Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me...
:occasion13:
https://i.imgur.com/dPY42f2.jpg
Printable View
Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me...
:occasion13:
https://i.imgur.com/dPY42f2.jpg
Ahem… [emoji1787]
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...52aeda1bb9.jpg
That car is the most faithful long distance girlfriend anyone has ever had!
Absolutely love the 911 but might even love the driveway more.
Thanks. Better from the other angle...
https://i.imgur.com/YTV7Nfo.jpg
10/10, really nice. The length of my house is probably about the same as the width of yours but the width anorexic.
I need to get back into that retirement thread and start planning a move further out. Or go wild with inheritance and let any kids find their own way.
Smart move going for the 4S to avoid disturbing too much gravel on the drive when you set off :ORGR:
That 996 4S will be great fun. I think the 996 shape has really aged nicely. I've always liked them, but it seems the general opinion regarding them is catching up too. I only never got those overlapping exhaust tips. I keep looking at 996 Turbos, especially the X50 pack ones. What a fabulous car, but they've now definitely started catching up price wise.
I drive my 911s between 3 and 4k miles each per year. This year less than previous as I got the Up for all mundane duties, and I work from home. I just renewed the insurance for them, both on the same policy, and it has gone down almost 10% from last year. Still expensive, but is a very high spec policy with track cover, dedicated manager, agreed value, etc., so not bad as I was expecting a rise based on current trends.
Agree with you on the 996 shape aging well and also on the exhaust tips! Think I'll try to swap for the simpler turbo ones.
Would have liked a turbo but didn't want the expense.
Good shout on the tips, it was always a strange design decision and not sure why it was made tbh.
I assume if they did it the other way and only had those on the Turbo, that everyone would want them lol.
Weather looking good in a lot of places this weekend, so hope you get the chance to have the roof down.
Having frozen at Silverstone 2 weeks ago, the Brands Hatch racing looks like it will require suncream and a convertible for possibly one of the last warm weekends.
Christ that's annoying.
Those tips you have are an upgrade and I got them put on mine when I bought the car.
The originals sat up the back of my garden for years but I tossed them a couple of years ago.
Could have been cleaned up fairly easily I would have thought.
Typical isn't it!
:BangHead:
The house is NE facing so the panels are on the side/back. If you check what I said in the other thread, my comment on solar panels was:
...not that they look great on the front.
Any one of these 3 but the Fiat is great fun.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...53587b38e6.jpg
Sent from my SM-A528B using Tapatalk
No Tony...one house in the Cotswolds near Cheltenham. Sadly just staying for the week cat sitting. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...2ddc745aeb.jpg
Sent from my SM-A528B using Tapatalk
Pros: Lower BIK than the previous company car, big enough to downsize the XC60, 34mi battery range is enough for most local running around, some nice toys in the base spec (heated steering wheel, huge screen for CarPlay)
Cons: pretty much everything else? On the kind of round trips I usually do (>200mi) the hybrid system seems completely unintelligent - it doesn’t manage the battery well and the MPG gets completely hammered if you try to regen from the engine. The system doesn’t allow you to charge at anything greater than 7kw, so I couldn’t make a short pit stop for a full charge if I wanted to without exceeding the free parking period. The ride is a bit harsh, and there’s a drone at 70mph on the motorway which slowly eats away at your soul. Oh and the app is pretty naff too.
Dynamically, the car is fine to drive and there’s decent steering response but my summary so far - it’s just like driving a really big Golf (citation - wifey used to have a Mk7.5 TSI EVO Golf). If your round trips average less than 200mi and there’s charging available at both ends then great, unfortunately not always the case for the customers I’m visiting where the EV charging is only located in the directors’ parking spots!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Wanted to try one of these GP2’s for a while & finally found one I was happy with.
Picked it up this morning & had an enjoyable cross country drive home in it.
https://i.imgur.com/YNHghbc.jpg
Had every generation of JCW, but never the GP - think this generation of mini was the best looking of the new ones.
Missed the SC whine, but the interior quality and overall feel made up for it so much.
Am sure you will enjoy it tremendously; love the way they make you drive, engine on, sports mode on, and be 17 all over again!
The Alpine at a very wet Cadwell Park last October
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...80b14d81_k.jpg
When you look at the specs and what else is available for the money, it’s easy to question why anyone would buy one.
When you see them in the flesh however, like the Alfa 4c, it becomes obvious.
Lovely motor and colour and must be awesome round a circuit, although you car drivers should leave Caldwell for the bikes!
It's when you drive one you realise why you'd have one. I've had quite a few Porsche over the years and am a big fan but the little Alpine is so much more fun and it's significantly lower weight really makes a difference. It's not without it's flaws, after all it is French, but I do really like it. And it is great around Cadwell (and Oulton, Anglesey, Spa...)!
Gratuitous pic from Spa back in July
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...eec23d87_b.jpg
I haven't driven a 4C so can't comment from experience, but the guy that looks after my Elises reckoned they were very poor borderline dangerous out of the factory, but very good once they'd been 'fixed'.
Amazing they need such a fix!
Are there any nuances on the Alpine that make you wonder what they were thinking? I loved the 4C having a manual luggage strut vs gas dampers; what on earth were they thinking with that, weight loss gone too far!
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
The bucket seat needs a hex key to adjust the height, so you need to get the 'comfort' seats if you want to switch between drivers of different heights. No interior storage to speak of, although most people find solutions to that. Aside from that, not really much else - it's very different to anything else you might reasonably consider to be rivals due to that big difference in weight. 1100kg vs 1330kg-ish for a Cayman for example. Happy to take you out if you're local (Edit, just noticed your location - I'm in Cheshire but the offer still stands)
Wife & I are the same height, so that wouldn't be an issue, but never realised that.
I do love an electric seat and memory though, mainly as like to make little tweaks depending on my mood - the one thing I wish I had in mine....especially when the 7ft mechanic has adjusted every setting and the steering wheel when servicing!
Cheshire is a little far, used to live in Buckley many a moon ago which would have been perfect.
How is it for rattles, been in a few Elises over the years but couldn't get on with the rattles / resonance the interior seems to have?
Looks a very special place to slide behind the wheel. Z4M was never 'interesting' to get into, but the engine was still one of the most special things for me, miss it still.
It's pretty good in terms of rattles etc. I do have one at the moment I'm trying to track down but it is only the one (18 months in). I also have an S1 Elise and although the architecture of the tub is similar it's far more civilised as you'd expect. The problem Alpine have is getting people behind the wheel - the vast majority of people that drive it, love it.
Mine is the basic version which has the bucket seats. The GT version (was the Legende) has leather electrically adjustable and heated seats which are very nice but flatter and not as 'buckety'. Personal preference as to which suits you best really. I'd certainly recommend an extended test-drive if you're interested in one
Can't say I'd be turning down a 4C any time soon! Always had great reviews and it's a wonderful-looking car. I do have a history with Alfa, mind, my last two being a 3.0l GTV and a 3.2l GT.
I’ve been playing with the configurator online, I do think the entry version is where I’d end up as a toy car, I don’t use my daily often enough as wfh & the Smart car is our default go-anywhere machine, wish I’d got the Brabus tbh as never realised how much we would love it.
Was at Northway last week getting a part & chatting with the team there. All the new porches since the new filter requirements are just lacking exhaust noise, even the father in laws brand new 911 GTS, there just nothing there vs the older ones. Yes, they can be changed / modded, but I want a car to sound good out of the box.
Alpine sounds good as standard, but wonder how they managed to achieve this within the current requirements. I can only assume the ones I heard were pre 2020 and private plates.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
The antidote to posh cars, and the old girl lives on for another year as she has just passed her 20th MOT at Mr Clutch.
23 years old and in the family since new - it was given to us 16 years ago when my wife’s granny died.
A 3 month slog to get it certified as ULEZ compliant, I have my skip on wheels for another year and more importantly a cheap banger for the kids to learn to drive in this/next year.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...60762d10e3.jpg