurance on top of that is likely to be about £1100 on a typical group 2 or 3 car. He has his Pass Plus also which will help to reduce his premium slightly. Anyway, does this seem a suitable car for a young driver? I have seen some decent looking P reg ones with about 50K miles on for less than 3K and they seem well specified. Any young drivers here with one of these? Anyone know the insurance groups?
His expected insurance premium makes me glad that I am a bit older (23 with 3 years NCB) as I have got my premium down to under £500 on a 2.0 TD 'W' reg Vectra. Over a grand on a small car! aaarrrggg!!! Read more
Absolutely. Before settling on a new Ford Ka Collection (aircon, CD, electric windows, metallic paint, 12 months insurance, 0% finance, 1000 pound discount) I'd considered and investigated a variety of 3-5 year old cars.
They were typically in poor condition compared to the car my wife had for 3 years, and over-priced. If you don't feel reliant on your car then bangernomics is fair enough, for the rest of us we're paying for the convenience of reliability (most of the time).
I can say that head room in the Ka is excellent, it's reasonably nippy, and can carry a reasonable load.
My 23000 mile service cost me £380.Is that reasonable for a V reg C240? Should I shop around for my next service which will still be under warranty?
John Read more
I have a 1999 Saab 9-5, due for a 78000 service soon. My local dealer (well-heeled area of Surrey) wanted £256. As I will visiting be visiting North Wales about the time the service is needed, I thought it was worth a call to the dealer there........£114 (not a mistype, one hundred and fourteen pounds) for the same service - I could go to Wales for the weekend, nice hotel, good meal, nice bottle of wine, and STILL come home with some change!!!
I serviced SHMBO's elderly Renault 5 this afternoon, including a couple of drops of engine oil on the feltpad underneath the rotor arm. Reaching for my trusty oilcan, the thought occured to me that the oil in it was at least 7 years old (straight forward Duckhams as I recall). Clearly it's irrelevant for the particular job I was performing, but I'd like to know whether oil has a shelf life - This stuff looked just the same as it did 7 winters ago. Can anyone enlighten me?
Thanks
Phil Read more
On a slightly tangential theme: We are constantly told that plastics do not biodegrade and will be around for ever. And yet when my third child was old enough to get on the garden swing the plastic seats had to be changed as the UV had degraded the plastic so much.
Having returned to the UK after six years abroad, I am in the market for an estate vehicle ( a young family that likes the outdoor life, camping etc) I have £6.5K to spend with nothing to Px. I have so far test driven Mondeo's, a Laguna, Peugeot 406 and a couple of Volvo's a V40 and an 850. I have been most taken with the Volvos, especially the 850. However £6.5K does not seem to go to far when looking at 850's, typically I am looking at a P reg. with almost a 100K on the clock for the engine size and trim spec I desire. Admitadly most of the cars I have seen come with a FVSH, with one or two owners. However when comparing this with a more common Mondeo (or Laguna especially) I could get a lot younger, lower mileage vehicle for my wad.
My concern with the Volvo is a high milage vehicle and getting hit with high repair costs, I do not envisage doing more than 8K miles per annum, typically short trips, will this prematurely age an already "old" car ?
Also, I am considering a drive in an Octavia estate, is it worth it ? Everybody still seems to snigger when I mention Skoda ? Are there any other vehicles I should consider ? Any thoughts and guidance would be much appreciated.
Finally, if I were to try the auctions for an 850 (BCA at Tewkesbury is near me), how likely am I find a Volvo 850 l can afford or would I be wasting my time ?
Cheers,
JW Read more
Get a Mondeo 2.0 in Ghia spec at about 2 years old. Fantastic value and it probably won't break. On the other hand the Xantia will be reducing itself to kit form pretty quickly.
For anyone interested in car auctions you might find this website helpful.Its main aim is to get you to subscribe to its magazine which is also helpful because it list all the sale times of auctions across the country.
I'am in no way associated with this company....
click here Read more
The website is a bit thin on content but the magazine is very good. Especially for just £9.00 for a years subscription.
I found some of the links needed to be clicked a few times before they worked. IE6 seems to have problems with some sites, which version to you use HJ?
Just found this, thanks to Big Al.
www.nalynn.btinternet.co.uk/Ariel1953500cctwin.htm Read more
My daddy had a 1939 350 BSA Silver Star with twin exhaust ports and upswept pipes. I used use to burn my legs (short trousers) on them quite often during the school run!!!!!!!!!
Remember the names?
Francis Barnett, James, DOT, Velocette, Gold Star BSA, Triumph Thunderbird, BSA Gold Flash, Triumph Twenty One in silver blue, Triumph Speed Twin in maroon?
I remember riding a BSA M20 combination for the first time and, thinking I could "lean" around a corner, ended up on the grass. Worra plonker
.
Can I have my time again Lord?
There was a letter in yesterdays Telegraph about cars Tramlining, the advice given was to change the car- not particularily helpful.
I have a Saab 9000 turbo which suffers from tramling and gets worse as the tyres (Yokahamas)wear. they are due for replacement would different tyres help and has anyone any suggestions? Read more
Thanks for the info I will look into the possibility of changing to continentals also with regard to Derek's message ,I also ride a bike and am well aware of the interesting effects of different road surfaces (and diesel!)
Ian
Browse
.jpg)
Dave
Always remember the old adage - To finish first, first you have to finish!!!!!
Well done.
Flat in Fifth - I'd give him mine but you never know when those numbers will come up.
Andrew