coldel

I think they were ebaying for any V8 sports car, of which there are many, and saw the plate, and that was the deciding factor in buying it.

I did too! V8 Esprit v nice!

I struggle to believe the claim about only 2 for sale, loads for sale right now, and have been for some time. There also seems to be some antagonstic reasoning for having that plate and going to the place the Belgrano was built...just too many coincidences for my liking. I guess they just didnt appreciate how much the Falklands mean to some people in certain parts of Argentina. Still, they basically got attacked just like you would over here if you wandered through a BNP conference wearing a bhurka. Nutters, but still didn't help themselves antagonising it.

So what did you guys make of it? Clearly they knew from the start that online there were stirrers upset about the plate, the excuse that they couldnt take the plate off was a poor one, I mean just buy another old V8 car they easily have the budget. No way can any of that 31 man crew not have noticed the number plate without it being pointed out to them, if they think thats true then they are 31 of the dumbest people in Britain. But the organised rioting and brick throwing was not on. Although from the commentary I presume that the 3 stooges were not in the convoy that was attacked...so avoided the biggest scare moments. I just hope a lesson has been learned...although doubt it.

Well it must be at least a 3.6 litre engine as it has an extra MR2 badge on the bonnet as well as on the back, so must have double the engine size of normal MR2s

The much sought after Type R Not only that, but it must have lots of extra bhp due to the presence of an eBay SPORT badge on the back.

Meh Christmas all!

Yeah, not bad...okish....alright.... ...bah, looks awesome mate nice work!

I agree its sad that people are collecting at food banks, it is all linked to the economy though as far as I can see as you might expect, that poverty levels in the UK decreased for quite some time before something like 2008 when they started going up again.

I am not denying there are investors but they are not the majority (something like 20% of homes in the UK are investor owned) but that is still 'demand' - regardless of who is demanding it, that drives house prices. If there are buyers, be them investors or people wanting to live in the houses as long as people continue to pay the money that's what drives the price - until market conditions change that is the market that people have to play in. It is tough on people at the moment to get on the ladder, although we are very much in a mini cycle of turbulence, a quick Google shows that over the last 50 years the average yearly increase in house prices has been just under 3% vs a salary increase on average of 2% - so yes house prices are out stripping salaries but its not always going to be the levels seen in the last couple of years. Its easy to sling up house price changes over a course of a few years as being huge but what does that mean? Historically, it has shown this has always happened even way back in the 50's, this is not a new issue for people today yet people still got on the ladder somehow - interestingly the data shows that house prices tend to fall rapidly after such price hike.

...and people still buy at the prices they are at - so there is a demand, so the price stays as it is. I remember the 80s/90s and 15% interest rates although it was only at that rate for a month or two before dropping down into single digits once again and remember housing issues. No country is immune to this, it happens everywhere globally (except maybe North Korea!). Prices are not unrealistic as people are buying, they are just unrealistic for a quite a lot of people.

She faniced you!

Interesting post Bock - I would say some of the comments in response to the above were - growth in population is not gradual or linear, it is exponential - people arent homeless, more people than ever are living at home than in their own places - petrol/food/holidays/take aways are all consumables a house is an investment which is why price increases are good - a couple on an average salary can afford a home, its just not in a desireable area where all the people live who earn a high salary...etc. It is going to be a very emotive thread this - I am not saying its not tough for first time buyers, but like Dan said, they are at the bottom of the food chain in house buying terms even if they are on a reasonbable salary because so many other people out there are second or third time buyers with capital to invest.

But the economics of people on above average salaries buying modest property in good central areas doesnt work. Population growth is immense, the available housing isnt matching it, cost of travel is high in the UK which makes central property even more premium. Theres lots of factors involved. I am 40 and my wife and I are going to move next year, we will be living miles away from London with travel costs and child care costs despite good salaries - I have just accepted that as how it has panned out and where we are now. We cannot afford a modest a modest house in a city centre down here in London as we do not already own a big house here worth half a million pounds. So we will get a reasonably good house somewhere further out - we are lucky in that we have a flat already that we invested in to help but even that doesnt get us a house here in zone 3 London. I get your argument marzman, my parents were paying a mortgage of £150 a month on a house worth £300k - when we move next year we will be paying nigh on £2k a month for a £400k house - but then again in 20 years time we will stil be paying £2k on a house worth £3m, its a cycle, so I am trying to look at it positively!

They can't is the straight up answer, unless they are very good jobs. The couple that bought the house next door to us are in their late twenties but one is an officer in the air force and his fiancee is a partner in a law firm so they can afford it. If you are a first time buyer in an average paid job you are buying much further out of London or major cities, but that's life, you can't just buy into a central London house as a first property. Also depends what you call a decent area, you mean in terms of crime stats, country views, transport connections, local high street shops etc.

Lots of people on the property ladder making killings from the price increases - means they can size-up with large deposits (although paying off the remainder is still financially tough) London has lots of micro-climates of property prices, on our road the small 2 bed terraced house next door with no front garden went for £750k, the guy bought it in 2006 for £350k by all accounts.

I wouldnt do it, but then again, good project and fair play to trying something a bit different!

The roads are bizarre in Paris, I hired a car quite a few times when I lived there (and I lived very central) but you get used to it, take your time and just don't lose your cool! For that sort of photography you need a tripod and a DSLR and you are away - not that hard once you know a few basics.

Good work fella, Paris is amazing at dawn around 5am, I used to get up and cycle around in the morning before everyone else and take photos... Actually this has inspired me, when I get the next car going to do something similar!

haha saw your facebook post earlier about insurance and thought nooooooo!

Is that the CD0009 gearbox - I remember looking into these when I owned a Zed, apparently these had less issues with the grinding gears and much less synchro mesh issues of the older boxes which are quite clunky (in my opinion, some people like clunky boxes)

The old storm troopers helmet

...by a bizarre stroke of chance, my next door neighbours are having a house party today so popped next door and spotted a familiar face in the room - our very own Hennerz whose other half knows my neighbour. His ginger ninja sold a couple of weeks back and he was updating me on its replacement, a Land Rover Defender!

Titty Ho...