The Driving Thread

[Ian]

I'm trying to think how long it is since I've actually had a car now... 7 years or something since my old second hand Citroen hatchback died I think. I missed it less and less as time goes on. It's a pain sometimes of course and I'd almost certainly get one if I had the disposable income to get one I would but it's mostly fine.

Fun thing is when I very occasionally rent one because almost every car I've driven since passing my test (be they second hand cars I got or my parents' ones) were some old knacker so it's odd to go into a new car and get mad benefits like brakes that work properly and being able to accelerate the moment you push the pedal down rather than waiting for the car to muster the enthusiasm for it.

I remember renting one to drive down to my parents on Christmas eve. Dark and the roads were dead and the engine wasn't making disconcerting noises when I went over 60 so I kept checking the speedo and realising I'd been breezing along at 90-odd.

Not sure any of my cars could have hit 90, definitely not without making an enormous racket.

[Disco]

My first car (an amazing old Renault 5 1.4) would vibrate alarmingly as you got over 60 but would settle down again if you could get it over about 75.

[Ian]

To be fair to my Citroen it didn't like high speeds but I still spent about 9 months battering it up and down the motorway for hours almost daily for the job I was in at the time and it took a lot longer to break than I thought it was going to.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I'm sure I managed to get my first car (Peugeot 106 Aztec 1.1) to 105 and it was violently shaking.

No chance it was 105, probably 95 though.

I currently have no car as I sold it just before the first lockdown. Although I can use the family Ford Tourneo custom.

[Lofty]

The first car I ever drove was my dad's old Rover SD1 and it was a dream, felt like you were doing 20 at 70 :drool:

Passing first time is a fallacy, my wife and my ex both passed first time and are liabilities. Ex probably only passed because she was wearing a crop top to contain her GG cup chest, thinking about it.

[Boydy]

Passed first time when I was 17, bitches. :cool:

[Pepe]

Boyd. :cool:

[Pepe]

Lofty being shown up by the women. :harold:

[Lofty]

They've both crashed cars (ex knocked some poor fucker off a moped and hurt him quite badly apparently) whilst my record is spotless, supporting my argument.

[Pepe]

The ex should get a reward for knocking that moped wanker down. /giggles

[Giggles]

10x points for pedal cyclist.

[Foe]

Should’ve also said I passed first time in the highlands. I actually thought my test would be cancelled as it was January and the area had torrential rain and flooding but no, it went.

Had to drive down the middle of a country road at one point because both sides of the road were flooded. Also nearly ran someone down who, on a country side street in torrential rain, was attempting to stop traffic whilst in normal clothes with no high vis clothing. Had to do a proper emergency stop for real when I saw them and seemingly the assessor didn’t see them either. Three minors and a first time pass. :cool:

[wullie]

I passed second go despite not coming to a complete stop at a stop sign which apparently should be a major. The instructor said because it was a junction with clear visibility, the council shouldn't have put it there in the first place so I was fine to roll along before turning. Felt like a sting operation on behalf of the DVLA at the time but it all worked out well.

[Andy]

What cars everyone got?

Counting down the [literally 12 more] months til we can get rid of the Eco Sport and it’s dogshit boot. I quite like the look of a VW Tiguan. Also like the Skoda Karoq and Kodiaq (I think, I mix the three of them up) but probably can’t afford the latter. Probably can’t afford a BMW X3 either, but they do look nice.

(Meanwhile my little Skoda Fabia is still doing the business.)

I've got an Mercedes A Class, they sorted us out a banging deal on the weekend the 21 plates first came out.

Would highly reccomend something German.

[niko_cee]

In my limited experience 1.7 diesel engines are a sweet spot for nailing the mileage. I once drove my old 1.7 Vauxhall Mokka from Barrow to Taunton and back on a single tank :cool:


Can definitely second this. My C3 Picasso (1.6 VTR [lol] diesel thing) needs refilling about three or four times a year, wife's Prius Plus needs petrol at least every month, but she drives like a lunatic, so maybe the comparison is unfair.

[Magic]

I've got an Mercedes A Class, they sorted us out a banging deal on the weekend the 21 plates first came out.

Would highly reccomend something German.

Same. A200 AMG Exec. Spec and quality are unreal.

[Giggles]

Can definitely second this. My C3 Picasso (1.6 VTR [lol] diesel thing) needs refilling about three or four times a year, wife's Prius Plus needs petrol at least every month, but she drives like a lunatic, so maybe the comparison is unfair.

I’m putting about 120euro a week into my 1.5 diesel.

[niko_cee]

You probably drive more in a week than I do in a year though. I probably wouldn't do more than 2000 miles all in. Think I've done about 24000 in the ten years I've had it and that would have been taking it to the UK in its early life which I no longer do. I reckon I get 500 miles to the tank on average.

[Spikey M]

I’m putting about 120euro a week into my 1.5 diesel.

Jesus. I probably do about £50 a month.

[Magic]

Can definitely second this. My C3 Picasso (1.6 VTR [lol] diesel thing) needs refilling about three or four times a year, wife's Prius Plus needs petrol at least every month, but she drives like a lunatic, so maybe the comparison is unfair.

Imagine both of you hating life this much. #somarriedkru

Takes me back to the days of the Nissan Note and Focus Estate. :drool:

[niko_cee]

Aye, it's tough but some of us have to go down the route of not being cucked by a kickboxer and having to live out of one's car, if only for the marriage stats.

[Magic]

It was my Grandad's car he passed down to me. She traded it in and scrapped it without my permission.

[Andy]

Same. A200 AMG Exec. Spec and quality are unreal.

That's the same spec as mine, the extra for the exec upgrades well worth it. We had an issue with the dash screens a few weeks ago and theg gave us a non exec model to use while it was getting fixed and the difference was huge.

[Pepe]

My wife is getting annoyed at having to insert the baby into the Fiat through the trunk, so we might have to buy something larger soon. Might go full lol and get like a Chrysler 300 or some other boat like that.

https://media.carsandbids.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=2080,quality=80/7a0a3c6148108c9c64425dd85e0181fa3cccb652/photos/rNvGpv8P.tjf_BAhW2-(edit).jpg?t=163014239405

:drool:

[Spikey M]

That is aggressively American.

[Foe]

You live in a pleasant neighbourhood.

You’re doing a good job with your neighbours lawns.

[Pepe]

Oh no, I have not bought it yet. Seriously considering it though.

It still has the siren and everything. Imagine the trolling I can do with that one. :cool:

EDIT: I refuse to move back to a neighborhood like that.

[Danny]

Thats a monster Pep. I cant imagine driving a tank like that. My missus has a Rogue and that's big enough.

I think I could put my FR-S in the back of it.

[Giggles]

I’d fucking love something like that.

[Disco]

I was going to ridicule that for being a big silly americar but then I thought how cool an old Ford Ltd or Crown Vic would be :drool:

[Shindig]

You could really disperse some people with the front of that beast.

[Pepe]

Thats a monster Pep. I cant imagine driving a tank like that. My missus has a Rogue and that's big enough.

I think I could put my FR-S in the back of it.

Yeah, it's definitely huge. Thinking that I could use it to tow the Neon to the racetrack.

FR-S :cool:


I was going to ridicule that for being a big silly americar but then I thought how cool an old Ford Ltd or Crown Vic would be :drool:

Still kicking myself for missing on this one:

https://media.carsandbids.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1800,quality=70/da6e8a1d4896127a9d2adf83461993b45339474c/photos/3ojvnP82--2PEI6p6xUW.-97gRlhFT.jpeg?t=162871480127

[Giggles]

Basically an interceptor :drool:

[Pepe]

Not basically, an actual Interceptor.

[Giggles]

:wank:

[Lofty]

I like them both, on the bigger one is there actually more room in the cab? Always boils my piss on stuff like Range Rover Sports, Nissan Jukes, Ford Wildtraks etc that they make big chassis cars that have fuck all room inside them.

I almost bought a beautiful Merc with all AMG styling in silver with full red leather interior once, but my giant legs prevented the dream of driving around blasting 'Big Pimpin'.

[Magic]

Not a long wheelbase S class then?

[Lofty]

C Class.

[Pepe]

Not sure if it is as roomy as it looks, but it is certainly roomier than my Fiat.

[Pepe]

https://media.carsandbids.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=2080,quality=80/7a0a3c6148108c9c64425dd85e0181fa3cccb652/photos/rNvGpv8P.tjf_BAhW2-(edit).jpg?t=163014239405

:drool:

I bought it. :cool:

[Lewis]

They look like the wheels they push it around the factory on before fitting the real ones.

[Pepe]

That's what they put on the cop ones. They are seventeen inches, as opposed to the 18 or 19 (I think) that come on a normal one. It is also lowered and with the firmer suspensions. You know, for "pursuit". Geared for 140 mph. :cool:

[Pepe]

https://media.carsandbids.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=2080,quality=80/b7898afe8bc7024496d6985a315c65b59aa16ffc/photos/s-5ikQ3VGd7g4.jpeg?t=162955802867

Some trolling will occur.

[Yevrah]

Have you got 18 kids to fit in that car Pep?

[Lewis]

https://i.imgur.com/HtWjZK9.jpg

[Pepe]

Have you got 18 kids to fit in that car Pep?

Just one.

I will also use it to tow my car to the track.


https://i.imgur.com/HtWjZK9.jpg

:lol:

[Baz]

Just need a PEP774 license plate now.

[Lofty]

Apparently ford are letting you open and drive off new models with just the app, no keys needed. Is it me or is that just making cars easier to steal?

[Raoul Duke]

A key is probably easier to copy than the skill required to hack a car computer. Aren't most car keys nowadays just Bluetooth fobs or something? Same tech as in your phone but with face/fingerprint unlock in front of it.

[Lofty]

You don't need to hack a car computer though, how many idiots are going to use the same login as they do on other sited for their Ford account, and even if they don't unless Ford are pouring as much cash into cyber security as banks it don't think it will be long before someone brute forces their servers open in an attempt to pull as much data out as possible.

[Spikey M]

Car theft is already one of the most common crimes going because its piss easy to nab a set of keys. Whatever the security is with this, it can't really make car theft much worse.

[Lofty]

Car theft was actually falling significantly until the clowns came up with keyless entry, aka an easy way for thieves to steal your car without entering your house to retrieve the keys. Glad mine hasn't got it.

[Spikey M]

Part of the fun with new tech, innit? They'll sort it and it will be far more secure than traditional entry eventually.

Looking forward to it taking 10 minutes of 2-factor Authentication to get the handbrake off.

[Lofty]

Can see the headline now 'Ford employee opens phishing email, all 2021 onwards models locked out of use by ransomware attack'.

[Shindig]

"It was like 9/11 but with self-driving cars."

[Lewis]

I took my car for its MOT first thing this morning, and it failed as I knew it would; but because they never bothered looking at it until two o'clock, and are 'short staffed' tomorrow, and fully booked on Saturday, they couldn't guarantee me it could be fixed within the next few days. Why take the MOT booking then? At what point does the pandemic stop covering dogshit service?

[Yevrah]

I don't know if it does, this sort of feels like life now.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Heads have gone and about 40% of people have turned into totally useless pussies, to add to the 30% who already were. We troopers are in short supply.

[Don]

I always thought the MOT booking was for just the test, they can't be expected to factor in required fixing resources too, can they?

[Lewis]

They are meant to take it in the morning, let you know what's what, and then - if possible - fix it during the rest of the day. At least that was their policy last week when they said that they don't book slots, I just needed to bring it in first thing in the morning so they could fix it by close of play. Throw in the bins being collected randomly and seemingly everybody I know getting brushed/mistreated by Our NHS and you might be right about it being permanent.

[Giggles]

It’s being blamed for some amount of price hikes. Well, that and brexit. I near shat when I went to buy some timber the other day.

[Lofty]

Timber has been up for ages.

[Baz]

At what level of blokeness do you start calling it timber rather than wood?

[niko_cee]

:D

I'd say a reasonably high level.

[Spikey M]

It’s being blamed for some amount of price hikes. Well, that and brexit. I near shat when I went to buy some timber the other day.

Timber is up because half the forests are on fire, apparently.

[Giggles]

It's up because they can.

[Lofty]

It's up because the supply chain was disrupted and hasn't recovered, combined with half the population building their own wooden home improvements in their gardens when the pubs were shut/as a result of covid/because their neighbours have.

[Andy]

It's a few things. Shipping costs are 5 times higher than pre pandemic, everyone is spending money on their houses and driving up demand and production is taking longer because of covid protocols.

My local supplier hasn't got any sheets of MDF at the moment and a 3m length of studwork timber which used to be a couple of quid is £9.50 ex vat currently. That's the biggest supplier in the country.

It's a complete joke.

It's not just timber either, they've had long periods with cement, plaster, plasterboard, aggregates, plastic sheet products etc.

I ordered a composite door which would pre pandemic have taken 3 weeks from order to delivery, currently taking 12.

[Yevrah]

The yanks have also gone massively into house building since Biden came in, which is also driving up demand.

[SvN]

I was meant to be rebuilding a shed this summer. I priced it up last autumn, and the materials were about £400. About a month ago I went to order the stuff, and it was now close to £900 for the exact same materials. I've fucked it off until next year.

[Lewis]

My little car needs a new ABS unit, which is a thousand quid, plus the rest of the (comparatively minor) MOT stuff. No thanks.

[Boydy]

How much is the car worth?

[Lewis]

It's worth about as much as new rear tyres I put on it in January and the remaining road tax. It had a good run. I got it for free, and it kept me off the bus for two years, so I'm not all that bothered.

[SvN]

I'm going to be leasing an electric car in about March. Does anyone have one, or have any recommendations?

I'd love a Tesla, but I doubt I could get insured on it with my lack of driving history.

[Lewis]

Teslas are going way above odds at the moment because of their waiting lists, so, seeing as they're basically all the same at a mechanical level, why not just filter for price and pick the least gay looking one?

[Boydy]

Aren't Tesla's a heap of shit? Saw something on twitter the other week about a guy being pleased with his new one because it only arrived with "minor manufacturing defects".

[Manc]

What's the budget? If all bets are off go for the Taycan.

[SvN]

The only requirement really is to be big enough to travel 2 kids and all the shit that comes with it (pram, change bag, etc). So the Taycan is out.

I don't want to take the piss with budget, perhaps £400 per month?

[Lewis]

Aren't Tesla's a heap of shit? Saw something on twitter the other week about a guy being pleased with his new one because it only arrived with "minor manufacturing defects".

I bet he got death threats off Redditors.

[Lofty]

Tesla's are absolute dogshit, avoid. Not only is the build quality reportedly terrible (if it rains a lot where you live the model 3 bumper can just fall off lol) and the added extras being turned off when you sell it so the resale value is tanked (they sell them back to the next owner) but Elon thinks health and safety is for losers.

I read somewhere that if the battery catches fire the only way to release the doors and escape is to find the release lever - in the back seat. Never mind the self driving model 3 that killed it's occupant by detecting a wall and speeding up. Wouldn't even ride passenger in one of the fuckers.

[Don]

£400 per month on a car :happycry:

[Lewis]

Lend us your magic carpet bossman.

[SvN]

I definitely won't be buying, so resale value isn't really a problem.

It's funny that I have no idea whether Taz is mocking £400 for being too high or too low.

[Don]

It don't have motorised seatbelts so the white man would be at a loss with it.

[Spikey M]

I definitely won't be buying, so resale value isn't really a problem.

It's funny that I have no idea whether Taz is mocking £400 for being too high or too low.

Can't you get it as a company car and fiddle the taxes somehow? I've no idea how any of that stuff works, I just thought it was bread and butter for the Elite Capitalist wage slave owners like yourself?

[Magic]

Surely electric has to go via the company? Great tax dodge.

[Giggles]

I definitely won't be buying, so resale value isn't really a problem.

It's funny that I have no idea whether Taz is mocking £400 for being too high or too low.

So long as it can flatten a crowd it’s all good.

[SvN]

Surely electric has to go via the company? Great tax dodge.

Of course, this is via the company rather than coming out of my pocket directly.

£400 is ex-VAT by the way, forgot to mention that.

[Magic]

Merc EQC/S? Audi e-tron?

[SvN]

That Merc looks brilliant, but then again, I know fuck all about cars, having only been driving for 4 months.

[Manc]

The Ioniq 5 is reportedly fantastic. You do have to drive a Hyundai though.

[Pepe]

Get the Chevy Bolt. :harold:

[Foe]

Stick with fossil fuels, you swine :(

Please.

[Baz]

why not just filter for price and pick the least gay looking one?

Says the man about to scrap a mini.

[Andy]

That Merc looks brilliant, but then again, I know fuck all about cars, having only been driving for 4 months.

Can't go wrong with a German car. They come with so much safety stuff as standard.

[Dquincy]

I have a land rover discovery sport. We are a family of 4 and it suits us fine. Had an X5 before that which was nice, but once the kids are of an age and the buggy is not required, you don't need quite as much boot space.

[Lofty]

The Ioniq 5 is reportedly fantastic. You do have to drive a Hyundai though.

Got a Tucson and it's a great car to be fair, was looking for a X Trail at the time.

[Pepe]

Minis. :cool:

[Giggles]

Minis. :cool:

Are shit unless you mean real minis.

[Pepe]

I do prefer real Minis by a wide, wide margin, but the first of the new ones are also nice little cars. The more recent they are, the shitter they've become.

[Giggles]

That’s true. The very first beemer one was fairly solid. It was when they started all this MPV guff it all went to shite.

[Spikey M]

New Mini's can go fuck themselves along with 4x4 Porches and the dickhead convertible Range Rover I saw the other day.

Stay in your lanes, lads.

[Giggles]

Cars are aimed at women now and seeing as most men these days are Fanny’s then that’s how it’s going. I’ll mourn the loss of the big estate cruiser.

[Giggles]

Cycling and Recycling leads to this shit.

[Shindig]

On the contrary, the descent into a gig economy means the road will be exclusively be taken up by Deliveroo cyclists and Amazon vans.

[Magic]

New Mini's can go fuck themselves along with 4x4 Porches and the dickhead convertible Range Rover I saw the other day.

Stay in your lanes, lads.

Macans are lol but the Cayenne :drool:

[Giggles]

Macans are lol but the Cayenne :drool:

I’d love to hear what you have to say to try bluff your way into the seat of one in the dealers.

[Magic]

"I'm not a fat printer fixer"

[Giggles]

“And I can pretend I’m a real big shot, just don’t ask anyone belonging to me how much of a failure I am”

[Magic]

Nobody belongs to me.

[Giggles]

Not now anyway, she did better and can raise her daughter with a decent male role model. Everyone wins except the inadequate.

[Pepe]

Wagons. :drool:

[randomlegend]

Cars just failed it's MOT. £430 of repairs :moop:

The two Fiestas I had never used to fail.

[Pepe]

That MOT you get over there sounds brutal.

[Giggles]

I always thought it was a weird system where it’s a garage that you can pay to fix the faults are the ones deciding on what are faults.

[Boydy]

I always thought it was a weird system where it’s a garage that you can pay to fix the faults are the ones deciding on what are faults.

Same. I like how we have proper government test centres here in NI. Although my English friend thought it was very weird.

[Giggles]

Same. I like how we have proper government test centres here in NI. Although my English friend thought it was very weird.

Our NCT (car) and DOE (commercial) are the very same as the way your MOT works too. I think the test itself is exactly the same and all.

[niko_cee]

No MOTs clearly the way forward. :cool:

Although 'BREXIT' might be requiring us to bring some sort of equivalent in apparently. Hopefully that goes the way of the international drivers licence requirement.

What do things usually fail for anyway? By the end of my time over there my rinky dink Fiat Panda was becoming somewhat absurdly expensive to service and get through it's MOT. My current car has no passenger side wing mirror, the screen wash pump hasn't worked for about 3 years (thanks to Citroen and their ridiculous 'MARRON' fuse box cable - had to replace the board myself but the pump is hidden in the wheel arch so fuck that), windscreen wipers are in dire need of replacement, all in, not sure it would be worth repatriating if I ever move back.

[Giggles]

Emissions, suspension bushes, and headlight alignment would be fairly common ones. They’ve started checking ours for warning lights on the dash now too.

[Don]

Don't get it twisted, the Fiesta's reliability is a thing of beauty. It's why I'm on my 3rd consecutive one (that reads dodge, the first 2 were write-offs, not reliability issues).

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

So you're a shit driver. Got it.

[Don]

I can drive like a melt if needs be, I just prefer not to.

[Shindig]

Don't get it twisted, the Fiesta's reliability is a thing of beauty. It's why I'm on my 3rd consecutive one (that reads dodge, the first 2 were write-offs, not reliability issues).

https://i.imgur.com/VQ4pg4z.gif

The fate of Taz's second fiesta.

[randomlegend]

I wrote both my Fiesta's off too. The first one was absolutely not my fault; I was stationary behind someone who was waiting to turn right and some guy just ploughed straight into the back of me (suspect he was on his phone). The second was absolutely my fault as I went round a corner too fast, skidded into a hedge and wrecked all the bodywork down one side.

[Pepe]

1440743098795974658

:cab:

[Lewis]

I've bought a Ford Ka to replace my MOT failure. :cool:

[Boydy]

https://youtu.be/xWct_KYGRQo

[Pepe]

Haven't seen one of those since I left Mexico. Decent little things.

[Giggles]

Did you get one for the other foot too?

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

The worst car ever made.

[Lewis]

Cheap and cheerful, and perfect for skittering round the city. It has plastic wheel trims, so I might cut them off so they look like Jaguar D-Type wheels.

[Don]

One of my trims fell off and the bare wheel looks so badass. I was gonna remove the other 3 but I think the wheels are different and also I don't give enough of a fuck.

3 door car though, mark of a dodgy character.

[Pepe]

It is better so that no one asks you for rides.

[randomlegend]

I have a 2013 Suzuki Swift Sport 3 door and I absolutely love it. It's so fun to drive.

When it's not stuck in the garage costing me £430, obviously.

[Lewis]

Bought it because Ronaldo endorsed them what a sad fanboy cunt. :harold:

[Boydy]

1440908464625106946

SvN

[Lewis]

1441056060891189252
1441068335890894851

[Dquincy]

Bought it because Ronaldo endorsed them what a sad fanboy cunt. :harold:
:D

[Lofty]

Mine is due for it's MOT start of November, had an advisory on needing new brake pads last time so no doubt will be stung for them this time, though as it was Arnold Clark I took it with a pinch of salt.

[SvN]

1440908464625106946

SvN

Interesting. There are replies to his story saying there's a tow mode that allows you to push it, and he hasn't replied to say why he didn't use it. I wonder if it was a case of not knowing what to do or if he was genuinely fucked.

[Lofty]

The repairs are scandalous apparently, any third party repair and they blacklist the vehicle.

[Spikey M]

Atleast that saves Apple the hassle of designing a car.

[SvN]

Turns out that insurance on a brand new car is pretty expensive for people that only have 4 months driving experience.

[randomlegend]

How much? What's the car?

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Turns out that insurance on a brand new car is pretty expensive for people that only have 4 months driving experience.

No shit.

[Spikey M]

It was about £700 per year when I passed and I was driving a 2004 Fiesta (Taz is right by the way, what a hero that car was). I dread to think what insuring a Tesla would cost. :D

[SvN]

It was about £700 per year when I passed and I was driving a 2004 Fiesta (Taz is right by the way, what a hero that car was). I dread to think what insuring a Tesla would cost. :D

When I last checked 95% of places wouldn't even offer me insurance. The one place that did was around £9k per year :D

The cost to insure a Nissan Leaf is around £1,200 per year. Which isn't bad - the lease cost is only £300 per month, so I'll just pay for insurance through the business. I was hoping for something with better range, though.

[Spikey M]

£9k per year :D

You'd almost have to crash it just to feel like you've had some value.

What was the excess on that?

[SvN]

No idea, I lolled and closed the tab as soon as I saw the price.

I could get it insure it in my wife's name and then get added as a named driver, but I probably need to start building up some NCD.

[Pepe]

Just buy an old beater, you posh wanker. I've heard that Ford Fiestas are good.

[SvN]

I have an old banger now. I want a better car.

[Giggles]

What about one of the ID's? A lot cheaper than a Tesla and a decent mid range brand.

Or an Ioniq?

[Giggles]

That's if you want batteries.

[Pepe]

I have an old banger now. I want a better car.

Alright we good then.

[Lewis]

When I started driving in 2006 the insurance on my 1997 Fiat Punto was £1400 a year, which was probably twice what the car was worth. The following year it went down to about £1100, and the next year it failed its MOT and the garage 'got rid of it' before I actually told them to. Oh thanks.

[randomlegend]

When I started driving in 2006 the insurance on my 1997 Fiat Punto was £1400 a year, which was probably twice what the car was worth. The following year it went down to about £1100, and the next year it failed its MOT and the garage 'got rid of it' before I actually told them to. Oh thanks.

What :D

[Lewis]

It failed its MOT, more than likely to the point of no return anyway, but there was still a week or so left on it. I said I would come and pick it up, and then they started claiming that I had told them to get rid of it if it failed (what, and now I'm just styling it out?). I told them to un-get rid of it, but it was too late, so they didn't charge me and gave me a voucher that somebody else ended up using.

[randomlegend]

I bet they repaired it and sold it.

[Lewis]

Somebody once cut the fuel line on that car as well. I turned it on and it started pissing petrol out from underneath. The mechanic (from another garage) thought that they were probably going for the brakes. Well that solves it. No more questions.

[Pepe]

So they just stole your car?

[Pepe]

Somebody once cut the fuel line on that car as well. I turned it on and it started pissing petrol out from underneath. The mechanic (from another garage) thought that they were probably going for the brakes. Well that solves it. No more questions.

Bet it was Harold.

[Lewis]

So they just stole your car?

Yeah, or swapped it for a free MOT and a service voucher.

[randomlegend]

Somebody once cut the fuel line on that car as well. I turned it on and it started pissing petrol out from underneath. The mechanic (from another garage) thought that they were probably going for the brakes. Well that solves it. No more questions.

So someone tried to murder you?

[Pepe]

So someone tried to murder you?

That or they just wanted him to use up his free voucher.

[Lewis]

Who knows. That or it was just a neat split and the mechanic was a pleb.

[wullie]

Had my renewal quote come through from my current insurance and it's lower than last year. I don't think I've ever had that happen before

[Kikó]

Passed my driving test today. Second time round, 2 minors. Hurrah!

[SvN]

What is it with TTH that attracts tragic figures that don't pass their test til their mid 30s? That's not that normal in society is it?

[Kikó]

Thanks mate.

[Foe]

Congrats keeks.

Does that work in Germany or is it a bit of a shame timing wise?

[SvN]

Thanks mate.

:D

Sorry, congrats.

I include myself in that group by the way, having only passed in May.

[Manc]

Has the chauffeur got another job lined up?

[Baz]

Either back to the hospital or joining Laur in Maccies, I heard.

[Giggles]

Has the chauffeur got another job lined up?

I always imagined it was one of those big blacked out minibus things like they use on the apprentice. But parked around the corner in common man situations.

[Lofty]

I used to work with some mad woman who was getting married at Disneyworld Florida and to facilitate this her train driver husband worked at maccies on his days off :D

[Kikó]

Has the chauffeur got another job lined up?

Lee will be back to killing people at hospitals.


It was such a difference from my learning in London to Dundee this week. One the speed changes (mostly 20mph in London while 30/40mph much more common in Dundee) but the main thing was the roundabouts. I honestly hadn't been on more than one which I turned off left in London and Dundee is basically full of them. This meant I had zero lane discipline and had no idea how to make the approach. I did clip one roundabout on the test which I thought fucked it but ended up with only two minors.


Congrats keeks.

Does that work in Germany or is it a bit of a shame timing wise?


I think I have to do some conversion. I'm actually going to do lessons anyway for left hand drive to get me used to it.

[Giggles]

I was just booking a service today and totted up 26,500km since the 22nd of July. My Pocketcasts stats are gone off the charts.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I think I have to do some conversion. I'm actually going to do lessons anyway for left hand drive to get me used to it.

Gammon.

[Waffdon]

Lee will be back to killing people at hospitals.


It was such a difference from my learning in London to Dundee this week. One the speed changes (mostly 20mph in London while 30/40mph much more common in Dundee) but the main thing was the roundabouts. I honestly hadn't been on more than one which I turned off left in London and Dundee is basically full of them. This meant I had zero lane discipline and had no idea how to make the approach. I did clip one roundabout on the test which I thought fucked it but ended up with only two minors.




I think I have to do some conversion. I'm actually going to do lessons anyway for left hand drive to get me used to it.

Circles not roundabouts

[Lofty]

MOT saturday and suspect they are going to sting me for new brake pads :moop:

[Lofty]

Icy windscreens: do you scrape or de-ice? I just use de-icer but notice most of my neighbours scrape, am I an idiot? Used to have a Qashqai with a heated windscreen, those were the days.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I scrape, I don't really know why, keeping de-icer around is admin I suppose. The real hit is the steaming up which occurs 10 seconds into the journey.

[Giggles]

Plastic bag of warm water.

[Don]

De-icer is decent but disposable windscreens made from our children's reconstituted futures are preferable.

[Disco]

Is it not customary to scratch a hole in the ice with whatever you can find in the glove box, then drive off while hunched over and peering through the tiny gap in the condensation? They should include that in the test really.

[Baz]

I did exactly that this morning with a polish hip hop cd box. The drive to nursery has never been so exciting.

I’ll tell you when we get there cos I can see out of my window.
Okay thanks.

[Spikey M]

My screenwash has anti-freeze in it, so I just spray that on and let the wipers do the work. The steaming windows are the real problem as Jimmy says.

[Pepe]

Having a garage. :cool:

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I would always scrape with an old debit card and then be annoyed that my hands were numb from the cold.

[Lofty]

I have a carport that mitigates this problem but for the fact my wife is reluctant to park more than one end under it due to it being narrow.

[Disco]

This seems quite obvious advice but I really cannot recommend ever trying to reverse a trailer in the company of old farmers, and if you really can't avoid it then don't think winding up all your windows will discourage them from offering useless yet conflicting advice.

[Ben]

Just sold my RS3. :cry:

Got a baby on the way and apparently it's not a suitable parent car. :moop:

[Kikó]

I'm still waiting on the DVLA to issue me with a full driving license after sending my provisional 3 months ago. It's impossible to contact them as well which means I have no idea wtf to do. I also only have another 3 months left until I will need to do a German test because the equivalence runs out after 6 months.

[Ben]

My wife waited just over three months for a change of name on hers. Pathetic service.

Just had a look for you, they're only now processing late October for a lot of things.

[Kikó]

Where did you check?

I basically sent my request in at the end of October so hopefully that's me soon.

edit found it https://www.gov.uk/guidance/dvla-coronavirus-covid-19-update#wheres-my-application

[Disco]

I drove for ages with no licence last year because my renewal took so long, three months sounds about right.

[Giggles]

If you do a German test you might end up being able to drive.

[niko_cee]

As long as your renewal is in you still have a licence, no?

Or are West Country cops all "licence and registration sir! Hands where I can see them!"?

[Ben]

You're still legal to drive. If you're nervous then just carry your driving test certificate with you in case you encounter a proper ball bag copper.

[Disco]

No idea, but in the unlikely event of someone asking for it I had no way of showing I had applied because it was all via post. Unless that's also logged online anyway, I never checked.

[Pepe]

Just sold my RS3. :cry:

Got a baby on the way and apparently it's not a suitable parent car. :moop:

An RS3 looks big enough to me. That sucks, lovely car.

Pics of the minivan?

[Ben]

I'm 6'4" so with the front seats all the way back, a car seat would only just fit in the back.

The issue is boot space for pram and the car is very low so would be pretty awkward. Plus I drive like a dick head so the wife doesn't want me ferrying our child around with 395bhp under my foot. Additionally I'll save a lot on fuel if I replace it with an economical diesel or even an electric (can charge at work).

I'll get over it, I had fun while it lasted. Got a good price for it too.

[Kikó]

I can see on the DVLA website I am legal to drive so I assume the police could as well.

[Magic]

My merc doesn't have a dipstick (except me) so the computer is supposed to tell me about oil. It popped up saying next time you refuel put 1L in. So I drove another 65 miles or so then went to a station the next day to get oil. It was smoking when I took the cap off and had loads of yellow gunk lol. Stupid car.

[Giggles]

Loads of yellow gunk would suggest head gasket.

[Pepe]

My merc doesn't have a dipstick

Talk about nonsensical technological advancements.

[niko_cee]

Makes perfect sense from the dealership's perspective.

[Magic]

OK it wasn't loads just a coating on the cap. Yes agreed it said oil was fine as I periodically check the menu, said it was medium until all of a sudden it had none. Coolant is fine.

[niko_cee]

My shitheap of a 2008 C3 Picasso has suffered a power steering failure today. Seems it's an electric motor thing [so no fluid]. God the electrics in it are shit. Doesn't seem to be the fuse [:(] or a weak battery [95% 12.69v :flex:] which appear to be the simple solutions. Probably going to be terminal as it'll likely be more to repair than it is realistically worth. Won't find out until it goes in [for the last rights] next week though. Recommend me a decent 7-seater/van type thing. I quite like the look of those Nissan e-NV200 things. Are they terrible?

[Ben]

We've got a 15 reg eNV200 van at work. Battery is pretty shit, only really does 50-60 miles about the site with radio etc. turned on.

Batteries will have come on a lot though if you look newer.

[niko_cee]

Yeah, battery wouldn't be a major major concern at the moment [tiny island] but it does sound a bit limiting in terms of use elsewhere. Probably end up with a big old diesel of some sort.

[Foe]

Stick with fossil fuels.

:yn:

[Disco]

Hybrid would be fine but it's too early to go full electric, the infrastructure just isn't there to make it practical.

[Baz]

As you all know I already own BAZ 774

Soon I will win the lottery and own a super car.

Which one of these shall I reserve for it?

https://i.imgur.com/YQI1YpH_d.webp?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium

BAZ 771 right?

So people will presume I also own 772 and 773.

[Shindig]

Ah, a Porsche for a midlife crisis. Baz 911.

[Lewis]

Is 'Baz 316' available?

[Manc]

Baz 96.

[Baz]

Is 'Baz 316' available?:D

If it was, I wouldn’t be asking the question.

[Yevrah]

Anyone know much about Low Traffic Neighbourhoods? Specifically if there's one on my road that now means part of said road is a bus lane, can I still use that stretch as a resident?

I ask because the council have sent me a warning letter for using it, which also suggests that next time it could be a fine. A quick Google suggests I can use it as a resident, but none of the links refer to my area.

[SvN]

New car arriving on the 31st :cool:

Went for a Dual Motor Polestar 2 in the end, even though they wouldn't let me test drive it :D

[Boydy]

A what?

[Ben]

Why would they not let you test drive it? Why would you buy a car without driving it first?

[Ben]

A what?

An electric Volvo.

[SvN]

Why would they not let you test drive it? Why would you buy a car without driving it first?

The answer to both questions is because I've only been driving since May 2021. I actually did swap with my wife during the test drive for about 10 minutes, so technically I did drive it for a while. But in truth, almost all of the cars I drove felt exactly the same, and a huge improvement on the banger I'm currently driving.

[Ben]

Ah right I see. I thought you meant the garage flat out refused test drives on that car which would be the reddest of red flags.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

You're going to get stung so hard on the insurance.

[SvN]

about 900 per year if I do it in my name, which is less than I expected.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

That's actually not bad for a new car being driven by a new driver.

[Ben]

about 900 per year if I do it in my name, which is less than I expected.

Is your wife a named driver on that? I cut my S5 down to £600 (20k miles) by whacking the wife on, despite there being zero chance of her actually ever driving it. Similarly I cut hers to £250 (10k miles) on a 2L engine despite her never having driven anything more powerful than a hairdryer.

[SvN]

Yeah, she's a named driver. Out of interest, I just did a meerkats without her, and the price went to £1.3k

[Ben]

Named driver makes it cheaper for almost everyone. I've got 14 years experience with 8 NCB and naming the wife still knocks a good 15% off mine.

[Don]

Are you saying the missus and I should be putting each other on our policies as named drivers for a risk-free saving?

[Ben]

It will certainly save you money which might shut you up about trains and WFH for a bit so wins all round. :thbup:

[Giggles]

It will certainly save you money which might shut you up about trains and WFH for a bit so wins all round. :thbup:

Something something gammons.

Edit - :happycry:

[Don]

Good exchange lads.

[Don]

Had to scrap our 206 after a head gasket failure. My mechanic kindly offers to do it for me. I'm getting online quotes for £400 for it. These fucking dirty ethnics up to their old tricks. He's a scumbag but he's Iranian so I still feel okay with continuing my business with him.

[Ben]

£400 for a head gasket is very reasonable...

[Kikó]

I'm getting my German driving license next week. Still haven't driven a car in 6 months or on my own but it'll be fine.

[Ben]

Getting used to driving on the other side is actually really easy. The harder bit is learning and adhering to the rules of their roads that are a bit different than ours (usually involving right-of-ways, but you'll pick that up straight away just by following the busy traffic if you're in a city).

[Don]

£400 for a head gasket is very reasonable...

Oh no, mechanic was offering to scrap the car for me as a favour. Instead got some company to come pay me £400 to pick it up.

Gonna replace it with another mk5 Fiesta (my 4th) :drool:

[Pepe]

How the fuck do you go through cars so quickly?

[Ben]

Not that I know for sure but it's usually neglect. The proposed changing of the MOT to every 2 years rather than annually is just mental. People who aren't proactive and run their car until it screams at them will just end up with bigger repair bills.

[Don]

2 write-offs have me on my 3rd but this one is for the missus.

[Pepe]

Is that the tick ting from back in the day?

[Don]

Nah, RIP to the tick ting(s).

[Lofty]

Anyone had experience with VW Transporters? Considering cashing in our car and using the equity on a sexy transporter for daily driving and camping.

[Giggles]

Lovely van but there’s definitely better value to be had out there. They’re always a premium.

[Ben]

Pretty much what Giggles said. Definitely the front-runner in that class but be prepared to pay for it. The T7 is out later this year so it might temper the prices of the T6 a bit.

[Boydy]

Anyone had experience with VW Transporters? Considering cashing in our car and using the equity on a sexy transporter for daily driving and camping.
Wouldn't your feet be sticking out the door if you were camping in that?

[Giggles]

If the engines weren’t such a shit show a Transit Custom would be a much handier pickup in that size and the Ford is generally a good drive too, probably nicer than the VW but not nearly as solid feeling. I’m not sure if there is a good engine code across the whole range but I’ve rarely heard of one that hasn’t given big problems. The likes of a Traffic (and it’s other iterations) would only be something I’d look at new with a view to getting rid of within 5 years.