wuvvum

Also, if you extract the ethanol from E10 petrol are you not left with 10% less fuel than you started out with? In which case you might as well just buy E5 super unleaded (which is <5% dearer than 95 octane) and have done with it.

LDV Convoy recovery truck in need of some loving. Chassis appears to be held together with cable ties.

This looks cheap. @Six-cylinder @Mrs6C Fancy an upgrade for the FOD? This one

EFTalbot

That is fantastic! I trust those wiper blades have been frisbeed since the photo was taken?

@brownnova - cheap 9000 on your manor (ish)

Had a nice day out in Ely today for my birthday. I took the newly acquired Micra - it really does go like f*ck for a 1.2-litre shopping car. It did the 150-mile round trip on £20 of pez, which isn't bad going considering I wasn't particularly sparing the horses. The EML came on at one point but didn't seem to make any difference to anything. The behaviour of other drivers was interesting though - it's almost as if nobody is used to seeing a metallic beige K12 Micra making decent progress... There were a number of cars which I overtook and which then went blasting past me a few moments later, and a lad in a newish VW Caddy TDI who was getting seriously pissed off that he couldn't out-accelerate me away from the roundabouts on the A11. I don't intend to keep the car long term, but I'm having a lot more fun with it than I had expected.

I've never had any problems with Landsails - apart from slightly higher noise levels they don't seem to do anything noticeably worse than the big name brands. I put a pair of Nankangs on the front of the Carina a couple of years ago - I needed a pair in a hurry for the test and those were the only sensibly priced option (they're a slightly obscure size). They're not brilliant in the wet - they actually have less traction on a damp road than the almost-bald Dunlop SP Sports they replaced - but they will do for now, it's not a car I tend to drive quickly anyway, and the one time I did have a bit of a hoon (on the road from Ipswich to Shotley) they gripped OK in the corners. Normally I go for premium brand part worns if I can. I know a lot of people get funny about part worns, but every time you buy a secondhand car you're getting a full set of part worn tyres with it, and unless you're going to go out and buy a full set of shiny new Michelins every time you acquire a new car (which would bankrupt me within six months) you're going to be running on part worn tyres anyway, so why worry about replacing like with like? At least if you're buying a bare tyre you can inspect it inside and out for signs of obvious damage - that's not something you can do very easily with the tyres already on the car - if one of my cars has a bulge in an inner sidewall it's going to be pot luck whether or not I spot it before the tyre goes bang.

I went for a drive in the Volvo 164 today. Not very far, just round the estate - probably only about a mile all in - but it was the first time it's been out of my road under its own power in over 10 years. It's not running 100% - it's a bit spluttery under power, I think it might not be getting enough fuel - but it drove OK considering. The heater works too, started putting out heat within a couple of minutes of starting the car. I only got up to about 35mph but that was enough for the gearbox to shift up into third, and the 'box doesn't seem to have suffered from its long dormancy (it's a BW35 so would probably survive a direct nuclear strike). The brakes are still working and stop the car well enough, although it really needs a pair of discs on the front. The alternator still isn't charging so I didn't dare take it too far for fear of running out of electricity (the battery isn't in the first flush of youth), but it was nice to drive it again after so long. I went to see a mate this evening in the Caliber, which he had previously taken a fancy to. The Caliber ended up staying there, and I came away with a slightly dented K12 Micra and a bit of cash. Not sure how long the Micra will be staying - it's a nippy bugger for a 1.2, and would be useful as a commuting machine, but it's not really my cup of tea.

I think that's right. Every bit of the car is within 30cm of either a suspension or a seatbelt mounting point.

Unclefester wasn't it?

It's the old Chinese curse - "May you live in unprecedented times".

The Rover 75 had its first long run in over a year at the weekend, down to the FOD and back on Saturday. Most enjoyable day, weather was great and I got to have a drive of a Citroën GS which is something I've wanted to do for a while. Sunday I met up with my work colleagues for a coffee which was nice - haven't seen them in the flesh since before Christmas. Then I drove down to Shotley in the Caliber to catch the tail end of the ECR meet / HubNut social - a lot of people had left by the time I got there but there was still some quality chod in the field, including a turbo diesel 505 saloon and a Bond Minicar which showed off its party trick by spinning in its own length in the pub car park on its way out. Anyone care to guess how much the H van was up for sale for?

@Tadhg Tiogar out on the lash again...