Be Excellent To Each Other

Actually I reckon the original R32 is quite a cool car; they still fetch good dosh and they sorted it about as best as they could do, given what they had to work with. A bit like the Mk 1 Audi TT. But I do agree with you; Mk 4 Golfs aren't exactly a drivers' delight.

As for four-pots, I do agree with you there too, although a flat-4 as used in Scoobies and the like are slightly preferable to the default straight-four in aural terms. (Unsurprisingly, I like the hollow, metallic 'yowl' of big flat-sixes )

But, the best sounding engine in the world, for me, is a Screamin' Eagle Stage III, unsilenced, Harley aircooled V-twin - even though it makes feck all power.

Right we're all going to have to have a race then.

First to cross the line over 100 miles. On £10 of fuel.

Old Man Afterthought had that on his Sportster. It was awesome*, especially going through newquay a couple of times in the summer on it.

*Right up until I saw some horse riders coming the other way, so I switched it off and waited for them to pass.

I salute you sir. *nods*
Well, here's one for you then mate:



YEAH!!!!

I always give horses loads of room. Purely out of sympathy for the animal, though. Do their riders learn to sneer like they do in horse riding school? There's precisely one of the regular riders I see round here who give a cheery thank you wave when you make the effort, the rest are a right bunch of miserable twats.

I just shout "Yeah, you're welcome!" out of the window when that happens - although 90% of them around here are quite polite.

It's important to know the difference between someone being rude and someone having a hard time making their horse behave, though.

They only do that to you.

So the ones round here are all either really rude or really shit, then? Either way GTFO the roads.

Why do you say this? Road aren't just for cars.

No, but if I had a car that was unpredictable and uncontrollable I wouldn't expect to be allowed to use it on the road.

Horses aren't just for riding.

Why shouldn't horse riders have the right to use roads?

Do they pay road tax?

Road upkeep is funded through the council, not the DVLA.

Road tax was abolished in 1937.

I'm not saying they shouldn't (although it is only tolerated for historical reasons and they should be mindful of that). I just hate the impolite fuckers who ride them round here. Mostly I was just joking, though.

I thought I'd try and find some data on horse related traffic incidences, but a lot require a subscription, and there don't appear to be that many papers on it. A lot on what bits you rbeak, mind you. I found this, though, which is mildly interesting, from a study of, um, 20:

It's quite hard to find data on this. The Clerk of the Verderers in the New Forest does produce some data of stuff that's been killed in RTAs, but that is lots of different animals, and not horses. I do this sort of looking , as I'm god to you.

One of the lesser known Sherlock Holmes mysteries.

I know of someone who was out riding and was having a hell of a time with a car behind that couldn't get past due to traffic on the opposite side, but was getting very close to the horse and beeping his horn. Just being an arsehole basically.
He got too close, beeped and the horse sat down on the front of his car and crushed it

Rather full of yourself today, Mali.

Hmmm that's feasible then.

I've got a strange hankering for a 6-series though (the 04-11 model), I know the looks aren't to everyone's taste but they've grown on me over the years. The 635d isn't overly mental on fuel either.

I dunno, I'm thinking to a 'post-Scooby' era, I just can't go back to any kind of normal car now, I really can't. (But at the same time I can't see me zooming around in a Scooby when I'm the wrong side of 40, either.)

Final figures for the 306: Including purchase price, 3 years insurance, tax, MOTs, repairs and fuel (32,000 miles at 50mpg at £1.35 a litre) it cost £187 a month. Which isn't bad.

Bike has just been collected by its new owner.

The new owner appears to still be you.

I wish. Still, needs must. Bye, Fazer.

Is your Celica called Dappy or Tulisa?

nort:

As mentioned in B&B, I went back up to Harrogate today (well, more specifically, Pannal) to collect the BMW 7er that I'd left there last Saturday after picking up the M5.

In preparation for selling the 7er, I had a look through the service history book and was amazed to discover that all of the initial servicing (and therefore, presumably the original purchase) was carried out at the very same BMW dealer that I'd just driven it away from.

Out of all of the BMW dealers in the country, that seems an incredible coincidence - especially considering that I bought it from Trooper who was down in Milton Keynes, so not exactly next door to Harrogate or anything.

I assume they didn't want it in part ex for the M5?

You must be gutted mate. I know I would be. A bike that hasn't killed you is certainly a bike worth missing. :-(

They offered me £700 for it in part exchange, not enough

I find selling cars annoying these days, so £400 cost for the ease of it would have probably tipped the scales for me, certainly if there was a second trip to pick it up again

I generally just stick 'em on eBay - at least then they're guaranteed to sell, pretty much. Got the Mazda and the MR2 up on there at the moment.

I do pistonheads and eBay, the adverts aren't the issue though, it's the general public that respond that wind me up

I've had a surprising lack of idiots so far, all contact to date has been sensible and polite.

Just make sure they don't try and pay you with postal orders.

Oooh, it's the classic car and bike show at Bletchley Park today, I shall wander over and take a few piccies. Where the fuck did I put my camera?

Porsche are lending me a spanking 991-S to play with on Wed and Thur.
Can't wait; I'll come back with my thoughts.

Hope that e-steering is non-shit.

The 7-er is up on eBay...

Those display things always, always, ALWAYS break on that era of Beemers don't they. I don't think I've ever seen one that works properly.

Come on Grim... don't let this beast get back into the hands of the general public

Make me an offer, Grim... - go oooooon, you know you want to

I really don't know who that sort of car would appeal to, it's so old that it's got no 'BMW cachet' about it, but not SO old that it's a classic or anything.

Plus a car of that vintage is only one big thing going wrong away from it costing more to put right than it's worth. As I found out myself the hard way - (I've owned two BMWs over the years, a 525 and a 328) - ain't nothing that's fucking cheap to fix on Beemers, and Beemers of that vintage have some of the rattiest electrics I've ever encountered in a car, let alone a 'premium' car.

Add in the fact it's going to be horrible on fuel, tax, and not so clever on insurance either - who are the likely buyers?

Sorry Gaz no offence or anything intended there, and maybe my feelings about Beemers are coloured by the fact that the ONLY car that's ever properly failed on me and left me stranded, is a BMW.

Whereas I'm half tempted.

There is a huge "bargain barge" section on Pistonheads. You would be surprised

You are paying a pittance for what was once a top of the range car, sure they cost more to run but that is easily offset by the cost to buy, add to that if it does go bang you scrap it and buy something else. The appeal of this to a lot of car enthusiasts is huge.

Popped next door to the car show today, before it started to rain
Not a huge amount there of interest, but I took a few photos none the less (click the pics for bigger versions)

Fuel - mid 30s mpg on a good motorway run, mid 20s around town. That's not horrible for the size of the car

Tax - £215 a year? Or £220 or whatever they've just put that band up to? Not horrible at all

Insurance - I was paying £500 a year

Point taken though, although as Trooper points out, there are a lot of people interested in bargain barges, and E38s are as bargainous as they come at the moment. Their engines are pretty much bulletproof (except for the earlier models with Nikasil issues, but this doesn't have that problem) and they'll go forever because the engines are very rarely put through much in the way of stress.