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Post by garry on May 17, 2022 20:48:45 GMT
I’m not feeling very optimistic about the economy. We’ve been led by a set of Donkeys into a perfect storm. Firstly the reaction to Covid was so far out of proportion to the risk. We ended up losing energy capacity because companies closed less profitable plants as demand dropped through the floor. When energy demand returned those companies found some plants too expensive to recommission, especially as our glorious leaders had decided that we are transitioning to cleaner energy, making the recommissioning business case very unattractive. Finally, the Ukraine has been emboldened by western leaders to poke Russia until it bites. And so we have massive instability in one our major energy supply markets.
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Random
Apr 28, 2022 6:33:50 GMT
Post by garry on Apr 28, 2022 6:33:50 GMT
That’s a kit car. They made replica 7’s
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Post by garry on Apr 21, 2022 8:50:12 GMT
I don't mind it. Perhaps I'm contemporary, or young, or Chinese!
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Post by garry on Apr 20, 2022 11:18:57 GMT
I don't think it's too bad. No looker for sure, but given the constraints of designing a full size seven seat SUV it doesn't offend me.
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Post by garry on Apr 20, 2022 11:11:38 GMT
The seven seat SUV version of the EQS launched yesterday. Less likely to scare children than the iX. Range is just over 400 miles in 2wd version. Starting at £120k! www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-news/first-official-pictures/mercedes-benz/eqs-suv/I am getting old or are prices getting silly? In my recent scout around for an etron replacement the pricing of everything was a bit of a shock. I see £100k as a shed load of cash that should buy you something very very special. The reality in the EV market is that £100k isn't even enough to get you into some pretty ugly (iX) or forgettable (EQS SUV) trucks. The x5 i looked at was circa £90k with a few options.
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Post by garry on Apr 13, 2022 10:50:04 GMT
Personally I'd rather not give the taxman another £1500 a year.....I'm sure you could spend some of the savings upgrading the wheels in the future if you wanted to. I doubt it is allowed but do they check at MOT time the car is on the wheels it was sold with? I don’t think there are any rules regarding upgrading wheels post delivery. My plan was to get the small wheels to ensure I get the magic 70 mile range, stick some winter tyres on them and buy some bigger wheels with summer tyres. Not checked the legality of this. Anyone know if the taxman will be interested in this?
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Post by garry on Apr 11, 2022 11:06:42 GMT
What her being a non-dom says is that she and therefore (unless they are about to get divorced) her husband do not see the UK as their permanent home. Oh and in the meantime, they'll save millions a year in UK taxes. That's not a good "optic" for a Chancellor and wannabe PM. And that fact that he can't see that and somehow seems aggrieved makes his capability to hold a senior government position even worse. I'd not thought about it like that. It's a very good point
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Post by garry on Apr 11, 2022 10:56:41 GMT
Range Rover all day but if your running through the business, as its hybrid rather then full electric, is it not a hell of a lot more money then an electric car? The BIK tax looks like this: Full EV = 2% Co2 below 50 and range above 70 miles = 5% (The new range rover is in this band) Co2 below 50 and range above 40 miles = 8% (The x5 45e is in this band) So, roughly speaking £100k of EV will cost me £1k per year in tax. £80k worth of x5 will cost £2,500 per year in tax. £110k of Range rover will also cost £2,500 per year in tax. Pick the wrong wheels on the range rover and it drops down a band and costs an extra £1500 annually!
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Post by garry on Apr 10, 2022 20:40:26 GMT
Gosh that went quickly. The only thing I have against the Range Rover is quite how enormous it is. I already find the Velar more than big enough plus the P400e version of that is a 2.0 which puts me off that. What’s the engine in a P440e full fat RR? It’s a 3.0 6 pot. The size is a little less problematic I think outside of a big city
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Post by garry on Apr 10, 2022 19:23:02 GMT
With the end of the etron lease approaching I’ve been out looking at suitable replacements. One thing that nearly two years with an EV has taught me is that unless you have huge range, EV driving can be stressful!
I put four cars on the list
porsche Taycan cross turismo 4s
bmw x5 45e
bmw iX50
new Range Rover p440e
I wrote about the Porsche test drive a while back. Summary is that I thought it felt like a proper Porsche, lacked a bit of range, lacked a bit of space, wasn’t an ideal companion to the boxster gts. So it’s a no.
Angie and I took a trip to our local bmw showroom to try the ix and x5. The ix is a brute - the one we drove did itself no favours by being painted in battleship grey. But the interior feels like it’s from the future - it looks like no other car I’ve sat in. The seats are very comfortable but they feel more ‘lounge’ than ‘car’. In fact the driver focus that you think of as part of the bmw dna simply isn’t there. Driving it and its very quiet, very fast, very comfortable. In fact it’s very ‘high end EV’ and I don’t think it would be obvious you’re in a bmw with badges removed. I liked it, but couldn’t love it. It hides its weight pretty well too. Range is ok in the iX50 (over 300 miles). As we arrived back at the dealership I was not feeling it, but Angie sealed the deal. As we walked away from it she took one last look and said “I’m sorry, but I can’t have something that ugly in my life’. Decision made. It’s a no.
Next into the x5 45e. Immediately this feels like a bmw in all the right ways. It’s got a driver focused feel to the cockpit. The one we tried had a few options, upgraded leather being the most noticeable, and it felt high end. On the road the x5 is very smooth. It rides really well, is very refined, but it doesn’t turn into a pudding when faced with a few bends. The transition from EV to combustion is very hard to spot. It would fit into my life very really well. Downsides for me were few and far between. The main one is that it’s getting on a bit and it felt a little dated after the ix. Also, with a very light sprinkling of options we were in the £80k’s. It’s a contender
Today we took a trip over to Bolton to try out the latest Range Rover. The one available was a lwb seven seat first edition p530. I’d want a p440e swb but I though this would give me a sense of the car. First of all, it’s a looker. It’s an evolution of the current model, but it looks very fresh and sharp. The interior is a big step up. Like everything nowadays most of the controls and via a central tablet, but the quality of the leather, the fit and finish, touches like the leather roof lining lift this car above anything the the prestige Germans do. It feels very special. First note to self - deployable side steps are a must have when your partner is 5 feet tall. On the move and the first thing that surprised me lack of intimidation. It’s massive, but it’s square and you sit high so it’s very easy to place. Show it some bends and it’s surprisingly agile. I think the rear wheel steering helps, but it’s way ahead of the previous model in this regard. On the motorway the only niggle is wind noise from the mirrors.I’m talking very minor niggle in a cabin that’s incredibly refined.The sales guy said that it was because everything else was so quiet and on reflection he was right. There’s no tyre rumble or any other intrusions. The ride is cosseting. I’d happily cross continents in this car. The v8:engine in the test car sounded quite fruity and delivered a decent kick, but this car is overwhelmingly one to relax in a make decent progress. It would suit a lazy diesel lump. Looking around the car back at the dealership, fit and finish looks excellent. As we walked back in Angie said “That’s my favourite’
delivery times for everything are silly. I’ve extended the etron lease by six months to try and mitigate this.
My heart wants the Range Rover as the perfect balance to the gts. My head says ‘have you seen the reliability ratings of land rover!’. Will decide over the next week.
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Post by garry on Apr 10, 2022 18:28:57 GMT
Looking very smart.
I can’t remember the last time I cleaned my car! The local hand wash does such a decent job that I simply can’t find the motivation to do it myself.
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Post by garry on Apr 10, 2022 18:17:48 GMT
She hasn’t done anything illegal and simply followed the rules to minimise her tax exposure. Would any individual not reduce their tax bill via all legitimate means? That’s all that should really matter, but it won’t be the end of it. The media will have a field day with this story - the numbers will be huge (she’ll have saved millions of pounds as a non-dom) and they’ll contrast this to the cost of living crisis facing ordinary punters. More broadly, I think there are legitimate questions as to the economic benefit that UK plc gets from individuals utilising non-dom status.
I’m no fan of Sunak. His stock value has been (until very recently) very high as if he’d performed some economic miracle through the covid pandemic. A miracle that is quickly unravelling as the country wakes up to the burden of debt he’s landed us with.
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Post by garry on Apr 7, 2022 9:53:58 GMT
I'm hope I'm knocking down walls in a GTi when I'm 82! Does he want something more sensible? Was the crash related to the performance of the GTi?
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Post by garry on Mar 30, 2022 11:27:11 GMT
I thought deaths were way down even though infection is way up. A quick look at NHS England shows 204 people died yesterday who tested positive for covid and 3 had covid mentioned on their death certificate. The 204 deaths compares with circa 20 deaths on april 17th 2021. Roughly cases are up x35, hospital admissions are up x15 and deaths are up x10 when looking at government data from mid april 2021 to late march 2022.
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Post by garry on Mar 30, 2022 9:19:48 GMT
This time last year we had full on restrictions (remember Prince Phillips funeral and compare it to the service yesterday) yet at the moment covid is killing circa 10 times more people per day. It's almost comical to see how easily swayed the general public are.
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Post by garry on Mar 24, 2022 13:09:18 GMT
It's a tricky one, because it affects different people in different ways. I've had colleagues who were struck down for the better part of a week with really bad symptoms, while for others it's just a minor inconvenience. So you just never know how badly it will hit you.That said, today Singapore announced a whole lot of measures to open up again. Not a total eradication of restrictions like in some countries, but a massive loosening up nonetheless that will make things feel a lot more normal again. It’s a minor inconvenience to be out for a week in the grand scheme of things. It ain’t really bad if it can be fixed with a bed and some lemsip. And unless you are desperately unlucky (given that you are a fit and healthy younger man) you do know the worse of it will be a week in bed. Take sensible precautions but don’t let it limit how you live.
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Post by garry on Mar 24, 2022 12:55:05 GMT
The biggest frustration I’ve had with covid is having to isolate whilst being perfectly well. I understand that no one wants to get ill, and it’s perfectly reasonable to take steps to limit your exposure, but I wouldn’t over worry about having it. My mum calls me every day at the moment with a nervous ‘how are you’, seemingly worried that I’m going to keel over with Covid. She’s been almost terrified by it.
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Post by garry on Mar 22, 2022 13:56:20 GMT
I’ve been testing positive since Sunday. I blame my pesky kids! At the moment three in the house have it, we suspect caught from middle daughter attending an 18th birthday party. I’m symptom free, daughter has mild headache. It’s my second time with covid. The first time was a bit more noticeable, but no more than a normal winter bug. It’s weird when you’ve got no symptoms because usually when you’re Ill you can sense yourself recovering.
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Post by garry on Mar 21, 2022 23:04:49 GMT
After a few days down in Naples, I'm reminded how much I love proper Italian coffee and I really want to have high quality espresso at home. Nothing in my experience comes close to Neapolitan coffee! I still think that by far the best coffee I've ever had was at a tiny bar somewhere in the warren of alleys off Spaccanapoli. They do a sort of beige cream/sugar/coffee mix called cremina that they plop in the top of an espresso that creates a fantastically creamy and smooth shot quite unlike the sort of bitter watery gunk so often disappointingly served up in this country. Mercifully this place is yards from my office and serves quite the best espresso macchiato I've ever had in this country: www.bestcoffee.guide/pages/cafe-bespoke-cyclingIf you're ever in the area and in need of caffeine, it's worth a visit. Is that part of the bespoke cycling shop? I work around there quite often. I’ll make sure I try it next time I’m in London. Thanks. Next , I’m looking for a place that can make a Lemon slushie like the ones on Capri!
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Post by garry on Mar 21, 2022 16:38:56 GMT
The Smeg machine looks about right for me. Its only for espresso and I'm the only one who will be using it in the house. I'll take a look. Thanks.
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Post by garry on Mar 21, 2022 7:45:55 GMT
After a few days down in Naples, I'm reminded how much I love proper Italian coffee and I really want to have high quality espresso at home. Anyone any ideas on good machines? What do i need to look for? What should I pay? What do i do to recreate my favourite Naples coffee shop in rural Lancashire?!?
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Post by garry on Mar 16, 2022 18:29:17 GMT
To cut a long story short, the EU and US don't have the resources to remain in control of our own destiny in the long term and come the second half of this century chances are we will be more or less under the rule of the Chinese, Russians and possibly even the Indians. Life as we know it will change dramatically this decade. I don't agree with this either. We need to remember in the West that democracy is not the default, it is one model we are used to, much (most?) of the world follows another path, whatever consensus in those places might be if they had a real vote. Democracy - with universal voting - is relatively recent (one century or so) even here and at times since then - like WW2 - it was at threat. But the free world grows faster, and innovates quicker, and while Russia's economy relies on soon to be outmoded hydrocarbon sales, China's is deeply intertwined with our modern economies. Not to say I don't fear them, but the current situation has probably done Taiwan a lot of good, not bad. I'm coming down from my idealism that we have to prevent Putin gaining anything from this - but only because of his nuclear weapons. Without them I think we should have got involved and it would be a massive defeat to Russia if we did - on whatever scale/theatre they chose to fight - because the Russian military is far more behind NATO than we thought. And Russia spends such a % of its income already on defence, they will struggle to sort out the deficiencies they are now aware of. Meanwhile Germany has been totally roused from its slumber and will become a huge force again - good. This is a good article on how this may go now: www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60756993Ukraine joining NATO will probably be ruled out for now (until Putin is dead/gone anyway), and I expect Russia will get to keep Crimea and Luhansk/Donbas (all of the latter, not just the bits the Russians already had. On EU membership I would think would it would be harder to justify killing thousands of civilians to prevent a neighbour from joining a free trade block than something like NATO, maybe there will be something woolier. Basically, the Ukranians need to play Russia at their own game here - the Russians signed an accord saying they would not invade Ukraine after the Crimea invasion. They can do the same about NATO now and then, when the west has massively increased arms spending, Russia has been crippled by sanctions, and Putin has effed off, they can change their mind in 10 or 20 years time. That's how I see this going now. To anyone with half a brain this us an epic fail on Putin's part, and has managed to do everything he would not have wanted in galvanising NATO and increasing defence budgets across all NATO countries, as well as seeing that spent on "traditional" hardware like tanks and aircraft that are useful in a large conventional war. The threat remains that he's a total lunatic, in which case we may indeed still be in the early days of WW3. Hang on, a few days ago you said you’d kill or die fighting for an individuals right to self determination and had a dig at me for daring to suggest that Ukraine should not join NATO and should give Russia secure access to the Black Sea port it uses. Does that make you a Putin supporting commie too?
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Post by garry on Mar 16, 2022 8:56:22 GMT
My problem with anything too flashy is the supermarket test. If I’m not willing to park it in Waitrose I’d be worried that it would hardly ever get used. FYP. The kind of Bentley drivers that go to Tesco are the reason they have a reputation that might not be as lofty as it could be. I was going to say Aldi, but I tried to be more refined!
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Post by garry on Mar 15, 2022 17:03:48 GMT
Stunning cars ,I love them and in those moments I have thought of getting something a bit more relaxed than the gt3 ,it tops my list . I think I would feel quite self conscious driving one though which puts me off. My problem with anything too flashy is the supermarket test. If I’m not willing to park it in Tesco I’d be worried that it would hardly ever get used.
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Post by garry on Mar 13, 2022 23:14:45 GMT
I've bought a "PO1O" plate for the Polo..... For a man who complains about his salary you certainly find some interesting ways of wasting a bit of cash!
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Post by garry on Mar 11, 2022 19:43:34 GMT
How many miles do you do and what stretch of you personal budget is the price of petrol to have the car you actually want to be in when you're not at a high maintenance job? Yes, yes, yes. I'm not actively considering it but I cannot say the thought didn't cross my mind. When I went to fill up my car last weekend, I think it was 151p at our local Esso on the Kings Road. This morning, on my way back from Heathrow, I noticed it had gone up to 165p. It was, what, 115p this time last year? It isn't really about affordability as much as cost. I do about 9,000 miles per year. In a car that averages 32mpg at petrol costs of £5.50/gallon, that costs me about £1,550 per year in fuel. In a car that will probably average 10mpg less at current petrol costs of £7.50/gallon, it more than doubles my annual fuel bill to £3,375. Or another way of looking at it is as an extra £150/month in fuel. That's not a negligible increase, irrespective of how much I earn. You need Martin to get his man maths calculator out to show that the lower depreciation on the Macan more than compensates for the additional fuel costs. His calculator might even make a conti gt look financially sensible!
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Post by garry on Mar 11, 2022 15:41:44 GMT
Never been in one on the move, but sat in one. As you say, the interior is fabulous. It's my lottery win daily driver ( a conti GT convertible to be precise) .
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Post by garry on Mar 11, 2022 15:36:29 GMT
Interesting. Thanks Given the price of fuel, I've been reconsidering whether an X3 M40i would be a better choice than a Macan. Because it takes the best bit of my car (ie an engine with a remarkable performance/economy ratio) and puts it in a suitably-sized and not ugly SUV. Problem is that I just don't look at an X3 M40i, nice car though it is, with anything like the same level of desire as a Macan. Fuel economy aside, the Macan feels like as close to having cake and eating it, in terms of my wants and needs, as I have been able to find. With the X3 M40i, I look at them and cannot escape the feeling that I prefer my existing car. This is like turning down Megan Fox for her plain sister because the latter shops at Aldi and will keep your weekly grocery bills down.
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Post by garry on Mar 10, 2022 11:38:10 GMT
Saw a launch video last night. Externally it's pretty sharp. The interior is nothing special - 5 seats, none of the flexible railing system that was on the concept. The range is nothing special either - 77kwh battery and range of circa 250 miles. £50k starting price. Comments seemed very positive, but I didn't see much to get excited about.
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Post by garry on Mar 8, 2022 19:44:38 GMT
And for clarity I’m not a Putin supporter. I’m a right-of-centre free marketeer who wants to live in a world where the playing field is level and kids from any background and any region have the same opportunities that I’ve had to carve out the life that I want. I’m also a pragmatist. Putin is a bad man, but he’s what we’ve got to work with. To write him off as our version of Hitler seems short sighted and potentially dangerous. It is useful that you say this, because its not entirely clear otherwise. Aside from saying it's no real problem to shell a nuclear power plant, or set up supposed humanitarian corridors into the aggressor's country only, you seem generally to think that people from this region do not have the right to a level playing field - they are near to Russia and deserve to be subjugated by them. I don't see how its simplistic or idealistic to point out that Ukraine's eventual leanings towards the West were democratically inspired - its the whole point. Every human should have that right to freedom and self-determination, this is what Ukrainian people chose and we should not be condoning the violence towards them that has led to millions being displaced as a result. I would die for that right, and I would kill others to defend it. Clearly a lot of Ukrainians feel that way too. One reason this is all becoming incredibly dangerous is that Putin's forces have made a total pigs ear of it. Their much-vaunted modernised armed forces have performed appallingly, falling way short of expectations on all sides. Sanctions have been far stronger than expected, and getting stronger. NATO has been made miles stronger, and - critically - countries like Germany are taking their defence commitments seriously for the first time in ages. The result could not be worse from Putin's view but the limited options this leaves him are a real concern. I stand by my Hitler-like comments (this is my degree subject after all, and my dissertation was on Vietnam) and that Putin was never "just" after Ukraine. What he will do next is a huge issue, and we do need to be mindful of not backing him into a corner too far if he will potentially use nuclear weapons. We agree that backing him into a corner is a bad idea. I’ve told you what I think should happen. What’s your plan for not backing him into a corner. Easy to throw stones, harder to be constructive.
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