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Post by Martin on Mar 12, 2024 14:56:04 GMT
My 18 year old has decided he now wants to learn and is a couple of weeks into lessons. £80 a week for a 2 hour session….
They need a a reason to do it. For us it was just wanting to behind the wheel! For my eldest, he was never the designated driver as all his mates drove and he kept fit by cycling to work and when he was accepted into police training that it because urgent as you need a full driving licence. Son number 2 was a bit worried about driving and doesn’t mind public transport, but is on a management development programme at work and knows he’ll have more opportunities to progress when he can travel around more easily, so is now really keen.
It’s a little annoying that he wasn’t given chance to strip the car….his personal stuff was taken out, but I’d spent a couple of hundred £ on new bits such as genuine gearknob / gater, nice leather edged carpet mats, wipers, headlight bulbs, phone holder etc. He’d only just put two new tyres on it and it was nearly full of fuel…. I’m up to £130 in the last hour buying some of that stuff again.
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Post by Martin on Mar 12, 2024 12:19:29 GMT
Yes, triple black but thankfully it doesn’t have privacy glass as well,
It was registered end September 2015.
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Post by Martin on Mar 12, 2024 11:43:41 GMT
They would be, but he likes to them. I’d never buy a black car either, but it’s got a nice amount of metallic to it and does look smart.
As well as the 17” wheels, it’s got part leather, Visual Boost radio with idrive (non Nav), heated windscreen and auto dimming mirror. It’s got the Chili pack which the other one had, which includes a whole load of things including climate control, cruise, MF wheel etc. The first to thing he asked me when I sent him the Autotrader link was whether it had cruise control….
The other one had rear parking sensors, which is pretty rare and this one doesn’t have. The colour screen does make it feel more modern and the seats are in really good condition, most I’ve seen have really saggy leather sections.
It’s just had a major service and MOT and I’m getting two new front tyres. The ones it has have plenty of tread, but ones a Yokohama something and the other is a cheap brand. It’s got Dunlops on the rear, they agreed mismatched fronts weren’t a good idea so offered to swap them to the rear, but I’d rather have brand new * rated (non run flats) on there so a deal has been done.
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Post by Martin on Mar 12, 2024 10:09:04 GMT
We did briefly discuss other options, but he had a nearly new Corsa for a few days and wasn’t impressed by the way it drove. Difficult to beat the 1.5 MINI Cooper at this price point.
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Post by Martin on Mar 12, 2024 10:04:53 GMT
Settlement figure agreed, should be paid in 3-5 working days. Bank of Dad is providing a ‘bridging loan’ as the next MINi adventure starts on Friday when I collect this:
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Post by Martin on Mar 12, 2024 9:55:50 GMT
There is a small electric Volvo (EX30 maybe) in the car park under head office this morning.
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Random
Mar 11, 2024 20:08:02 GMT
Post by Martin on Mar 11, 2024 20:08:02 GMT
£48,652 deposit contribution!
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Post by Martin on Mar 11, 2024 11:15:41 GMT
It’s not a garage forecourt, so should count.
Still nothing despite covering over 1,000 miles since the 1st.
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Post by Martin on Mar 11, 2024 11:10:18 GMT
Definitely better than putting it on its roof!
Just based on a quick search, the insurance isn’t too bad at all, helped by him being 22. Just under £1,500 without a black box (£1,220 with). It’s less than a year since he got the car, so.zero no claims to lose!
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Post by Martin on Mar 9, 2024 18:37:58 GMT
What an atmosphere!!
The Irish were louder earlier, but not now!
Back to the hospitality for a Curry now!
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Random
Mar 9, 2024 16:49:59 GMT
Post by Martin on Mar 9, 2024 16:49:59 GMT
Decent first few mins!
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Post by Martin on Mar 8, 2024 17:20:04 GMT
In more positive F1 news, Sainz is out due to illness and Ollie Bearman has given up his pole position start in the F2 race to take his place. Great news for him and he did well in Q3.
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Post by Martin on Mar 8, 2024 12:24:12 GMT
If she has been suspended then there must (or should be…) a current investigation and the view taken that it would be impacted by her remaining in the workplace.
That’s how it’s supposed to work anyway!
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Post by Martin on Mar 7, 2024 18:24:35 GMT
Sorry to hear this. Worth buying it back and getting it repaired privately using some used parts, if it really is not damaged very badly? Thank you. I don’t know how badly damaged it is Chris and if a similar one can be bought with the insurance payout then it’s not worth the hassle / risk.
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Post by Martin on Mar 7, 2024 17:24:07 GMT
Having been through all the hassle with the i-pace and getting it repaired, i'd be quite happy with a payout like that. You might want to look at similar cars for sale on Autotrader because if they are considerably more than £7,500 you can argue for a higher figure because you are not in the motor trade and can't buy at trade prices. It might not get you all the way to the cost of a replacement but it usually gets you somewhere closer. I'm sure you won't be surprised to learn I've been looking! Prices vary a fair bit, but I think it's a fair offer. There's a 6 month newer one with similar miles only 8 miles from my house up for £7,495. No parking sensors and the part leather I don't like quite as much, but it's got the visual boost radio and a heated windscreen as compensation. Only problem is that it's black...but it's not my car. He might want to get something closer to home as it could be quicker (I'm in London for the Rugby this weekend and away from home most of next), but we'll see.
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Post by Martin on Mar 7, 2024 11:44:22 GMT
Well, this particular MINI adventure is over.
I don't understand how, but he's managed to damage it badly enough for the insurance company to declare it a write off. Somehow he's got it against a concrete post and panicked and made it a whole lot worse by getting stuck. They have valued it at £7,500 (not bad as I paid £8,200 nearly 12 months ago), so the cost must be that less whatever the remaining value is. I'm amazed it's that bad, but I haven't seen it.
He's absolutely gutted, but at least he hasn't put it on its roof in a ditch and there aren't any injuries.
He's had a loan car from the repair place for a few days, but as it has been declared a total loss that's been collected immediately and he's on his own. He can walk into work, so not a major issue in the very short term,
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Post by Martin on Mar 6, 2024 6:35:52 GMT
That’s quite the upgrade Mark, very smart.
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Post by Martin on Mar 5, 2024 9:43:57 GMT
Both our cars have a separate trip that resets when fuel is added, but I don't know which other manufacturers have the same.
I always fill up at the closest fuel station to the airport, it's 'holiday spends' so doesn't matter too much what the price is and I keep the receipt just in case someone tries it on. Which has never happened, but the first time I don't get a receipt I'm sure it will!
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Post by Martin on Feb 23, 2024 9:11:20 GMT
What an evening that must have been!
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Post by Martin on Feb 18, 2024 11:43:59 GMT
Under £50 for 6 days is an amazing price, but clearly they get their money another way. The £200 you ended up paying is still reasonable value for 6 days, but I’d really annoyed being charged for damage I’d not done and wouldn’t use them again. I haven’t used Europcar since they did the same to me back in 2017, even though I got it all back through my excess insurance.
That’s a strange place to get damage.
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Post by Martin on Feb 16, 2024 9:45:22 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.
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Post by Martin on Feb 16, 2024 5:30:53 GMT
We only did 150km in 10 days, but that’s broadly what we expected. It cost £5 times to fill it back up, normal unleaded is only 34p a litre. That’s mid 30s mpg, not bad for the driving we did, but the trip computer is showing close to 50mpg over the last 1500 kms.
Did the job, all the luggage (3 cases + 3 hand luggage) went in the boot easily and it was comfy enough for the miles we did. Sixt were very good, met us at departures to save the walk from the multi-story and no issues on return.
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Post by Martin on Feb 15, 2024 11:54:15 GMT
We’re watching a movie. They arrive in Bali. W2.1 looks at the scenery and says “I need to get back to browsing again: I’ve got 63 windows open on my phone of different holidays.” Going to be a stressful couple of months as she makes up our mind…. Bali is a strong possibility for us in August 2025 as we’ll be back to working around school holidays and most of the Far East isn’t great at that time of year. I haven’t been since 2001 and could combine it with Singapore, which is one of our favourite cities. Flights aren’t cheap though, probably 30% more than Thailand / Malaysia / USA.
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Post by Martin on Feb 14, 2024 9:40:52 GMT
Thanks Martin. I will have to try one as long as it is anywhere apart from Glasgow Porsche - the only garage to make me feel as if I shouldn't be there because I couldn't afford it! Will make a nice change from trudging around dealerships looking at EVs! That’s poor to say the least. When we bought the Boxster, it was the cheapest car Porsche Silverstone had for sale and it felt like we were buying a new 911. Which is how it should be. You should have asked the salesperson what their personal car was……
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Post by Martin on Feb 14, 2024 8:54:34 GMT
I know the question wasn’t to me John, but having had a good drive in one back to back with a Panamera, it still feels SUV like to drive. Not Range Rover like as it does handle nicely and feels pretty well tied down, but it’s not just the driving position that makes you think SUV. Nothing wrong with that and I did like it, but the Panamera was more enjoyable to drive quickly and I assume the M5 will be on another level again. Refinement and quality of the Panamera is a step up as well. . Despite the updates the interior still feels a bit dated, mine is hardly bang up to date as it was launched in 2017 (but it does have the latest 2022 infotainment) and I don’t understand why they’ve removed the shortcut buttons. Motorway refinement is OK and the gearbox is good but it felt a bit jerky at low speeds.
I felt the Panamera was well worth the extra £20k, which will end up being more than that as I’m sure it will be worth less in a couple of years time. I wouldn’t make a different decision if I was buying now. Unless there was a nice spec Turbo S available!
As always, the only way to really find out what it’s like is to drive it as we all have different tastes / requirements.
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Post by Martin on Feb 14, 2024 2:37:42 GMT
I don’t mind the exterior, the rear isn’t great but it does look more modern. I’ll reserve judgment on the interior until I’ve seen one, but it doesn’t look as special as the old ones. We made the point not that long ago about how you differentiate interior design with a big screen, at least it’s circular, but without the toggle switches and other nice touches it’s too similar to a cheap Chinese EV. Maybe the materials will help it as Ed suggests.
At least some manufacturers are keeping physical controls and hopefully others will follow. I like what Aston have done with the DB12 and new Vantage, buttons and a properly integrated screen. Porsche have reduced the buttons a bit but have kept the particularly nice controls on the latest Panamera, although they can’t be forgiven for removing the analogue rev counter.
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Post by Martin on Feb 14, 2024 2:29:06 GMT
Reducing the spec and the quality at that price point is a poor show. The only positive I can think of is at least they are still making a big estate. Agree with the positive comments about the separate rear screen, I used it quite a lot on my 5 series, every time I wanted to drop a coat or small bag in as it was so easy with the load cover powering up out of the way. I agree with Racing about Porsche build and material quality, it’s a step up from both the 7 series and Range Rover for sure. But I can’t agree that any sort of door closing ‘whumph’, muffled or otherwise sounds expensive, soft close every time!
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Post by Martin on Feb 13, 2024 7:29:28 GMT
Interesting convoy earlier this morning. 991.2 GT3, GT4 and 4 x Civic Type R one of which was the latest one. They were heading North past the reservoir, looking at the map, I can see why they chose this road. It’s out best way to the airport, so will experience it in a fully loaded lesser Honda at the end of the week….
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Post by Martin on Feb 12, 2024 2:55:09 GMT
Had a text from my 18yr old last night, he’s going to Berlin for a couple of days with his mum. She’s just bought a new Mini Electric (but can’t afford to contribute to driving lessons…) and it was such long journey from Swindon to Stanstead. Traffic wasn’t great, but they had to stop twice….its 130 miles OK, to be fair, one of those was at the services by the airport so they had a full battery for when they arrive back and 99% of her driving will be short journeys, but even so, that’s not great..
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Post by Martin on Feb 9, 2024 9:37:25 GMT
Innocent until proven guilty. I don’t like Horner either, but I do t agree with condemning him at this stage and hope it isn’t game playing.
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