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Starting another 'spotted' thread. The last one got quite big.
On my way out last night, I saw what I believe was an Austin 7. It was dark green, open topped. The guy driving it had 'Biggles' goggles on.
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Today's catch, a rather nice Tatra 603. But then I'm over in CZ at the moment!
Last time I saw someone driving in flying goggles was many years gone on the M1 in Yorkshire. It was night time and peeing with rain so I had the wipers on double speed. I was surprised to see a pair of huge headlights looming up behind me and moved over a lane, wondering what a truck was doing in the outside lane of the M1 at over 80mph.
I was passed by a pre-war racing Bentley with two blokes wearing goggles and leather flying helmets crouched behind the aero screens. As one of these weighs over two tons, rides on narrow crossplies and has drum brakes, I did wonder what his stopping distance was in those conditions. Presumably the dumb irons and huge supercharger stuck out the front serve to make this someone else's problem though......
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Saw a fabulous Ford Focus diesel in yesterday, stunning looking thing...
Oh no wait sorry...ehh this
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201125392328232/sort/priceasc/usedcars/engine-size-cars/3l_to_3-9l/model/147/make/alfa_romeo/radius/1501/postcode/se14tx/page/1?logcode=p
Edited by 159man on 29/06/2011 at 19:06
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"Invoices in excess of £8000"
On a seven year old car. Says it all about Alfa's doesnt it.
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£8000 is a small price to pay for having a car that's not a BMW 3 series. Apparently.
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In that case why not spend all your money on nothing and have no car at all?!?!
At least it wouldnt be a 3 series.
Edited by jamie745 on 30/06/2011 at 00:26
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An alfa owner would rather walk than drive a 3 series. After all, it would prevent unfavourable comparisons being made!
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Everytime i come across an Alfa owner they always give you the same b******s about how the car is "unique" with "soul and passion" and other cliche words and fake Italian phrases but the fact is, due to their reliability issues, you buy an Alfa...you get a bus.
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They are unique-you don't find many cars on the side of the road wiuth the bonnet up these days.
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Any car which has had £8k of bills accumilated in seven years is best given a wide berth.
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£8000 is a small price to pay for having a car that's not a BMW 3 series. Apparently.
No.. the Alfa was circa £5,600 and as if to make it attractive the vendor (as one might keep a stamped service book for a Toyota Corolla) has "invoices £8,000" ie he has shelled out £8,000 worth of hard earned to try and keep it running. Unique Selling Point?
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Unless the Austin 16 seen by 475 has had to be restored, it's probably cost less for repairs in 65 or so years than that Alfa has in 7.
There was something reassuringly British about the Austin 16 and that whole series of Austins (1939-48) - totally devoid of transatlantic influence. That said, the A40 Devon and A70 Hampshire which followed were a huge advance, and ahead of most of the competition (OHV engine, 4-speeed gearbox, independent front suspension znd those excellent front seats whose desaigfn lasted all the way through to the final Austin Cambridge).
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My mum and dad had an Austin 1100. One of the most popular cars in the UK, of its day.
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And if BMC had developed the 1100 to eliminate some of it's issues it could have dominated instead of the Golf.
BMC had a mind-set of design a car, put it in production without any development and then keep producing it without any improvements - no wonder they went down the pan.
Nice car though, the 1100, I learnt to drive in one.
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Avant, the guy has had it for about 50 years. It was the car he owned when he first went out with his now wife. It was the first time I've seen it in the 4 years I've known them. Beautiful in blue.
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Saw a Renault Vel Satis today, first for a long time. 02 reg, and a kind of grubby black.
Surprising thing is that it didn't stand out in anyway. Just looked like any normal average car. Yet when they first appeared (all seven of them) they seemed like something from another planet
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This morning - good one: a Vauxhall 30 / 98 - similar to Bentley 3-litre, mid 1920's vintage.
QUOTE:...""And if BMC had developed the 1100 to eliminate some of it's issues it could have dominated instead of the Golf.""
I had a Morris 1100 once. It was a nice little car, but rust got it in the end. One of the problems with the 1100 was poor crashworthiness, even for its day. BMC 1100/1300 's literally folded up in the middle in a crash, especially the 4-door ones.
Edited by Sofa Spud on 01/07/2011 at 11:55
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'Vel Satis' - I make that to be 'just about adequate' in Latin.
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'Vel Satis' - I make that to be 'just about adequate' in Latin. Either a) a fine education or b) nifty use of google translate. Which please?
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Latin's not hard to pick up yourself. I speak a couple of other languages too; Scouse and German (smattering of Danish too). If there's anyone here who actually does have a classical education that can tell me if I'm right, that'd be good.
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>>Says it all about Alfa's doesnt it.<<
Not really. I guess with a lot of main dealer servicing for that lovely engine and all the goodies the bills start to stack up.
Best not to sneer if you've never actually owned an Alfa. And stick to the Focus. I'd rather be bled to death than bored to death.
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Why is it that Alfa fans are so touchy?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:AlfaRomeo30-24V.JPG
It's got the bling factor, that's undeniable. But dare I say style over substance?
Edit: I say style, but the Alfa in question actually looks like a dog's breakfast. Those exhausts at the back - can't believe theyre standard fit! Looks like a teenager boy racer's efforts.
Edited by ddr on 01/07/2011 at 18:18
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Alfa fans are always touchy b******s. When the fact is they've bought an inferior machine purely for the way it looks, and they know that, they know they've made a horrible mistake in their lives and take it out on the rest of us.
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Today Tesco car park Heswall Wirral, heard a noise and thought sounds healthy. Saw a merc that I had not seen before, turns out that it was a SLS AMG.
£166'000, No doubt years of purchasing tesco value beans, gets you a flash motor, not forgetting club card points
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Well come on, it is Heswall. Flappy gullwing doors fit right in on THAT side of the Wirral.
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Bobbin, my classical education is as rusty as the underside of an 1100 (Cambridge, 1966-69) but I'd say your translation is about right. I think it's meant to mean 'quite enough' as if to imply on the right side of enough rather than barely adequate.
I'll look up in the Latin dictionary tomorrow and see if this expression was ever used by the Romans - I suspect Renault may have made it up.
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It was me who saw the Vel Satis, but you've all got the translation wrong. It's not classical Latin at all.
Vel Satis is French for "Renault Electrics Avoid"
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Well come on, it is Heswall. Flappy gullwing doors fit right in on THAT side of the Wirral.
You are right , Astons, and Bentleys all rather commom, even a Pink Roller but that belongs to a local hotel
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Lancia Fulvia S2 coupe and deux 2CV, one was from the 50/60s, lhd, doing about 45 mph on a dual cabbage way!
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I saw a Bentley; wedding in the road, so it was all decked out with ribbons. Lovely day for it, but I don't know what type the Bentley was.
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Bobbin, next time take a photo on your phone. Then do a google search, maybe you'll find it :)
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Sometimes I do that, but it's hard to get a good picture when the driver of the Bentley pulls out of a road without looking and floors it...!
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Not very wedding like driving..............
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Not very wedding like driving..............
I'm sure that if you owned a Bentley and had had to drive around all day like someone's grandmother due to having a wedding party in the back, you too would give it the lead welly at the first opportunity.
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I think that's exactly what he was doing...!
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I just nipped out to Scan in near the Reebok stadium and I spotted a Nissan GT-R. I think I fell in love with it a little bit.
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I trust you weren't in the Reebok stadium...?
The GT-R is a funny one-on paper it looks perfect, but when I see one, for some reason I don't want one. Don't know why it leaves me cold.
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No not in the Reebok. Nearby getting some new computer components as my desktop machine gave up the ghost. It was therefore necessary to buy a hexa-core processor. As well as stare longingly at the GT-R in the computer shop car park.
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Is that some sort of superfast processor? Surely a bit of Fortran and HJ browsing doesn't require much in the way of processing power? You're not a...gamer are you?
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Yes, 6 cores. Why not?!
I have been known to game a little now and then. No Fortran!
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I've seen dozens of those.
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I meant that I'd seen dozens of Toyota IQs. Sorry, got a bit confused for a minute.
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On the booze eh unthrottled?
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The cygnet is an IQ-with a vanden plas job!
Ooh! What a good idea.
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It's more like an ugly duckling.
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I have been known to game a little now and then
Ah, hence the name? [penny drops]
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*Googles Bobbin Threadbare*
Ooooohhhh!!! I Get it now!!!!
*slaps self*
LOOM!!!!
Edited by jamie745 on 10/07/2011 at 02:37
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*slaps self*
i.e. How do I retract those 500 'Bobbin Threadbare' friendship requests in facebook...?
Doh!
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Well im pleased to say i dont use facebook but i may have some explaining to do to the post office following my love letters addressed to a Mrs B Threadbare of "The North".
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Yes, LOOM. Classic 80s gaming.
No wonder the postman gave me evils yesterday - that bag looked heavy. But could you please stop writing in green wax crayon....?!
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Trying out wax green crayon style fonts
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A Tesla has started making regular appearances at the commuter car park outside Farnborough BR Station.
It doesnt attracted much attention, maybe because of it's similarlity to a Lotus.
That's real green awareness though - using an electric car to get the to station, and then commuting by train. Kudos!
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Well given the fact it takes two years to charge up and probably wont get you much further than the station i suppose it is appropriate :)
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On the M58 yesterday....a very lovely Jaguar XJS in a burgundy colour. I know they're not that unusual but this one looked really well looked after. I got a good look as I was a passenger for once!
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Saw the new McLaren thingamie today - sounded awesome, but then it was going down the A537 about 5 miles from the McLaren dealer so I woud expect to see one!
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A McLaren dealer.....oooh! I'd like a look round that showroom!
I have just been back to Bolton (attempting not to make a habit of this) and I saw T-reg Skoda Felicia 1.6 flatbed tricked out in yellow paint with frogs painted on it. Yellow and green leather seats. Vomit!!!!
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I was that intrigued that I looked it up...er...Gosh!
It'd make a great 'naughty vehicle' on a building site though. If you turn up late you have to drive the Felicia Fun for the rest of the day. You wouldn't wolf whistle girls from that!
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Girls in Lancashire would chuck beer bottles at you. Deservedly so!
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Got nothing to do with the whistling though has it they just throw beer bottles in general.
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Just seen my first Wind, if you see what I mean. Typical messy small convertible.
It has WIND in big letters across the rear - some kind of freudian symbolism there.
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At first glance, it looked pretty good to me, but the actual execution isn't appealing.
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Just seen a white Lotus 7 - I went south to B&Q and he was going north, then on the way home I saw him again. Obviously he's following me and admiring the Celica.
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Why are you driving Mr Bobbin's car? Not bored of the Mazda 6 I hope!
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So as she can get down to the shoe shops at "reasonable woman speed" and shovel the points onto hubby by claiming he was driving.
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I didn't realise B&Q was a euphemism for the shoe shop! I thought she was going for some magnolia emulsion to paint the bathroom while Mr B was at work.
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This endless speculation! I went for some wallpaper for my office you nosy parkers! I took the Celica because Mr B blocked the drive with it.
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Note the possessive pronoun. We are left idly speculating as to whether Mr B also has an office (his and her offices-aw!) or whether he is forced to make do with the kitchen table.
Now that the News of the screws has folded there is no unreliable source for the domestic affairs of people whom we have never met.
And I can't make a relevant contribution to this tread because the most remarkable automotive sight I've seen today was tidy T reg Avensis and I thought: "that's in good nick for a 12 year old car".
Not see nanything good for ages.
Edited by unthrottled on 13/07/2011 at 20:36
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Only you would even notice a T Reg Avensis. To me it'd be a blurry shape, utterly forgettable. I do have a good one for you from my trip to the shops a few days ago.
I was walking from the car park over to...wherever i wanted to go and you could hear the bass tunes. The thudding. The unmistakable Chav-Gary-Boy-Plank-Baseball-Cap-Wearing-Gold-Chained-Pleb. It was so loud it rocked the county.
Want to have a guess what the car was? Newish Astra with subs in the back? Renault Clio Sport maybe? Perhaps something with tinted windows?
No. It was....a Bright Red....D Reg....Rusty....VW Polo.
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Nothing silly about putting a £500 stereo in a £250 car. Well there is, but never mind!
The privacy glass in a Ford focus is another puzzling feature. I suppose when you're chauffering slebs to Annabels or a premier on Broadway, they do insist on it.
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I'd have demanded privacy glass if i was driving the s***heap Polo, not made a big song and dance (literally) about my journey to the shops.
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Under the "Unusual" category. Saw a bloke driving a mini!
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That's as rare as seeing someone under the age of 55 driving a Ford Fusion
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Or the amusing sight I saw the other week; a man, who must've been 6ft 4 and 20-odd stone, getting into a Smart car (the little 2-person one).
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Its funny you mention old people in Fusion's, i know someone who has one as a Motability car, which makes sense as i reckon most of them are. Because unless you were given one on such a scheme can anybody think of any other reason to buy one?
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Headroom. My 6' 5" neighbour is nearly 70: not disabled but he doesn't bend as easily as he did. He finds it ideal to get in and out of.
"Under the "Unusual" category. Saw a bloke driving a mini!" - could be me driving SWMBO's Mini Cooper convertible. Some Mini-owning ladies do have other halves!
Edited by Avant on 16/07/2011 at 00:10
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I know of a 50 year old who drives a Fusion. It was bought for the easy access it gave her arthritic dog. BTW she bought it when she was in her 40s.
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Last night I saw a scally driving a Pontiac Firebird and this morning on the M55 I saw a Ford Probe, which you don't see very often.
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Ford Probe.
I still smile every time I hear that name. The marketing men were clearly having a collective off-day.
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Someone mentioned somewhere recently that Ford stopped short of offering an "Si" derivative of the Ka....
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Austin Allegro Vanden Plas; quite possibly the ugliest car of its generation; superceded by the Ford Scorpio and now? Anything by Ssssangwrong (sic).
Less of that, sorry... But I have seen, close to where I live, a white Vanden Plas Allegro. Checking on the How Many Left? website... It is the last one in the UK! My little heart skipped a beat...
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One of those new, angular Lamborghinis. They all look the same to me. This owner had questionable taste, it was white.
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Checking on the How Many Left? website... It is the last one in the UK!
In the last few weeks I've seen a lot of comments in various places on the net about how inaccurate the How Many Left website is. I don't think any of their statistics can be taken as anything near gospel.
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Yeah, I've a mate who says HML is inaccurate.
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An Ariel Atom (is that how you spell it?) passed me on a long empty stretch of road on the Scottish west coast yesterday evening. I was doing 60 and he passed me like I was standing still, sounding fantastic as it went by. The car was made for roads like that on a warm, dry evening.
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Definitely.
I have just sold a 50th Anniversary Discovery diesel, and saw another one a couple of weeks later - HML says there is only one, but I know of two in Perthshire alone.
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A yellow Honda Beat, twice this morning,
Datsun 240Z, lhd, US spec.
Mini Convertible, well I know that's not very interesting, but this one had stick on eye lashes, which were upright, proud of each headlight.
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I've posted about seeing those 'eyelashes' on a Micra before - what is with these women...? They let the side down!
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In fairness to How Many Left, their information comes direct from the Government, so any inaccuracies say more about the DVLA's record keeping than it does about their website.
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How curious. Why would anyone import a US spec 240? They were choked with smog pumps, and a whole host of other emissions modifications that strangled an otherwise capable motor. Nice find though!
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The last time I passed through Headingley, Leeds near the Cricket Ground there was a VW Beetle done up as a clockwork mouse. Fur over all bodywork that would normally be painted and revolving 'key' on the back over the engine cover. Think this might be the one:-www.flickr.com/photos/imagetaker1/3836541483/in/se.../ And the best part of Headingley was Bretts Fish & Chips great food and like visiting an old friend (eat in).
Edited by Jog-on on 17/07/2011 at 17:56
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I did see a car (not sure what, looked like a wee 206 or something) painted up to look like a fish, with a fishy nose and tail sculpted out of goodness know what, obscuring the centre of the windscreen and rear windows. Advertising a chippy in Poulton-Le-Fylde. Is that even road-legal...?
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Not exotic, but I saw my first A5 soft top today and...I think it's gorgeous. Even in the rain, it made me think "I want one of those" and it's not often a convertible does that to me. Has a nice rear end-unlike the retractible football stadium roof type things.
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Unthrottled has fallen in love <3 <3 <3 A nice rear-end indeed. ROFL
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I think I have, Bobbin.
<3 <3 <3
What does this mean?
But you know what i mean about a nice behind. Unlike the Peugeot 206 cabriolet.
Hmm... I reckon that at about 3.45am a drunken Jamie is going to make an inappropriate comment about your backside.
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I think I have, Bobbin.
<3 <3 <3
What does this mean?
Hmm... I reckon that at about 3.45am a drunken Jamie is going to make an inappropriate comment about your backside.
It's hearts. Or possibly ice-creams.
You've got a strong possibility of being correct on the last point.
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Who said i needed to be drunk to make an inappropriate remark?
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