Ekona

How abusive to them was your girlfriend? Two sides and all that, and I know how angry I'd be if someone broke something of mine and then denied it, so she'd be right to get angry but not abusive. If some woman came ranting and swearing at me I'd give her both barrels back, just for equality. Write a letter to them claiming for the damage caused, keeping all receipts etc as proof she was there. If they don't cough up, then go to small claims court.

Tucking them away for the winter for one

Interesting question, not one I'd thought of. Working on made up figures just for the illustration and assuming dry conditions, I suspect the effect on braking would look like this: RE040s on a 45 profile i.e. standard = 100% normal braking 452s on a 45 profile = 90% normal braking 452s on a 40 profile = 92% normal braking due to lower weight than the above tyres PS2s on a 45 profile = 115% normal braking R888s on a 40 profile = 140% normal braking Obviously once you move into wet territory or start looking at different wheel and brake setups you'd have much more variables to play with.

I know I'm labouring the point here a bit, but neither myself nor my brother did. Before I bought my first sports car, an MR2, the other choices were an Impreza, a Focus RS, and an MG ZS180. Hardly similar cars at all. Before the Zed, my brother had on his list an Astra VXR and a Focus ST before deciding on the Zed. Again, for him it was about looking at the stats and going from there, along with the style of the overall package. You and me know more about these things so when deciding on a new car we'd work out what we actually wanted from the car (RWD or FWD, 2 seat or 4 seat, NA or FI etc) and then work out which cars fitted those criteria. Joe Public doesn't, he just wants something that he can show off to his mates in, whether that's with a badge (BMW 318i owners) or with masses of power (Mazda3 MPS owners). Examples used for effect, in case anyone takes offence!

Surely thats obvious though? People would buy a RWD sports coupe because they wanted one, not because they thought it was more fun than another car. Not at all. You're assuming that most people know the difference between RWD and FWD: BMW have proven that they don't, and that's why we're going to see FWD 1-series cars in the next couple of years. Joe Public is clueless about cars and how they work and the dynamic differences between the combinations of engine placement and driven wheels. They just care that it looks good, it feels quick and they can afford it. Everything else is irrelevant really. How many people do we get on here wondering what the 0-60 of the Zeds are, and the top speed, and how they compare with other cars? Any serious driver will tell you that's all completely irrelevant, but to some people it's still how they decide what their next car will be. Renault know this, that's why they're making a big thing about their Ring time for the Megane Trophy, as it does sell cars.

A 370Z is £29,950. A Megane Trophy is £27,820. The Megane is quicker and seats more people. You really think the comparison is unfair? Perhaps, but only because on paper the Megane is superior to the 370Z. The 350/370 used to be very impressive because they gave you performance and feel for a price that couldn't be beaten and you accepted that it was a 2-seater, however now you're looking at a FWD scrabblewagon that outperforms the Zed in performance and practicality and is an absolute hoot to drive as well. Putting aside the looks of both 370 and Megane which are very subjective (neither car is ugly though), unless you really wanted RWD why would you buy the Nissan? It's a similar argument that puts the BMW 330d as a better buy than the 330i, as unless you really need the petrol version and love 0-60 times you'd be better off with the oil-burner and the savage in-gear acceleration that comes with it. Like I said, I'd still rather buy the 370 as I prefer RWD to FWD, but there's no doubting that the Megane is both a seriously impressive car and a competitor to the 370 in terms of bang for your buck.

This thread makes me want to murder fluffy kittens.

Outright pace isn't everything, you have to look at the whole package. In terms of pace, wet or dry the Megane will be quicker than a 370, but I'd personally rather drive a slower RWD car than a quicker FWD car, assuming both are fun to drive in the first place. It's why the Clios and Meganes always feature in magazine's Car Of The Year tests and always bloody a few noses, because they are both quick and fun.

Chav-tat-tastic

2) That's correct, it's mentioned in the manual. 3) Read the manual, sounds like you've got the option to avoid motorways/shortest route not quickest route/something similar ticked under the options. Basically, get the book out and have a read

Whoops, forgot to reply to your text! Glad you're happy with it fella, hope you get more use out of it than I did

Thought I'd post on here about an experience that I had last Friday, BTW I didn't crash but it came as a big warning. I went out shopping to our local supermarket, if you know Sainsbury's it is just about some of the most reasonably quality food shopping there is. The going was good as the aisles were clear of shoppers and dry, but cold. I had previously nipped in to get a sandwich for lunch so I didn't think there was anything bad about the conditions. When I got into the fruit and veg section I could not believe the feel of the trolley. As we all know, Sainsbury's trolleys have phenomenal feel through the steering and exemplary load carrying capacity, but suddenly it moved through my hands completely freely, as if it was on ice, yet the supermarket aisles were completely dry. There was no grip at all. I was absolutely amazed. What astounded me is that I know what food shopping is all about; I have been shopping in Sainsburys for 12 years, I have shopped in all sorts of conditions, but this feel was totally new to me (so if you are going to reply to this don't make any patronising comments about how good or bad my trolley control is). I was frightened to use any throttle; I dared not go through the cold food section as I was certain I was going to spear off into the frozen peas. I didn't go beyond a slow shuffle as it felt like my trolley was going to spin out of control. I had to get a staff member to wave people past. The trolley is in perfect mechanical condition - recently serviced - the tyres were hard as bricks, etc, so I just put it down to the supermarket being really cold. It was just a warning really - just because it is dry doesn't mean you can shop normally. Be careful out there!

I'd be looking at something Linux-based to sort everything out, although exactly what I couldn't tell you as I'm no expert in that field. Should be able to run Ubuntu or similar from a USB key and then go from there. I'd be very tempted to leave any kind of formatting alone, and worst comes to the worst I'd be sending the drive off to a specialist recovery firm. It may cost you best of £200+, but what price memories?

It doesn't, does it? My suggestion would be to go to a shop where you can have a play with a few different devices and see which one works best for you, as they'll all do the same basic things but some will naturally feel better to you than others. I tried really hard to get on with Android as an OS but it's just not for me, I can see why other people prefer it to an iOS device though as there is literally no end to what you could do with it.

I gave the old iPad to the missus, I shall now be tablet-less

I'm sorry to hear that mate. :lol: I'm actually really looking forward to it now: Married on the 24th, proper Christmas dinner at the venue on the 25th, and then a 'normal' family Christmas day on the 26th. Should be ace!

Married.

And replied Whatever RM Special Delivery is, I don't actually know what they claim their time is I'm guessing it'll either be next day or day after from when I send it, bit of a busy time of year for them allegedly

If you really, really must get her something then get Lips, but I'd save the cash personally.

Singstar on the PS2/3 really does rape the snot out of any of the competition. You'd be better either grabbing a second hand PS2 + Singstar discs off eBay, or splashing a bit more and going for the PS3 route which is the better choice. Lips on the 360 is a bit naff and nowhere near as polished, Singstar store has just about every kind of song you could ever want.

Another +1 for REIS, they don't accept under 25s though on their sports car scheme so I had to move insurer when I got the Porker as I wanted the missus on it too. As soon as she hits 25 though, REIS will be the first company I'll ring for a quote, Mary and Steve there are brilliant

Bit close to Xmas but worth a punt in case someone wants a tablet bargain...! For sale, one Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, 16GB WiFi model in Black. First purchased on the 25th of August this year, it's led a very sheltered life in my house enclosed in the official Samsung case (which is included in the sale at no extra charge) and always looked after which explains the unmarked screen and body. It really is in as-new condition, and comes complete with the charger and the original box + manuals. I've checked eBay and even refurbished units aren't going this cheaply, and I would put my one up against one of those in terms of condition any day of the week, it really does look like new. I'll chuck a microfibre screen cloth in as well, help keep the screen looking as fabulous as it should. Asking price is £250, and I'll include shipping on that too. Basically it's £430-worth (case included as well, don't forget) of tablet for a bargain. Shoot me a PM if you have any questions.

If that's genuine, then it's written in completely unprofessional language. Bloke? Fallen victim? How is that researching at all? Tbh the cost sounds fair to me, considering the material would then be contaminated and have to be disposed of accordingly, which isn't cheap.

Each to their own, I just look at things from a different perspective is all. Would I pay £60 to have a set of two tyres changes at a decent tyre fitters? Yes I would. Easy as that.

Don't get me wrong, I don't pay anywhere near that price myself as I've got a good relationship with my local tyre place, but for the right service I'd be prepared to pay that. Given that it's at least a 30 min job to do it properly and with care, and the money you have to make when people aren't coming in wanting tyres changed, you're looking at an hourly rate of the £60 I guess which isn't unreasonable.