Kick Those Shoes Off and Relax. It's the Delta 2017 Tea Break

[Gerard C]

John, can you imagine the dialogue between Bob and a car salesman? I can't! He's gonna be suggested an hybrid or a so called powerful engine with only 3 or may be 2 cylinders! And a 7 speed gearbox semi automatic the whole package for an obscene price. Let's hope piggy will suggest a good used traditional car.
Mon ami Robert, if you like surprises and want to touch the difference between a picture and reality, go for fleabey!

[bauble]

Originally Posted by Gerard C

John, can you imagine the dialogue between Bob and a car salesman? I can't! He's gonna be suggested an hybrid or a so called powerful engine with only 3 or may be 2 cylinders! And a 7 speed gearbox semi automatic the whole package for an obscene price. Let's hope piggy will suggest a good used traditional car.
Mon ami Robert, if you like surprises and want to touch the difference between a picture and reality, go for fleabey!

Gerard all the cars I have owned for the last 20 years have been bought through the local papers, at a cost well below the asking price, never more than £1200, and mostly well under that. Each one has been used until it was at the end of it's useful life, and then scrapped.
By careful buying and by being a very good driver () my costs over the years have been extremely low, basically a cost effective method of motoring.

Many (on here) seem to like to swank around in flash motors, boasting of their prowess behind the wheel, and the mammoth journeys undertaken across continents.

You can understand that beneath all of the bluster, I am a most humble chap, not given to an ostentatious life style.

No doubt you too are a down-to-earth, no nonsense person as well.

Now some I will not name are entirely the opposite, but that is their choice. Good luck to them.

The search for another low cost means of transport has started, wish me bon chance Mon Ami.

Bob.

[Tim Falce]

Originally Posted by bauble

The search for another low cost means of transport has started, wish me bon chance Mon Ami.

Bob.

I've just let an 08 plate Clio with 13 months MOT go for not much over scrap price, and the bloke moaned about the price. Such is life

[Gerard C]

Mon ami Robert of course I wish you good luck in your search. Re-reading your post I said to myself that the way you use cars - till their technical end - is probably environmental friendly in a certain way. Certainly more than owning a Prius!

[Colin McKay]

Originally Posted by bauble

The search for another low cost means of transport has started, wish me bon chance Mon Ami.

It won't be easy Bob, you know what they say. Per ardua ad astra

[grantp]

Originally Posted by bauble

Gerard all the cars I have owned for the last 20 years have been bought through the local papers, at a cost well below the asking price, never more than £1200, and mostly well under that.

You might struggle a bit Bob.

There SHOULD be a lot of options around - mostly diesels of course.

Bit the scrappage schemes maybe suggest they are to be taken out of circulation.

On the other hand I hear that the rumours of new car sales being significantly lower than they have been in recent years are indeed true and that many of the well known motor sales groups are concentrating on used sales at the moment.

That might mean there are some good deals to be had in the trade for cars they don't wish to retail. But are the "private" sales likely to suffer because of the trade in allowances being offered against the sale of a used car with an inflated value?

I'm sure you will find something to your liking quickly enough.

As a pedal power person have you considered something like this?

https://sc02.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1ImYsK...al-go-kart.jpg

[GORDON STREETER]

As a broad guide, if you do over 12,000 miles a year, a diesel is likely to make economic sense. Although no diesel qualifies for a reduced rate of road tax, your fuel cost per mile driven will be lower than you’ll experience from a petrol but because of the government stance on diesels you can now get a bargain.
Some are a lot more reliable than others but the biggest problem is the DPF (diesel particulate filter) blocking up on short slow runs.
Saying that I still use diesel vehicles and will do until I am priced off the road !

[Lancsbreaker]

Haven't paid anywhere near £1k for any of my cars for many years.....usually not much more than £500, run them for 2-3 years, then break for spares. It helps that Clarkson keeps perpetuating the myth that Alfas are unreliable so I can buy a car for about 1/6th of the price of an equivalent age BMW or Audi, and have twice the fun

[John Elwin]

Originally Posted by Lancsbreaker

Haven't paid anywhere near £1k for any of my cars for many years.....usually not much more than £500, run them for 2-3 years, then break for spares. It helps that Clarkson keeps perpetuating the myth that Alfas are unreliable so I can buy a car for about 1/6th of the price of an equivalent age BMW or Audi, and have twice the fun

I've owned Alfa's continuously since 1981 & haven't found an unreliable one yet, & they've all been high mileage. My current 156, owned for almost 13 years, has 243,000km on the clock & should last a bit longer yet.

In the ten years prior to that I had Fiat's & a Lancia. Ironically the only remotely unreliable one was the newest car I ever bought, a six month-old ex demonstrator Fiat 128.

[Gerard C]

Originally Posted by grantp

As a pedal power person have you considered something like this?

Not sure our Bob will appreciated to share this kind of car with anyone belonging to the new F1 WC's family!
May be someone around here can help or ask in the marshal section to organise a rafle!

[gary396]

So am I safe to admit that I've recently bought a Fiat - a used one!

[bauble]

Originally Posted by gary396

So am I safe to admit that I've recently bought a Fiat - a used one!

Depends on the price paid.

[bauble]

Originally Posted by Gerard C

Not sure our Bob will appreciated to share this kind of car with anyone belonging to the new F1 WC's family!
May be someone around here can help or ask in the marshal section to organise a rafle!

Gerard, is there a difference between a World Champion, and the chap who scores the most points?

[John Elwin]

Originally Posted by bauble

Gerard, is there a difference between a World Champion, and the chap who scores the most points?

Sir Stirling would be much too polite to answer that!

[GORDON STREETER]

Eric and I managed to get on the podium at Brands yesterday !

[delta]

Originally Posted by gary396

So am I safe to admit that I've recently bought a Fiat - a used one!

Gazza . Did you ever drive one in your old job . Enough said . Fix. It Again Tomorrow

[Gerard C]

Originally Posted by bauble

Gerard, is there a difference between a World Champion, and the chap who scores the most points?

Embarrassing question, mon Ami Robert! Because you know a lot about this sport history, the fantastic Chris Amon could help in finding a clever answer. Dont you think so?

[gary396]

Originally Posted by delta

Gazza . Did you ever drive one in your old job . Enough said . Fix. It Again Tomorrow

I did think that when I bought it - what could possibly go wrong?

Oddly enough when I think of it I've had more Fiats than any other make - a Uno, two Tipos (the 1980s version) and an automatic Strada (not one of my more inspired buys). Now a Panda 4x4 - wanted something smaller than the now departed X3 when out and about on the narrow lanes "up on't Moors" in winter.

[gary396]

Originally Posted by bauble

Depends on the price paid.

It's not that old so somewhat more than your Vauxhall-type budget! I've set aside a Fiat 'maintenance' contingency.

[bauble]

Originally Posted by Colin McKay

It won't be easy Bob, you know what they say. Per ardua ad astra

As an ex-L.A.C. I can identify with that Colin.

[delta]

Happy birthday Tim. I'm waiting at Bilbao for ferry home . Yippee

[Tim Falce]

Originally Posted by delta

Happy birthday Tim. I'm waiting at Bilbao for ferry home . Yippee

If that's for me, many thanks Iain although it was last Saturday

[bauble]

Originally Posted by Gerard C

Embarrassing question, mon Ami Robert! Because you know a lot about this sport history, the fantastic Chris Amon could help in finding a clever answer. Dont you think so?

Chris Amon was highly regarded in his day, however, I remember reading a piece about him when he drove for Ferrari, that after a race his car was always in perfect condition. He never overdrove the car never using up all of the brake pads or over revving the engine, I read this as almost a criticism, so perhaps he was not ruthless enough to be a World Champion, unlike some we could name?

I am no longer Vauxhalless having spent a massive £995* on an 06 Corsa badly in need of some TLC. It was owned from new by 'One careless lady driver' and boy can't you tell.

Once fully serviced and given some attention it might see me out, with a bit of luck.

*Sorry alfaholic, a bit of an over spend on my part.

[Mike Bell]

Back yesterday afternoon from longest so far Euro trip for me- over 5600km and 1700 litres of diesel! Amazing that during the (nearly) three weeks I never saw one drop of rain, and temps were mostly mid to high 20s, apart from a couple of nights during journey home where it dropped to 1 deg and 3 deg.......

Now back to normality and a fight to lose the kilos gained before Xmas!

[John Elwin]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

Back yesterday afternoon from longest so far Euro trip for me- over 5600km and 1700 litres of diesel! Amazing that during the (nearly) three weeks I never saw one drop of rain, and temps were mostly mid to high 20s, apart from a couple of nights during journey home where it dropped to 1 deg and 3 deg.......

Now back to normality and a fight to lose the kilos gained before Xmas!

...and to think I went back to England yesterday, still on the same tank of diesel I bought in North Norfolk almost three weeks ago, Mike. Oh, and I bought a new sat-nav whilst there.

As a matter of interest, if you'd done that trip in your BMW, how many re-charges would you have needed?