Ekona

I'd argue a Macan could be all the car you'd ever need. Decent engine, plenty of space for the young 'uns, it's got the badge, good view out for the women folk who like to sit a little higher, 4WD, and it genuinely feels like a hot hatch when driving it. But otherwise yeah, I'd go 3 series Touring all the way.

Sorry, I didn't mean you'd hate the exhaust, I thought you'd hate the possible ambiguity of the wording Indeed, a very good debate, refreshing change I guess a lot of my view comes from my law studies, so that I may feel happier backing up my case should anyone try playing silly buggers at any point. I am genuinely interested though in where you think I'd have lied/not declared in my statement of telling them exactly what wheel I'd put on?

It'll be the version that is required by the contract, and if that contract is in dispute then what the court decides. If the contract states that you must tell them if you remove airbags, fine. If they specifically ask you on the phone if you've removed an airbag, fine. If the contract asks you to declare any modifications and you declare that you have removed an OEM wheel and replaced it with a Sparco Go-Faster 3000, then that also satisfies the requirements. There's no shades of grey about that, it's fact. If you just say "Oh, er, it's a black one" or "Erm, a Sparco one" then yeah, ambiguity creeps in. However, if the insurer is happy with the answer you give them, then why give them extra details they don't need? Put it this way, in what way do you think I've lied or not declared? In what way would a court find in favour of the insurer? Another example (and I know you'll hate this one!), on my current car I have detailed as modifications 'exhaust changes' and 'suspension changes'. Their wording, not mine: I told them what I'd done, but that was how they chose to write it on the policy. Makes sense to both parties.

Ah, that's a very good point actually. That said, I always watch the Oz one, it's one of the highlights of the calendar. Doesn't start that early, and besides it's a weekend so you then have the rest of the day to do actual stuff

Anyone got a magnifying glass?! Why on earth would C4 want the snorefest that is Bahrain over the season opener of Australia?! That's bonkers. Unless Sky tell them what they can and cannot have, of course.

Go check your policy: Unless you have it as an extra, your own personal injury is not covered at all. If the claim is against the other party, then nothing in my policy has any affect on the claim I make on theirs. My car could be completely illegal (no MOT, tax or insurance) and I could have no licence, and yet if they drive into me I'm still completely able to claim any and all damages from their insurer. If I crash in my own car and break my leg, my injury is not covered by my motor insurance as standard. You cannot exclude liability for negligence which results in injury or death: This is enshrined in statute. Your insurer may let you pay extra for X amount of cover, but a basic policy does not. Although in fairness some insurers do offer a small amount of cover as an incentive to take a policy out with them, they certainly don't have to. As I've said previously, I have disclosed to my insurer that I have a different wheel (well, I did on the MR2 and MX5 when I had them). They knew what I'd done exactly. I have no idea at all what risk they allow into their policies, how they front load them, what they will allow before becoming uncomfortable with the risk and refusing to insure etc. How could I? I don't work for them. Legally I only have to inform them of the material facts, which in this case would be that I have replaced X steering wheel with Y steering wheel. As to how that affects their risk and my policy, that's up to them. I can understand a certain level of confusion about what a material fact is, but I can promise you that as long as you inform them of what you've done and do not lie, then that's fine.

'Tis true though. I love a good ragtop, but as soon as you lob the roof off the drive suffers. It's much better now than it used to be, mind you. Something like the 458 is near enough impossible to tell any difference between the two variants.

If you don't like cars or driving, an EV makes perfect sense. If you have any passion for cars at all, then I can't see how you'd ever want one as a fun car while an alternative exists. But each to their own. Back on track, I'd love a Stingray. Yellow for me please, with black highlights and interior.

What? There's plenty!

So a completely different engine with a completely different engine management system and completely different knock sensors, then?

At least they make a sound. That's one up on a Tesla.

Oooh, that's a killer, especially as you ran over it too Bet you never leave your phone on top of a car again though!

It's not. It's common sense. I have told them, I told them very clearly. What difference would it make to them anyway? It's cheaper to replace, and the only possible person who would be injured is me, and since car insurance doesn't cover my personal injury then it's of zero consequence to them. Honestly

It would be absolutely fine. You've told them everything you needed to, which is that you've changed the steering wheel for something else. Take a photo and send it if you want. Completely down to them then, isn't it? As you know I'm picky as hell when it comes to insurance companies, which is why I'd be very precise and tell them exactly what wheel I've changed it for. They then cannot say they did not realise it was one without an airbag, and will never have reason to cancel a claim because of it. It's precisely their responsibility to work out how it affects their risk, that's their job!

Just tell them what steering wheel you're changing to, let them figure out if it's an airbag one or not.

I think it also depends on whether or not it's an only car, or a 2nd fun one. Only car would be horrendous, 2nd car I could probably live with.

No, they won't pass new MOT regs as you are not allowed to remove any OEM airbag at all, UNLESS the car is substantially modified for a different purpose eg a rally car, or track car. Your friendly MOT guy might consider a set of wheels and a new stereo as modified, or he may consider anything less than a fully stripped & caged car to be not modified enough. Always interpretation, but you'd be unlikely to win any appeal if the tester knocks you back. In terms of danger, some would argue no airbag is actually safer as you're not putting an explosive device aimed at your face I personally don't subscribe to either extreme of "REMOVING IT WILL KILL YOU!" nor "OF COURSE IT'S SAFER, MY MATE BROKE HIS NOSE WHEN HIS WENT OFF AT 5MPH!", but removing airbags in general has never worried me. I know the risks, I'm an adult, I'll make my own decisions regarding my own safety ta.

10 min drive I might live with, but an hour on the round trip just to refuel? That's an awful lot of time essentially wasted. I think you're underestimating just how irritating that would be, or how much planning is required to make life as easy as possible. Imagine having to drive to Loughton every single time you needed some fuel: That would quickly suck the life out of ownership.

Honestly, if I were you I'd either not worry about it and pray I get lucky and I can sell the car before it dies on me, or sell up and get a HR model.

What 350 do you have? If it's a HR then you're fine, no issues at all. If it's a DE car then you'll need to limit yourself to the lower RPM (like 2500revs tops), which isn't much fun. Octane booster will work a treat, however for long term use you'll want some good stuff that does it properly, not just a small bottle you chuck in with every tankful (although they're fine in an emergency). Leaded fuel is a no-go, you'll kill various bits in the engine. I see no reason why you couldn't get it mapped for 95 though, just means you'll lose a slug of power.

"When choosing the colour, he's gone for Grigio Telesto Lamborghini Grey because well, why would you not?" Because it looks like cheap primer?

And if I could've got a Cayman for £6K, then I'd have bought one instead of the BMW!

Just go and drive one, it's the only way to know. For me personally I wouldn't, as there's other cars I'd rather be driving for that kind of money. Like a Cayman.

Can I make a genuinely constructive criticism? If you're going to ask for money that's right at the top in terms of value, then you really need to be putting more detail into the advert. Simply saying more pics and details on request isn't really good enough, people who don't know the car or history will simply think you're being wildly optimistic and ignore it as overpriced: PH don't limit the text, so use it and point out service history, mods, how you've looked after it, why you did what you did etc. Make it worth the money, don't expect the buying public just to accept that a Revup with a standard engine should be worth as much as a good HR on face value. More detail is always a good thing