Ekona

I don't recognise the name, but the club does gets mention

Shouldn't be any difference at all. Neil's right though, just call and ask.

It's a car. You only need it for one day. Get over it. I had a courtesy Micra once. It was bloody awful, but it let me get from A-B. if image is that important to you, why did you buy a Nissan? If they spent more on courtesy cars, they'd have to charge more to make up for it. Yeah, it's nice to get exciting stuff to drive when you get a courtesy cat, but it's just that: A courtesy, not a right. It's pushing towards a rights bit more when it's a warranty fix, I will give you that though.

Not having a car ready for you when they promised isn't good enough, being offered a Micra but turning it down is a bit off. It's got more storage room than a 370, so why wasn't it good enough for you? It's only a courtesy car, not a replacement.

YOY sales are down about 46% I think Harry Metcalfe tweeted the other day. Subs are stable, but no-one is walking into a shop and picking the odd copy up any more.

You probably wouldn't see a warped disc by the naked eye unless it's horrendously bad. Could well be pad material transfer causing it, go and do the usual bedding in procedure to see if that cures it.

Another bit of a write-up on the GT86 against some rivals (Clio 200, E30 M3, DC2) in EVO this month, they come to pretty much the same conclusion as me in that it's good but still not great. Good bit on drifting cars too, including the 350Z with the writer also saying that you need to be fully committed to hanging it out, especially compared with something like an MX-5. Nice to know it's not just me then!

Which could've been faked. I'm really not picking at you here matey, it's easy to make these kinds of mistakes, I'm just pointing out what I would think as a buyer if I turned up at a place and there was no V%, just an electronic copy. Given the amount of 350Zs for sale, why take a chance on one that could be dodgy? I'm sure you'll get it back pretty quickly and it won't harm your chances of a sale at all.

They could, but they'd be an idiot if they did. Completely legal, but stupid.

Nice, let us know what you think. Make sure you drive it in Sport though!

Does a car get warm right next to where the engine is? Umm, yes.

Definitely worth a trip out, as a drifter you'd love it

Personally, I never found the Zed a particularly easy car to slide around. That's probably more my driving style than any fault of the car itself, but it's a heavy old beast and it needed a good amount of provoking to hold it out. I just never felt comfortable doing it. On the other hand, I was sliding the GT86 around within 15 mins, and it was happy to do so. It's certainly more benign in that regard, but I'd much rather take the Zed out than an 86 if I wanted an involving drive. Better engine, too.

Ta

An S1 with 1.8 is a slow car. 120-odd bhp is not going to feel quick, and you'll be outdragged by any diesel repmobile on the motorways. They leak, they're freezing in the winter, they're stifling in the summer, HGF is common, rads going pop is common, feeling every single bump on the road is common. You'll lose hundred of pounds in change under the seats, you'll crack your neck every time you get in, and you'll only ever get in alone because no woman ever wants to flash her bits off to the world in the way the entry position forces you to. The roof takes an age to remove, a fortnight to put back on, and you'll forever be chasing leaks up and down. You'll cry if anyone nudges the car and cracks the clam, and you'll cry again when you get the bill to replace one. You'll laugh when you realise how back to front the wiring can be, and then you'll go back to crying when you get a coolant pipe leak under the sill. And yet, they are simply one of the best cars you can ever own if you even remotely enjoy driving. I'd have another in a second.

Sorry, I think that's my bad description: If you order the PTV, you do get a mechanical locking diff. This car had neither PTV nor the diff. They don't charge extra for not having the locking diff. As to the change question, I honestly don't know. Ignoring any change in circumstance, then I wouldn't hesitate. It's a car that could happily replace the 911 and give me something different. However, I've got a few other itches that I would like to scratch at some point, and whilst I would be very happy in another Porker I would like to experience other cars as well. I'm thinking something Italian, even if they are more flawed in many ways, it would be nice to say I've done it.

PSM (Porsche Torque Vectoring, they love their acronyms!) is what you're thinking of, which applies the brakes to the inside wheel under cornering. It is an option on the car, but this one didn't have it which also meant that it didn't have a rear diff either. It's no real loss, as the car doesn't remotely need a locking diff and PTV can give excessive brake wear if the car is used on track: Some of the Turbo/S guys are complaining that it's completely destroyed their rear discs on the PCCB setup, and when a disc is about £5000 you can see why they're a tad upset! I think we'll have to disagree about the gearing on the Boxster. Certainly I found myself with plenty of grunt at low speed in second, and the gearing really isn't that different from a Zed and you can drive it in exactly the same way. It's much different from a buzzy little hot hatch like the 172, but then this is designed for long cruises at a relaxed pace if required, whereas the 172 requires you to drive it balls to the wall everywhere! Not a bad thing and I have a huge soft spot for the 182, but it's a completely different market and isn't really comparable. Certainly the top speeds are miles apart. I'd consider something like the Z06 C6 Corvette to have very long gearing, 90mph in 2nd is awesomely long.

Given that it hasn't changed from the 987, and that that didn't have silly long gearing at all, then no 1st is good for about 35, 2nd takes you past 70mph, and then 3rd is nibbling at a speed that you wouldn't ever want to do on the road for fear of having a licence whipped away pretty sharpish. I kinda get what you're saying, as swapping cogs is fun so if you don't get a chance to do it often then it can feel a bit lacking, but I've never found that at all in anything I've driven. 6th could do with being a bit longer really, as I was sitting at 3K rpm at 74mph, which is a little high. I'm just so used to having a 7th gear though now, so the 981 isn't any worse than the Zed in that regard. That's a huge shame, but I wonder if that's something that may get put back in for the 458 Stradale/Scuderia-style car? Maybe not, I don't know. 'Tis a shame though.

Same as my 911 then, it's like having one gigantic gear if you leave it in auto and plant your foot. I like that about the car, but I'm also glad that I have the option of dropping into manual and ignoring it. Does make traffic light GPs a bit too easy though Never driven a single-clutch Ferrari, but I'm assuming that the gearbox is the same as the one used in the Maser GT series? The MC Shift on the GTS I did a track day in at Maser's expense a couple of years ago had it, and I almost grew to love the brutality of it on full bore upshifts. If I put mine in sport plus mode then I get a similar engineered-in jolt, does the 458 do that? Or is it always silky smooth regardless? I like the jolt, even if it's technically a fake one done by software: Kinda makes you feel more connected to the experience.

I may or may not have gone for a midnight blast in the 981 last night, and I did find one very big downside to the car: The heater isn't great. Roof down, windows up, heater and fan on full max to feet and face, and despite the outside temp being a balmy 16c it wasn't enough for me to not be a little bit cold. Ok, I was only wearing a t-shirt and jeans, but the MR2 and 350Z never had an issue with supplying enough heat, especially in the summer. I did forget to turn the heated seats on, but it was my hands that were a bit cold, not my body. Hardly the biggest issue in the world, but worth noting. See, they're not perfect

And when you put your details through on line with them what did the price come out as? That's the real renewal with them, not what it says on the letter through the post. Insurance is going up all the time because people keep claiming for whiplash and the insurers need to make a profit. That's all really.

Exactly. Just use the quote button, but it's also relatively a good idea and good forum manners to strip out all the extra gumpf so you don't end up with massive quote pyramids.

With maybe under 10 miles on the clock, I could see that RS500 going for that sort of cash. But at 23,000 miles? You'd have to be certifiable.

That crash was actually in Mexico, not in Texas. It was a Texan driving, though. I often think that it would a good idea at festivals and other major gatherings where the police are anyway to have a couple of coppers walking round with a breathalyser, and people could get themselves tested if they wanted to just to make sure they were under, or to shock them into realising they were still over but before they get into the cars. Even if you made them pay £1 for the tube, it would be worth it.

They may be advertising them for higher, but are they selling at that price?