As I come to the end of my search for new car (I think I'd decided on an Octavia VRs-the Mazda 6 was too expensive), I've suddenly had a fly thrown into the ointment.

Somebody mentioned an X Type estate. You can pick up a main dealer, 09reg, 2.2d sport premium estate for approx£17500. Fully equipped with leather/sat nav etc etc. I know the Jag is going out of production, but it seems to now be the car it always should have been.

I don't buy into the pipe and slippers image, the sport looks pretty good. But the million pound question is....is it going to be a depreciation disaster. I've also no idea what a Jag costs to service...I expect it's a premium rate.

So opinions as always welcome. Read more

There were two cars sat in front of me at a set of red traffic lights this evening.

First car - a marked police Focus - turns on his blue lights and drives across the junction with the traffic lights still on red, and then disappears into the distance.

Second car duly follows as if being towed, only to stop on the far side of the junction, presumably when the driver realised what had happened.

Me? I admit I put the CC3 in gear to pull away too, but realised in time the lights were still on red.

I think the driving of the second car was poor, but could best be described as: "Easily done if you're not concentrating."

Anyone else done something daft while thinking about other things? Read more

Not been on for a while, since my lorry rant, but on a less ranty and more car-based question: what do the Backroomers think of Tesla, if anything? I believe the Roadster is now on sale in the UK, and the Model S is coming I think in 2012.

Just been having a look at the Model S on the website and it looks good... few details though. A friend of mine in that London tells me there was a prototype on display in the showroom, anyone see it? Read more

A friend of mine is starting a new job and handing back his company IS 250. Tiring of his high pressure job and working 80+ hour weeks, he is taking a salary cut and now needs to buy& run a car privately.
His budget is £5k, and he estimates his annual mileage to be no more than 12k. The car has to be more practical than the IS250, so a hatch or estate is required...albeit with decent performance and similar build quality. Quite a tall order. I did suggest a Seat Leon 20VT. Supposedly great handling and performance in a practical package, but he is not keen, so any ideas or suggestions please. Ideally a 530 petrol Touring, but for this price it would be quite old, with large repairs bills possible, nor is he keen on my suggested 2.5 Outback suggestion! Read more

There have been various threads here concerning attempts by half-wits to appropriate areas of public highway outside their houses.

These prats pale into insignificance when compared with local authorities and those paid handsomely to maintain roads and the water and other services under them.

The parking bays on both sides of my street in this block have been temporarily suspended since last Friday, today being the sixth day. No work of any description has been done.

Who gives the local authority the right to inconvenience people for an open-ended period (whatever it may say on the silly yellow notices) just in case some bunch of spivs and thieves can be bothered to start doing whatever it is? Apparently they can start whenever they feel like it. And we all know they can carry on doing it off and on more or less indefinitely.

When they do dig a hole, I hope they execute a random selection of local authority officials and contractors out of hand and bury them in it. That at least would give embittered Londoners something to smile about. Read more