New Honda Civic

Oh, I know the late ones don't rust, I've owned enough Alfas to know that much. It's just they've *still* got the reputation for it even though it's undeserved nowadays. The same way some people still think Fords don't drive well.

the Coupé things drive well.

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Ummm.

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Yes, they're not a bad car at all. Then again, they're not that cheap either.

Pete M ( snipped-for-privacy@blue-nopressedmeat-yonder.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

That's good.

That's not difficult.

That's a pity. However, I'm sure the ergonomics of the Focus aren't as laughable as the 155's were.

155s are more 'fun', though. If you're going to compromise on fun you may as well get a Golf and have all the fancy plastics etc.

For some reason, I've never had reason to complain about the 'Italian' driving position. I just fit them - short legs, long body and arms, see.

The message from snipped-for-privacy@italiancar.co.uk (SteveH) contains these words:

After a few years, or less, with my grubby hands the soft-touch coating comes off.

Show me a car with a better ride than a Citroen C5!

The message from "Mr Benny" contains these words:

The ones I've seen on the backs of transporters always seem to be rather rough! I reckon I've seen more C5s on trucks than anything else, recently.

I still remember a mates' Strada full of rampant gaping holes from the visiting tin worm - I think it was 5 years old...

Mr Benny ( snipped-for-privacy@NOSPAMmrbenny.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

XM, Xant, BX, CX, GS, DS, SM...

Colin Wilson ( snipped-for-privacy@btinternet.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

See - Ford *have* learnt lessons from Fiat in rust proofing before - look at that statement, then look at the Ka.

Maybach.

Lol. Saw a W-plater in Tescos car park last week. Both doors and both rear quarter panels were bubbling with it.

Only as bad as a mid-90s Merc. E-Class, though....

SteveH ( snipped-for-privacy@italiancar.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

What the hell is going on? A world where Mercs rot yet Citroens and Fiats don't...?

In news:Xns9708E81C0E8Dadrianachapmanfreeis@62.253.170.163, Adrian decided to enlighten our sheltered souls with a rant as follows

Crazy innit, yet at least Mercedes got the rust sorted in a couple of years.

Was only the 96-98 E classes that seemed to suffer anyway, and once they'd fixed it they upped the warranty from 6 years to something mental like 20.

In news:Xns9708DF1845143adrianachapmanfreeis@80.5.182.99, Adrian decided to enlighten our sheltered souls with a rant as follows

Other than the bloody seat, the ergonomics in a 155 are pretty good, takes a while to realise that the only switches on the dashboard are headlamp height and the heater fan speed though, and that the front foglamp switch is by the rear window switches... Having the rest on the stalks is fine once you've worked out where everything is.

In news:qs9cf.2932$ snipped-for-privacy@fe2.news.blueyonder.co.uk, Mr Benny decided to enlighten our sheltered souls with a rant as follows

Citroen Xantia Activa.

Pete M ( snipped-for-privacy@blue-nopressedmeat-yonder.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Oh, yes, front foglight switch behind gear lever, rear foglight switch in end of light stalk.

And those wipers... I think I only ever used intermittent and the variable delay. "1" was more like "2" on most cars. I don't even want to know what the weather'd be like to use "2"...

Mmmm. MILES better than the 75. Electric window switches in the roof? U- shaped handbrake? A radio you can only adjust when you're in certain gears? (Mine was an auto, and you could only remove the pull-out stereo with the selector in 1 - even then, it was tight)

Pete M ( snipped-for-privacy@blue-nopressedmeat-yonder.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

That's about the only hydraulic Cit that *doesn't* ride better than a C5.

Ugh!, having driven a brand new passat for 2 weeks whilst my Omega was being un-bent I have to say that I hated the soft blue dials with red pointers that reflect off the drivers side window. Couldn't turn them low enough on a dark night's drive. As for having so much bright red on the dash in your lower periphery vision is a tad disconcerting too - although I'm guessing you'd get used to it.

And WTF is with the push-button parking brake?, what's wrong with a conventional handbrake?

The dark grey interior makes the whole cabin gloomy, and with the wide pillars the visibility (particularly whilst reversing - especially at night) is appalling.

(admittedly, driving a [TDi, or something] car where you didn't have to stop at every filling station en-route was a novelty, and the passat certainly is economical)