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• Classic car insurance - does it work with no NCB 25 Nov 2009 (Forum)
  Have been mulling over getting something like a reasonable nick BMW 5 series from early 1990s or similar Merc 260E as a sunday afternoon drive type car as I progress into middle age. something not necessary quick but very smooth and relaxing to drive. So is it going to be daft to call up a classic car broker as effectively a newbie wanting a limited mileage policy - is the idea that classic car insurance is only cheap if you have an insurance history and regular use of a normal car elsewhere?
• Crashed the Outback this morning 4 Dec 2008 (Forum)
  Damage to the passing car (a 14 year old Merc E-class estate) was nearside rear door and wing scraped and wheel pushed into the arch. Suspect broken driveshaft and suspension bits. Damage to my car was extensive, but I could reverse the car back up my drive (with difficulty given the snow) and out of the way.
• Do you ever lend your/borrow somebody else's car? 17 Jul 2008 (Forum)
  If they have a puncture, then yes, I expect them to buy a new tyre, although I would contribute depending on how old it was. But if the car "blew up" then that is not their fault. A broken exhaust; a destroyed alternator; a bust cambelt. How could that be their fault?
• insurance for L driver 15 Sep 2006 (Forum)
  I think this has been discussed before but the insurance system seems to have changed regarding insuring a second car for learner drivers using full no claims from the full license holder. we want to insure another cheap vehicle for our daughter to learn to drive in ,what are the best options? situation : Me- drive company car therefore use company insurance -no no claim in my own wright-do not own a car Wife-has own car own insurance with full no claims Daughter- 17 years old learner driver no car yet Would it be best for me to own the cheap car and insure it?
• Honda CR-V - Honda CR-V Steering wheel creaking.. 30 Nov 2011 (Forum)
   And i want to do it right now, not to wait more (i have to wait another 3 months, and since im selling my old car i'll be without a car).    So again.. Does any other have this sound? (seem that design with that plastic it's not that good, and  im not sure how the plastic im talk about is connected there.
• Toyota Carina E (1992 - 1997) - Has engine economy improved in the last 11 years? 20 Jul 2008 (Forum)
  It returned 42mpg. How can these cars call themselves 'eco' when they are returning nigh on the same mpg as my old bus?! Don't get me wrong, I'd love a new car, but when you analyse the figures it's not worth spending 18,000 pounds on something that's no more economical than my sub-1000 pound car.
• main dealers -by the book? 4 Jan 2007 (Forum)
  Maybe though, they're being straightforward & are being 'let down' by their underwriters who perhaps imagine they're bidding for a car belonging to an eager shiny faced ingenue who's sitting transfixed & awe struck in the chrome & plate glass showroom, willing to accept any old trade-in offer to get the car of his dreams. Anyway, thanks for listening, rant over!
• 'Keepers' - preservation of brake pipes, etc. 15 Mar 2023 (Forum)
    I still have an old jar of lanolin grease I inherited thirty years ago which when heated becomes liquid enough to paint onto things but almost solidifies at room temperature.  Excellent for brake pipes.   I've always just painted old engine oil on springs and subframes every three years or so.
• Vauxhall - 1.9 CDTI - water pump seizure & cambelt failure 21 Oct 2019 (Forum)
  section=bad"> engines need new belts, tensioners, pulleys and waterpumps before 4 years old or 50k miles. Our car's age/mileage fits this exactly. I'd like to know just how common this problem is. The engine is fitted to numerous other models in the Vauxhall range - Astra, Vectra, Signum to name a few.
• Mazda 6 Tourer - Petrol or Diesel 18 Aug 2017 (Forum)
  The Mazda6 tourer caught my eye and they have some great offers on brand new at the moment - top of the range Sport Nav model <£25k (when factoring in dealers deposit contribution) and 0% for 3 years. Anyway my conundrum is the age old Petrol or Diesel but i'm aware its a changing landscape so knew I couldn't necessarily rely on old advice on the same topic. So anyway, I drive approximately 15,000 miles per year. I'm looking to buy the car new and keep for 10 years odd.
• Volvo V40 - Volvo V40 Residuals 2 Sep 2014 (Forum)
  What surprised me was that the Volvo V40 D2 (and seemingly according to Autotrader as well) is the most expensive of the lot, by around £1k over the Audi, and nearly £2k over the BMW/Golf even after negotiation - truth be told the Volvo dealer didn't really move unlike the rest, but prices generally seem higher like-for-like. Similar mileage (20k miles), very nice car and probably the one I'd favour all being equal, despite being slowest and being a Volvo! Is it likely to hold its value better than the rest when the time comes to sell, or is this just a halo effect as its not 3 years old yet as a design and there's no supply to the 2nd market?
• Porsche Boxster 986 + Boxster S (1996 - 2004) - Aftermarket HID headlights 28 Sep 2007 (Forum)
  Also, if I put a HID kit on the full beams, would the I still be able to flash the headlamps as don't they take a while to warm up? Finally, is it likely that my blue bulbs (and the 9 year old stock ones that the car came with) are so rubbish that if I got some Philips +80's I'd probably be happy with the result? My main concern is that they are far dimmer than my old MK4 Golf GTi (which I found perfectly satisfactory as far as lighting was concerned & had non xenon lights).
• Decent horns 2 Aug 2005 (Forum)
  One has nostalgia for the car horns of yesteryear. The present day ones seem apologetic rather than giving a sense of urgency. My son-in-law once had a Capri with a horn that played the theme from Colonel Bogey. He had the bad habit (still has) of tooting goodbye when he left a 10:00 p.m.
• Americans Go Home!-but take me with you 21 Oct 2003 (Forum)
  I am glad Dubya has enjoyed his 8 hour visit to our hospitable and beautiful country today (or so he said) to cosy up with his old university classmate Gloria Arroyo but he sure has snarled up the traffic for 2 days where I live. 2 1/4 hours last night to get home 6 km: closed streets, anti-US rent-a-mobs, SWAT checkpoints, out of the car and get searched.
• But you did not buy it here sir! 17 May 2001 (Forum)
  Local M-B dealer knows sod all about the recall, is shown the papers and when relative hears for the third time in as many minutes, "But you did not buy it here sir" he realises he is onto a loser and dealer has no intention of doing anything. No2 Guy takes his 2+ yr old Jag to his dealer cos the suspension needs attention, not uncommon I hear. Is willing to pay readies to get it sorted but dealer is booked out for several weeks. Takes the car to two other dealers who have workshop capacity to do the job, only to get in reply in both cases "BUT YOU DID NOT BUY IT HERE SIR!"
• Toyota Corolla - Accident Management Company 12 Jun 2015 (Forum)
  All great i thought so i arranged for them to pick my car up yesterday and they dropped me off a hire car. First point; they gave me a 1 year old mercedes whereas my car was 9 years old! Yesterday i used the askMID to find the insurance details of the third car ( i believe she is getting the blame as middle car is saying third car pushed them into me).
• Focus/Civic/3 - New car needed 17 Mar 2024 (Forum)
  Hi guys After my old caddy has given up completely. I’m now looking for a new car but know next to nothing about cars and what to look for (the van was necessary for previous job and gifted to me) Looking for a decent size hatchback.
• Abarth Grande Punto - Car paint , pros and cons of metallic over non 30 Apr 2019 (Forum)
  I used to professionally spray cars using good old cellulose paint in the 1980s . Brilliant stuff if you got a run you could wet flat and polish and it looked amazing. I left the body trade in the early 90s so forgive my lack of knowledge now .
• Dying VW Polo 1.2 - New Car Needed 25 Jul 2016 (Forum)
  Hello Some of you may have seen my old post on my dying VW Polo I am looking to sell it on as parts. Its a mint car and everything is functioning apart from the engine valve. However I need another car. I am 20 years young and do a 50 mile trip to work daily.
• Citroen C4 Grand Picasso - Buying our next car 16 May 2016 (Forum)
  Is this really how you are supposed to buy new clean,  low energy cars etc etc.  It's a complete rip off. It won't be happening. So what good advice can you people give me here.  I want a car no more than 12 months old,  certainly in as new condition, and still warrantied by Citroen.