Be Excellent To Each Other

I'd say that 520 suits you down to the ground, then. I'd have it myself if I thought I could get away with it

Yup, the 520 is a better car than the omega IMO, it'll be much better on mpg too.

You'd just leave in gear and it would drive off down the road by itself.

Harsh

but deserved

Can I just roll up into a dealership in the ka, point at another car and bark "px ka for that, i keep the change" and drive off even though ka is in mrsa's name?

If she has signed the v5 and the dealer knows that is going to happen, they might be ok with it.

Cheers. Although, I think she might be angry if on her return there is a Multipla outside in lemon yellow. It would be a giggle, though.

It is disturbing how many traders selling cars are trying to claim "no warranty, sold as seen" and the like.

Like the car, hate the seller.

I pay more than that for winch rope. And it sounds like the front diff is fucked.

The advert is written by a five year old as a man holds a gun to his favorite puppy's head.

Because you'll look like a drug dealer or pimp.

Because you can't have forgotten the M5 so soon, surely?

Because the wheels could use a refurb!!!

In theory at least, this wouldn't attract any M-tax.

But it's still a massively exotic and complex beast with 100K on the clock and eleven years under its bonnet.

Even assuming that you can comfortably afford the day-today running costs of such a car (fuel, tax, insurance, routine servicing etc), the potential for it to randomly land you with a £1500+ bill for some fucking thing or other is almost off the scale scary.

I know I should be careful with my glass houses and stones given the fact my current car is a Citroen C6, but at least that came with a 12 month warranty and a dealer I can return it to within those 12 months should any little thing go wrong with it. (Plus I get 32MPG, I suspect you'll be lucky to top 15-20MPG in that 7-series.)

They'd only be telling you something wrong.

Those were high on my list, but not that one. Seriously dodgy story in the advert IMO.

This one, then

I don't think I've ever seen a car seat that looks so fucking comfortable.

MOT history is flawless. No advisories since 2007, and about 4,000 miles a year travelled in it since then.

I think for the money, assuming I could sell the private plate for at least £500, it's not that bad a deal.

Checked the factory build sheet and the colour checks out, and it's specced up to the nines. Finding it seriously tempting to hit that Buy It Now button.

Insurance costs are reasonable as well, not that much higher than the Mini - and that's even with no NCB (using the NCB for the Mini.)

This is looking dangerous. MrsChap won't be pleased.

Yes, but...

Wrong badge on it.
Valued at £7k.
Private plate being sold with it.
Just had new tyres all round.
Just been fully resprayed at a cost of £3.5k.

Being sold for under £4k.

It's fucked, the seller knows it and wants rid, quickly.

True enough

There's a body in the boot

That's that then - I'm now a sensible over 40 driver...

I set off for work today @ 5:15am - 101 mile trip and realised 10 minutes in I had forgotten my wallet and the car told me it had 97 miles left. "Risky" I thought but really didn't want to turn back as the M62 post 7:00am is a total fucking nightmare (I can borrow some cash for fuel easy enough to get back / eat). The "remaining miles" on my dash starts going down like it's taunting me to the point where I realise I am not going to make it at all.

This was travelling at my normal speed of [The National Speed Limit for The Roads Concerned] so I dropped my speed by 20mph taking me to [20mph below the National Speed Limits for the Roads Concerned] and the number then reduced at a much less panic-worthy rate to the point where I've got here on time easily enough and with 19 miles left in the tank having faced a -20 mile deficit at one point. My average MPG has just gone up from 48 to 48.2 in that one trip so it's safe and sensible all the way now on those long trips.

I know it's hardly a ground breaking revelation but to see it laid out in number form like that and with me still getting here at almost exactly the same time then I think it's flat cap and sensible driving all the way now. You can smoke a pipe in a car right?

I am so glad, however, that I didn't think like this back when I had the 3 litre 24mpg Z4 which I caned the fuck out of.

Here you go MaliA, should be able to fit your bikes in this.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1993-ROVER-82 ... 4ac14dcbf1

When I hear the word "limo" a Rover 827 is not the first thing that enters my mind.

Ex-funeral directors car by the looks of it.

If you chopped a big hole in the roof, not only could you fit the bikes in, you could ride them around in the back while Mrs A drove you around.

I just don't get it and probably never will. Why anyone would want to swap a pointy, fun, economical little motor for some unfeasible 11-year old barge with a fridge in it will always, I suspect, be utterly beyond me. I'm clearly in a minority amongst the Beexers who regularly post in this thread.

Big cars don't handle, they are ludicrously thirsty - especially when old. They're money-pits by any stretch of the imagination and, even if by some miracle you don't get lumbered with a bunch of hassle and whopping bills to put specific things right, you're still going to be paying a fortune in fuel, tyres, brake pads etc. I *kind* of get Trooper's Lexus which, although hideous IMO, at least only cost a few hundred quid - but this...? Four grand?

As if to add insult to injury this wallowing, rolling Bangle-Beemer has to be the ugliest of that designer's creations (and that's saying something). Man, that's a face only a mother could love.

Sorry, but I really, really don't get it.

For the amount of money you've spent and lost these last 6 months or so Gaz, you probably could've bought a 2-year old minter of a Series II Boxster S, with dealer warranty, which you would've loved, would've been reliable, would do almost 30mpg and real-world faster/better handling than almost anything else on the road.

How often do you drive the tits off a car though? I spend the vast majority of the time in traffic or pootling along a dual carriageway, doing that in absolute comfort, with effortless pace, 10 speaker sound system, super comfy seat, isolated from the world outside, has its appeal.

When I was younger, the speed and handling of a car was the be all and end all. These days I want my main car to be one that doesn't bang my head off the roof when I hit a pothole
I will always have a spirited driving car in the garage, but that isn't the type of car I want to take on a 300 mile drive up the M1, or to pop to Tesco in anymore.

Ah, well for me, speed and handling are still absolutely paramount, but I disagree that modern sports cars or hot hatches - with modern suspension and often variable damping etc. - are like the "bone shakers" of old. My Boxster rides beautifully, has a great 8-speaker stereo, heated seats, climate control, bluetooth, all the toys. (So does my missus' Golf GT, pretty much).

These days you can have your cake and eat it, and it's been like that for a good few years.

I think there are very few cars that do everything well, and those still cost a fair amount. The latest Boxster is one of those, the Evora too, but these cost a fair wedge of cash. Hot hatches aren't in the same league in terms of quality of ride IMO. My Abarth had awful ride quality, for example.

However, if the dynamics of the drive just aren't important to you, then the 745i will do a cosseted ride better than pretty much anything else... for 4 grand...

I don't agree mate; plenty of £20-25k (when brand new) hot hatches with electronic damping (e.g. Scirocco) - these can be had for £15k when a couple of years old. But besides, my bog standard Golf diesel has an amazingly comfortable, soft ride, and that doesn't have anything fancy at all suspension-wise.

I had a Rover 827 Vitesse ("Fastback", not limo).

I loved it to pieces.

Still £15k vs £4k though. Or even £1k for an E38.
And your Golf won't have as good a ride as the E65 (as long as the E65 is the SE version on small wheels, if you go for the Sport on big wheels, then it will be awful )

But, the Golf has a "very good, very comfortable" ride. So do many other (sensible) cars that won't break the bank (or the heart). Also, it's all very well saying that 11-year old BMW is "only" four thousand pounds, but then you have to insure it, maintain it, service it, repair it and keep it in oil fields' worth of fuel, engine oil, pads and very expensive tyres. When you start totting up those kind of costs, particularly if (as is almost certain) work needs doing on top of all the hideous "normal" running costs, it's bloody expensive.

I'm suggesting that, if comfort is such a high priority, there are plenty of "normal" cars that fulfill the brief? Okay, I guess a massive barge *does* offer that little extra degree of smoothness but for me that's a *tiny* extra benefit for a huge downside, not least cost, looks, economy, handling - and the inconvenience with having to park and all the rest.

I'm only saying what I think, but like I say, I just don't get it at all.

Looks? That BM is lurvely.

Fair enough mate, it's all in the eye of the beholder.
I'm obviously missing something here; I guess I just like small poncemobiles. Tiny motors have always been my thing.

I don't think you are missing anything, you just don't see the appeal, which is fair enough.
I love the whole bargain barge/bangernomics thing, but I can see why others think it is lunacy!

5 year old Audi TT. 1445 miles on the clock.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Audi-TT-/261167520832?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item3ccecc1c40&clk_rvr_id=449757434395&afsrc=1

Some people astound me!

Meanwhile, in Australia...

You still looking at those? Why don't you just buy a narrowboat instead?

Nah, not looking at E38s. Had one before, and I rarely go for the same car twice

Just saw it and the photo made me larf.

Suspected the oil level in the Audi was high so I got one of those pumps that sucks oil out to take some out.

Remove a litre to take it to the middle of the dipstick! Crikey!

Explanation may be that it was overfilled + the DPF can dump unused diesel into the oil if it doesn't complete its cycle.

So it was probably about 500ml over which isn't enough to cause damage. You need about 2l for that (apparently).



Meanwhile here's a photo of the car having its oil sucked off.

Do cars not have drain plugs any more?

/grumbles

I just wanted something easy that didn't involve me getting underneath. + the pump is handy for the lawnmower which will need an oil change come spring.