coldel

11:30am Attorney General statement on the rehashed backstop...TM going to win something at last?

If anyone has Netflix, have a look at the documentary Fyre - bloody hell, astonishing that it actually happened!

Car is looking fantastic

If Shell was cheaper than BP I can guarantee there would be posts everywhere saying BP is better. Its a mindset thing 'expensive is better you get what you pay for' etc. and some nice marketing alongside it, if there was categoric proof it would be on page 1 of the Shell website. Even looking at things like Aldi, many people still think its quality is poor because its cheap, 'you get what you pay for' is becoming less and less relevant nowadays.

I think you are really clutching at straws now to be honest, fuel can only go stale during the evaporation process i.e. left out exposed to atmosphere. Highly unlikely to happen in a sealed container under a forecourt . In any case Tesco is the largest seller of fuel in the UK, Shell is third behind BP. Who knows what share of super premium is but Tesco sells more fuel than Shell.

Tesco also state on their website that they add cleaning additives to their 99. Are those additives worse than the Shell ones? I haven’t read anything. Happy to be pointed at a test which shows Shell is better at cleaning. Ultimately though both fuels clean the engine fuel system.

Anecdotal evidence. It doesn’t prove anything. Like I said I can counter that with my parents car that has driven for ten years on Tesco no problem. So who is right? Neither because it doesn’t really mean anything unless it’s done under test conditions and peer reviewed.

Or so we have seen so far

As a global business you wouldnt just make a snap decision. You have to plan a number of scenarios, see how the landscape pans out, then execute accordingly. The fact they have signed a deal with the EU shows that us being outside come next month will have counted against us in any decision in terms of where to site production. Their deal means its more advantageous to build in Europe, so off they go.

You would be surprised how many companies are leaving it late, I work for a large UK retailing group, they have plans internally but have not done anything publicly to date. As soon as its clear what happens next you will see a lot of large corporations executing their plans. The ones we see in the public eye so far are just the first movers.

Like I say, its not THE reason to leave, but it is definitely part of the reason to leave, it is contributing to that decision. Surely its clear any global business has to consider tariffs that will be imposed and working in the UK as part of its business model. Would Japanese car makers who have signed a deal with the EU, which we are soon to no longer be a part of, have possibly considered staying in the UK, of course they would. Why move operations with a cost tens if not hundreds of millions of pounds when the UK would be in the EU. The fact that we are exiting the EU whilst Japan are signing a contract with the EU directly shows that brexit is going to be part of the reason for them to leave the UK. Sure down the line we can sign a deal with Japan, will it be as good terms as the EU got, nope. Thats the power of economic leverage and why the EU exists. To clarify, its not the reason, but to deny its part of the reason (when as per the Ford quote) as well as the industry body here saying brexit is a negative for the industry and a no-deal brexit is catastrophic, its not possible to deny its a factor.

Is V-Power 'better' because its more expensive then?

We need to be clear here, no one is saying companies are up sticks and leaving just because of the brexit process. But it is undeniable that brexit and especially a no-deal brexit is a factor. Making a call like closing factories/laying off workers is a huge decision, not only financially but ethically (believe it or not lots of CEOs do appreciate the human factor) and is not a decision taken lightly. It unlikely a decision of magnitude is made on one thing, but one thing can easily be the reason to swing a decision one way or the other. This is what Ford said to the UK government about 3 weeks ago for example about a no-deal brexit which MPs like the ERG group are wanting, it speaks for itself: “Such a situation would be catastrophic for the UK auto industry and Ford’s manufacturing operations in the country,” “We will take whatever action is necessary to preserve the competitiveness of our European business.” In a few weeks we could be out the EU, with no deal, and no other deals in with other countries in place. In terms of business planning that is a dreadful place to be, if threats like Fords are carried out then tens of thousands of jobs could go and we could easily slide into recession. This is being glossed over by MPs all jostling for points scoring, its quite disgusting really.

I am also one of the rare ones that likes the VX shape over the Elise. Although prefer the interior layout on the Elise.

Thanks Doc, I have actually gone off the BMW idea now. For me something odd, different, unique is important in car ownership (hence the list in my sig) so have swerved back at VX220's. Actually looking at a couple of Elise's as I do have more cash to spend if I want to - but trying to be sensible!

Maybe lay off the burgers then mate

I would disagree (of course ) there is a train of thought that says its leverage but it isn't. There is no way the EU will cave in at this stage with a no-deal on the horizon, we have literally a couple of weeks to go and they are ready for it. Its a fallacy that this has any value to us. This will affect 100% of our economy, it will affect a fraction of the EU's. In the meantime the UK economy suffers ongoing damage, key industries are being torn up, jobs are being risked/lost and we are literally weeks from prices being hiked up across multiple industries due to the operational cost of being sat on an island which is heavily reliant on stuff coming over to us. IMHO.

Pretty sure the Z4Ms are already going a bit high - I got lucky with the Celica selling it at around a 70% profit purchase>sale price but might have missed the boat on Z4Ms!

What you talking about mate!?

Yes they are now creeping up to around £12k+ for an AP1

Yes I have ummed and urred about maybe pocketing a few quid and getting something like an MG/MX5 etc. but not sure that will tick the box. I remember the old VX being an epic drive each time I got in it, which is why I sold the Celica, I wanted epic back. Its like getting into the cockpit of an F1 car and setting off!

Can politicians stop bloody bickering and points scoring for their own career progress and get this stupid moronic notion of 'no-deal might be alright' off the table. How many times do we have to hear from companies that a no-deal would make their business model more expensive before parliament will actually pull its head out the sand and actively do something https://news.sky.com/story/bmw-may-shift-mini-and-engine-work-from-uk-in-no-deal-brexit-11655739 my fear is that the ERG have the government so far in their pockets we are stuck on this suicidal course.

111S would be circa £16k, the 111R is now up at around £20k!

I knew Dan would be all over the German thing Elise S2 entry point is circa £14k for the really early ones so not sure I want to go there really, they are lovely cars but prices are a bit beyond what I want to spend. S2K just doesn't work for me, having drive a couple it feels a little bit too claustrophobic.

Bouncing some ideas around at the moment, I am almost set on another NA VX220 (although cars for sale at the moment are exceptionally thin on the ground) so just testing the water for anything else I might have overlooked. The VX will cost in the region of £10k-£11k so budget is around there...I have been throwing a cursory glance at Earlier Boxster S 987 Z4 30i/35i - I like the look of the DCT too This goes against my natural desires for rarer/kooky cars, but I cannot overlook that both seem like very accomplished cars for the price. Any alarm bells ringing for the above? Anything I have missed which could be an obvious candidate? I am thinking I would like a bit of fresh air above my head on the next car too.