Recent content by jont-

They can be boring unless you're /really/ on it. Even more so than the 197. There's also a torque dip between 3 and 4k RPM which exacerbates this feeling. Unless you get a friendly salesman or a solo test-drive, you may not really get to explore that range. A friend whose run one from new says...

MX5? :laughing: Or Mk3 MR2? Both are probably more pleasant spaces to spend the winter. Then again, one mans practical is another ones insane. I've done 500 miles in a day in the Caterham, and 900 miles over a long weekend to the Isle of Man. So compared to that, a VX is definitely civilised...

Not VX, but used to own an S1 Elise 160. Was my only car, but wasn't a daily as I used public transport for commuting, and SWMBO had a hatchback for practical stuff. Let's see, practicalities wise (apart from the obvious of 2 seats, no proper boot) - at this time of year, water ingress and...

Mark Fish in Harlow :thumb:

Are you looking at the newer model? They only did an 'M' variant on the E85, and it was manual only. No idea what the newer E89 is like. On the E85, the 3.0 is almost as quick (most of the M's power is right at the top end), and it's much more economical. On the downside the non-M cars have...

It's an utterly epic engine, but the gearing means top end of 3rd is over 100mph, 4th good for about 140. 6th is geared for just over 200mph. The ride is appalling. On the fen roads around me, the 306GTi I had at the same time was faster A-B. The Z4M was fine on billiard table smooth tarmac, but...

309 1.3GL - learned to drive in it, then bought if off my parents. Cavalier 1.8. Lasted 3 months then written off 205 XS. Brilliant buzzbox. Renault laguna - tedious barge 309 Gti - road rally car. 306 TD - cheap to run, nice handling, a little dull 405 Mi-16. Lovely q-car. Superb ride, epic...

Sounds abysmal. You can see my long term tracking on Fuelly here: http://www.fuelly.com/car/renault/clio/2007/jons160/372572 - remember it defaults to US units! I found the MPG counter was on average a couple of MPG low (ie I was actually doing a little bit better than indicated). Commuting...

2nd and 3rd are similar. So while braking, cover the throttle - as the clutch goes down, squeeze the accelerator - revs might drop slightly as you clutch in before you get on the gas, but time it right and it's not so noticeable. With the revs raised to the right amount for the next gear (but no...

I disagree that it's use on the road is limited - I habitually use it, even when driving gently. It's use is to rev match for mechanical sympathy, not because you're worried about weight balance. There are 3 approaches to changing gear sympathetically, ignoring DDC. 1) Separate braking from...

I've just chucked mine away. The locking mechanism broke. (It's a popular jack with Elise owners too, but again there are anecdotal reports about longevity being poor). Also I was forever having to tighten up the bolts holding the front roller in place. I've replaced it with this...

I quite liked it when I had the Z4M - the unclued public just thought it was another hairdressers car :lol:

Recently gone through a similar experience with mine. Belt allegedly changed at 72k by dealer selling to the previous owner. I then bought privately at 86k (car now at 96k). Was due for aux belt anyway (which came off in a terrible state, so I'm skeptical it was done at 72k, which then made me...

The car will be insured on the basis that it's unmodified. If you're knowingly fitting kit that isn't OE or equivalent, then you should declare it. I'd imagine many uprated brake pads are marked "not for road use" which they may well be interested in if you have an accident. Tyres are harder to...

Done 1900 miles since last Weds (long weekend in Scotland) :lol: It's my daily, so expecting to do ~15k/year.