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Post by racingteatray on Jan 25, 2024 15:54:09 GMT
Well, it's finally here: www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/porsche-macan-electricI hated this when I saw the scoop pics but the finished item looks more inoffensive. Launch colours are awful but I configured one in Oak Green with the RS Spider alloys and it actually looked quite nice. £110k for a Turbo configured to my liking though, which doesn't compare brilliantly well to £78k for my GTS last year.
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Post by racingteatray on Jan 25, 2024 10:33:30 GMT
I was looking at G20 shape M4s even the last 20plate cars can be had for 30k. Saw a nice main dealer one for 33k. That is serious depreciation given they were pushing £70k new. You mean F30-shape... But yes. I do love the design of them. But for my money a 440i is a better car more of the time for most people. It has a nicer-sounding engine as well and you don't suffer the M tax.
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Post by racingteatray on Jan 22, 2024 15:32:15 GMT
That's one of the things about ze Thomas reviews that I don't like - far too much focus on whether or not the seats are made from "animal-friendly" materials or not.
Talking about things that make one's teeth itch, this is definitely one that makes my teeth itch.
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Post by racingteatray on Jan 22, 2024 14:29:01 GMT
I should add that I am not criticising choice of vehicle. I'd love to have an old Range Rover classic as a toy. Just observing that the remarkable success of the Range Rover brand has been achieved notwithstanding a reliability record that would have murdered most other car brands.
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Post by racingteatray on Jan 22, 2024 14:24:39 GMT
Clarkson in the Sunday Times yesterday was on point here.
He wrote "I like to think our [motoring journalists'] constant ability to be unimpressed drove carmakers to strive for a level of perfection that only Kristen Scott Thomas can understand. And I think that about 10 years ago they achieved "peak car". The turbo lag really had gone. The panel gaps were invisible. The electrics were tried and tested. And for the most part, they'd given up with flappy paddle double-clutch gearboxes and gone back to traditional autos. Which had become smooth, seamless, fast and light.
And then came along the world's net zero kumbaya governments that wanted cars to be uncrashable and produce fewer emissions than a single grain of kale. Which meant carmakers had to abandon everything they'd learnt over the previous hundred years.
It's not as if they've had to go back to a time when the controls were on the outside and there were running boards. But backwards they have most definitely gone. I'd say the electric and hybrid cars of today are probably as good as proper cars were in 1986. And as a motoring journalist that makes my teeth itch".
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Post by racingteatray on Jan 21, 2024 14:05:12 GMT
It’s taken 10yrs and 2 months but finally today:
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Post by racingteatray on Jan 18, 2024 16:47:10 GMT
This comes back around to why, much as I might fancy something like a Velar P400 or even SV, I am not prepared to have an expensive modern vehicle as my daily driver that I don't entirely trust to proceed on all occasions required of it.
T'was ever thus - as I've noted before, my father had three Range Rovers in succession during the 1990s and not one of them was any sort of paragon of reliability - the first (Vogue SE) tried to kill my stepmother, the second (Vogue LSE) tried to kill me and the third (4.6 HSE) was almost never to be seen without some fluid or other piddling out of it in an unplanned manner. In fact the last one was so unreliable that he switched to one of the original Audi Allroads and has had German cars ever since.
In a way it's some kind of miracle that so many people are prepared to put up with it.
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Post by racingteatray on Jan 18, 2024 16:35:57 GMT
Of relevance to this discussion, and according to Susie Dent from Countdown, there is a ye olde English word for people who insist they are right even when there is clear evidence that they are wrong, which is "mumpsimus"!
She also proffers up the relevant "ultracrepidarian" (also dating back to times of yore), which means someone who loves to talk about subjects they know nothing about...
So, for example, Donald Trump would seem to be an example of an ultracrepidarian mumpsimus...as would some Twitter-frequenting cyclists by the sounds of things.
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Post by racingteatray on Jan 17, 2024 14:55:38 GMT
Yes, I have a Milgauss, but I have the modern version, which is worth much less!
The original Milgauss, launched for CERN scientists or something like that, which is what you are referring to, was not a great success in era and therefore later become a cult model.
Rolex caused a stir in 2007 by reintroducing a modern version of the Milgauss in three versions, one with a black face, one with a white face, and one with a unique green glass face (which I have). Initially it was very hot property and very hard to get hold of, but it never went on to become one of the really valuable and sought-after models, probably because it's not as sober-looking as most steel Rolexes and thus a bit marmite. In fact I gather it has a reputation for being a bit of a "geek's Rolex" - indeed James May wears a white-face one.
Anyway, Rolex discontinued the Milgauss again last year, so it's expected to become an investment piece in due course, but at the moment there are plenty around and you'd have no trouble picking one for £9-10k (which isn't much more than its last RRP, which I think was £8,750).
The second-hand market for top-end steel sports watches has definitely had a correction - I think if you'd bought a used one at the top of the market about 2 years ago thinking it was an investment, you might be quite upset.
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Post by racingteatray on Jan 16, 2024 17:21:51 GMT
I have never been on Twitter. My wife tried to get me to sign up years ago but I ticked so many of the privacy settings whilst signing up that it decided I wasn’t human and got arsey. So I happily refused to engage any further.
We were talking in the car on Sunday night about getting a dash cam. This after a very tall man in dark clothes and a hoodie (they always are) on an e-scooter overtook us on the Earls Court Road doing I should think at least 25mph (it’s a 20mph limit, so the traffic tends to be doing 23ish). There was quite a lot of traffic, we were in the right hand lane and he overtook on my left between the car in the left hand lane and us, swerved in front of me and then swooped back across both lanes to pass another car, then back again and then shot off up a side street on the right, causing the car in front to brake quite hard. Insane.
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Post by racingteatray on Jan 15, 2024 10:30:36 GMT
To be fair it's had an easy life! It's always enjoyed off-street parking, has only just over 22k miles on the clock and has been serviced religiously every year irrespective of mileage.
The acme of a "one careful lady owner" car.
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Post by racingteatray on Jan 14, 2024 21:44:15 GMT
^ Put a pair of Marigolds on, and get the bucket and sponge out ! (other brands of washing-up gloves are available) As instructed albeit no marigolds were involved… There can’t be many 500s of its vintage that still scrub up so well.
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Post by racingteatray on Jan 13, 2024 19:14:41 GMT
Residuals are generally better, but that doesn't detract from the fact that you need to tie up more disposable in the thing in the first place.
And in addition, in Italy at any rate, I think it is more than offset by the road tax, which on a Macan GTS would be c.EUR3,900 per annum. That's because while the UK imposes a blanket additional road tax if the original list price was in excess of £40k, in Italy they impose a "super bollo" on all cars with more than 250bhp - the more powerful the car, the more tax you pay, and it applies on a sliding scale (stepping down a bit every five years) until the car is 20yrs old.
Even normal road tax is higher - on our Mini in Italy it would be EUR258, vs £180 here.
Insurance is also quite a bit more expensive - we enquired on the Mini and it would be around EUR600 per year.
Quite astonishing really, for the country that prides itself on its supercar manufacturers.
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Post by racingteatray on Jan 13, 2024 14:35:35 GMT
It's not just travel and accommodation, everything has rocketed in price and the UK seems to be more expensive than other places. My daughter bought me a Massimo Dutti shirt at Christmas which cost €49.95 in Spain but is £59.95 here. I also had some Zara aftershave which my wife particularly liked and that cost peanuts, at €15.95 in Spain. In the UK the same aftershave is £29.95. More to the point, as Brits we can also shop duty-free in Europe. Sure, through Global Blue etc, you don't get anything like the full VAT back - it's more like 12%, but that's still a worthwhile further saving if you need to make a bigger purchase. But we do get cheaper cars. The UK price of my Macan GTS with options today (it's gone up since I bought it) is around £82k (before tax etc). The retail price in Italy for an identically-specified Macan GTS is EUR116k, or pretty neatly £100k at today's exchange rate. And that's not a Porsche-specific thing.
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Post by racingteatray on Jan 12, 2024 22:05:57 GMT
Our cleaning cupboard appears to always only contain a number of lefthanded rubber gloves. God only knows what our cleaner does with the righthanded ones.
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Post by racingteatray on Jan 12, 2024 14:53:32 GMT
I am very thinning on top and grey at the sides - my father-in-law, who has a good 30yrs on me, has more hair and less grey hair, which is mildly upsetting. My wife, who has thick dark hair that hasn't gone grey at all yet, isn't impressed. I am neither thinning nor greying. My beard is flecked with grey but my head is as suspicious as German ex-Chancellor Gerhardt Schrőder, although more red than jet black. I suppose I am thinning but given the density of my kids’ hair I guess I had longer to go before it showed. Yes, you don't look your age at all. Lucky so and so!
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Post by racingteatray on Jan 12, 2024 12:08:43 GMT
The rules of my job mean I effectively have to pay other people to take any investment decisions relating to securities for me. I can take my own decisions when it comes to say investing in gilts, which is what the smart bankers have been doing recently. But that's about it.
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Post by racingteatray on Jan 12, 2024 12:04:48 GMT
I am thinking it is time to wash the Fiat - it has got to that point where the window rubbers are gaining a green layer. But it's too cold.
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Post by racingteatray on Jan 12, 2024 12:03:31 GMT
I am very thinning on top and grey at the sides - my father-in-law, who has a good 30yrs on me, has more hair and less grey hair, which is mildly upsetting.
My wife, who has thick dark hair that hasn't gone grey at all yet, isn't impressed.
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Post by racingteatray on Jan 12, 2024 12:01:13 GMT
Yes. Boris the 500SEC was a case in point and in the end the reason for the Gorilla going was the unknown prospect of some £10k bill arriving. Yes, my 500E was like this. Generally bulletproof as regards things like bodywork, interior and major mechanical items, but with an endless list of aged minor consumables that announced their retirement from action at every service, meaning I never had a service bill south of £1k.
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Post by racingteatray on Jan 12, 2024 8:59:38 GMT
As it happens, the reminder for the Macan was waiting on the doormat when I got home last night.
So they are definitely still sending them out.
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Post by racingteatray on Jan 12, 2024 8:58:27 GMT
Being a chap who is thinning on top, my wife has suggested several times that I might think about this. But I am underconvinced.
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Post by racingteatray on Jan 11, 2024 20:16:34 GMT
If only everything in life was as reliable as a Volkswagen...
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Post by racingteatray on Jan 11, 2024 20:13:17 GMT
Nothing booked yet but expect to have a couple of long weekends - at least one abroad, and a summer holiday - likely 10 days but won't book until nearer the time as it's not a major priority. When we feel like it we'll book and go. In my 'past life' with the ex we would always have 2 holidays booked nearly a year in advance - a weeks skiing and 10ish days in the summer - plus (usually) an extra week away in one of the half terms. It actually always filled me with anxiety not joy doing it that way so I'm happier with things as they are now. Don't get me wrong - I love travel and a break from work but I'm not bothered by going to the fanciest places etc - we used to spend a huge ammount on holidays and I absolutely enjoyed them but the balance wasn't quite there and I'm now more focussed on the time rather than the places and building for the hope I can ease away from work a few years earlier with the savings!!! It's a difficult balance to get right for sure. I get anxiety if I don't have something booked! It’s not getting easier to justify, prices are so much higher than 5-6 years ago eg long haul flights +35-40% and now we need 3 seats it’s broadly double what we used to pay pre 2020. Everyone we know with kids plans their holidays like military operations and well in advance. Not having kids, we can afford to be a bit more relaxed about costs - there has to be a silver lining to it!
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Post by racingteatray on Jan 11, 2024 20:10:00 GMT
I've got a 7 night golf trip planned with 11 other lads to Turkey at the beginning of March. The thought of 6 rounds of golf in the sun is what is keeping me going through these dreich post Xmas days. New hotel this year and it looks fabulous. Other than that, 'er indoors and I will be going to Crete for 10 days in June and, hopefully, catch up with a few friends out there. Maybe get a long weekend somewhere in the Autumn but nothing planned as yet. Golf? In Italy, group trips of chaps on "Turkish Hairways" are all the rage.
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Post by racingteatray on Jan 11, 2024 13:13:03 GMT
Racing, do you mean you only measured 40+ for the motorway sections so if you included, say, driving from Central London to wherever the motorway starts your average would be lower? Yes. I meant on eg the motorway schlepp from Calais to Lugano, which is circa 1,000kms of motorway. There the 440i would happily give me 40+, and could, for example, get from Basel to Calais (around 750kms or 470 miles) on a tankful. And that's notwithstanding driving quite fast. The Mini gave me 44mpg for the whole three weeks. But probably doesn't do much better on the motorway, because it can almost do Basel-Calais despite only having a 45 litre tank (versus 60 litres in the BMW) which suggests an average of around 45mpg at a fast motorway clip.
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Post by racingteatray on Jan 11, 2024 0:41:45 GMT
Nothing. We are congenitally incapable of planning that far in advance.
We have flights booked to Fano for a week over Easter, and know that we have to be in Germany for a weekend in late May for a godson’s christening, but that’s it so far.
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Economy 7
Jan 10, 2024 16:29:40 GMT
via mobile
Post by racingteatray on Jan 10, 2024 16:29:40 GMT
Ah, I think you are not comparing apples with apples. I used to get mid-40s on the 440i on the motorway runs to and from Italy, not overall.
By contrast, our Mini Cooper (1.5 petrol) gave us an average of 43.9mpg for our Christmas travels over a probably similar overall distance (we did London to Fano, then up to Courmayeur and back down to Fano, plus all the interim trips here and there). And that’s nearly what you might term “fast driving”. I can report that you can do at least 175kph in our Mini without particularly noticing (Mrs M didn’t).
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Post by racingteatray on Jan 10, 2024 14:01:12 GMT
My wife definitely got one in the post for the Fiat in October, because she asked me to deal with it. Insanely, despite the VED being zero, you still have to go online and "renew".
The Macan's VED is due from 1 Feb and I have not yet had any reminder. The BMW was, and the Mini is, set up for direct debit. I have no idea whether the Macan was automatically set up for DD when I bought it or not - is there a way to check (short of bothering the original salesman)?
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Post by racingteatray on Jan 10, 2024 8:50:42 GMT
I’ve always paid by direct debit, otherwise I forget. I can’t do anything about the price rises so not really any reason not to.
But come to think of it, I’ve not received one for the Macan yet and obviously the first year VED was prepaid.
We always get one through for the Fiat which is nil-rated for VED.
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