Memory Lane

It's funny, this is. I remember when I was younger (I'm 22, so not that long ago!!!) when everybody drooled at the sight of an XR4x4 (well I did!). It was a real hooligan's car, really macho. I mean, who'd heard of an engine bigger than a 2.0 (and not diesel, and not the Rover SD1!!!) in a family hatchback?! This is what appealed I think, it was almost maverick, bringing 'power' to the masses. So let's look over the spec: 2.9 OHV V6 putting out 150 bhp @ 5700 rpm, and 172 lb/ft @3000 rpm (according to carfolio.com). 150 bhp? Now think about this: my present car (Saab 9-5 2.0 'Eco'power) also produces 150 bhp. From a 2.0 engine!!!! The Accord Type-R can produce 212 bhp from a 2.2 engine, without any turbo, supercharger, anything. Purely naturally aspirated!!!! It's just when you think about the cars of yesteryear, how butch they seemed, and how quick they were, and yet, we're squeezing nearly 150 bhp out of little 1.5 engines ( and if you don't believe me, Mitsubishi Colt CZT :-D). It's amazing. But makes you think doesn't it...why did we rave about such cars!?!??! What made them so great? I guess it's a nostalgic thing though, it must be. As I go back to my 309 (see 'My First Car' post), I loved driving it! That's when I really enjoyed driving. And that was the secret I think. Those cars made you feel great, because the whole experience, of being scared, not knowing if you'd get back home in one piece, and just playing around made it all worth while! Yeah you can have your 250 bhp hatches (Mazda 3 MPS), but they're so well controlled and efficient, that you think, it's just missing that 'thing', the 'golden touch', almost. Those days are gone. What a shame...

Which Car Should I Get?

I have a dilemna. Not a life threatening one, but one that I want solving. And to be happy with the decision. Here it is: changes in my 'situation' mean that I am soon going to be requiring a car that is much more economical than the one I presently own. This will involve a 200 mile round trip each month to Hertfordshire, and possibly a 20-mile round trip to work each day. What I want from the car is: Economy (of course!). Safety. Durability. Enough 'oomph' to get past dawdlers and lorry drivers. And finally, something that'll be fairly cheap!!!! My budget will be no more than £1500, that's where the difficulty comes in I guess. I've singled out three in particular: a VW Golf TDI Mk3 (apparently, does 50mpg round town and 58 mpg on the motorway, according to wisebuyers.co.uk!!!!), a Mondeo 1.8 TD, or an Audi A4 1.9 TDi. I've been in love with Golfs since day 1, and the economy figures speak for themselves; it's that to which my heart points. But Mondeos do tend to be cheaper, and I rather have a soft spot for the Mondeo, I think they're great cars. Cheap parts too I'd imagine. And the Audi is shortlisted because it's such a classy motor, and you can't argue with Teutonic build quality - it's fantastic, to say the least. So people, I ask your opinion: what should I get? Any other suggestions are welcome, because although I've shortlisted three cars, I would, of course, look at something else if there's a very good case for it! Cos I'm reasonable :-D Thanks again.

Vauxhall VXR8!!! 4-door Saloon + 400 bhp = Crazy!

What on earth!?!?!?! Have you seen the latest crazed 'VX'-tagged beast from Vauxhall!!?!? The VXR8....it's absolutely insane!!!!!I tell you, they just keep pushing the boundaries!!!! I thought the Astra VXR was nuts (and it is) but this....this is just madness!!!!! Enough with the small talk, let's get down to the business: 6.0 V8, 414 bhp, 550Nm of torque (about 400 lb/ft in old money), 0-60mph in 4.9....this is big league performance boys and girls, you'll definitely need to be wearing your Pampers while you drive this animal. So where's it from!?!? Well, it's those crazy Aussies again :-D Yes, they whip us at cricket, but they're pretty tasty on the motor front too, and this one is basically a HSV Clubsport R8 (from Holden, same as Monaro was), just rebadged. I should think this will crush virtually anything on the road (apart from your typical Evo/Scooby/other Jap rally 'specials' that really aren't that special anymore cos Kev, Dazza and Dave have each got one). Obviously, I won't be able to afford one, but at £34,995, it does seem 'a bargain'. Let's see what Ford's response will be!!!!

Pontiac GTO Investigation - and what it 'could' mean for Vauxhall Monaro owners...

Stateside, there is an investigation soon to be opened on the Pontiac GTO, model years '04 - '06. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will be conducting this. Starting life Down Under as the HSV (Holden Special Vehicles) GTO, it was imported into the UK (as the Vauxhall Monaro) and the U.S. The furore centres around the tyres: because they're larger, it's been claimed that these were scrubbing the struts of the car (at the front), causing excessive wear that led to over 60 complaints. In the U.S. the struts were replaced by Pontiac in 2006, but NHTSA has received more than 100 complaints about faulty struts, not tires, in 2006 models. Be interesting to see if there is a recall. Monaro owners, you may be ok, but consider this a warning....

MG production - Restarting at Longbridge in the Spring ?

Seems that the Chinese car maker Nanjing has decided it's ready to restart production of the MG TF again....but not only that....it'll be back at Longbridge!!! Sounds good. It was terrible when the plant closed down and put all those employees out of work, many of whom I'm sure put their guts into giving their all there. A sad state of affairs today. They haven't decided a concrete date yet, only a brief confirmation that production would commence springtime. As a side point, most of the original MG equipment was relocated to China by Nanjing, and this means, in simple terms, that only right hand drive TFs will be made in the Midlands. Better than nothing though eh!!!

New Mercedes C-Class - The Ultimate Car?

So the latest C-Class is here! And what a car...absolutely gorgeous. The C-Class and the 3-Series from BMW have always been the closest of rivals pretty much, and it seems that, though the 3 has always just pipped the C, this may be about to change......

My First Car

What was your first car? And do you reckon it's the best car you've ever owned? To me, it's the only car I've truly loved!! (apart from the Merc :-D) My first car was a '91 H-reg Peugeot 309 1.6 GL. I saw it in the Evening Post for £100, and the old biddy who sold it me let me have it for £50 as it was nearly out of tax, and wanted to help me that way. Great!!!! So with the eagerness of a fat bloke in a patisserie, I got in and drove away. And stalled! Think it was the adrenaline. Or the fact that the needle on the petrol gauge pointed very downwards indeed....made or a very entertaining journey home!!! I loved that car though, it was great. Racing people off lights, it breaking down almost every time I got in it, and the final chapter on that amazing saga was the MOT revealing corroded brake pipes at the back, amongst other things. Cost? £350...made no sense, so I px'd it in for a Peugeot 405 1.9D 'Style' - how ironic - and got back......£50!!!!!!!!! How good am I!!!! Managed to flog some old trees, coat hangers, and some boots that I'd left in the boot too. And so ended the most enjoyable 4 weeks of my motoring life. Yes I've had more reliable cars since, and yes, the Saab is much better than that first car. But nothing has compared to that car for sheer enjoyment.....when I will feel that joy again, I don't know, but I long for those days again!!!!!!

SPOTLIGHT - Beautiful Cars and Rare Cars, spotted

This post will show cars that I've seen on my travels.

Following are a few motors that I saw on my travels last week (05-12 Februrary 2007). I've picked out the ones that seemed the most exotic, or the ones (in the case of the C6) that are most rare back home in England. I don't think I've ever seen a C6 in real life here!!!!!!!

Porsche 911 (about 10 of them, all over the place.....)
Ferrari 360 Modena (Grey, in Puerto Banus)
Mercedes ML63 AMG (Gold, in Marbella)
Citroen C6 (Black, Marbella)
Audi Q7 (Black, Estepona)

I'm in Love....

So just got back from Marbella, and I've decided that the next car for me must be a Mercedes A-Class. Now, we had one for just a week in Spain, but it left such an impression on me, that I'm convinced I must have one! The quality of the car was absolutely superb, and I feel it's a real tribute to the craftsmanship and sheer brilliance of the Mercedes engineers. The model we had was an A150 Avantgarde 5 dr, which easily took 3 guys and 3 suitcases, without impacting performance too much. It had the usual comfort features, like electric windows (front only), air conditioning, CD player, and a fantastic interior. You really can feel the quality when you sit indeed it, it has that 'thing' that makes it superior to, say, an Astra or a Focus. This is a car you can feel smug in, it gives an incredible 'feel-good' factor that I'm sure only drivers of much more expensive cars experience.

One of the best things for me about the car was the fantastic audio system. Not sure who it was by (if anyone can tell me I'd be grateful), but it was awesome. We had drum'n'bass along with R'n'B mostly, and some jazz, and the rich bass lines were really emphasized through the speakers very well, and the treble complemented it all superbly. Final point about the car: The economy - of course it's only endowed with a 1500cc engine, so it's not expected to drink vast amounts of fuel, but after a week of fairly hard travelling across the Costa Del Sol (taking in Estepona, several wrong turnings on the AP-7 toll road and the mountain roads to Coin and Malaga) it was remarkable that it had just under a quarter of a tank left when it came to handing the keys back to the car rental agency. And this from a full tank! So yes, I was very impressed with the little Mercedes, it's definitely got a new fan in me.