GMB

I have a reserved spot for me and Kevin ( the Whippet ) outside Asda but it gets a bit nippy on that windy corner. Good earnings though, loads more dosh than the pension.

Best to get to Spain ASAP and stay there. Everything is much cheaper than France and just as nice if not better.

Depends how you drive. The roads are great, not too much traffic normally, more relaxed, less speed or pressure, therefore 28mpg for me. So, about 500 miles? At €2 per litre that's 4 or 5 tankfuls equals about £650 for fuel. plus autoroute charges of course. The A9 Clermont Ferrand route is the cheapest.

I have worked out the options many times and come to the same conclusion. It costs a lot to get to Spain with a car whichever way you go. Portsmouth Bilbao/Santander about £1000 return inc cabin. Portsmouth Caen then a stop in the Loire valley plus fuel plus autoroute charges plus a hotel/meals etc about £1000. The big difference is to make sure you enjoy the travel through France and stop at nice places. I came to the final option that I will travel down via Caen and visit the lovely Loire region overnight and travel back from Bilbao with the final night in Bilbao - some great food and drink there.

Biarritz and Monaco nightmare parking and prices. There are some much nicer places not far away.🤫. Have a look on TripAdvisor.

£735 from April. A new set of cloned plates is about £30 so it pays to shop around.

They were good looking cars at that time but, yes, the engine could fall out. Lancia pulled out of the Uk market, probably could not tolerate the salt on the roads. I have seen some recent Lancias in Europe and they are SO ugly now. Mitsubishi pulled out of the UK which is such a shame because they made some good cars - EVO, Shogun etc.

It will be fine, don't worry, it's a Lexus! The quality of the steel is better than most, especially Fiats.

I had a courtesy car with that feature and it just got on my nerves. I think it is much better to be a safe and aware driver than rely on the car.

Yes I think ISF prices have at least kept up with inflation since 2018/9 and it will be interesting to see how they hold up over the next few years. I really don't know, what with the electric car fiasco and gov't tax penalties may be introduced more severely. BTW Mines a 2012 too, not many about and never ever seen another, not even an older one! Best car I ever had!

That pretty much sums it up correctly. My 12 yr old car ( rusty underneath - bad in some places not too bad in others ) does not go out in the rain and NEVER if there is any salt around. So I am eliminating one issue and hopefully the rusting process will be slowed down for a few more years of enjoyment.🙂

That's the bit that confuses me. I remember being told that once rust is in the metal it will continue to react and oxidise unless it is completely taken out. A bit like tooth decay ( sorry about that it's painful ). So unless it is completely removed everything else is just wishful thinking? Or maybe we are just slowing down the superficial rust but the deep down stuff in the heart of the metal is still eating away at it. A bit depressing isn't it.

This is the key point - prevention. It can be prevented but we are talking about already rusty. It's too late. As far as I understand renovation is expensive and must be done properly. A bit of oil and stuff won't do any harm, and it might make you feel better but it is not going to undo the rust damage that is already apparent. Maybe these rust cure things do something minimal🤔 - I think the jury's out on that. Tell me if I am wrong please.

I had a triumph motorbike that did all the things Triumphs do - i.e. leak oil. The bottom end of the engine and swing arm were in immaculate condition after many years. Just wipe off the dirt that sticks to the oil and it is like new. Then the leaks will cover it in fresh oil. Lovely! A bit of a problem when it got on the rear tyre though😱

I visited an established and respected classic car restorer last week who told me not to underseal the car unless.. you have all the underneath restored, which will be very expensive. All parts removed shot blasted or replaced, powder coated, all seals rubber joints replaced etc etc. His reason: You will just seal any residual rust under the underseal where it will do more damage than it would if left alone. His advice: Don't do it, just keep an eye on components and repair/replace when necessary. A very honest chap. He also offered a free yearly inspection on his ramp to assess the situation. BTW approx £7K for the full stripdown and seal to be made like new again. Nearly forgot - he did not think the lanoguard/dinitrol treatment was a permanent repair and only fit for basic winter protection - up to a point. Needs doing every year but will not actually cure/renovate anything. The damage is already done.

Our son broke down in France and had a nightmare week tying to get some sense from the RAC breakdown people. To cut a long story short they were absolutely useless. they sub contracted the recovery to a stupid French company. Our son lost a lot of money trying to get his car back. Rip-off Britain know about it.. RAC= Avoid.

Get rid of it.

The fact that he thinks along those lines and is actually stupid enough to tell you should warn you that the guy is not to be trusted. An honest workman sees the job, costs it, adds his margin and quotes a price. Simples! Find someone else.

Bit of a bargain at 7.2 million dollars.

This looks like the strange white one that has been advertised before with mis-matching panels and a lot of miles put on just recently. Too many things don't add up. I don't think I would be taking a look at it. Good ones are still fetching good prices, if you can find one.

Profuse apologies for offending your eyes with this picture. But it reminds me of the film " One flew over the cuckoo's nest " The one on the right looks particularly "odd" 🤪

Robber Rishi and Jeremy unt are doing their bit too. Britain has downgraded its forecasts for the takeup of electric cars over the next seven years as higher financing costs and rising energy prices threaten to cut the incentive for drivers to replace combustion engines. The latest forecast from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), released alongside the chancellor’s autumn statement, said that just 38% of new vehicles sold in the UK in 2027 would be electric, down from the 67% it predicted in March

The beginning of the end of the Electric car fashion....Looks like it? Volvo pulling out of Polestar. BYD flooding the market with cheap subsidised, but quite good apparently, electric vehicles. Second hand prices going downhill rapidly. It's not looking good for them (including Lexus offerings - particularly the blighted RZ ) but might mean some bargains for us. On Thursday, Volvo said it would no longer provide financial support to Polestar and would look at offloading some of its 48pc stake in the company to other shareholders, including China’s Geely. (Most of the rest of Polestar is already owned by Geely chairman Eric Li.) The news is the latest blow to Polestar, an early mover in electric cars that has struggled to keep up with premium rivals such as Tesla and which remains heavily loss-making despite its cars receiving critical acclaim. It is also the latest rupture in the electric vehicle industry. Battery-powered cars were once predicted to dominate the vehicle market by the end of this decade, but their sense of inevitability has faded in recent months as sales slow and as targets have been pushed back.

I Like this one better----do it while you still can.

Yuasa has been good for me too. The problem is that times change and company's products change too. So it's always a lottery what to buy. A bit like restaurants and chefs - you can't guarantee anything at any time.