August 2005
I am the proud owner of a Skoda Octavia TDI 90 which as all the surveys say you can't beat for reliability, build quality, low running costs, economy etc. After 80,000 miles in 6 years I am looking for a car with all the Octavia's virtues but a better ride quality (much better if possible) and a bit more performance to cope with mountain roads etc. I have thought of a Superb and am lining up a 24-hour test drive. Also I have thought of a Fabia vRS 130 or a Corolla 1.4D. Air-con is a must for summer holidays in Europe. I have discounted the Citroen C5 on the grounds of poor reliability but is this fair? Come on you owners of these cars and give me your opinions.
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I have to travel to a funeral in Helston, Cornwall next week. Not sure which day yet, but will probably leave about 11am the day before.
I'm OK with the AA route frm Exeter to Helston (basically A30 and A39) but not sure about the first part of the route. A & M27, then A31 and A35. Looking at the map, looks quite twisty. I thought of A272 as far as the A34, up to the A303 near Andover, then down the A303.
Anybody got any recommendations please? Read more
Prompted by the "Why don't new posters?" thread, I should have reported back.
I went down via A272, A303, A30 route which was fine, but a little bland. Nobody mentioned the A303 closure between Ilminster and the A30 junction though. What struck me as crazy was the suggesated diversion up the A358 to J25 of the M5 at Taunton. I cut down throgh Chard and carried on down throgh Honiton.
On the way back I had a more leisurely trip and took all the illogical routes on the basis that I might see places I hadn't seen before. It was delightful. Bodmin, Liskeard, Plymouth, Exeter, then Honiton, Axminster, Lyme Regis, Bridport, Dorchester. Remarkably quiet and super driving roads and stunning scenery, especially the Dorset bit. The only mistake was cutting through Poole and Bournemouth, rather than through Wimborne Minster.
Well I have been notified that the company is closing my store and I am being made redundant. Super.
If I was able to talk SWMBO into it, what could I spend £10k on, keep for about a year and then sell again. (SWMBO will have graduated by then and be wanting her Beetle).
I don't have anything that I desperately need this £10k for but if something cropped up, I would want to sell and recoup most of my money.
Doesn't need to be the full £10k I spend, but I want a vehicle that is different to my current Saxo and Scenic. Something that would be fun and different.
I am thinking all sides of the spectrum, from a 205 GTI, to an old Scorpio Cosworth, to a Mitsubishi twin cab pick up!
Any ideas for fun and low depreciation? Read more
If you were in the market now i know where theres a lovely 205 1.9 GTi Dimma!
If you want more info on sporting pugs have a look here www.psooc.com
Here is a list, in order of priority!
1. safety. in a smash, needs to keep me safe. plus wife and kiddies.
2. automatic. driving with two mobiles at each ear, means..no gearstick allowed.
3. space. needs to fit golf clubs, bike and weekend fishing kit. also, kids + wife.
4. cost. needs to fit into 15K
5. reliability. can't be breaking down on route to golf, or fishing, or bike rides.
6. look and drive.
Any ideas?
I was thinking a second hand cmax, but its not the safest around, a corolla verso looks tempting, but costly and i hear the auto boxes in them are harsh, plus...there is the senic etc.
I have been thinking mainly along the lines of MPVs..but could go anywhere. Read more
thanks for the comments folks.
yes, ncap for sure is not the final word, the final word is i guess something that is nearly impossible to test out.
doing stats on car fatalities does not work, since different types of people (old for example) buy different types of cars.
Just been to test drive the Mazda 2 with a view to replacing my wifes ageing Clio. Really impressed with handling, spaciousness and the styling. However,I was concerned that there was no rest for the clutch pedal foot. I really dont want to be paying for a burnt out clutch because it is slipping all the time because there is no where elso to rest your foot. Have the Mazda designed the clutch pedal so that this does not happen or am I right to be concerned? Thanks Read more
Im sorry. Are you seriously saying that as the car has no rest for your left foot it automatically you will leave it on the clutch pedal?
words fail me.
The other day I was instructed to slow down by what I assume was a solar and wind powered sign that lit up as I approached it. The sign had what appeared to be a solar panel (for bright days) attached to the post with a wind powered turbine (for windy days/nights) at the top. I was so intrigued by these attachments that I forgot all about slowing down!
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L\'escargot. Read more
'Mine' was just to display speed.
The ones in error could be reading some other vehicle, not you. Some veicles are more reflective than others, by a large margin.
Hi there, grateful if anyone who knows of a garage in the area of Farnbourough/Fleet (Hampshire), need to get the 80,000 service done. Most recent quote is £350.00 (not main dealer). Thanks Read more
Moved from Tech Matters to see if anyone here in Discussion can help? DD
Hi
Can someone tell me if Ps is the same measurement as HP? e.g 110Ps = 110 HP.
And also, whats the difference between HP and BHP? I Know that BHP is more but what dose BRAKE mean, or is it BREAK........?
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Found it myself -
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005...l
Very interesting if you have been fined for parking there.
I have for year driven Volvos, mainly because the seats allowed me to travel reasonably comfortably (I have arthritis). I traded up to a V70, buying from a garage who have known me for years, and now have a car with sports suspension, wonderful road-holding, and a very painful jarred spine.
I need to find a car which has both driver and passenger seats that adjust to give a horizontal base, with lumbar support. The seats I know to be ideal are in the new Volvo 4x4, the Toyota Landcruiser and the Lexus people carrier, but I can't afford either to buy or to run any of them.
Has anyone else had to move from Volvo because of the re-design? I'd be very grateful for advice about spine-friendly alternatives. I'd be reluctant to move to a much smaller vehicle, although I use the full capacity of the Volvo only when I fill it with wine in France!
Thanks.
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I'm sorry if this sounds ungracious, but if I could travel
in 'most car seats' I would not have the problem I
have asked for help with.
Apology accepted, I think the point is that most modern car seata are fairly sympathetic to back pain sufferers however it might be simply that the combination of your physique and symptoms are not compatible with the Volvo seats, yes you could try a V70 with different wheels etc however I suggest trying a wide range of different cars.
I'm toying with the idea of buying a 5 yr old 70k Disco, 4.0l with LPG conversion. Anyone got any sound pointers/advice on such a vehicle? Any comments on general reliability and running costs would be gratefully appreciated.
Cheers
Mike Read more
Your insurance company make require the conversion to have been carried out by a LPGA member. There should be a certificate if it has.
I had a jeep converted and it was fine. It cost around a half to two thirds the cost of petrol to run. My only concern would be the location of the tank. If you are going to off-road the disco make sure the tank is protected if it is underneath.
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Whatis often not taken to account with modern diesels is how quiet they are when cruising at motorway speeds. The PSA 2.2 HDI is an extremely smooth and quiet engine.