http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/alfa-romeo/159-sportwagon-2006/?section=good

If you are an Alfa enthusiast and can spend the time on them then fine. I don’t want a hobby if I did I would buy a Landy.

What you tend to hear by Alfa enthusiasts on here is if you check this, sort that, get this done and keep an eye on this, they are great cars. If that isn’t a warning sign and it doesn’t put you off then go for it. They are very good looking cars I’ll give you that, but that’s not enough for me. Plenty of reliable old barges out there to carry bikes.

I have a set of Altera roof bars used on my mk1 Vrs for sale used twice. They were about £100+ when I bought them, very good nick still in original box etc with all the bits. These clip into the channels on the roof. Where abouts are you.

I have a 2.0l 140bhp TDI 4×4 yeti. It’s Fab. Does everything we want it to do no fuss or drama. Handles like a car great ride very comfy. People let you in in traffic and off slip roads etc.

I for one will miss sitting with my 12 yr old son and listening to him laughing his head off at their silly japes. It gave him something to look forward to before school on a Monday. It was never for us but for our kids to sit and chuckle at and for us to just enjoy the look on their faces. A lot of people on this forum kind of missed the point a wee bit.

We are mad for buying new cars when there cars like this for sale. That one will have the 125bhp 1.8 engine. That’s a lot of car for the money.

I wouldn’t touch anything based on a mk4 golf chassis that includes Leon’s and octavia’s. Fiesta 2.0 ST simple engine chain driven an easy 150bhp in a small light weight body.

I had a mk1 focus but the face lifted one with the indicators in the headlights. It was a lx estate. One of the best cars we’ve ever had. I think they made them up to 04 ish. You can’t replace what was undoubtedly the best car ever made at the time. VW have only just caught up with the very latest golf and even that still struggles on the chassis stakes. Control blade rear suspension 10 yrs ahead of anybody else. If you can get a well looked after 170 ST they are superb cars.

Most people on here think the midlands is North. Where as north to me living in Durham is Ashington.

Woman from Ashington walks into local hairdresser and asks “can I have a perm please.” Hairdresser replies ” certainly I wondered lonely as a clood”

When I used to run my corolla GT’s Front wheel drives and Coupes it was considered on those 1.6 16v engines that they were only just loosening up by 100k. Jap is where it’s at for stellar mileages.

Please don’t get a mk4 golf. Great 1.9 tdi engine but the absolute worst handling car I’ve ever had in every way,that chassis is a turd!!!!

Finish line red for Summer and green for Winter. Never found anything better for the price. A drop on each link spin the pedals. Wipe the outside of the chain then ride. Never had a dry chain. For what its worth I never clean my chains just wipe off the excess crud then re lube. They seem to last longer in my experience.

Face to face is the way me thinks. Good luck.

Is it the 1.4 tdci or a 1.6?

Go small and you will regret it after a while. Focus or bigger defo diesel. I would go for a 2.0L TDCI Mondeo with soft suspension. As a mile muncher they are very very good.

TWrestler did you change the clutch to a single flywheel and diaphragm plate then. Most common rail diesel engines have a DMF to limit vibration damage to the gearbox input shaft, even most petrol engines have them these days.

Bought one to try and then bought another almost straight away. I have a yeti and they are quite high so the 591 makes it easier to clamp the bike on the down tube and I’m 6ft 4. Imagine it’s still quite high on a Smax. Tow bar mount might be better in this instance.

If you are worried go to Maplin and get a solar powered trickle charger and leave it in the window facing South. Cost about a tenner. Worked for me when I laid up my Mondeo for a couple of months.

This may sound a bit twee but focus on the positive and ignore the negative behavior. Kids thrive on attention at that age and will get it any way they can. Can be exhausting though, you have my sympathy. We used the naughty step as a last resort. Do not let them see that you’ve lost your temper under any circumstances otherwise they have you and they know it, even at 2! We called ours the time out stair!

People confuse polish with wax I hope. I would only polish a car once a year because it cuts the paint back. I wash my new one once every two weeks cos I made the mistake of buying a black metallic one, never again. Then I go over it with a detailing wax to get the water marks off comes up like new takes about an hour.It will get a black wax once every 6 months at most. That detailing wax spray is superb and really quick.

Anti pollution faults are more likely to be associated with the EGR valve I would of thought. How many miles on engine. Hopefully it’s not the DPF. Take the EGR valve off and check its not stuck. Don’t be tempted to take it out or bypass it, it’s there for a reason, to cool the inlet charge. Many people do this and it can hammer the turbo over time.

Have been looking at a Specialised Pitch 650B for him.

Diesel Passat’s of that era 1.9tdi’s are very reliable. Make sure it’s had it’s water pump and cambelt done.
Ps it’s not a modern diesel that’s why its such a good car!
Don’t worry about the light.

Oops double post.

Split cv boots are pants. If you get a new boot kit fitted it will last longer than you have the car. Put car on full lock if it clicks or knocks get a new joint fitted while your on.

May I suggest slicing up some red peppers and roasting them with the sausages, don’t need any sauce then, lovely!

The 1.8T was 150bhp. The 2.0l 16v was about 115bhp. I had a VRS 1.8T that had 220ish bhp after a remap and sundry mods. That chassis was based on the MK IV Golf with further improvements and even with those and uprated bushes and rear anti roll bar fancy shocks etc the ride was still pants. You can’t make a silk purse out of a sows ear! There are so many better cars out there. That chassis is so bad it’s laughable. If you like cars from that era I would go for a Focus ST 170 better than a mk4 Golf in every way or what about a mk5 Golf GTi.

He’ll need a helmet, shorts and shoes and possibly glasses. Throw in a backpack with bladder and tools and tubes etc and you are realistically looking at 750 max for the bike and 250 for accessories.

I have a little used 20″ dark blue 456 frame in very very good condition fully waxoiled, used about 5 times. Even had the BB faces done for the crank. It was to slack for me plus I didn’t really have a fork that could do it justice.

Got to be a 1.8 petrol Avensis. Better to drive than the 2.0l petrol, lighter and better handling. Quite good on fuel for a big car. If you wait till it dies before you buy something else you’ll end up leaving it in your will! They are quite dull though.

A mate has a Series 1 87 inch Landy in his garage in bits ready to restore for his daughter. It’s been cut down to 80 inch. It’s on the log book as an 87 inch. Think it might of been a Dutch army one. Anyone have any info?

I wonder what percentage of the cabinet/shadow cabinet are privately educated oxbridge graduates. I am sure your right Ernie about the numbers but what about the numbers where the real power is, the heart of government so to speak.

Depends what industry your in I guess and where you are.

Ring the service dept of your local Toyota dealer.

Now then boys play nicely. Most of the high profile politicians from both parties are privately educated middle to upper class tw*T’s. This is their private club and we the general public are not invited. To think there is any difference between them you must be deluded. You can play your left and right wing party politics, won’t make a tiny bit of difference.

Why don’t you just take it for a 20 mile blast once a week to clear the dpf and keep it? Cheaper than replacing the car.

I have no problem with a Scottish political party having a say in how the UK is governed ie the Union, what I find funny is a Party hell bent on Independence selling there vote and principle’s now a chance of power crops up. A lot of labour supporters up here in the North of England felt deserted by the SNP ie their vote would of helped to possibly get a Labour majority in this election. I would be surprised now if we ever see single party politics in my lifetime, coalitions are here to stay I think.

I think if Labour align themselves with the SNP to form a coalition to secure a majority to form a government this will push a lot of died in the wool English labour voters to desert the party on mass. There is still a lot of anger about the SNP trying to split the Union. Not sure how it will sit with a lot of English voters to have the SNP dictating Policy that will have a bigger effect in England than Scotland. Interesting times ahead me thinks.

Ripon Harrogate area, not to far from A1. Should be able to find somewhere where you can park the car where your not worried about leaving the boards etc. Masham is really nice and so is the black sheep brewery!

I’ve just got one of these to scratch that 29er itch from Pauls Cycles for £499.
http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m1b0s155p5408/CANNONDALE-TRAIL-SL-29-3-2014