Bloody head gasket has gone.

A hoist is no problem. I can lend you a hoist.

Nah, going to get it done. They have a really good rep for their Saab wrenching. They can do all the jobs I need doing in 2 days. I would need a week I don't have. They can loan me a car to get to work, the work I wouldn't be able to=20 get to if I was working on the car. And they will have all the bits to hand, or orderable for delivery, when=20 I would need to mail order.

--=20 Carl Robson Audio stream:

why didn't anyone say! i'll get the party balloons out! soz but he does talk a lot of bollocks when hes about

Although he could be on a coffee break, or at a high level executive meeting (MaccyD carpark meet anyone?).

Oh like most of us he's OK as long as you can keep him off his bullshit area. I've always been amused though by the speed with which he flipped from "Alfas are the best car ever made, ever." to "VWs are the best car ever made, ever." Which seemed to tie up with him getting a job working for a German company that demands that workers can have any car they like as long as it's German.

Or perhaps like Hamster he was hypnotised by Paul McKenna? I can see SteveH pointing to the TopGear board and insisting that a Passat 2.0D could get around the track faster than a Zonda.

Pretty sure Steve isn't on hols as he's on MSN right now. I'll ask him :-)

Update - busy at work!

Erm, this is my 2nd Passat and I really rate them.

My 1st one was on 180k miles when I sold it, and it still felt like a 50k mile example.

This one has been pretty good, too - they're great, generally reliable, mile munchers - hugely comfortable, and all the 'bits' you want when you're in the car for 4 or 5 hours.

My new car list has some pretty nice cars on it, but deep down, I'm still considering another Passat - a Highline with 170bhp and DSG would fit the bill nicely.

I did look at opting out and buying an Alfa GT, to be fair, but, although contract hire costs aren't silly on them, if you add a full maintenance package, it gets a little scary.

In summary, you're talking bollocks ;-)

Lane closed on the M5, 3 hour delays. Bad day at the office.

What about a 159 JTD? Diesel, practical, proper sized and a marque you swear by.

Fuxache, how long does it take to say "will you put a shelf of our tat in your shop?"

And more to lease than a GT JTD.

I spent hours over the weekend trying to work out how to get a GT or 159 as my company car, but it just doesn't add up.

Not when I can have an A4 SE / Passat Highline / 3-series or V50 for the cost of the tax per month.

If it were anything up to a 50 quid difference / month, then I might consider it - there again, that kind of outlay out of my own pocket gets me a 5-series on the company scheme.

Real cars don't drive the front wheels. Or at least not only the front wheels.

Is that true or not?

'cos I know there was a big one on the M5 South (or was it between the M40 and M5 on the M42?) just outside of Brum today - fortunately, I was using the M40 to get to London, not the M5 to go home.

So you'd rather have a 5 series? Given the choice, like?

Well..... at around 50 quid a month, yes. 'Cos a GT Blackline JTD comes in at 150 quid or so out of my own pocket. Which makes it a no-brainer, really.

That 100 quid difference goes into the 75 track day fund.

I'm almost (but not quite) tempted to grab a Leon Stylance DSG and take the cash differene between that and an A4, just to boost my track day fund....

That's fine, I have a RWD car on the drive.

FWD doesn't bother me in the slightest on the M42.

Actually, that was a cheap dig at your mobile office. If that actually happened, I'm sorry if anyone was killed.