Attn PeteM: Do you know this motor?

You often interview people for management positions, then?

Oh I see...goalpost shifting. I shouldn't expect anything less than someone who claims to work for a company who has the biggest storage warehouse in Europe but when faced with the name of that company, suddenly goes silent about it.

Quinn Glass in case you forgot. They bottle fizzy pop. The rest of the Quinn group manufactures building materials, supplies electricity and provides financial services.

So Steve I guess you are either merely a bloke in charge of door to door sales teams or at best, in charge of sales to the smaller depots in builders merchant chains such as Jewsons, MKM and Travis Perkins.

There's one word for that : Wankers. (hmm - thinks - you're not actually admitting to being one of those people are you?)

cheers, clive

Well, our logistics arm are still claiming the title, despite what Quinn glass claim.

You don't work in Web Development. I've blagged my way since I started. I have no formal qualifications, I've been doing it for 10 years, I'm self taught and started at a (then) top london web design house without having any commercial experience, then went on to work for two national and international ISPs, but unfortunatley while still trading, the last one got too big for their boots. And I've always learnt enough buzz words to much up in the next job to a skill I didn't actually have, for more money. Once in, I taught myself on the job.

Getting tougher to do that now as development teams are getting smaller again, so there is less finding your feet, and more hitting the floor running. Companies want you to know their system, and how it works, and where they want it to go, before you have even attended the interview.

It might be just you coming in cold and developing from day one, instead of being the "new boy" in a team of 5 that is expanding.

Maybe time for a fun change, wonder what else I fancy blagging. I'm anout 20 years to old to seem fresh and exciting as a developer, and everybody wants you to be a designer.

That was a quote though my current insurers for a new policy. I did try confused, but it doesn't have a category for Range Rover, and=20 under Land Rover it wouldn't accept any engine capacity that might apply=20 (arround 3.9, or 3.5) for that vehicle age. It already has a problem=20 that it won't accept logins from firefox 2. But if you re-enter your=20 details it find them and it is the same as you entered.

Trying People's Champion, I get a best of=20 Allinz Cornhill (Postoffice) =A3306.98 with =A3350 excess then Swiftcover =A3321.70 with =A3500 excess. That is fully comp with 4 years no= =20 claims, glass cover, legal protection but not no claims protection.

I think last year the Octavia was =A3280 with 4 years no claims.

Now if I'm going to get similar MPG, which would you rather be driving=20 in? Yet another VAG clone, or a nice comfy rangie? ;)

--=20 Carl Robson Audio stream:

Except I know who Steve works for, and it ain't Quinn Glass.

I've just done Liverpool Victoria. If I bump the excessess upto=20 Voluntary theft excess: =A3400 Accidental damage excess: =A3200 and Legal cover Fully comp: =A3237.75 with the LPG declared.

I've just done Liverpool Victoria. If I bump the excessess upto=20 Voluntary theft excess: =A3200 Accidental damage excess: =A3200 and Legal cover Fully comp: =A3239.30 with the LPG declared.

If I bump the excessess upto=20 Voluntary theft excess: =A3400 Accidental damage excess: =A3200 and no Legal cover Fully comp: =A3219.79 with the LPG declared.

If I bump the excessess upto=20 Voluntary theft excess: =A3200 Accidental damage excess: =A3200 and no Legal cover Fully comp: =A3221.34 with the LPG declared.

So, not that bad if I go back to Liverpool Victoria come renewal time. Which is roughly april, so won't cost a lot in admin fees to transfer=20 temporarily. That is based on my old roughly 12-14k miles, not the 3k I=20 will have done since last easter.

And =A3=A340 cheaper than the Octavia.

--=20 Carl Robson Audio stream:

The answer is obvious: a VAG-clone.

First concern about a car- if the car is needed for work- is reliability.

Unless older Range Rovers are built otherwise in the UK than those shipped elsewhere, it's best to avoid them if reliability is concerned.

The charm of a nice comfy Range will fade when you are at the wayside or when you receive a big estimate of what this/that is going to cost.

A VAG-clone beats walking or bus/train by quite a margin. The knowledge that you car has scheduled costs is more interesting than hidden mayor costs which might jump at you.

Keep the Octavia untill cash and work position improve and spend then on what you fancy.

Tom De Moor

In news: snipped-for-privacy@news.telenet.be, Tom De Moor wittered on forthwith;

Of course, the fact that I have owned many Range Rovers and only ever had one break down (alternator failure) is irrelevant. Even that was probably caused by my stereo system rather than anything Land Rover had done.

They're reliable if serviced correctly, and Carl is much more vigilant about servicing and the like than I am. I just drive 'em and give them the occasional look over.

If mine was on a ramp getting work done or for MOT I'd check axle / transfer box / swivel levels and top up as necessary. Otherwise I've never given any of my Range Rovers special treatment. They've been treated the same way as any other car I've owned and they've been bloody reliable. Any failures my Range Rovers have suffered have been my fault - driving one 250 miles at 70 mph that's not had an oil change for 3 years and then commuting in it for a month will cause the engine to develop problems, but that's the same with any engine.

Ignore this lot, Carl, buy the Rangie and have some fun. You deserve it.

In fact, I think you still have my mobile number, if you buy the Rangie and have problems, call me and I'll help you sort it out.

What he said.

Fraser

They aren't too bad. Parts are as Pete says, really cheap and still=20 available. Nobody stops making bits for tractors.

They share a lot of parts with Discoveries. And I know a part for my Celica that cost =A370, the equivalent part for=20 the Rangie/Disco is =A315, and can actually be fitted without a jack, or=20 lift. Which is very cool. The Celica needed a lift and an transmission=20 jack to hold the diff supported.

At the minute, the car gets used so rarely that I occasionally go out=20 and run it for 15 minutes just to make sure it starts OK. Doesn't get=20 used at all for some weeks.

Plan would be, unless I could expect to get it for arround =A3500-600, I=20 wouldn't bother. If I can, then I will, because I should be able to=20 clear =A31000 left over when selling the Octavia (which will make two more= =20 payments toward the mortgage).

Save on the insurance, similar consumption on LPG, better comfort (for=20 my bad back), and as it is older less likely to be knicked (even the car=20 thieves round here are snobs).

Much as I hate the thought of going back to banger to pay the mortgage,=20 now is the best time to sell the Octavia. It has 12months MOT and 5=20 months tax, there aren't any service lights showing because nothing is=20 due yet, and the book is stamped upto date. The aircon works and someone=20 will get a bargain. If I'm going to drive a banger again, it will be a=20 fun banger, and something that is mechanically simple. Doesn't matter=20 what banger I suggest, someone on here will have a good reason why=20 shouldn't own one, and why it is better to not pay the mortgage than=20 sell the Octavia.=20

--=20 Carl Robson Audio stream:

It's all down to the price now. I've asked about overheating issues.

If I end up with it I'll take you up on that ;)

In news: snipped-for-privacy@news.individual.net, Elder wittered on forthwith;

Drive what you like, if you make a mistake you learn from it.

I've had more cars than I care to remember, yet I've only ever had a couple that have caused me serious financial pain - they were both Integrales, strangely enough.

If you like fiddling with cars, Range Rovers are excellent. They're easy to work on, and the bits are cheap.

In fact, do you want me to drop off my Range Rover HBoL so you can have a look at repair procedures (well, HBoL repair procedures) before you make a bid?

You'll see how easy they are to work on.

You don't need a laptop to fix an old Rangie, just a decent selection of spanners. I did an engine conversion on a Landy 90 with nothing more elaborate than a £15 Halfords socket set, a £15 eBay torque wrench and a rented engine hoist. That was converting it from diesel to V8.

"Pete M" wrote in message news:ep4v60$ev9$ snipped-for-privacy@registered.motzarella.org...

Too right, I'm not even running my next car thoughts past the group till after I've bought something and I want modding advice from a particular one of the regs ;-)

Yea but 'grales are special, so they were totally worth it.

Hehehe niiiiiiiiiiiice.

Although, on a comfort point from your back, 4x4s are IME a bit jiggly on the old screwed up spine.

Dunno what rangeys are like (presumably Discoveryish), but I'd never been in a Defender until a few months back. F*ck me, the ride was ridiculously harsh. I then realised why I'd never been in one despite living on a farm - I can only think of 2 farmers I know who've actually had Defenders, because they're s*it for everything but off roading.

Someone I knew at college had one of them, it was only about a year old as well, and the ride was really harsh. I've never been in a Rangey tho, been in a Jeep, a Terrano and a few random big yank things in Vegas.

Actually IIRC said guy at college sometimes had the use of his dads Disco on LPG - I can't remember anything more about it than we got about 8 people in to go to McDs and it nearly tipped on a roundabout hehe.

Old Range Rovers are generally reliable, any niggling faults have after all had 20 years to surface ;-)

As for VAG, I have just had to pay more for a main dealer service then it would cost to buy quite a tidy Range Rover !