Ekona

Having now had the car for a week, and also having driven another one as a potential purchase, I find myself very much caught between the practical and the passion. The more I drive 'my' one, the more I'm convinced it's a representative example of the breed. There's the expected creak, and something rattling around somewhere (probably a drinks can), and the overall ambience is definitely early 00's Jap sports car. The engine just seems to be more and more puzzling to me, and I can't quite figure out why. Let me explain that last bit a little better. I know the engine has limited torque compared to the power, so when I need to get somewhere I make sure I use the revs. So far, so good. However, even when absolutely nailing it from a standstill it never feels quick at all, and I don't mean in that way that something like an M6 or XKR can. It just doesn't feel quick, or nippy, or whatever you'[d expect something with 170bhp/ton to feel like. The Zed, as an example, is around 184bhp/ton, and that does feel quick. This doesn't. And yet, when on the motorway at 70mph in 6th, you can bury the throttle and it's up to 80mph much quicker than you'd think. It's very odd, to put it mildly. Also drove a PZ on Saturday, as that would be the sensible choice for myself as a purchase I think. Suspension is massively stiffer, although maybe a little over sprung for some UK roads. Exhaust is different on the PZ too, but I didn't notice anything over a decatted OEM exhaust, and I'd still definitely have to change it for moar volumes. The interior was a bit shabbier, despite having done half the miles of mine, but I was more interested in the drive so that's pretty irrelevant. The car should have a bit more power too, however it actually felt slower but that may be because I was two-up in the car with a friend, so again I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. Apart from the spoiler and the wheels, personally I think I would rather buy a standard one and put some one-way adjustable suspension on it myself than rely on the Prodrive fettled stuff. It may not be better per se, but it would be better for me. Realistically, it would probably be cheaper too. The ultimate temptation is to buy one with the engine gone for about £600, spend £2300 on a rebuild with some porting, do the suspension and exhaust for another £2k, and end up with the perfect RX8 for me for under five big ones. The biggest issue I'm starting to have is the driving position. For some reason, I feel like I'm tilting to the left which is causing me a bit of grief getting comfortable, and it could possibly be down to the huge transmission tunnel. That could pretty much be a deal breaker. The other big issue I'm having is that the 'special' feeling has pretty much worn off, and it's starting to feel like a regular car again. Above anything else, that's the one thing that I CANNOT have in a weekend car. Maybe it's a passing phase and I need to bond with the car more, but certainly it's a huge nagging worry.

Budget for: Fuel 97+ @18mpg Tax and insurance you can figure out Maintenance @£1500 pa That's a ballpark, most will be less but better to over guess than under.

Get the code read, do the pedal dance as detailed in the FAQs if you don't have a reader.

Will can do it too now, as he's a Mod

I only knew because I googled it Folks, I know this seems like a long way off but it's really important to start planning for this now: Bookings will be completely sorted well before Christmas, and we're halfway through this year already Even if you've no interest in the racing right now, and the WEC doesn't seem to have the appeal of F1, I can promise you the 24hr race is like nothing else you'll ever experience. You'll definitely be into afterwards, as I was exactly the same before my first trip. Imagine the atmosphere of a music festival, but with lots and lots of cars. It's legendary for a reason. Do it.

Also, sucks to be your wife and your son, as they both now have to declare either a claim or an accident for the next few years.

Also it's for when the other party turns around and claims it's your fault, then the fault goes 50/50 and you have to pay for the rental car. It does happen. Personally speaking, unless I had no other choice then I wouldn't be taking a rental car issued against my name on my credit card.

There's nothing left to do. Assuming you have the witness statement from the copper, just sit back and wait.

Beausejour

Meh, us 911 owners always drive like that. Gods behind the wheel, I tell thee.

Not tried one yet

I once asked a deaf person, who's house I was looking at buying, if it was noisy round there Did Clarkson repeat the word when he recorded that bit again? If yes, then that's just stupid. If not, then slip of the tongue from bygone days when your brain isn't really engaged (like mine with the deaf person), and move on.

It's not illegal to stop, but it's illegal to enter when your exit is not clear. As such, yes it's illegal to stop. No points though, just a PCN. Adjust your forward vision to prevent getting a ticket in the future, in case a box junction does have the proper cameras.

Oh absolutely, I completely agree with you. As Chesterfield was getting at quite perfectly, it's the double standards that mean that isms just carry on. We can't very well turn around and say that one ism word is completely unacceptable, when we turn a blind eye to others. Either we accept that an insulting word is always going to be used, or we ban everything. Neither is particularly great, but the former more practical. If a black guy comes up to me and calls me a pasty-faced bellend, I'm going to be more upset about the bellend part than the racial slur. If I reverse the whole situation, then you know the insulting part will be reversed too. Not saying either is right, it's just a fact of life. Nigger will always be seen as the final insult towards black people. Perhaps that's one word that should explicitly be outlawed? I don't know.

Very similar thing happens in Ecommoy just outside of LM on the Sunday after the 24 hour race each year. Gendarmes disappear, Ferraris rock up, V8 and V12 symphony begins. Amazing spectacle.

Here's a question then, to look at the subject of isms from a different angle: If I jokingly call my wife a wench (which I do, often!), am I sexist? Not "Is it a sexist term?", because I think we can probably all agree it is, but does my using it make me sexist?

.Yeah, go on then! Tell you what, let's make it interesting: £5 to a charity of your choice if he gets the boot over this in the next two weeks. The beeb wheels turn slowly. Make it 4 weeks, to let the outcry gain a head of steam and you're on. Edit - should we both have a veto over the other's charity, just in case you don't want me to tell you to give it to something totally radical and vice versa? Sounds like a plan *e-handshake*

Do you know they do lime Desperados now too?!

Yeah, go on then! Tell you what, let's make it interesting: £5 to a charity of your choice if he gets the boot over this in the next two weeks.

SL is two seats though, OP wants four.

T350 for me, but I'd have to spend a fortune getting the six sorted properly. Or drop an LS3 into it.

Ah, so it's actually covered by the Public Order Act, that makes a bit more sense then. Ta. I still don't think you could prove both using insulting language and intent/likely to cause racial hatred. The first probably, the latter no chance. He definitely won't (and shouldn't IMHO) be sacked, I don't think there's enough pressure for that plus TG is too big a cash cow.

Definitely not less than a new 370, either way. I was kinda assuming it was a typo, hence the winky face.

Try 10x that.

Which one? All very different. Well, apart from all being badly made of course!