That is a 04. They are the standard alloys I think. 320mm disc brakes for what that’s worth. I pick her up tomorrow. Quite looking forward to driving her back to Durham via the back roads of course!

What is a K04? Is that a uprated turbo!

Sticking thermostat combined with water pump maybe.

Its an 04 with 84k. FSH cambelt and water pump done. I think the previous owner was obsessive about keeping it pristine. The seats and interior have had covers on from new.Its not cheap but nothing comes close for the money really. As a friend keeps telling me the quality will be remembered long after the price has been forgotten.

Yes Briskoda I believe. The previous owner was a member so it may pay to join up.

None of the top British players have come through the LTA system. All have trained abroad. Parents will not sacrifice their kids education during the peak time for their tennis development ie when they are doing their GCE’s. In eastern Europe this is not a problem. Yes the class system has a lot to answer for but you can’t tar everybody with the same brush. As a side note the Lta spent a cool half million on its canteen at Roehampton. Its about projecting an image not about producing players.

To get in the top 200 in professional tennis is a staggering achievement. That most so called professional footballers could only dream about that level of dedication and commitment. Most parents sacrifice their social life, career and most other things in order for their kids to have a shot at the big time. Probably only the top 2% will get to play at a national level. I know because i’m one of those parents. I drive a 10 yr old car 20 k a year to tennis comps. My son trains 5 days a week and plays competitions on the weekends. He volunteers to help mini tennis on a Saturday morning. We haven’t had a holiday for 3yrs. Tennis coaching is not cheap. I would jump at the chance to watch a bit professional tennis at Wimblydon. I’d even stump up 2.50 for some strawberries and cream.

You really do try and turn everything into some sort of class war / struggle and I find it rather tedious old chap :-)

Service history is no indicator that the car has been any better looked after than if a good enthusiast has been maintaining it. More poor garages than good ones out there. Just add in a sump drop and clean into the price.

The 800ml Sis bottles from tesco’s are 3.99 and have no smell or aftertaste and the valve is simple and works really well. Don’t buy any cheap bottles from Sports Direct they are very poor.

Nissan Almera. Possibly the dullest car ever made. Chain cam petrol engines, usually very well serviced by middle aged owners and incredibly rugged nissan mechanicals. You will not find a more reliable cheap hatchback. A mate has a hatchback and his 26er will fit in the back with both wheels on. One lamda sensor in 5yrs. The 2.2 D is old school and bullet proof.

If you go for the beemer get the swirl flaps done by a good bmw independent garage. A guy at work has a 52 plate 330D its amazing.

Aracer what was it a VW 1.9 by any chance? They are really quite old tech which is why they are so reliable. Quite hard to find a decent 1.9 tdi at a sensible price these days. In fact the diesel parts are fine and everything else packs up. Agreed the mondeo is big but what a car. I looked for a petrol to chop mine in for but couldn’t find one either. Mind when that 130 hp TDCI is working properly it’s glorious.

Here is what I would do. I would buy a good quality 5k petrol estate with all the bells and whistles and put the extra 2k towards fuel. Diesels are great if they are bought second hand at 1yr old and chopped in before 70k. As I am finding out with my mondy when diesel system repairs are needed the costs are astronomic. I think if your hammering up and down the motorway they make great sense otherwise for general hacking about short and long journeys petrols make a lot of sense.

15 yrs on our bosch washing machine and dishwasher, never had to touch either of them.

I had a golf estate mk4 tdi. Kept it for a year. It was the worst handling barge I’ve ever had. Only returned 43mpg. My diesel mondeo estate mk3 is about 47. Having said that it was reliable only needing a new wiper arm cradle and front anti roll bar bushes doing in 10k. 8O Oh yes and when the sidelights fail on the front its a bumper off job to change them takes about 40mins. I was sick of doing it so I replaced mine with white Led conversions, they were pap but it passed it’s MOT . Ever wondered why you see so many with LED conversions that’s why. Seriously the chassis is rubbish but they will run to stellar mileages if your prepared to do the work. If you can find a focus mk1 facelift 1.8 tdci with the 115 bhp motor its better in every way.

I tend to stick with nothing more than 2.2s on my 719’s and they have been great. Don’t go over 2.0 on my 717’s.

Whoa globalti that’s a real shame,think you know what you’ve got to do there fella, not an easy one that. Your children’s feelings are more important than your wife’s. Can’t get that time back.

My 10yr old son’s in order
1. Mike McCready (Pearl Jam)
2. Angus Young
3. Slash
4. Pete Willis (Early Def Leppard)
5. Jimmy Page

These are his favorite players not who he thinks are the best.

The Rat Inn. Make sure you book up. V good.

Can’t go wrong with a bottle of Glenmorangie for the ladies. Smooth with vanillery notes. Mrs Inbred likes a tipple of this but wouldn’t touch any of the so called classic malts.

Had a bog 90hp tdi estate. Not a bad car quite reliable parts are cheap. Go for an AWX 04 model. This is the best year for reliability. If you can find a 130 bhp 6 speed you will be very lucky. Cam belt and water pump every 40k if not budget that in price or walk away.

Teach him to go to sleep in the recovery position so he doesn’t choke on his own vomit. Job done. My old man told me I could do what I liked as long as I took responsibility for it,and if I ever came home lashed he would give me a good hiding. Needless to say I always sobered up first.

Here is Callum now 12yrs old. Otterhound bred for hunting otters as the name suggests. Airedale crossed with a Griffon/bloodhound l think. Rarer than giant panda’s!

Stand back you’re about to get soaked!

Is that beauty an Otterhound? Great dogs in to the sea dry off in sand then trash car!

Merlin used to do 13″ malt 1 frames. Was thinking about one for my tall 10 yr old when he grows out of his 24″ carrera blast.

Smaller wheels and tyres must create more drag over any given surface than a larger tyre and wheel due to the tyre dropping into any ruts or depressions created on the surface. What do you want from your bike? If you want to ride faster, get a more efficient bike ( 29er) or train harder. I ride primarily to try and stay fit because I could never use a gym. I’ll stick with 26″ for now because I like how it feels, the parts are cheap, don’t care how fast I am. Ha I’ve only just gone to 9 speed!

The only difference between any of the three main parties is how they take your money off you.

I got my Toro from Rutland Cycles. They often have some cracking deals on Exposure stuff. Had my Toro for two trouble free yrs.

Mondeo estate or Sharan / Alhambra. Mondeo rated at 1800kg braked Sharan 2000kg braked. Both very good towers.

No reason not to change the battery yourself. Make sure you have all relevant codes for radio etc. You may need to reset the window stops on the leccy windows, it will give you the procedure in the owners manual it’s fairly straight forward. Euro carparts much cheaper than halfords.

Small great with kids = border terrier. You can’t really go wrong with one of these. Don’t know so much about the Patterdale, great working dogs i’ve heard very willful but great with the wee ones.

Yeah kind of think it may be a bit of a damp one again this year. I’m a size 12 so find overshoes a bit of a stretch. Will probably ride with these most of the year unless it’s scorching ha! Can’t get away with Sealskins so think Gore tex maybe the way to go. Don’t suffer from cold feet generally so a full winter boot maybe a bit overkill. Thanks for the response.

I went for the loft insulation and it’s made a hell of a difference. Went from 70 mm to 270mm. Wouldn’t touch cavity wall insulation. Cavity is there for a reason. Heard too many horror stories about condensation and damp walls to risk it.

Wot no Ritchie!

Saracen Kili flyer hand made fillet brazed 853 lovelyness for 300 quid. Long top tube and geometry for a 120 fork. I went from a 456 to the kili and love it.

http://www.wheelies.co.uk/p53903/Saracen-Kili-Flyer-Cromo-Reynolds-853-Frame-2011.aspx

I would have loved a Soul but I’m a bit of an ape and they just feel a bit short in the top tube, longer stems or really layed back posts just don’t cut it on the Soul.

They are still selling Saracen Kili Flyer frames in white and aqua. 853 tubing fillet brazed hand made lovelyness with geometry for 120 forks. I think these frames will hold their value because they are switching over to 650b.

love this from two of my favourites. Great Rock blues.

Ice should only be allowed in Cider. Please not in Beer!

Hmmm think I’ll crack one open now!

Blandford Flyer is excellent but only with Curries, the ginger lends itself very nicely to blend with the other spices. Better if chilled as well. Fursty Ferret, terrible name but a fantastic Ale. Poachers Choice Arghhh liquorice should not be allowed in any beer and Golden Glory with peach is just plain wrong.