Ekona

Anyone who drives the Ring with the intention of setting lap times on either a tourist day or a track day deserves to be shot. Drive it because it's fun and challenging, but treat it as a fast country road rather than a racetrack else you're going to come unstuck. Although I assume you've all driven the Ring before?

Congratulations Jay, really pleased for you fella

I really hope you're kidding... Trust me, you do not ever want to be caught doing daft speeds in France. Ever. Being escorted to an ATM, emptying your bank account of 750EU and then giving them your licence as well is just about the worst feeling in the world. Oh, and then there's the letters asking for more money when you get home... Really, it just ain't worth it.

She-Wee for the missus

As long as you don't try and do anything daft like put the roof down when it's frozen solid, absolutely no issues whatsoever. Keep the mechanism nice and lubed though just in case.

I've used a similar sized jump pack on my Zed before, a couple of times and it was good as gold. Well worth the investment IMHO. Not sure how it's the AA and RAC's fault that you weren't prepared for winter and let the battery go flat

I'd be worried, it hasn't had a service for 4 years! 4 year old oil is not something I'd want in any engine, much less a performance one.

You'd be insuring and taxing it instead of the Zed and it will be cheaper on fuel so you'll actually be saving a fair wedge of cash there, although you're quite right about the risk of something going wrong. That said, you have that with all cars, and unless it's gearbox or engine related you could probably live with it on a shed.

Lols

DMS or Abbey for me. Abbey really are worth the trip IMHO, but I was always happy with the service I got at DMS. Bet that Gold service excludes anything with a 6-cylinder engine, like VW do with their cheapy servicing on their range.

I'd seriously consider an Alfa if they designed the outside, inside and drivetrain, and then gave the whole lot to Lotus to make sure it was actually good to drive.

Good to know, cheers matey

Check your coolant levels.

It is.

Stay away from the M25 and M20 at all costs, that's probably the best thing to do I'm only half-joking, most people are finishing work tomorrow so those roads are going to be absolutely manic. Other than that I'd just load up the iPod and be prepared to do a lot of waiting around, just in case. Hope it goes well for you though mate, have a good trip

Bugger, I was hoping you were going to say that the 050s were pretty good in the cold, I want to make a trip down to Brighton on Friday Just another thought as well: Instead of the cost of snow tyres, buy a shed. If you buy right at the bottom it'll cost you a couple of hundred quid for a FWD bucket with skinny tyres that'll get you places the Zed will refuse to go, and you can sell it on afterwards for what you paid for it.

Mine can be used again though, yours is more a one off

Get yourself a wire coat hanger and use that instead

That is an absolutely stunning '5. Well done sir. As far as your question goes, it depends on if you can afford to lose £3500. That's working on the basis that you swap your insurance over to the Zed and don't take out a new policy or a multicar one to cover the MX-5. Best case scenario someone buys it without driving it and you're quids in, worst case it gets nicked and you've got no comeback.

Don't force them. Spray a load of WD-40 in there and leave it.

It's not your own driving you've got to worry about, it's everyone else's. What happens if some idiot pulls out in front of you and you need to make a very quick manoeuvre to avoid him, but because of your mixed tyres coupled with the dodgy weather and road conditions, the back end steps out unexpectedly and you spin 360? Now what if the same thing happens but there's a child on the pavement and you wipe them out with your spin? Change them all and change them now. For the sake of a couple of hundred quid, it's just not worth it.

If you have to ask, then you know the answer.

That's not how I read it. It refers to the 'higher rate' after it refers to the 'higher "First Year Rate"', which I took to mean that they're the same thing. As such, you only get anything back if the vehicle falls into the latter three categories. Bloody DVLA never made anything simple!

I have the answer! Copied from DVLA form V14, application for a refund of road tax: If you paid a higher “First Year Rate†for a newly registered vehicle’s first tax disc, you will only get a refund based on the higher rate if the vehicle has been stolen, scrapped or the vehicle’s tax class has changed to a nil value tax class such as ‘disabled’. So basically you get f*ck all unless your car has been nicked or written off.

Interesting question, and a bloody good one too! I'd love to know the answer.