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Random
Dec 18, 2023 15:56:29 GMT
Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Dec 18, 2023 15:56:29 GMT
OK - my sister just mentioned that one of her clients has bought this at auction - what is it? And how much did it go for?
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Dec 18, 2023 13:50:20 GMT
I wear my Smock on the way to the farm which is 5 minutes away along with wellies and waterproof leggings. I now have visions of a sort of waterproof Grayson Perry... The nights are dark and the winters long up that end of the Tyne Valley….
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VW ID2
Dec 15, 2023 12:37:56 GMT
Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Dec 15, 2023 12:37:56 GMT
Definitely a step forward with a nice retro twist
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Dec 15, 2023 9:41:46 GMT
What’s a coat? 😀
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Dec 14, 2023 14:36:40 GMT
I hate to say it but that is pretty much identical to what you get with BMW now and when I got my last puncture - a relatively straightforward screw in the tread, it was useless - didn't inflate the tyre or seal it. It did make a lot of noise and spit odd bits of white fluid out though. I had to get BMW assist to come and drill and plug the hole.
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Dec 14, 2023 9:16:19 GMT
The X2 of a few years ago was not bad looking. But the iX2 has got all the usual current BMW issues all over it. Plus £65k for what I consider to be a "small" car is ludicrous. Even £55.... or is the iX2 now as large as an X5 used to be? I really liked the look of the original X2 and briefly considered one, however it turned out to be too small in the boot.
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Dec 14, 2023 9:09:23 GMT
When you go down the biscuit aisle in he local supermarket there's a whole world of choices and I like to try something new, but I always add in a packet of McVities Chocolate Digestives - a favorite from childhood. I like a couple of those with my cup of tea in the evening - even the dog has cottoned on to the routine now and when I move from the sofa at 9pm he hops off too and waits by the kettle and biscuit barrel so he can have one of his doggy treats too.
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Dec 12, 2023 18:47:35 GMT
It’s weird, the grey ones look bigger.
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Dec 12, 2023 16:27:57 GMT
I don’t actually have any problems with the combo. I quite like these Matt grey finishes. What about the weird interior colour though. I don't mind a wine red usually but that's one of those slightly wrong shades that the Germans are so good at. I know what you mean - I'd have to see it in the flesh, it may be OK. I'd probably prefer a nice saddle brown.
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Dec 12, 2023 14:13:42 GMT
Have they not just recycled the X4 styling?
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Dec 12, 2023 14:11:20 GMT
I don’t actually have any problems with the combo. I quite like these Matt grey finishes.
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Dec 7, 2023 20:18:04 GMT
From an aesthetic point of view I find absolutely no redeeming features. The only hope is that some of the tech will improve the cars. Musk has just shared all its proprietary 48v architecture tech with Ford and GM. The CEO of Ford has confirmed they’ve received the technical details from Tesla.
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Dec 6, 2023 9:04:53 GMT
I haven't watched the videos. Did Musk 'design' this monstrosity himself? They explain the design process in the video. Personally, I'm torn; my first, instinctive reaction, is that it's a monstrosity, something that looks like it was designed by a 3 year old, something to be ridiculed. However, the more I see it and see the reactions of people I'm getting a horrible feeling it's a bit of genius, enabling it to stand out in a sea of cookie cutter trucks that populate the US. It's also mental that part of the marketing has become its ability to withstand 9mm rounds from a handgun. A lot of Americans will find that tremendously attractive as they muse about life in a post apocalyptic, zombie-filled, world. I still think that, if I owned one, the fingerprints on the stainless steel would drive me mad. Even zombie ones.
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Dec 5, 2023 15:33:02 GMT
I don't know if any of you have read the BBC's article or watched the programme about watch stealing in London but it is scary. A 16yr old with a machete is not the kind of person you can reason with or even take a chance at trying to overpower. Would this kind of trouble make you think twice about wearing an expensive watch? www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-67608184Yes it does, in big cities anyway. It's one of the reasons for switching to mainly wearing an Apple watch. It's not necessarily because you are walking down the street in a short sleeve shirt with your expensive watch there for all to see. A man was killed very near my office while having his watch stolen. He'd been clocked wearing it in a restaurant and the gang was waiting for him when he left. Yeah, that's what happened to my brother in law in Mallorca. Lost his brand new Rolex.
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Dec 5, 2023 12:32:56 GMT
I don't know if any of you have read the BBC's article or watched the programme about watch stealing in London but it is scary. A 16yr old with a machete is not the kind of person you can reason with or even take a chance at trying to overpower. Would this kind of trouble make you think twice about wearing an expensive watch? www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-67608184Not anywhere outside central London.
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Nov 27, 2023 15:53:32 GMT
Driving home in the dark Sat evening I was passed by two trial bikes, without lights, dark clothing, the front one doing a wheelie - little cunts are just baiting the police to chase them.
This morning, in the dark, I came across a guy pedalling along, dark clothing, no lights, riding hands in pockets, up the road. It took all my strength not to nudge him off.
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Nov 27, 2023 15:50:54 GMT
I picked up a guy years ago and as we drove on he commented that most people don't pick up hitch-hikers as they fear they might be a psychopath - to which I laughed and said it would be a million to one chance to have 2 in a car.
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Nov 27, 2023 12:25:00 GMT
The most telling thing is I keep coming up with excuses for a drive....like being a teenager going out for fuel, check tyre pressures etc....except I'm not coming back smelling of fags/mints/lynx!😂 Within a few weeks you'll spend every Friday night hanging around in McDonald's car park. Great looking little car, looks a lot of fun.
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Nov 20, 2023 21:39:42 GMT
This comparison video clearly illustrates what a complete bucket of donkey vomit the new 5 series really is. New 5 series time used to be exciting, but everything about the way this new one looks is massively disappointing. Firstly, it is ungainly, poorly proportioned and the detailing is clumsy and unrefined (the grille, the wheels, all that black plastic crap on the bottom of the car) - there isn’t a single aspect or view of this car that is in anyway agreeable. Secondly, even in recent years post initial donkeyfication , BMW were still producing good looking, high quality interiors. However the 5 series interior is now just a style free, techy wank fest with zero class or luxury - direct comparison with that new E class makes the BMW look deeply naff. There is also some significant cost cutting given the use of materials that were absent from all the last generations of 5 series. All in my opinion of course, but I am rather sad that the latest generation of one of the best (and my favourite) cars in the world has been ruined so comprehensively. I've been saying this since I first clapped eyes on it. And the Murk isn't much better either - any Mercedes saloon ought to have a proper gun-sight star - without that, they lose a good chunk of their appeal. Tastes differ. I wouldn’t consider a Mercedes with that awful hood ornament. It’s a relic of a by gone age, like spats on your shoes.
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Nov 19, 2023 18:40:10 GMT
Having now watched the video I wouldn’t consider the Mercedes. It already looks dated and the inside looks cheap and tacky. European taxi drivers will love the small turning circle though, maybe less enamoured by the poor rear seat room.
Other than that I can only remember the leather clad legs of his passenger…
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Nov 10, 2023 16:32:11 GMT
The police repair workshops will be looking for November overtime, to be paid in December, in time for Xmas.
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Nov 1, 2023 15:27:32 GMT
eBay, it seems, is becoming more hassle than it's worth. They take your eyes out on fees now too. I don't have a Facebook account, so Gumtree may be the answer. I was selling an unwanted Samsung mobile and stuck it on Gumtree. A buyer asked if we could meet in the (as it was midweek) Blaydon Rugby Club Car Park and I agreed. Honestly, it was like a drugs deal - I drove into the car park and flashed my lights, he flashed his and we drove towards each other, meeting driver's side window to driver's side window. Money and phone was exchanged and we both drove off with barely a word.
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Scam?
Nov 1, 2023 14:36:36 GMT
Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Nov 1, 2023 14:36:36 GMT
Haven't heard a thing. The courier was a WhatsApp from a Hungarian mobile number which is what made me cancel it. I wasn’t sure if it was a scam, but now I am! I’ve not sold anything on eBay for a few years and when I did it was cash and collection only. It doesn’t feel like it’s worth the hassle most of the time. We’ve had to clear quite a few things (furniture and white goods) this year due to the new kitchen and extension, all of which was in really good condition, but I couldn’t face the hassle of selling it. We donated it all to the BHF, who collect from your house, are super grateful and let you know what’s been raised through the sale. No hassle dealing with general public and a warm feeling! When we were in a similar situation we just stuck it on Gumtree and sold it all to people who called by and picked it up in person. Our garage was like Steptoe's Yard for while.
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Oct 26, 2023 15:33:39 GMT
Purely in the interests of market research, I valued my two cars..... The derisory numbers quoted when compared with the current advertised prices suggest that retailers are rammed with stock that they have likely paid big numbers for. It will be interesting to see who blinks first, but I can't tell if this is a slow down (i.e - prices will more or less hold, as long as you accept longer stock days) or pre-emptive of a big correction. I think this is pretty much where we are. Who will blink first. With the rise in interest rates, I can't believe that the financing cost of holding stock isn't starting to hurt. My view with regard to manufacturers and dealers is: "Fuck 'em". They're taking the piss with the price of new stock, especially EVs. They've hiked the prices to increase margins beyond the point of ridiculousness, so they can keep calling as much as they like, I'm not buying, and hopefully many more will be of the same attitude. Let them feel some pain and bring some reality back to the new and used market.
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Oct 26, 2023 14:18:25 GMT
Didn't I read somewhere that some big Porsche dealerships have been instructed not to buy any more secondhand stock due to huge inventories lying around?
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Oct 26, 2023 14:14:21 GMT
To my mind the simplest way to tax, e.g. Amazon would be to total worldwide profits and then divide those by worldwide turnover and deem that to be the local profit, i.e. turnover $100 Bn, UK turnover $5 Bn therefore 5% of total profits earned in the UK. Obviously that'd earn a lot of money for accountants and lawyers arguing with HMRC about it though. In theory that works, but Amazon put all their European sales through Luxembourg (I think?), so UK turnover is just based on a cost + arrangement (transfer pricing again...). You'd have to tax multinationals on the value of deliveries into each country, rather than turnover. Tax them 5% on the value of all deliveries made in the UK, payable before they argue for any rebate from HMRC.
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Oct 26, 2023 14:11:54 GMT
Well you can't picnic out of the back of a Z. But you could put some fold up chairs in the boot. Would it be instead or in addition? I would buy the Z and then purchase an inexpensive gazebo to park under with the hood down. Best of all worlds.
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Oct 23, 2023 10:53:23 GMT
I think Brexit has been a massive temporary bump in the road that has somehow become a false indication - to the morons in power/potentially in power - that most people want more right leaning policies. I don't think that's the case at all. All across Europe; France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Greece, and further afield; NZ, Australia, there's been a distinct movement to the right so I'm not sure you're right about that. Anyway, this government has run out of ideas and steam. Probably let someone else take the wheel of the bus and drive us off the cliff.
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Random
Oct 23, 2023 9:16:41 GMT
Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Oct 23, 2023 9:16:41 GMT
I'm over at our Jarrow branch and we have a trans woman technician who uses the gents toilets (consisting of two stalls and no urinals). I don't know whether to leave the seat up or down? Do I need to contact HR for advice?
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Oct 20, 2023 14:30:48 GMT
I was born in Darlington. This is important news to us. Me too. I drove through it on Tuesday. And yet you still deny breaking wind?
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