Gas Guzzling Money Pits

Zardoz · **Posted:** Thu Apr 19, 2012 11:45

'Zed's dead baby'

:DD

Cavey · **Posted:** Thu Apr 19, 2012 11:47

As for Audi buying Ducati, 'bleh' is all I can say. Bye bye creativity, flair, passion (and unpredictable temperament as well to be fair) on their part; hello mediocrity, identikit committee design and price hikes.

Surprised BMW didn't go for this; it's not as though Ducati haven't been effectively up for sale for donks. What do Audi know about bikes? Let's hope electric steering and "SUBs" aren't round the corner.

Still, Dukes are going to have awesome dashboards from now on.

Zardoz · **Posted:** Thu Apr 19, 2012 11:48

BikNorton · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 10173

Lambo are still fairly creative. They just have to make sure they work as cars now, which obviously introduced some hurdles to their traditional processes.

Cavey · **Posted:** Thu Apr 19, 2012 11:49

(@Z obv)

ROFL! :DD

Cavey · **Posted:** Thu Apr 19, 2012 11:57

BikNorton wrote:

Lambo are still fairly creative. They just have to make sure they work as cars now, which obviously introduced some hurdles to their traditional processes.

I'd partially agree, but there again they're saddled with Audi's stupid obsession with 4WD as well, and all the extra weight, drag on performance, steering corruption and loss of purity that this entails. I mean seriously, especially with the advent of car-saving ESP and the like, who in their right mind wants 4WD on a new Lambo anyway? It's not as though your average Lambo customer spunking £200k on their next new supercar hasn't got a 'normal' daily driver (or several such cars) to do the bad weather commute in or whatever. Ludicrous FF aside, how many 4WD Ferraris or Paganis do you see?

MaliA · **Posted:** Thu Apr 19, 2012 11:57

I always liked the look of the first Multistrada, but I think that Fiat Multipla is kinda cool, too.

sdg · **Posted:** Thu Apr 19, 2012 12:02

Doctor Glyndwr wrote:

Gilly wrote:

That bike is gorgeous Cavey, sexy as anything.

I'm going to tell Olivia Wilde you said that.

Oh my. Is it hot in here?

Squirt · **Joined:** 31st Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 6608

Captain Caveman wrote:

who in their right mind wants 4WD on a new Lambo anyway?

How else am I going to get my tractor up those muddy slopes?

Cavey · **Posted:** Thu Apr 19, 2012 12:05

Gilly wrote:

Doctor Glyndwr wrote:

Gilly wrote:

That bike is gorgeous Cavey, sexy as anything.

I'm going to tell Olivia Wilde you said that.

Oh my. Is it hot in here?

You and me both Gilly!

Cavey · **Posted:** Thu Apr 19, 2012 12:06

Squirt wrote:

Captain Caveman wrote:

who in their right mind wants 4WD on a new Lambo anyway?

How else am I going to get my tractor up those muddy slopes?

Heh, you got me there mate - forgot Lambo made tractors. (I bet they're awesome compared to other manufacturers' stuff as well)

BikNorton · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 10173

Captain Caveman wrote:

I mean seriously, especially with the advent of car-saving ESP and the like, who in their right mind wants 4WD on a new Lambo anyway?

Dunno. How did the Balboni sell?

Cavey · **Posted:** Thu Apr 19, 2012 12:09

BikNorton wrote:

Dunno. How did the Balbone sell?

Pretty sure it sold out mega quick mate, but there again it was only a very limited production run.

IIRC it was a piss-take price as well; much more than the stock 4WD model, despite having LESS stuff... Porsche are normally the masters at this type of thing.

Squirt · **Joined:** 31st Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 6608

Captain Caveman wrote:

Squirt wrote:

Captain Caveman wrote:

who in their right mind wants 4WD on a new Lambo anyway?

How else am I going to get my tractor up those muddy slopes?

Heh, you got me there mate - forgot Lambo made tractors. (I bet they're awesome compared to other manufacturers' stuff as well)

Actually, are tractors 4x4? I have no idea, or if Lamborghini ones are good or not.

Seems that Porsche, Alfa Romeo, Mclaren and Aston Martin also used to build tractors. I guess the sports car <=> agricultural machinery cross-over is greater than I thought.

BikNorton · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 10173

And actually, assuming it's got a decent rear-bias, I'd probably go with "I dunno, I probably would."

We're still talking about Olivia Wilde, right?

Doctor Glyndwr · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 32624

You guys know why Lamborghini branched out into sports cars after making a ton of money making tractors, right?

http://www.400gt.com/articles/compare/interview.htm

From an interview with Ferruccio Lamborghini, who at the time was a successful tractor maker wrote:

What types of Ferrari did Lamborghini own over the years? "In 1958 I went to
Maranello for the first time to buy a 250GT coupe, the two-seater by
Pininfarina. After that I had one, maybe two, 250GT Berlinettas, the short
wheelbase car from Scaglietti. I did like that one very much. It was ahead of
its time, had a perfect balance and a strong engine. Finally I bought a 250GT 2
+ 2, which was a four-seater by Pininfarina. That engine was very strong too and
it went very well.

“All my Ferraris had clutch problems. When you drove normally, everything was
fine. But when you were going hard, the clutch would slip under acceleration; it
just wasn't up to the job. I went to Maranello regularly to have a clutch
rebuilt or renewed, and every time, the car was taken away for several hours and
I was not allowed to watch them repairing it. The problem with the clutch was
never cured, so I decided to talk to Enzo Ferrari. I had to wait for him a very
long time. 'Ferrari, your cars are rubbish!' I complained. Il Commendatore was
furious. "Lamborghini, you may be able to drive a tractor but you will never be
able to handle a Ferrari Properly.' This was the point when I finally decided to
make a perfect car.

Grim... · **Posted:** Thu Apr 19, 2012 12:22

Captain Caveman wrote:

Ludicrous FF aside, how many 4WD Ferraris or Paganis do you see?

Not as many as Porsche has put out

Cavey · **Posted:** Thu Apr 19, 2012 12:25

Grim... wrote:

Captain Caveman wrote:

Ludicrous FF aside, how many 4WD Ferraris or Paganis do you see?

Not as many as Porsche has put out

True, but hideous Cayenne aside (which is at least *intended* to be a 4x4 SUV and is not a sportscar at all), there's only the (previous) 4WD 911s. But not *all* 911s are 4WD, unlike 99.9% of Audi-Lambos, that's the point.

With Porsche, you get a choice as to whether or not you want to sully the car, and pay extra for the "privilege". Most don't; even the GT2 RS "made do" with RWD.

EDIT: Although there's the 4WD Panemeras as well to be fair, but there again these are not sportscars either, and again, you're given the choice of alternate RWD models as well.

Trooper · **Joined:** 4th Mar, 2010 **Posts:** 22391

Clio DCi has popped up on autotrader for £850. Half the price others are going for, but with intermittent power loss and a small oil leak.
That says turbo troubles to me, doesn't it? Worth the gamble I wonder? Probably not, but hmmm....

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/ ... ?logcode=p

Cavey · **Posted:** Thu Apr 19, 2012 12:30

Trooper wrote:

Clio DCi has popped up on autotrader for £850. Half the price others are going for, but with intermittent power loss and a small oil leak.
That says turbo troubles to me, doesn't it? Worth the gamble I wonder? Probably not, but hmmm....

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/ ... ?logcode=p

Would not touch with a barge pole mate. If it was economical to fix, sure they would have done so and sold the car at the same price as the others.

Trooper · **Joined:** 4th Mar, 2010 **Posts:** 22391

You're right, but hardly any of the more expensive cars seem to be selling. Certainly nothing has sold in the past week i've been looking.
And it could just be blocked filters and oil seals, and even if it was the turbo, you can get a new one for £300...

I'm not going to go for it, but it did get me thinking

If it was a car for me I would be tempted, but for Mrs T, not so much.

BikNorton · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 10173

Buy it, put a Megane RS engine in it.

I'm wondering how much it costs to do that to the Twingo. I know it's possible.

Trooper · **Joined:** 4th Mar, 2010 **Posts:** 22391

I'm not sure that fits in with the need for epic mpg!

I was thinking about going for a Megane rather than the Clio though, as Mrs T has said whe is happy in something up to the size of a Focus.
Is the Megane a better car than the Clio?

myp · **Posted:** Thu Apr 19, 2012 13:22

The last Megane was pretty terrible by all accounts. Not sure about the new one.

I had a Mk2 Clio and it was nothing but excellence.

Trooper · **Joined:** 4th Mar, 2010 **Posts:** 22391

Apparently a Megane is not an option anyway, too ugly, so i'm informed

Clio it is I think.

metalangel · **Posted:** Thu Apr 19, 2012 14:55

Insurance renewed, £644.

The lady offered to compare their info vs the lower prices I was getting by comparing meerkats.

"Last year, you put partner, this year you put common law?"
"Does that make a difference?"
"It shouldn't to the price. Partnered is intended for a same sex relationship while common law for you would mean... er... with a female partner."
"Whoa, really? They should make that distinction clearer. I mean, she IS a girl!"
"ROFL"

BikNorton · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 10173

Sorting that out on AXA took £50 off the renewal. I think it was the single change on her details from "friend" to "partner" that did it, changing me from "single" to "common law" made no difference.

Odd, checking it says I've put "1 car in household" when there's no way for me to set/modify that. 2 might knock another fiver off.

GazChap · **Posted:** Thu Apr 19, 2012 15:18

Have just taken out some temporary insurance for Trooper's 7 series. £56 for a week - well, £31 if you take off their admin charge I suppose.

Trooper · **Joined:** 4th Mar, 2010 **Posts:** 22391

Blimey, I wouldn't recommend doing that long term

GazChap · **Posted:** Thu Apr 19, 2012 15:39

Corolla should be sold on Sunday so I can swap insurance over after the buyer collects that

krazywookie · **Posted:** Thu Apr 19, 2012 21:30

Captain Caveman wrote:

DBSnappa wrote:

Harley's do look nice but I always find the build quality wanting, so have a good luck before taking the plunge. In other news it appears that Audi have bought Ducati!

Yeah, I know what you mean about build quality mate, let's hope I don't get a 'Friday afternoon special'. That said though, I think HD have got much better in recent years, especially for their larger offerings (the 883 Sportster and the like has always been ropey, I will admit. Horrible sand castings etc. IIRC). At least this bike features proper, outsourced Brembo brakes - another HD bugbear - and this water-cooled Porsche mill has a good rep as well.

Like I say though, it's not as though the bike is going to have to do any major work; 99% of the time it'll only be called upon as a Summer Sunday afternoon pootler. So unless it's a total hound, I'm thinking (hoping) I should be OK, and if not, well, it's under warranty I guess.

I worked for a guy who had one of these gorgeous machines for a while. he had loud pipes from america. it was niiiice. Also he knew everything about the V-rod and said is was the least harleyish bike they made (except Buel but meh mumble) in that it handles, has no flat spots in the power, never goes wrong etc. etc. admittedly he was a geek for it but going on what he said I'd have one in a flash!

Cavey · **Posted:** Fri Apr 20, 2012 10:55

krazywookie wrote:

I worked for a guy who had one of these gorgeous machines for a while. he had loud pipes from america. it was niiiice. Also he knew everything about the V-rod and said is was the least harleyish bike they made (except Buel but meh mumble) in that it handles, has no flat spots in the power, never goes wrong etc. etc. admittedly he was a geek for it but going on what he said I'd have one in a flash!

Cheers krazywookie mate, nice one - good to know.

I've made up my mind: I'm 'aving it. I fancy living out my Bruce Willis/Frank Bough hybrid fantasies and being the bad boy grandad of the village.

Plissken · **Posted:** Fri Apr 20, 2012 11:07

I don't like bikes. I hate Harleys.

But that one is just sex on two wheels.

Zio · **Joined:** 31st Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 6093

Captain Caveman wrote:

Trooper wrote:

Clio DCi has popped up on autotrader for £850. Half the price others are going for, but with intermittent power loss and a small oil leak.
That says turbo troubles to me, doesn't it? Worth the gamble I wonder? Probably not, but hmmm....

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/ ... ?logcode=p

Would not touch with a barge pole mate. If it was economical to fix, sure they would have done so and sold the car at the same price as the others.

Indeed. My missus is looking at having to sell her Focus ST170 through WeBuyAnyCar at the moment, since the problems it has would be easily detectable in a reasonable test drive and combined are not economical to fix. It's a damn shame, as it's an awesome little car! But the problems: clunky steering rack, some kind of problem with the air intake system (causing the engine management light to pop on and off from time to time), bizzare momentary loss of power sometimes when downshifting from third to second and the dashboard lights flicker sometimes.

Cavey · **Posted:** Fri Apr 20, 2012 11:54

Plissken wrote:

I don't like bikes. I hate Harleys.

But that one is just sex on two wheels.

Cheers mate, nice one.

Beex gives it a pretty healthy thumbs up then, thanks guys. So, off to HD tomorrow with chequebook in hand, yikes.

Zardoz · **Posted:** Fri Apr 20, 2012 12:02

What colour? I actually like the yellow/black.

DBSnappa · **Posted:** Fri Apr 20, 2012 12:06

Captain Caveman wrote:

Plissken wrote:

I don't like bikes. I hate Harleys.

But that one is just sex on two wheels.

Cheers mate, nice one.

Beex gives it a pretty healthy thumbs up then, thanks guys. So, off to HD tomorrow with chequebook in hand, yikes.

I hope you intend to drive it off listening to Steppenwolf's Born To Be Wild

[edit] though I've got a bit of a soft spot for the Triumph Rocket, but it does look vast and has a fucking enormous engine for a bike at 2.3l

http://www.triumphmotorcycles.co.uk/mot ... i-roadster

Cavey · **Posted:** Fri Apr 20, 2012 12:20

Zardoz wrote:

What colour? I actually like the yellow/black.

All (gloss) black mate, exactly as it appears on that link.

I quite like the yellow as well mate, but for me, this bike really does have to be black.

Zardoz · **Posted:** Fri Apr 20, 2012 12:25

Oh, not Matt Black like the much nicer looking Triumph Rocket?

Cavey · **Posted:** Fri Apr 20, 2012 12:26

DBSnappa wrote:

I hope you intend to drive it off listening to Steppenwolf's Born To Be Wild

Heh! One of my fave tracks of ALL TIME, and it's Mrs Caveman's and my joint theme song.

Yes it's old, yes it's a cliche that's right up there with the likes of Europe's 'The Final Countdown' and the Whitesnake back catalogue, but MEH. I don't care!

Quote:

[edit] though I've got a bit of a soft spot for the Triumph Rocket, but it does look vast and has a fucking enormous engine for a bike at 2.3l

http://www.triumphmotorcycles.co.uk/mot ... i-roadster

It's an impressive sight to be sure mate, but I'd need to be your size to handle such a behemoth and I do prefer the HD... to my eyes, that car-derived engine looks a bit odd?

Amazing machine though; only ever seen it in showrooms, none on the road.

Cavey · **Posted:** Fri Apr 20, 2012 12:28

Zardoz wrote:

Oh, not Matt Black like the much nicer looking Triumph Rocket?

Do you prefer the Rocket mate?
Like I say, I'm too small for it (only 5'10"). Feck knows I'd never be able to pick it up if I dropped it.

Zardoz · **Posted:** Fri Apr 20, 2012 12:49

Just winding you up.

They're both gay as fuck.

Zardoz · **Posted:** Fri Apr 20, 2012 12:49

DBSnappa · **Posted:** Fri Apr 20, 2012 13:14

ho hum, Lambo are going to build an SUV apparently.

Grim... · **Posted:** Fri Apr 20, 2012 13:25

DBSnappa wrote:

ho hum, Lambo are going to build an SUV apparently.

Another one?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSjf4zd9ToA

DBSnappa · **Posted:** Fri Apr 20, 2012 13:55

'Fraid so. The LM001 was put up on the Lambo stand at the New York motor show a few weeks back which got the press talking about a new SUV and they've confirmed that there will be a concept launched at the Beijing motor show at the end of this month.

They're pretty much admitted that they're going to build one as well.

Cavey · **Posted:** Fri Apr 20, 2012 14:03

... Just what the world needs, another elephantine 4x4 blasphemously sporting some hallowed Marque badge for the (public) school run. :roll:

I mean, who the fuck still buys these things, these plush, go-anywhere vans with windows? They're about as cool as liquid magma; nothing says "I am a complete and utter tasteless bellend" quite like a shiny new SUV IMO, especially a huge, mega-expensive one.

(I suppose the answer to the question is "Rich Russians, Chinese and Arabs")

markg · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 16636

It is madness and I thought it was a fad but their popularity seems to be quite enduring so people must like them for some reason. It's got to the point where you can't see a fucking thing in traffic if you are in a normal size car.

Grim... · **Posted:** Fri Apr 20, 2012 14:41

Captain Caveman wrote:

I mean, who the fuck still buys these things

People that tow racing cars to Germany?

markg wrote:

It is madness and I thought it was a fad but their popularity seems to be quite enduring so people must like them for some reason.

Land Rover have waiting lists for every model they make now. They literally can't smash them out fast enough.

MaliA · **Posted:** Fri Apr 20, 2012 14:43

Trooper wrote:

Clio DCi has popped up on autotrader for £850. Half the price others are going for, but with intermittent power loss and a small oil leak.
That says turbo troubles to me, doesn't it? Worth the gamble I wonder? Probably not, but hmmm....

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/ ... ?logcode=p

Would you consider a 67,000 Ford Ka 1.3, Recent MOT and I think 6 months tax on it? It did 49mpg over the weekend, mostly motorways.

Be Excellent To Each Other

Gas Guzzling Money Pits
pointless expenses and cars

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Be Excellent To Each Other

Gas Guzzling Money Pits pointless expenses and cars

Who is online

Gas Guzzling Money Pits
pointless expenses and cars