Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

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Hopefully that has removed the chance of luggage joining us in the front.

You are gonna have to replace that scratched seat belt trim piece, or I dunno, maybe get them re-trimmed in the exact Porsche fabric to match your recaro?

At least you can finally take a little handbag dog with you...

That would drive me absolutely insane but it should be easy enough to paint match that dappled grey effect with two or three shades of grey and if you do both sides you'll not notice a difference between them...

At least you can finally take a little handbag dog with you...

In the area that is completely lined with Alcantara, famous as the material du nos jour of dog beds?

I’ve decided to look for a 2005 ish V70R. My Dad is actually keener for it than me, and is egging me on no end. I think it’s the car he wanted to buy but never did. There are quite a few out there to choose from. Automatic or manual and mileage to cost to figure out now. There is a guy selling an auto Japanese imported one by me that I’m going to have a look at this weekend.

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YES ! i love V70 Rssss

Ah brilliant car logic of that is what I want. My advice is take someone with you that is clued up, as rose tinted glasses can be expensive when you find a car you want.

tell me about it...!

You gotta give the heart what it wants. I blame my family and BTCC annuals from the 90’s growing up. If I had banana yellow 850 T5R money right now I’d be going for one of them. I’ve got a couple of guys ready to help me out and my Dad is a ‘Volvo dealership only’ kinda guy so he will be there to keep it all in check.

If you go for a manual, check the clutch very carefully, they're a swine to get to and very expensive to replace as a consequence. Guess how I found this out....

Good to know, thanks. I’ve read about the engine blocks cracking in the manuals more because people do them up and/or just rag the bollocks off them more. I am tempted by a manual but they are much more expensive for usually more mileage from what I’ve seen. I read somewhere that there could be less than 5 left on the road in the UK. I’m not put off by the geartronic though. All Volvos I’ve driven and all my dads have been automatic and they have lasted.

good choice dude. look forward to update after you have checked the one out at the weekend.

I keep looking at Volvo estates. But slightly older ones. And I have to wait for the BMW to die first. Which it shows no signs of doing.

I hear you and completely understand, there is no need to justify the this is what I want to us ;) and have done the same. Just hoping that some one learns from my mistakes. As I don't, so hopefully someone will.

I have bought some utter rubbish as I wanted one and one came up. Wish someone had gone with me and helped me see the bad points.

EDIT: I went to see a very cheap DS familial, that was just out of reach of my bank balance.

Thoughts on Volvo’s subscribe and drive thing?

Assume you pay through the nose.

I think it's around a grand a month.

I'm inching closer to exchanging on my garages, and have to start thinking seriously about the door situation. Since the break-in I want one of them to be a sectional design, likely a Hormann as they're apparently very secure.

Which means that I need power- I had an electrician out to look over the options and his view was that running mains power was going to be about the same price as solar panels, an inverter and some batteries, but hugely less hassle as no dealing with the managing agent.

I'd prefer mains, as once it's done it's done, but it is indeed hassle. I am coming around to the off-grid approach, and wondering if anyone else has gone this route?

This is the sort of thing I'm thinking about fitting.

The truely smart solution is to put the panels on your van roof and cut a hole in the garage ceiling.

Assuming those batteries were fully charged, would you get a full day's worth of running a saw, drill, radio, work lights etc?

I have a question for the hive mind (probably mainly @Dammit in all honesty):

My house has sold for considerably more than I originally thought and my onward purchase is going to be a small rental for long term investment.

Originally I was planning to buy a Boxster, but with more funds I can run to a 911. I’m thinking a manual 997 C2S convertible

Can the collective wisdom here tell me why I shouldn’t…

No reason why you shouldn't.

The only questions/thoughts are if you want manual, then either 997.1 or 997.2 will be great, although the .2 is a better car if you can afford a newer one. If you want auto, the 997.2 PDK is much, much better than the 997.1 Tiptronic.

What sort of money do you want to spend on buying it, and what do you envisage spending on maintaining it?

997.2 PDK is much better (objectively) than a 997.1 tip, but - dangerously close to 991 money.

Can the collective wisdom here tell me why I shouldn’t…

Only if you get the matching paint job. You know the one.

(Very jealous BTW.)

No reason why you shouldn't.

The only questions/thoughts are if you want manual, then either 997.1 or 997.2 will be great, although the .2 is a better car if you can afford a newer one. If you want auto, the 997.2 PDK is much, much better than the 997.1 Tiptronic.

Can’t drive an automatic Porsche!