Motorbikes are an excellent tool for the purpose they’re designed for, whatever that is. A car is almost always a compromise.

Pah, who needs a car!

He’s right ^^ bikes aren’t dangerous.

No a static motorbike isn’t dangerous but I would argue that riding a motorbike on the road (any bike at any speed) is far more dangerous than making the same journey by car.

I have three bike riding friends (people you could class as enthusiastic bikers), sadly one of them was killed in a motorcycle accident five years ago. The second has had his share of scrapes, most recently two broken wrists and a punctured lung. The third has recently sold his three bikes now that he has a child and has bought a tuned Mini Cooper S instead. He even admits that the Mini day to day is more fun and less stress than his bikes ever were.

None of my car driving friends, despite a fair few accidents between them, some (cough ahem) enthusiastic driving and many more miles covered has thankfully suffered a severe injury in the last 20 or so years since we’ve been driving.

If I lived in a remote, sunny part of the world I can see the appeal of a bike, I really can and I’d probably buy one. In the UK, well you’d have to be really dedicated to put up with the rain, traffic, potholes, and lack of courtesy from other road users. May as well be in a nice warm comfy car in those situations.

New bike, it’s big, red and going to destroy Krytons RS4 ;)

you’ll never get head in a motorcycle ;)

Tyres were shot, locks were broke, ignition had been bypassed due to a key fault, seats had 4 years worth of toddler on them, the body was knackered etc! The engine worked I suppose (100k on it) but other than that I cannot think of one salvageable part.

Yet it just passed an MOT?????

More food for thought:

B7 Buying Guide

PH Heroes RS4

End of the day if you want an RS4 and have always wanted one then don’t let anyone else tell you that something else will do because it won’t. A BMW 335d whilst a nice quick car with character and more than enough power for the real world, is, at the end of the day just an every-day 3 Series that happens to have a big engine. The RS4 is a limited run model built completely separately from the main A4 production line and as a result will feel special just sat in traffic.

A nearly new 335d will probably loose you £5-6k a year in depreciation. The depreciation on an RS4 will be minimal (the B5’s are now appreciating), yet it will probably cost you £3-4K a year in extra fuel and servicing compared to the 335d. Man maths says get the RS4!

Depends what you like about biking? If it’s more the great views, flowing trails, the feeling of getting away from it all and a sense of wilderness then Marin trail is best. If you prefer carefully manicured trails, go big or go home, and a bacon butty and jet wash at the end of your ride then Llandegla the better choice.

But, if I had the money and the time, and in similar circumstances to the ones I’m in now, I’d consider an RS2. They are rarer, more special, will appreciate over time, and is the original Audi/Porsche estate

Agree, or the B5, try finding a good one though!

I still think an MX5 will be a more rewarding car to drive.

Well having driven both an MX5 (Mk 1 and 2) and an RS4 I prefer the RS4 hands down. The MX5 whils a great little car on the right road, for general use felt under powered, noisy, and not really very practical for an everyday proposition if you actually need to carry anything.

All the high power modern cars I have driven are just not attainable on the road and actually leave you feeling a bit disappointed.

Not at all, if you live anywhere near a decent driving road it’s more than possible to frequently use the full performance of an RS4 or similar machinery. More-so with the RS4 because it still performs whatever the weather and with a good margin of safety too. It’s all about picking the right place and time where it’s safe to do so.

Autoblipper, slipper clutch, traction control, 190bhp in a <200kg machine.. 0-100 quicker than the RS will do 0-60

So what – it’s a motorbike, a plane would be faster still, this is a car thread and personally I don’t have a fetish about wearing sweaty leather clothing, getting soaked to the skin and squashing my head into an upside-down pudding basin every time I leave the house. Doesn’t float my boat at all and you’re likely to very quickly end up an organ donor with all but the slightest of mistakes.

Christ I’ve always wanted an RS4, 911 or similar – I’d have bought one when I was 20’s if I could have afforded it, but I couldn’t.

So why when your find yourself in your 40’s and finally have the money to afford such a car is it all of a sudden a ‘midlife crisis’ to go and buy one?

Meh, if he’s going to have a full on midlife crisis then an RS4’s as good a way to scratch the itch as any

Yup exactly, and the RS4 a cool, fast, iconic car that’s actually pretty damn good at doing what it’s designed for – i.e a practical, everyday, all weather supercar (designed for those who like to be a bit more discreet).

Far better the OP buys this (or another genuine sportscar) for his midlife crisis that some expensive, showy blinged up SUV that’s not particularly good at anything.

Good choice OP :)

my mate has a b6 rs4 estate

Audi didn’t make a B6 RS4 – just the S4.

RS4’s were B5, B7 and B8

A remapped S4 is still not an RS4.

Agree, if you’ve always wanted an RS4 and buy the S4 then you’ll only be disappointed. S4 is a great car but you don’t want to think ‘if only’ every time an RS4 drives past.

For 20k you’re looking at quite an old one, 2006 – 2007.

But they won’t be depreciating anymore. You’ll spend £2-3k a year on maintenance probably but compare that to say £5-6k a year depreciation on a nearly new one and it’s peanuts.

it lost the police in a chase at 150 mph!

and this is why they get stolen apparently, the perfect getaway car for 4 x armed blokes and a boot full of loot!

This video tells you all you need to know:

Sorry chaps would love to debate all day on this but gotta leave work now to drive home in rush hour traffic perfectly happily in my non-dashcam equipped car.

But wait! Jeesss, have I thought this through, I feel nervous already, what if something happens? How will I prove who’s at fault? How will I gather sufficient evidence for my compensation? Maybe I should take the train, but there isn’t one, arghhh!!!

Ah, so any opinion that disagrees from your own gets dismissed as ‘trolling’ now then? Right . . . okay then . . . :roll:

I think you’re all missing the point. The ‘me first’ attitude created by nervous or self righteous obsessives filming everything is just fueling a culture of general mistrust and perceived danger in society.

People deserve the right to go about their daily business without others filming them all the time for god know’s what purpose.

How long before we all start wearing cameras on our chests just walking down the street, just in-case something happens or to film someone doing something we don’t agree with? Perhaps we could use that footage to report them to the authorities, shame them (bully them) on the internet or ‘sue the arse’ off them depending on your point of view.

Honestly, loose the paranoia people – there are risks in life, that’s life, but not everyone is out to get you!

Surely that’s making society better as the guilty party who is to blame is penalised rather than the victim.

Nope it’s making society rely on cameras to spy on other people rather than encourage individuals to take on responsibility for their own actions.

Like the ‘blame for claim’ culture, spying and a fundamental distrust of others (hence the need to film them) is helping destroy peoples trust in each other.

You also have to ask yourself, were you the guilty party in an accident and had recorded your mistake on your dashcam, would you do the honorable thing and hand it in to police? I doubt it, so please don’t be ridiculous and say you’re trying to make society better.

I am looking at getting a dash cam, but has anyone got any recommendations?

Yup don’t bother – because exactly what the rest of us need is one more ‘self righteous’ ‘record everything’ ‘know everything’ clueless numpty on the road promoting the ‘Big Brother’ and a ‘where there’s a blame there’s a claim’ state.

Better investment IMO would be to spend the money on an advance driving course to improve your situational awareness and help avoid an accident in the first place.

BMW in the snow? aren’t they rear wheel drive? that’s probably the issue there surely… not saying the manual isn’t better to handle in the snow as I bet it is but a front wheel drive or a quattro would have done much better in an auto guise.

However you want a car with thinner tyres in the snow and the right tyres, too many variables going on to blame it purely on the auto being crap in the snow.

Nope not really, both were RWD, one Auto, one Manual (hire cars) – like night and day in the snow. Sure, BMW’s not generally great in the snow without winter tyres but the Auto made it un-drivable when the going got tough, the manual with a bit of coaxing made it. Not the driver either, I was in the manual and had a go in the Auto too once my mates got stuck. I couldn’t do any better than my friend did to get it going.

i have been trying to think of why you would choose a manual, and i have come up with two reasons.
1. you cant afford an auto
2. you drive an MX5

autos are so nice these days, and changing gear is just boring. everything else on the car is automated why would you want to stamp up and down on a clutch pedal all day long?

Because a manual if you know how to drive still gives you more car control than an Auto box. With a manual you can be in the right gear at the right time an plan ahead, setting up the car properly ahead of what’s expected of it. With an Auto you sometimes just have to hope it does what you ask of it.

Sure modern Auto’s with paddles etc are getting much better but many in my experience still find it difficult to cope when something unexpected happens. Driving up to Cairngorm ski slope last year is an obvious one. Two identical BMW 320d’s, except one manual, one Auto. Both cars struggled to make it up the hill, but with the manual we were able to think outside the box, use delicate clutch control and the correct gear to get it to the top. The Auto just couldn’t cope, we couldn’t get it to do what we wanted, it lacked the fine control we needed, the snow and ice and lack of grip just confused it and we ended up having to leave it half way down the hill for the day.

I’d say if you like driving, are a skilled driver, live near some free flowing twisty roads and like to retain ultimate control of your car then get the manual.

If driving is just seen as a way to get from A to B, perhaps a chore to be endured, mainly in heavy traffic, you’re happy to sacrifice a little bit of subtlety and control in the name of convenience then get an automatic.

Well to quote Mr Attenborough . . .

Wonder what impact a career spent encountering animals has had on Sir David’s own lifestyle choices. He hasn’t been tempted by vegetarianism?

“As a scientist I can see perfectly well that Homo sapiens is an omnivore. So I think I can have a mixed diet with some degree of biological logic. And, providing the animals that you eat have been kept [and killed] in a reasonable, humane way, I think you needn’t worry.”

Has he been to an abattoir?

“I have seen animals being killed and it’s not a pleasant sight. But then there are quite a lot of realities of life [that] are not pleasant.”

Are there any rules relating to holding the old boy steady? I recon with the right amount of swingback followed by an enthusiastic send, then the ceiling is surely achievable?

If he’s operating through a Ltd company, put both the name of the Ltd company, and his personal name on the claim form (look to seek the money from both). That way if you win the case and he decides to wind up the company then he’ll still be personally liable should the judgement go against him.

Twattery? People on here have tried to help the OP and all the OP can do is rather than offer thanks, just seek to belittle, disagree with or discredit any advice he’s been given. What was the point in starting this thread if he was completely happy with his dealer and his Volvo from day one? Wast of all our time!

why in the name of all thats holy would anyone pick that over a Quattroporte. (or any nicely made sports saloon for that matter)

I think you’re forgetting that people who buy SUV’s mostly seem to do so because of the perceived image/status thing. I don’t thing most of them are particularly worried that it might not be the best car out there!

or dump it through the local auction while it’s still working. It would sell for less than you’d get in a private sale, but not £3k less.

This is what I’d do, or trade it in against a newer model at one of those car supermarket places. Dealers will normally assess the car cosmetically and on mileage and history when giving you a trade in value and you’re not obliged to reveal the steering issue. You’ll possibly get more for it like this than at auction, and the dealer will then just send to auction anyway.

What I really cannot stand is douchebags who think it’s perfectly reasonable behaviour to accuse people of being lying, duplicitous douchebags, which is what you’re doing when you suggest that main dealer is lying about what’s wrong with my car.

Don’t take it so personally – folk are only trying to help you on here by suggesting that you might want a second opinion that’s all. You came on here asking for opinions right?

It would be interesting to compare the cost of subhiring the above -v- the cost of using a normal JCB and relaying several 100m of trail…

I’d also make the point that 2 tonnes of gravel is sweet f… all. Maybe 10 of us moved 50 tonnes over 2 days at Bolehills BMX track, including a 50m wheelbarrow journey each trip. How many tonnes of surfacing did they end up laying to move that 2 tonnes?

Yup 2 tonnes in nothing, couple of small trailer full’s. Could have been moved by a couple of guys with quad bike trailers, barrows etc within a day I’d have thought.

It would probably have been cheaper to lower in a small digger via helicopter than build that access trail, seriously!

It was easily walkable in pretty much any sensible outdoors footwear. It didn’t need any sort of “protection”.

And there was a wide fireroad type chicken run bypassing the most difficult section anyway?

Anyone have contacts at the local council and NT to esquire about why this was done? Could be the thin end of the wedge. First Walna Scar, then Loughrigg Terrace, now Jenkin Crag. What next, Garburn Pass, Grizedale Singletrack, Nan Bield? At this rate unless something is done in another 10 years all of the classic Lakeland descents will be sanitized!!!

Surely some local paper coverage might help? Highlighting how local care for the elderly is facing drastic cuts yet £1,000’s being wasted on unnecessary trail work could get some local ‘non mountain biker types’ on side and make the council think twice in future?

Yep getting a right deep dicking there at £4K for that. Still despite asking for advice on here the OP knows best and seems determined to pull his pants down at the main dealers, bend over and take a large one regardless!

My opinions are based on life experience not what I’ve read in a book. Go and have a walk round most towns in east lancs at night and see how safe u feel in multicultural Britain those are the reasons I voted to leave and rightly so as many other cultures don’t have the same values!

Haha yet the same folks who feel perfectly safe surrounded by the fat, lager binging, sunburnt, swearing Brits on the average Ryanair flight back from the Costa del Sol!

The same folks who feel happily comfortable surrounded by the swearing, racist, fighting, fag smoking, casually homophobic, pie eating football supporters at your average cup derby. Engerlaaaaannnnd!

British values eh – got to love them!

Getting rid of May would be good though I think – even Boris would be better and deep down he wasn’t really a complete exiter, based on his comments

What the same Boris who jumped on the Brexit bandwagon he didn’t actually agree with merely to further his own career? Really? Have you been drinking?

not everyone that voted for breexit is racist and it’s pretty ignorant of people to keep suggesting this over and over, like a broken record, that they are.

No of course not, but a significant percentage are, and what Brexit has delivered to those people who are racist (and what we have seen post-referendum) is a perceived validation of their skewed opinions and a feeling that it’s okay for them to now speak out with their racist views, making foreigners feel unwelcome in the process.

This is exactly the last sort of thing this country needs right now and requires shutting down quickly. At the very east the government should be re-assuring all foreigners that are here legally, that whatever happens post-Brexit, they will still be a valued and welcome part of UK society.

I’ve lived here almost all my life and loved and stuck up for the place; and even I’m not sure I want to stay any more.

Same here, if the racist bigots get their way and we go for ‘Hard Brexit’ then think I’ll look to move somewhere more open minded. Such a shame but I don’t want to live in a country that shuts itself off from the rest of the continent.

Friend of mine from Sweden was told to ‘go back to where she’d come’ by an old man at a bus stop not long after the referendum result.

Absolutely shocking, she was quite upset when I met her in the pub afterwards and I had to reassure her that it was only a small minority who though like that. Despite being here for 12 years and with a British husband she’s still not sure whether to stay in the UK anymore.