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Post by Ben on Mar 11, 2024 4:46:56 GMT
The XE was a good drive but in many other aspects (space, packaging, practicality) it was pretty flawed.
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Post by Ben on Mar 4, 2024 16:31:18 GMT
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Post by Ben on Mar 1, 2024 11:32:00 GMT
Personally, I don't think that shagging the secretary should, in many circumstances, be a sackable offence. It shows a lack of judgement but does that impact on his ability to do the job - I don't think so. I once worked in a firm where a partner had an affair with someone outside work and he did tell us a few tales about where he was going, just to cover his tracks. Two of the other partners, largely for religious beliefs and because he hadn't been fully honest, believed that we should kick him out because having an affair was completely against their beliefs. I defended the culprit and he was able to remain because to be honest he was a lot happier and was working well. It didn't impact the businesses operations in any way although it did make it awkward when his estranged wife phoned up or stormed in to the office demanding that he be kicked out. If Horner has damaged the Red Bull brand or the operation of the team then there might be grounds for his dismissal but otherwise I don't believe that the moral standards of others should be used to exorcise Horner from his position unless his actions were so abhorrent that the vast majority of people would be shocked. I have two friends who have been unfaithful in marriage and whilst I didn't agree with what they did I am not going to ex-communicate them. What was it Jesus said "if any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her" I've never been unfaithful but I have done plenty of things I regret or am not proud of. To err is to be human. I'm not one to judge, and I agree that people make mistakes. But I view moral wrongdoings like affairs with a slightly different perspective. I think what having an affair indicates is cultivating mistrust. In the sense that if you could do something behind your partner's back, what else could you be hiding (or capable of hiding) at work? Affairs involve calculated lying, and that's quite a slippery slope to go down. If you want to hook up with someone else, do it openly. Talk to your partner, get a divorce or separation if need be. It's difficult but it's the right thing to do. Sneaking around and hiding your tracks is cowardly.
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Post by Ben on Feb 23, 2024 16:42:28 GMT
I listened to an interview with Ron once, and he sounded far more interesting than his image suggests. Seemed to have an immense depth of knowledge about lots of things but especially cars.
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Post by Ben on Feb 22, 2024 2:24:33 GMT
How soon before we have the ID 3 renamed as the Beetle? It will become the Golf
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Post by Ben on Feb 16, 2024 15:28:04 GMT
34p a litre? That's what it was in 1992 when I hard my first car!!!! Is this subsidised or just barely taxed? The hoops we go through to decarbonise here, and they can buy fuel for less than bottled water.............. I hadn’t looked at any point when passing fuel stations so it was a big surprise to me too! This was a big Shell garage next to the airport, so I assume is as expensive as it gets. Full fat petrol is a high % increase, but still only 58p a litre. I looked into it and there isn’t any tax, quite the opposite….the government subsidises the cost of fuel, covering about a third of the cost. Yep, Malaysia is an oil producing nation (home of Petronas) and regular fuel is subsidised for locally-registered vehicles.
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Post by Ben on Feb 8, 2024 14:00:26 GMT
How about this for a bit of luxury…. It could do with spacers on the rear That steering wheel has got to be an aftermarket item. There's no way it came with the car like that.
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Post by Ben on Feb 7, 2024 12:50:11 GMT
Malaysia does have rather high import taxes for cars. So quite a lot of manufacturers get around it by setting up assembly plants in the country as locally-built complete knock down (CKD) cars are exempted from pretty significant taxation.
It's not just mainstream brands like Honda too. Premium carmakers like BMW, Mercedes-Benz and even Porsche (their only plant outside Europe) also have facilities in Malaysia.
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Post by Ben on Jan 26, 2024 13:13:50 GMT
Sad that it’s become a trim level across all the models. I sense a class action law suit coming in the US for mis-selling. Can't wait to see the Turbo S version, with the boost turned up. The Taycan has had the Turbo trim since its launch.
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Post by Ben on Jan 10, 2024 22:54:45 GMT
Have a great time in Malaysia. You'll catch Chinese New Year towards the end of your trip so it'll be suitably festive.
Enjoy the food. It'll be amazing.
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Post by Ben on Jan 8, 2024 8:18:57 GMT
Oh wow, Suzuki Swift! Excellent choice sir.
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Post by Ben on Jan 8, 2024 8:15:19 GMT
Autostadt in Wolfsburg is a fun day out, but see if you can snag a visit to the Volkswagen AutoMuseum down the road. It's worth it if you can get in. www.automuseum-volkswagen.de/I've also been to BMW Welt in Munich and that's worth spending some time in too. If you make it to Frankfurt, then this place is fantastic. Lots of lovely motors to peruse: www.klassikstadt.de/
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Post by Ben on Jan 4, 2024 18:27:05 GMT
I agree with you Alf. I pay attention to the safety briefings too and make damn well sure to memorise it, even though it can be repetitive sometimes.
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Post by Ben on Dec 28, 2023 6:31:33 GMT
Yeah that's just a big bunch of yawn
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Post by Ben on Dec 24, 2023 2:42:19 GMT
What was the mood like? Was it tense after what happened?
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Post by Ben on Dec 11, 2023 11:20:43 GMT
Kinda depends. If I feel it needs a wash then I'll do it. Not very often these days though.
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Post by Ben on Nov 27, 2023 15:19:50 GMT
Never
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Post by Ben on Oct 16, 2023 18:55:21 GMT
Here is another theory for the mix. Recall in 2014 I bought a new C Max for the ex Mrs ALF (which she just swapped out for some aneamically engined Pug SUV)? That had what I can only describe as a critical fault in how it was set up. It had start stop, and keyless start, and if you parked up, and the engine stopped because of the start stop, you could get out, lock the car, walk away... But the car was still on unless you had switched it off with the ignition button! As a manual there was less reminder to do anything. When the start stop decided it wanted the engine on to heat/cool the car, the engine came on, and it kept going on/off until you came back to it. She said a few times she had come back to the car to find the engine running but the car locked, it was only when I was with her one time I pointed out she had not switched the igniton off. But this must be a common issue, the car needs safeguards to prevent this. On the Jag, if the engine was stopped due to start/stop, it switched the ignition off if you released the seatbelt (which could be annoying at car park or toll machines!). Ford had no such safeguards. Imagine arriving at an airport in a flap, desperate to get away to catch a plane. You stop, the engine stops, you get out with your bag, lock it and walk away... Easily done! What happens in a Disco if you do this? Obvs it should not catch fire, but an ICE car sat there for hours/days idling is more likely to catch fire than one not being run... I think many cars these days do have safeguards in place. Once the car is locked and the key is a certain distance away from the car, it should automatically shut itself down.
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Post by Ben on Sept 26, 2023 16:03:16 GMT
Oh my, that is lovely.
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Post by Ben on Sept 25, 2023 11:51:58 GMT
If it has to be personally owned, then never. None of my cars were capable of doing it I think.
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Post by Ben on Aug 31, 2023 11:34:31 GMT
Road hogging is an offence, is it not?
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Post by Ben on Aug 28, 2023 12:53:41 GMT
I think it's a matter of culture as well. Many of these Kei car drivers in Japan rarely venture out of Tokyo or their own cities/towns, and if they wanted to travel further out they would likely take the more efficient trains or public transport.
Whereas in Western countries people are probably used to driving their cars for longer distances and so something like this wouldn't quite suit.
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Post by Ben on Aug 28, 2023 11:20:02 GMT
If you're just pootling around in the city or town, then these are pretty neat vehicles to have. I can't imagine they'll be great on the motorway, or in a crash, though.
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Post by Ben on Jul 27, 2023 16:18:25 GMT
She seemed like a tortured soul. I won't be best placed to judge her life.
RIP.
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Post by Ben on Jun 24, 2023 11:29:27 GMT
I haven't really been following F1 since the pandemic, but teams dominating in F1 regardless of the rules is pretty much the norm isn't it? Let's not forget that Mercedes won seven in a row immediately before Red Bull's current spell.
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Post by Ben on Jun 24, 2023 11:22:53 GMT
The deep sea is a scary monster. I wouldn't go in there even for a million dollars.
It's a shame they died but they knew the risks (except for the poor boy).
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Post by Ben on May 18, 2023 16:07:39 GMT
I visited Berlin back in 2013 (I think) and thoroughly enjoyed it. One of those places where I would probably want to visit again.
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Post by Ben on Apr 3, 2023 17:51:31 GMT
Maybe they just like the location? Sometimes people prioritise that over the commute, especially at that level when they need not necessarily go into work every day.
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Post by Ben on Mar 19, 2023 15:58:50 GMT
Funnily enough I was going up test a portofino and Roma yesterday as I think they both look great ,but had to cancel . I like the Roma convertible but I’m confused as to why they need it alongside a portofino . I believe the Roma Spider replaces the Portofino.
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Post by Ben on Mar 17, 2023 11:26:43 GMT
I'll just get mine from Starbucks.
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