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Post by Martin on Oct 31, 2024 15:46:32 GMT
The 718 interior does look quite dated now and it never helps when you drive a more modern version of something. A 991 is going to be the same isn’t it?
I’m surprised you didn’t think the 992 was quite a bit more modern than the Macan, but agree with your other thoughts.
In your position I would have a drive of a 4.0 GTS before discounting it, but there’s no point in changing if you’re not feeling the ‘want’
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Post by Martin on Oct 31, 2024 8:24:55 GMT
Easy, just bully everyone else out of the way. Terrible parking, just got out where it stopped….
Makes little sense in the UK, only works if you need to move 6-7 adults down the Autobahn at high speed.
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Post by Martin on Oct 31, 2024 5:45:40 GMT
First year VED is doubling for cars above 75g per 100km of co2, £40k is still the point where you’re buying a ‘luxury car’, but it has been suggested that may rise in the future, but only for EVs.
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Post by Martin on Oct 30, 2024 20:33:13 GMT
I'll hazard a guess at about 6,500 staff so that's about £4m from the reduction in the starting level for Er's NI and about £2.3m from the increase in rate from 13.8% to 15%. Ouch! Bit more agony than ouch!   |
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Post by Martin on Oct 30, 2024 19:35:17 GMT
Probably not!
I’ve got a wage bill of over £250m….i’ll let someone smarter than me work out the impact (mainly NI but minimum wage increase will have a small impact as well), but it’s a lot! And it will mainly be passed onto my customers, who will pass it onto consumers.
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Random
Oct 30, 2024 11:25:22 GMT
Post by Martin on Oct 30, 2024 11:25:22 GMT
Malta have a labour Prime minister who seems to be about as popular as ours. Similar stories too, he gets free moorings for his yacht in return for the government building his friend a restaurant in the Marina. He started off with a 530e official car, but now and has a couple of government Range Rovers, an Evoque for his wife and his latest purchase which was parked outside the parliament building yesterday. Quite the registration plate.  |
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Post by Martin on Oct 29, 2024 12:17:07 GMT
I have a fully funded fuel card so the MPG figure doesn't really bother me but I agree it's madness that I've gone from a 60mpg car to a 40mpg car yet my company car tax bill has halved. Not that I'm going to complain about that tax saving! Did you get offered a BEV or is it not viable with the miles you do? One of my team has quite a spread of sites across the UK and completed his 4 year / 120k mile lease 6 months early. He never had an issue with charging or range anxiety so has replaced his Model 3 LR with a Model Y LR. We’re only 4 months / 3k miles in but it’s been so easy, never had to wait for a charger and the tech works so well, not only can you see how many are available it even tells you how many people are navigating to that location. I have pondered going back to an EV company car a couple of times and having something really special as a weekend toy, but I’d miss the luxury, way it drives and engine in my daily. |
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Post by Martin on Oct 29, 2024 10:39:09 GMT
Yep, the madness of current company car taxation. Stuff doing 50-60+ mpg in a clean Euro 6 diesel, better to do 30mpg as the company driver personally funds the cost of plugging in, so doesn’t bother.
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Post by Martin on Oct 29, 2024 7:27:15 GMT
Can’t beat some late summer sunshine and warmth!
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Post by Martin on Oct 29, 2024 6:52:34 GMT
ALF, do you use the BMW Nav or CarPlay/Android Auto? I always use the built in Nav because it needs to know where you’re going / what the traffic is like to know when to use the motor and if it needs to charge the battery. I always put the full journey in and it works really well, the car is currently parked at Heathrow with 15 miles range (about 40%) and that was with a mix of very slow and stop/start traffic on the M25, but I’m still left with plenty for the return journey. Hybrid works really well for me, as I’m either in my local site or head office and both journeys can be done on electric or I’m on longer journeys where you get the benefit of electric running in traffic and longer range. I love going 700-1000 miles between visiting petrol stations (it has a normal size fuel tank, 80 litres) and it does 36mpg on the motorway with just the engine. It takes 2 hours to charge at home and costs a maximum of 99p to get 30-35 miles range. A bit more range might be even better, but I rarely need more and that would be less time enjoying the petrol engine so maybe not.
If the exhaust is switched off you wouldn’t notice the transition between petrol and electric. Yes, there is a bit of a pause if you ‘boot it’ when in hybrid, but that mode is equivalent to ‘eco’ so it’s not a surprise and I'm not sure why you would you drive that way, if you want to make some progress then switch it into sport or press the sports response and get maximum attack mode.
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Post by Martin on Oct 27, 2024 8:00:48 GMT
Arrived in Malta yesterday. Had a coffee on our terrace this morning while everyone was getting ready, 22c at 7:30am and a nice view, all very pleasant.  Went up to look at the pool after breakfast, the water is rather cold….  |
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Post by Martin on Oct 26, 2024 9:52:25 GMT
That does sound really good!
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Post by Martin on Oct 24, 2024 13:47:27 GMT
Haven't you bought it yet?! |
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Post by Martin on Oct 24, 2024 11:08:44 GMT
That's really irritating. I hope you have better luck with the windscreen that I did or is the chip small enough to be repaired?
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Post by Martin on Oct 24, 2024 11:06:59 GMT
The i20 is way too subtle for you two!!  I'm not a fan of the i20N either (without driving it), but it is the rear more than the front that I don't like and it based on Racings feedback, the interior would be a deal breaker anyway. The i30N is a really good car, I'm not surprised it has held its value. |
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Post by Martin on Oct 24, 2024 10:11:09 GMT
Doesn't sound like it has anything going for it at all.
I've low expectations for next weeks hire car, but not that low....will see how it goes.
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Post by Martin on Oct 23, 2024 17:11:24 GMT
Tim, it must be really bad if you think the cars need washing! |
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Post by Martin on Oct 22, 2024 11:25:26 GMT
They are the same diameter wheels front and rears, just a bit wider. I meant diameter, not width. I honestly thought they were an inch bigger. Is it just because the GT4 ones have fewer spokes? I think it is, yes. |
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Post by Martin on Oct 22, 2024 7:48:38 GMT
They are the same diameter wheels front and rears, just a bit wider.
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Post by Martin on Oct 22, 2024 5:22:56 GMT
The Spyder is my favourite variant, looks much more special than the standard car. It’s one to keep in the garage with the roof off waiting for a nice / dry day though rather than being a daily.
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Post by Martin on Oct 21, 2024 18:07:31 GMT
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Post by Martin on Oct 21, 2024 10:59:53 GMT
Surely too much of a coincidence for it not to be this car?
Edit: Checked and it was registered in December 2022, so it has to be the same car.
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Post by Martin on Oct 21, 2024 10:07:31 GMT
Looks even better than the configurator images. Have they made you an acceptable offer on the Macan?
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Post by Martin on Oct 21, 2024 9:10:19 GMT
Have they ditched the Bugs Bunny high level brake lights from the engine cover? Those were pretty glaring (Ha!) to my eyes. But they spelt out 911. There were 9 ridges followed by the two II brake lights and then another 9 ridges. Pointless as nobody but anoraks noticed. I'd love one of these. That Touring in Oak Green with rear seats, buckets and I'd even keep the chrome. No chance in getting one but thats more to do with me being a pauper then any allocation issues. Thats on the standard cars, the GT3s have a panel in the centre and a different high level brake light. The price is £157,300, so call that £160k on the road. Add folding buckets and a couple of other bits and you'll be quickly over £170k. I don't know whether that's too much or not bad for a car you could keep forever. |
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Post by Martin on Oct 21, 2024 8:33:34 GMT
Thinking about the OP dilemma a a bit more, I think in any two car house you need one that is big enough to just pile people / crap in if you need to and go places. Most 2 car households on here seem to follow that approach. OK everyone will not post and rpuve we wrong.... But if you do want that Cayman/Boxster itch scratched, then Mrs Racing probably needs prying out of her 500 for something slightly bigger. I don't think you're wrong, the only difference between us all is how much space we need and the type of driving we do. I don't need to carry plasterboard or wardrobes around, just 3 (occasionally 4) people and the boot needs to be big enough for when we have to drive to the airport. Go back a couple of years and I needed to carry 2 x 6 foot plus teenagers plus a car seat / pushchair / other baby stuff as well as suitcases a couple of times a year. It depends on how much you use a car and the type of driving you do, but I think in an ideal world you really need three cars to cover all the bases, ideally four. There are plenty of so called 'swiss army knife' cars, but I don't really get that as when is one of those ever the best for any job? It's more like they are a great one car solution, a bit of a compromise but they do a lot of things very well. Cars like the Panamera  Getting a Boxster/Cayman/911 and forcing the replacement of the 500 sounds like an even bigger win to me. |
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Post by Martin on Oct 19, 2024 12:02:23 GMT
Brilliant, even more pleased for you!
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Post by Martin on Oct 19, 2024 9:39:14 GMT
Car sounds great! Oh, the 6WA isn’t the same as I had in the 535d, that’s more basic and a touch dated inho. I wouldn’t swap. Not my car, but this is what I was thinking  |
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Post by Martin on Oct 19, 2024 8:53:07 GMT
A gearbox away from perfection! I was thinking it’s a Burmester (and maybe a folding roof) away from perfection! |
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Post by Martin on Oct 19, 2024 7:52:32 GMT
I’ve got a strange sense of Deja vu! You’ll have to call the dealer and ask! |
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Post by Martin on Oct 19, 2024 7:19:54 GMT
Because they aren’t photos…. Just renderings from the configurator. Ah OK. But to be a bit mischievous, I mean, for £70k can't they be arsed to get their camera out? I know that dealers sometime advertise cars before they are fully prepared, but they usually put that in the advert, like "photos to follow"? It’s pretty normal for the dealers to use configurator images when the adverts first go live (it’s not even on Autotrader yet), pictures will follow in the next couple of days. If it hasn’t sold! |
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