So what does the panel think then?

Do you need as many toys? 'Cos 405 TDs are biggish and comfy comfy - and UberCheap.

That's frighteningly bad. Any way of doing a park and ride some how? (bike in capacious boot, ride the slow bit).

Anyway in traditional style, BX or Xantia diesel - well, I find the BX comfortable :-)

cheers, clive

Not really, potentially the worst congestion is either between two motorway junctions with nothing in betwen, or a scruffy place in Manchester where it would be torched.

Xantia maybe, but aren't BXs getting a bit thin on the ground. Love them, even for their frenchness.

How does a 406 compare reliability wise? They seem pretty good price wise. Maybe considering, if it has to be sensible it might as well be newish, but have some interesting features.

I do like my toys. I've been spoiled with the various toyotas/saabs even the rangie. They had features and they had a certain weight and solidity. Even the worst example like the rangie had a cast solidness about the good bits.

I never get onwith Puggot seats - from 10x's through to the latest ones, that I've had as hire cars.

They seem super comfy at first but after an hour or so I always get a backache. Not in any other make, though.

Motorbike.

Something like a Honda Dullville. Not exciting to ride, but all-day comfort on the motorway and will do 60mpg.

Might put me off then. Saab seats were OK, Lexus/Toyota seats give me grief after more than a couple of hours.

CG125 :-p

Or that Cossack/Ural sidecar on eBay I posted to UKRM not long back - I reckon that would suit Carl down to the ground.

:-(

TBH if I was faced with regularly doing 25 miles in 2 hours, I'd take the bike all the way, even though I reckon 11-12 miles is a sensible limit. But if there was no choice, at least it would be less of a waste of time than sitting in a jam.

Anyway what's the problem with the current car? Fuel, spannering it?

I did notice that BXs are getting pretty rare :-(

Both are quite a lot different to your current car though - which, if you've got used to your luxury, could well be a problem.

(beware, very random figures follow)

Question is, is that kind of money significant to you? Coz as always, it'll take quite a while to pay back purchase price/whatever if you keep the barge for fun - such that it doesn't make sense from an economic point of view.

cheers, clive

A Urinal would be a great idea - those big pots sticking out to keep your feet warm and keep f*****ts at bay.

I wouldn't have a chair on it, though, 'cos it limits filtering opportunities.

Oops! I thought part of the whole idea of the lexus thing was to be _really_ comfortable.

(Does this sort of thing get better or worse if you use them a lot? Cos I'm fine doing a huge time in the BX, but I only use it rarely.)

cheers, clive

Might not be a bad idea, but would need to go back to L plates for a while for that.

Never driven a Saab (unless somebody wants to give me a go with theirs?) but the old Toyota I had (1989 Supra) was very comfy for long journeys. That was the super sporty seats though, so no idea what 'ordinary' Toyota seats are like.

Faced with that kind of commute, it's the only option, IMHO.

Best way to do it is to take a week off work, do your CBT, training and full test in a week and be free to ride whatever you want - be it a Dullville or a BMW K-series with the LT fairing (think police bike of the early to mid 90s)

Likewise, I like the idea of a chair for cornering fun, but a bike would be needed to be able filter to be worth the cold and wet in the Manchester Liquid sunshine.

Needs about =A3600 of parts and time to make the front suspension drive=20 like factory again (it is basically an LS400, it should be the smoothest=20 softest thing going but it has lost the edge it had by a long way). If I=20 do the shocks too, that will take it a =A31k+

While I would consider doing it, the consesus here was that as an =A3800=20 car, spending that much on it would be stupid, because you never know=20 what will go next, and for not much than =A31k I could get something=20 diesel and big and stupid.

I did say, if petrol goes above =A31.20 a litre it would for definate=20 going (it was 87p then), while it ain't there yet, and I lucky that=20 tesco super is =A31 a litre, one of the guys at work is paying =A31.13 a=20 litre for BP because there is nothing near where he is in Manchester=20 close enough to make BP compete, or close enough for him to be worth=20 driving the extra in city traffic.

So, either spend a fortune on fixing it, and a high but affordable=20 ammount on fuel or sell it on while it is useable, and get something=20 with a big engined old fashioned mechanical pumped turbo diesel and use=20 the now legalised chip fat burning dutyfree goodness to actually save=20 some cash. If I'm going to drive a wallowy barge it might as well be on=20 bargain fuel.

--=20 Carl Robson Audio stream:

They are comfy, really comfy, but I even find really nice office chairs have me squirming when I'm at work. I guess it is to do with my sciatica. Even though it isn't actively bad at the moment, it does make my back more sensitive than it should be. I haven't found a car seat yet that works for me. I always feel that my hips and shoulders are twisted

How about a nice big Lexus V8 petrol with LPG and forget the TDi idea. With one place I drive past now on 110.9p/l ! DERV isn't a cheap option. You could put it on coilovers if the standard suspension is shot.