March 2007
I see the M3 V8 engine details have been released with a max bhp of 420.
I am suprised it only equals the RS4 - they usually like to play games with nudging each other up the bhp scale.
Have we seen an end to this between the German big 3 I wonder.
I bet it features in the Internationla Engine of the Year awards as most BMW engines tend to. Read more
Just had a letter through the door inviting me for a scooby test drive with the option a free return flight to New York if I take them up on the offer (of the test drive).
Not sure what business sense that makes and hopefully it will not be a repeat of the Hoover debacle - I would not have thought so though with a company like Subaru. Read more
I got one of these about a month ago. After reading the small print I discovered it would not cost much more to fly from my local airport at my own convenience. I wrote this on another forum at the time:
"Having read the really small print, the main restrictions are dates, airports and max 6 night stay, none of which are a problem. The catch is that taxes are not included and any additional flights are expensive - £249. The offer would cost about £450 for swmbo and I to go to New York from Gatwick, there's an extra supplement (unknown) to fly locally. Through normal channels, we can fly direct from Manchester (about 10 miles away) for £564. Worth it just to be able to get a taxi to the airport."
Just work it out for your own circumstances and see how it compares to a normal paid for flight. hth
Driving around recently I have noticed a lot more small boxes fitted half way up lampposts with a big padlock fitted. Does anyone know what these are for? Read more
There's one in Egham not far from a bus stop...
Friend has a turbocharged Skoda. I don't know the model but it is a smallish hatchback, four years old from new . The turbo has gone down and she she is being asked £1200 to fit an new one. I have no experience of turbos but is this a reasonable life and cost? Read more
I think the Skoda Fabias use a KKK (at least the vRS is KKK, not Garrett)
Right, baring in mind that th.is will be about six months down the line, I'll be changing my car (6 year old, 1.6 focus) for a new (18 month old) small hatch. I've figured that with £8,500 (I've saved up) I should be able to afford a decent one? Trouble is I'll be wanting a diesel, that will achieve a good mpg and a minimum of 18 months warranty left that wouldn't depreciate too much over the next 2/3 years (perhaps worth £5000 in a couple of years)? Also I wouldn't want to be taking a huge step-down in driving ability, so I'd be looking for about as much performance and handling ability of the Focus. Is this even possible? I've been considering taking the new wave of larger superminis (Yaris, Grande Punto, 207, Clio etc, maybe SEAT Ibiza) out for a test drive, but i've found (in the past) ten minutes around the block doesn't really tell me much and they all feel much the same...anyone have experience of this type of car? Read more
Cheap, reliable diesel that's good to drive?
Kia Rio 1.5. You can get these for about £7500 at a number of brokers, and newer Kias seem to be holding their value quite well.
Interesting offer in my local rag last night:
MB E-Class 220CDI Avantgade Auto
Cost £33k
Customer deposit of £5k
MB "donation" of £3k
£319 a month for 36 months
Final to pay £16k
Now £319 a month for a new E class sounds good. Deposit isn't too high. But the final payment of £16k looks a bit high to me.
Will my MB dealer be prepared to give me £16k trade-in come 3 years old, let alone £20k to go some way to recoup the initial deposit of £5k.
Thoughts? Read more
Please note that the USA List Price in $ is probably
less than the list price in £ in the UK
Merc's aren't though - an E350 is $60K. Of course there's no tax in those prices, that varies state to state, so if you added our VAT (not MB's fault) then you're at $70K, divide by 1.85 and you're over £38K.
Power steering noisy and fluid full of bubbles. I have been told this is because a pipe has been removed and reconnected and will be expensive (£278 + VAT + labour) to replace, also told this is very unusual as it mostly happens only when damaged in a collision.
My question is could this have happened while a water pump was being replaced about a month ago?
Sorry for lack of details of the parts involved as I have not spoken to the mechanic, I was told this second hand.
Read more
Many thanks.
A coach driver from Fareham with a load of 8-year-olds supposedly visiting Hampton Court Palace entered Hampton Court, London on his satnav and followed its instructions to Highbury and Islington station, not an ideal place to be driving a coach most days.
Of course we all know that driving does not require high cognitive abilities, just sufficient intellect to contain all or most of the variables and the ability to concentrate. But this driver was still impressively stupid. And what of the teachers in the coach and the following one driven by the driver's apprentice? Had no one worked out that Hampton Court Palace was outside London, on the same side as Fareham?
Be Oi Berkshire? Be Oi ****ery! Oi be up from Fareham.
Oi got gaiters on moi legs and Oi knows how to wear'em. (Upside down probably). Read more
I tired to get the satnav to take me to a hotel on the southern Paris suburbs. Trouble was they had changed the road from one way to two ways, and blocked off one end. The satnav tried to get me in the blocked end.
According to TomTom tim this was the *ONLY* way to get there being a one way street. (he thought)
------------------------------
TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
I was just looking at my auctionview stored searches, and saw VW Lupo Diesel.
I must have logged it because it has good fuel economy, I clicked it to see, and there is 1 available in Edinburgh soon.
It is 1.4 tdi RHD 2004
I looked it up and it is 64 mpg
I seem to recall a German model which Clarkson said did 94 mpg ? Can anyone tell me which one and why we didn't get the model over here? 94mpg would be less than 100 g/km = Band a** Read more
I'm with Blakes 7. I had the 1.7SDi in a Polo for 9 months and 23k miles in 2003, without even an oil change. Bullet-proof engine.
The Lupo 3L tdi was really hi-tech I recall, tiptronic box, extra thin wheels and glass, lightweight aluminium body etc. and quite pricey. Don't think they ever bothered with a RHD version. It also had a specially-developed 1.2 TDi engine, not the habitual VAG 3-cylinder 1.4tdi of that era.
I had a Lupo 1.0E petrol in 2000 for a couple of years. 100% reliable, frugal, and could still keep up with the traffic on the motorway. In "budget" cars such as these why run to the expense of a larger engine to try and recoup a few mpg?
>>HJ wrote: "So while the idea of a car that looks like a small SUV, but isn?t necessarily, may not seem very appealing, it obviously has pressed the right buttons for around 1,000 buyers a week."
As people's opinions are being turned against SUV's, I guess it is surprising that there are so many buyers for a car which would seem to be the worst of both worlds - ie appearing to be an SUV, but not.
I do quite fancy the 2L diesel auto with 4WD drive, though its fuel consumption will probably kill that idea. Read more
I would go up to £19K and would have an ex-demo (to save giving more tax to the goverment).
I am not a lover of Renault cars (had bad ones in the past, although did have a good 12 a long time ago !), your comments in earlier post about there being renault bits under the bonnet of the Qashqai cast some doubts in my mind, maybe will have to try the 2.0 diesel version.
There is only me & "the boss" (with occasional 2 grandkids), so I dont want multi row people carriers or 4x4. I have been driving Audi 80's & A4's for 15 years, but they have nothing to interest me now.
Browse
I know I'm a bit biased towards Audi, but I've looked at both and overall I think the RS4 is probably still going to be a far better car than the new M3.
The Quattro system alone can seal this, but coupled with the superb interior and bespoke seats & wheels on the RS4, I think it is a very tough act for BMW to match, given that the 3 series itself has a rather lukewarm following compared to the old shape 3 series.