Right, the Insignia has gone back and I have the IS back.

It pains me to say it, but I get your point. Seeing as my daily commute consists of dawdling up the M73 at 60mph with some 40mph limits filled with traffic at either end, it kind of suits me. Hence, the Golf is for the off and has been replaced by something with a

I got so pissed off with 24-ish mpg from the SAAB that I slung it on eBay[1]. I bought it for £350 and it sold a year later for £560, it's the first car in over 20 years I've ever made a profit on :)

It's been replaced by a Pug 306 HDi...

Bit of a difference going from a Petrol 2.3 to a 2.0 diesel, but I think I like the HDi engine a fair bit. I've been driving my brother's Xantia HDi since the SAAB went, and almost bought one, but in the end the better MPG of the 306 (and the expensive problems I've had in the past with Xantias) swung it :)

I used to fill the SAAB with 60-odd quid and get just over 300 miles, I've put 40 quid in the 306, done 100 miles and used around a quarter of it :)

As with all my cars, I buy cheap, then fix 'em up as funds allow, so I've a looong list of repairs.

Car prices are mad at the mo, 'specially for smallish diesel hatchbacks.

You and me both brother...

Clutch - bit of a curved ball that one, but it's not too sore. Would have cost me £95 for the bits. It's getting done on tuesday for £195 all in which is much better than doing it yourself with only a 77 year old friend who I would not ask to help me lift gearboxes. In a situation like that and for not needing to take a whole weekend in someone elses garage discovering the joys of disengaging a pull clutch without the special tool, £100 labour is a no-brainer. Whatever the case, with this one bill, we're still in budget for the whole deal. It only slips in fifth on the mtorway if I gun it, but it would only be a matter of time before that gets worse, so it's getting done right away.

Slightly fecked mechanism on the NSR door, still trying to work that one out. Coupla dash light behind the LCD displays. Carpet require shampooing. Overall though, I like. It's good sitting up there without being in a chelsea tractor.

What's the drill with the 306, any sizeable repairs ?

Nah, just niggles, hopefully :)

Passenger side electric window not working Airbag light flashing Dodgy drivers door stop strap None existant rear passenger door stop strap Various squeaks and rattles Crease in the rear door thanks to the missing stop strap

That's about it, it's a much shorter list than I thought :)

Still smarts a bit though, shelling out £1100 for a 10 year old car, but it should halve my £100 per month (at least) fuel bill :)

So my work here is done...

...and I'm driving a low pressure petrolturbo. Sheesh!

Not so fast, your evil spell hasn't got me yet.

(Although I'm still amazed the BMW averages more than 30 mpg. It's a whole new world!)

Must admit, the 318iS is the one 4-pot BMW I could be tempted to own.

My IS petrol does too, but that is just how I drive it.

I'm picking my battles... ;-)

Not even a white 118d too?

I have the usual "hypermile it to the nth degree and still only see 39 mpg" battle at the moment.

Or "hypermile it a bit and see 37" heh.

You really are a sick pup, Dervy.

The E30 M3 is the four pot BMW to have, not BMW's diesel equivalent to a Chevette.

Whoosh!

Unfortunately, 118ds are "the" car to have in some CO2-counting circles. :-(

I just seem to get 30ish, upto about 32 on a normal week.

Yup.

Oh not again?

Just at work. The rational choices for the "I don't really care but I have a car allowance" bunch is a Prius or a 118d.

I imagine Pious monthly contributions have just nose dived significantly, but I'd still go for BMW's Chevette.

If I was in the fortunate position, I'd pay extra, as I do care enough.

IS220d would be on the shortlist.

But really, a 9-3 convertible TTiD.

Did they offer the TTid convert in XWD, or was it just the hard top? That would be something.