Andy665

Every Volkswagen Group car I have ever had seems to say that the MPG is 3-4mpg on the trip computer than it is in reality. Even the Mk6 TDi I have just had delivered is over-reading by 3MPG, showing an average of 72 when I'm only getting 69

Yes, it will be a hybrid only model. Got reams of internal documentation / information and must admit it looks like a very appealling car, will be interesting to see how the drive compares to the competition, should know better at the end of June after my 2 days with the car and its competitors. Big challenge to Lexus is ramping up the volume and stopping the rot with customer service, their standards have dipped and they are very keen to reverse the trend.

Every exhaust will change its note once it starts get to carboned up - more of a subtle change than a fundamental change though

Updated with latest results - sorry for the delay

I always go with paint, powder coating, once it starts chipping can look unsightly, a chip seems to allow moisture in and the area just expands. Had a set of wheels powder coated once and they looked a mess after 12 months, painting (if done properly) appears to be more durable

Creator of the Mk1 Golf and probably the most influential automotive design house of the last 30 years. Officially acquired by Lamborghini but it gives the Group a chance of designing and developing some decent looking cars in the future - I won't hold my breath though Some of their production designs: Alfa 159 Brera Maserati 3200GT Alfasud Fiat Panda Fiat Uno Lancia Delta (mk1) Scirocco DeLorean Lotus Esprit (Mk1) Saab 9000 Subaru SVX Audi 80 (mk1) Maserati Bora and many more

...next month Just had it confirmed that I'm writing the product and launch training for the new small Lexus hybrid. Next month sees me off to Belgium for a few days to drive it and all its competitors - been promised that there will be some more "exciting" cars to sample....LFA for me please :D

Shaun Might be worth looking at an Eisenmann system. Got one fitted now to the 328i - bought used and the quality is superb, really nice sound too. Distributed in the UK by CAA Automotive and can be tailored to your exact spec Only manged to find one soundclip of an R32 with one fitted but gives an idea http://www.eisenmann.co.uk/

Big step up in refinement Shaun. I suppose you had taken the Corrado pretty much as far as it could go (4wd excepted) and it was time to move on. Don't know if I could sell a car like that and have it living close to me though

Like Autocars long term test Merc SL63 - dealer staff did not know it was a M-B owned car and when he collected it they had done 180+ miles in it and when pushed admitted that they had borrowed it to demo to a customer. Conversely when the 4Mo went in to have the broken clutch pedal linkage replaced they stated that they had given it a test drive but the trip meter showed it had done 0.1 mile.

I'm banned from Wolsey in Ipswich because I gave them a no holds barred report on their business. Seems like many businesses don't like the truth - I'm paid to be honest and I don't mind being banned if they take exception to what I believe to be true. I try to look at everything through the eyes of the customer rather than as a consultant

Kev - worked with a lot of dealer groups and have to say that overall Inchcape are comfortably the best, as with everything though you don't have to look too hard to find poor people. I deal with customer facing staff and I'm constantly amazed at how poor peoples basic people skills are - its not rocket science to treat people with courtesy and in a professional way but so many people just don't get it

Been pitching for a deal with Inchcape on some consultancy for the rest of the year. I asked for a car and they said there was no chance but they would pay IR fuel allowances - I was happy with that. They have just come back to me and advised that they will be supplying me with a Golf 2.0TDi and 80 gallons of fuel per month - it will be classed as a courtesy car so no tax impact on me (already checked with my accountant). When it reaches a need for a service it will simply be replaced. Not the most exciting car in the world but its free Quite happy with that :D

Theres a good guide here that helps with buying advice http://www.alfaworkshop.co.uk/alfa_romeo_gtv.shtml

The OH is set on a 328i convertible, nothing decent around, I may just go and buy a GTV with the intention of just running it for a few months and hope that she falls in love with it

The Alfa appeals on so many levels it hurts - having real trouble convincing the OH that an Italian sports coupe with a fabulous V6 is a better bet than an older, higher mileage German repmobile

In exactly the same boat - choice narrowed down to 2 cars - a late E36 328i or a GTV V6. I'm an Alfa nut so the Alfa is more appealling to me than the BMW and I do have some knowledge ofg the GTV. The V6 is more robust than the Twin Spark engine but like all Alfa's good maintenance is key. I'm amazed at how affordable the V6 is - looking at several around the £4-4.5k mark that have full histories - I'm thinking that on a car at 7-9 years old with full history most of the weak spots will have been resolved now.

They are applying the letter of law, would have been nice of them to be lenient but if they have fined you then you would be wasting time and money in appealling it. The fact that the numberplate was only going to be in the windscreen for a few miles is irrelevant

Is the £300 month allowance after tax, if not its more likely to be £230 - 240. Tax on an Insignia likely to be about £100 per month so all in you have a net £330 - 340 to buy and maintain a car. Been in a similar position myself and I opted out. That was only because the company had no policy on what I had to drive, I bought a G60 and then after that a Passat Syncro - no depreciation to speak of and I made money. If the company stipulate that it has to be under a certain age then it is probably financially better to opt for the company Indignia. As a tool to do a job the Insignia is superb, I had one for a long weekend and found it pretty impresive once I got over the fact that its a Vauxhall

Every magazine that has tested it reckon its still the purest Lotus on sale. Power is identical to the old 1.8 Toyota lump, emissions are down, economy is improved, six speed box as standard. I'd hardly call 0-60 in 6 secs slow.

And that will be on an exchange basis as well - had a similar thing on the 4Mo a couple of months ago, bought a new OE spec item for 1/2 the price elsewhere

Annual mileage - maintained or not - how long is the lease for - how many payments in advance. £300 per month on a lease doesn't buy much unfortunately

Call it 6k for the conversion and engine, 3k for a decent car to begin with and for 9k you have a car that will stand comparison with something newer, less characterful and more expensive - seems like a sensible option for some but I think you'd have to be pretty sure that you will be keeping the car for the long-term

All manufacturers are legally obliged to maintain a supply of ALL parts for 10 years after production ceases - after that it comes down to pure economics, if things sell and make a profit then they will continue to produce, things that sell slowly and / or do not return a decent return will be axed - its business and Volkswagen are no different to any other manufacturer. The one exception seems to be Mercedes-Benz who are exceptionally good at maintaining a good supply of parts well after their legal obligation has ceased

Having been in John Mitchells 16VG60 it was like comparing night with day against my non-standard G60's so I'm sure it will come good with the new ECU and a rolling road session