Prace bets now.....

Not when the main use is on a packed daily commute.

You live / work in the relative arse end of nowhere with fairly quiet roads, IIRC.

That one I agree with... although Lexus parts won't be cheap when it does need money thrown at it.

I don't think it's a fixation at all... this is a genuinely bad choice of car given the financial circumstances of the OP, and what it's going to be used for.

My rev limit seems to be increasing as I get older.

Used to like NA Diesels, then got a Clarton, learned to love >4000rpm and then drove my BX GTi like I stole it _everywhere_. A day the MX-5 doesn't hit the hard 7250rpm limiter is a day wasted and my work now sees me dealing with engines which rev into the tens of thousands.

Love it.

-- Douglas

Time itself isn't /that/ long.

Did you honestly buy your Sportwagon with your head? You probably made all sorts of justifications for it which made it look like the only choice.

I like to think of Carl as the slightly strange and dichotomous brother of Dervy.

-- Douglas

My head did buy it. Mostly.

It was stupidly cheap for the age and mileage.

It was acceptable as a company car.

And it kind of has an auto box to save my dodgy knees.

About 21-27. When I decided to drive at the same acceleration as the cars around me I could get 32mpg out of it.

OK, so speed isn't just unimportant, its completely irrelevant.

Oh I don't know, sometimes I see 10 or 15 cars on my 20 mile journey to work in the morning, but its usually not that busy (c:

Anyway, traffic conditions aside, I still like I6s. Can't get an MX-5 with 6 cylinders I6 or otherwise so easily though.

Right enough - parts prices for my Mazda make my eyes water - =A3177+VAT for a front wheel bearing for example. However I'd expect to be left stranded in a deserted layby by a Lexus less often.

Was it worth a whole new slagging thread?

-- Douglas

That's not too shabby for a big old performance barge like that, really.

Whereas economy in this particular instance, is.

I like I6s... I absolutely adore than M3 Evo of my mates.

I also know that I could afford one if I punted out both the VAGs once the Passat is done, but won't do it because I know I don't want to afford running costs of that magnitude until such times as I've got half decent money coming in again.

That's horrendous.

Humm, I'd try and find a decent Jap aftermarkets parts specialist before it needs any more bits, if possible.

I'd expect a VAG to be the same, but with the added benefit of dirt cheap spares from the likes of Euro Car Parts and German and Swedish, which in turn they don't need every five minutes either in my experience.

And Mercs / BMWs tend to be well catered for by places like this as well.

If pointing out it's not a good choice and then detailing why is that, then so be it.

I hope Carl enjoys his new purchase and wish him well with it... I just hope he doesn't end up regretting it in the near future, is all. :-)

Clarkson showed he could get 49-58 mpg out of the diseasel version with the Ford/Pug 2.7 twin turbo. And he admitted he wasn't even trying for an economy run. All alloy body which is actually lighter than the A8 and a surprisingly low Cd on the big Jags.

Hah.

Rear wheel bearing on an Exploder is £7, the front wheel bearing is $400. Fortunately they last reasonably well.

Yeah, but wasn't that going up one side of a mountain, coming down the other side of which yielded infinite mpg?

My 4x4 was a 2.8, I found it quite economical, mid 20s day to day.

Good man. You tried an M5 V10 yet or an ML63 (I haven't... but I reckon 2mpg shouldn't be impossible)

Most of us know it, the difference is many of us drive enough miles for it to matter.

IIRC the XJ is the lightest vehicle that the V6 diesel is fitted to, the S type, XF, 406 and Landrover are all heavier.

You just order them from Toyota. Still not cheap cheap, but Toyota priced, not Lexus priced. Bonus is, the local Toyota dealer was a joint Toy/Lex and Citroen at two units opposite each other. Dropped the Lex new and used sales, but still have Lexus trained mechanics, Lexus parts authorisation, and a regular stream of Lexii (It's a Japanese Mercedes) going through for work.

jesus, which Mazda do you have? That's outrageous. A whole front hub for my MK1 MX-5 only costs £78 including the bearing!

Mike P

What he said.

A half decent and grunty oil burner is the compromise which a lot of people choose as the acceptable balance between what they want and what they can actually manage to run. It's either that or a zero torque small displacement petrol. That is also why some of us can just about manage to have a toy car too.

Ah but it depends on where you shop. I found this out when looking for=20 a rear wheelbearing for the wifes' Mitsi FTO

Rear hub assembly (can't get wheelbearing seperately)

Mitsubishi Dealers =A3249+VAT. FTO Owners Club: =A368.

DOUGLAS: Try JDM Performance -

--=20 Conor

I only please one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow isn't=20 looking good either. - Scott Adams