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Eye bleach, stat!
Jul. 5th, 2007 11:24 amThings that Should Not Exist: an ongoing series.
- A Rolls Royce Phantom, in a shade of pink more commonly assocciated with tongues. Except slightly sparkly.
*Shudders*
- A Rolls Royce Phantom, in a shade of pink more commonly assocciated with tongues. Except slightly sparkly.
*Shudders*
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nurse_liz is being nice enough to buy my perfectly-good-but-dull Mazda 323. Consequently, I went car shopping today :DIt's soon enough after my last shopping trip that I remembered the respectable places, the dodgy ones, and the places that lied to me (Raymoor Cars in Heaton Chapel - they told me to T-Cut a red car to stop it fading, and that an automatic would be more fuel-efficient than a manual...). Unfortunately, I'm still a girl and so went for the bigger dealerships on the grounds that being slightly overcharged is less upsetting than being treated like a dumb animal - even after being seen doing the vet test*.
Anyway. What used to be Reg Vardy and is now Evans Halshaw internetted around their other dealerships and found a Toyota Celica for £6,500. Granted it's enormously red, but it doesn't appear to have faded *at all*. It's due a cam belt change, but I'm angling for them to do that before I buy it (with the argument that if they do that, I won't haggle). I'm not holding my breath, but they're also hoping to get a 12 month warranty & 6 year UV blocking paint protector out of me, so I'm perfectly happy to look interested until they've agreed to what I *really* want...
The local Mazda dealership did have a 2001 MX5 - in black - but it didn't have a hard top. If I was after a 2 seater, I'd look at Alfas or the MR2 anyway - MX5s do tend to attract the Pointless Piece of Fluff type.
So they're getting it delivered from where it currently is in the north east, and I'm going to look at it on Tuesday! Whee!
====
*Sticking my hand up the exhaust pipe to see whether it's oily (bad) or just sooty (good).
Mmmmmmmmotor cars :)
Jul. 16th, 2006 09:54 pmIsn't it great to cackle out loud at a tv programme? I do love the sniping & bitchiness and old-married-threesomeness of Top Gear. Just a little disappointed that there wasn't anything to lust over this time :(
Am still wondering whether to change my car. I'd much rather having something smaller & loopier, but I also need to move house - so can only change it for something costing the same or less. So I went through the TG Mag directory today, looking at things that are small, torquey, daft, and not indelibly associated with bimbos in my brain.
Leaving aside the Vantage, F430 and even TVR Griffith, it turns out that what I really want is a Caterham. Unfortunately (a) I don't have a garage, (b) live in a notoriously moist part of the country, (c) want a boot, and (d) can't really afford £13k for the build-it-yourself Seven, let alone the CSR. Looks like I'll still be keeping my fingers crossed for an Alfa Spider, then...
Oh, and if anyone's interested, friends are selling a P-reg Corsa (1.2l), tax til December but needs an MOT, for £400.
Am still wondering whether to change my car. I'd much rather having something smaller & loopier, but I also need to move house - so can only change it for something costing the same or less. So I went through the TG Mag directory today, looking at things that are small, torquey, daft, and not indelibly associated with bimbos in my brain.
Leaving aside the Vantage, F430 and even TVR Griffith, it turns out that what I really want is a Caterham. Unfortunately (a) I don't have a garage, (b) live in a notoriously moist part of the country, (c) want a boot, and (d) can't really afford £13k for the build-it-yourself Seven, let alone the CSR. Looks like I'll still be keeping my fingers crossed for an Alfa Spider, then...
Oh, and if anyone's interested, friends are selling a P-reg Corsa (1.2l), tax til December but needs an MOT, for £400.
Things that have amused me recently:
Jun. 30th, 2006 02:36 pmThe car dealership covered in England flags, with a huge "COME ON ENGLAND" banner in the window - over 2 BMWs, a VW and an Audi.
A VW Toerag, registration P7 KEY (and the 7 adjusted to shorten the horizontal).
Small boy on bus #1: Did you see that Ferrari!
Small boy on bus #2: What Ferrari?
SBOB#1: The Maranello that just went past!
Me: That was an F430, not a Maranello.
SBOB#1&2: ... O.O
A VW Toerag, registration P7 KEY (and the 7 adjusted to shorten the horizontal).
Small boy on bus #1: Did you see that Ferrari!
Small boy on bus #2: What Ferrari?
SBOB#1: The Maranello that just went past!
Me: That was an F430, not a Maranello.
SBOB#1&2: ... O.O
(no subject)
Jun. 21st, 2006 10:02 amFor some reason, I'm shattered today. My eyes will hardly stay open, my head's full of cotton wool and if I laid down I'd be asleep within 5 minutes. That's after a pint of Starbucks and a blueberry muffin, too.
A brief canter thrugh the past couple of days:
Monday I discovered that Cheshire Oaks takes about the same time to get to as does the city centre, thatmunchkinott is just as good (bad?) at puns in RL as she is online (and has Good Hair, which I covet, for mine is being hypersensitive atm) and that neither of the toy shops stock much (if any) Technical Lego. Poo. I forgot to go back for the pack of Bottom Trumps cards, too...
Yesterday I went out to see a client :) Not bad, didn't have The Fear (a Good Thing), saw a Cayman on the way (absolutely stunning, like a crouched panther, complete with haunches) and had one of the rare "oh yes - there *are* some good things about Manchester" moments walking to the office froom the G-Mex car park. It's great when a DB9 stops early to let you across the road, and the 575M in front inches forward a bit to give you & your heavy bags more space to cross :) The only problem was remembering to cross and not stand in the middle of the road, gawping. Well, that and fighting the urge to lick them ;)
My car is definitely still up for sale; *reasonable* offers welcome. Urgency has reduced, since Py's Alfa has had a reprieve, but that just means I'm looking out for one with a hard top instead. To put this into perspectinve, the only achievable car I've wanted since I first saw one, that still makes my toes curl and for which I'll tolerate extortionate repair bills, is the TVR Griffith. An Alfa Spider with a hard top is a pretty close second.
Now to pretend to work and try not to snore :)
A brief canter thrugh the past couple of days:
Monday I discovered that Cheshire Oaks takes about the same time to get to as does the city centre, that
munchkinott is just as good (bad?) at puns in RL as she is online (and has Good Hair, which I covet, for mine is being hypersensitive atm) and that neither of the toy shops stock much (if any) Technical Lego. Poo. I forgot to go back for the pack of Bottom Trumps cards, too...Yesterday I went out to see a client :) Not bad, didn't have The Fear (a Good Thing), saw a Cayman on the way (absolutely stunning, like a crouched panther, complete with haunches) and had one of the rare "oh yes - there *are* some good things about Manchester" moments walking to the office froom the G-Mex car park. It's great when a DB9 stops early to let you across the road, and the 575M in front inches forward a bit to give you & your heavy bags more space to cross :) The only problem was remembering to cross and not stand in the middle of the road, gawping. Well, that and fighting the urge to lick them ;)
My car is definitely still up for sale; *reasonable* offers welcome. Urgency has reduced, since Py's Alfa has had a reprieve, but that just means I'm looking out for one with a hard top instead. To put this into perspectinve, the only achievable car I've wanted since I first saw one, that still makes my toes curl and for which I'll tolerate extortionate repair bills, is the TVR Griffith. An Alfa Spider with a hard top is a pretty close second.
Now to pretend to work and try not to snore :)
Talk to me!
May. 31st, 2006 02:00 pm- Boozy weekend, first with vulgarcriminal and others, including Real Life Friends, then SB. Shrublette likes my lap as well as my floppy doggy ears (*facepalms*). Pugsley tried to go to sleep in my sleeve.
- Week off the gym hasn't hurt. Ran faster than usual. Go Me. Next stop, the Great North Run (half marathon) next year. Still no endorphin rush, but is bloody nice to get better at something I was always rubbish at.
- Bumped intoneilhist; me on way to lunch, him on way to gym. Hmmmm, maybe this is why he's doing better at the shaping up thing than me?
- Ate All The Garlic In The World (with a bit of chicken & rice) at Koh Samui. V Nice Thai food. I smell now.
- Saw Quattroporte & Vantage. V Nice. Still want an Alfa Spider, though.
vulgarcriminal and others, including Real Life Friends, then SB. Shrublette likes my lap as well as my floppy doggy ears (*facepalms*). Pugsley tried to go to sleep in my sleeve.- Week off the gym hasn't hurt. Ran faster than usual. Go Me. Next stop, the Great North Run (half marathon) next year. Still no endorphin rush, but is bloody nice to get better at something I was always rubbish at.
- Bumped into
neilhist; me on way to lunch, him on way to gym. Hmmmm, maybe this is why he's doing better at the shaping up thing than me?- Ate All The Garlic In The World (with a bit of chicken & rice) at Koh Samui. V Nice Thai food. I smell now.
- Saw Quattroporte & Vantage. V Nice. Still want an Alfa Spider, though.
(no subject)
May. 30th, 2006 02:12 pmGood Grief, TG Mag is good this month :)
Well, apart from Clarkson's column, which doesn't seem to have a point & repeats itself. But James referring The Prisoner, Paul Horrell making a very familiar point about automatic gearboxes being horrible, the 599 Ferrari with decent explanations, and holy crap I want an Alfa Spider :)
Package has not arrived :( I know I said I didn't expect it to, but I'm still disappointed.
Well, apart from Clarkson's column, which doesn't seem to have a point & repeats itself. But James referring The Prisoner, Paul Horrell making a very familiar point about automatic gearboxes being horrible, the 599 Ferrari with decent explanations, and holy crap I want an Alfa Spider :)
Package has not arrived :( I know I said I didn't expect it to, but I'm still disappointed.
(no subject)
Apr. 7th, 2006 02:01 pmThings
1692 - The Salem witch trials begin in Salem Village, Massachusetts.
1896 - Henri Becquerel discovers radioactivity.
1978 - Charlie Chaplin's coffin is stolen from a Swiss cemetery.
Births
1810 - Frédéric Chopin, Polish-French composer and pianist (d. 1849).
1944 - Roger Daltrey, English musician (The Who).
1954 - Ron Howard, American actor, director, and producer.
Deaths
Nobody I wanted to C&P in here.
===
Grump. This morning was fun playing with spreadsheets. Now is answering an e-mail from the dimmest client In The World Ever.
Now I've decided what car I want next (in the real world; there's not much point saving up for an F430), I want it now. Dammit.princesspy is a Bad Influence. So, if anyone knows of an Alfa Spider, in black (or silver, but preferably black) with a hard top, please point me at the owner & I'll offer them Cold Hard Cash. Or maybe a bankers draft.
I want to get things done this weekend because I want to get them done, not because I've let them slip due to being ill / exhausted / away. My housework slaves are on strike, I need to sort out stuff forfire_kitten and to post karohemd's birthday present. I'd rather like to get the lawn mown & the car washed & checked, but those are going to have to wait.
I've drawn Joes Edge in the Grand National sweepstake. 25-1 at the last we checked, but with colours I don't like.
I want to know what happens next inannwfyn's story.
Question: If you *know* you're jealous of an acquaintance, what do you do when you start wishing harm to befall their possessions? Not them themselves (I'm not in that much of a bitchy mood), just "Oh No! What a shame you spilt paint all down your Armani suit!" kind of way.
I can't stop eating; I've been ravenous all week, for things like nuts & flapjacks & fatty/proteiny things. But I managed to jog-with-bits-of-walking 3.2km last night, in 26 minutes. This is why man invented the car. *nods firmly*
1692 - The Salem witch trials begin in Salem Village, Massachusetts.
1896 - Henri Becquerel discovers radioactivity.
1978 - Charlie Chaplin's coffin is stolen from a Swiss cemetery.
Births
1810 - Frédéric Chopin, Polish-French composer and pianist (d. 1849).
1944 - Roger Daltrey, English musician (The Who).
1954 - Ron Howard, American actor, director, and producer.
Deaths
Nobody I wanted to C&P in here.
===
Grump. This morning was fun playing with spreadsheets. Now is answering an e-mail from the dimmest client In The World Ever.
Now I've decided what car I want next (in the real world; there's not much point saving up for an F430), I want it now. Dammit.
princesspy is a Bad Influence. So, if anyone knows of an Alfa Spider, in black (or silver, but preferably black) with a hard top, please point me at the owner & I'll offer them Cold Hard Cash. Or maybe a bankers draft.I want to get things done this weekend because I want to get them done, not because I've let them slip due to being ill / exhausted / away. My housework slaves are on strike, I need to sort out stuff for
fire_kitten and to post karohemd's birthday present. I'd rather like to get the lawn mown & the car washed & checked, but those are going to have to wait.I've drawn Joes Edge in the Grand National sweepstake. 25-1 at the last we checked, but with colours I don't like.
I want to know what happens next in
annwfyn's story.Question: If you *know* you're jealous of an acquaintance, what do you do when you start wishing harm to befall their possessions? Not them themselves (I'm not in that much of a bitchy mood), just "Oh No! What a shame you spilt paint all down your Armani suit!" kind of way.
I can't stop eating; I've been ravenous all week, for things like nuts & flapjacks & fatty/proteiny things. But I managed to jog-with-bits-of-walking 3.2km last night, in 26 minutes. This is why man invented the car. *nods firmly*
(no subject)
Mar. 19th, 2006 02:16 amThere were cars and there were bikes but no Nortons and Dad told me about the Cirtroen 2CV he drove into the sea n Corsica but gave back before he knew whether it still worked and the best way to jam a weasel (but not a pink one) is to hold it up by it tail and rub it vigorously and we missed you SB and I'm going tobuy an Alfa and Hamsters look like traffic cones if you aren;t careful and there wa the CHurch of ELaine Paifge adn the Cult of Rick Astley and I bought a book abot car people by a man like the James May of 40 years ago but with circus skills nad I was calle d agirly petrolhead and I' still wearing askirt and I ate chps and ther wre inportant thigs I can't remember that I was going to tell you.
An dI'm ging ot save up for an Alfa becasue PrincessPy told me they don't rot any more and they make me smile.
ANd Weasel lives behind the Stargazer facotry but apparently they don't use it any more so she can't build a big Meccano thing with ticky stuff int he end to stick down the chimney to stick things onto.
An dI'm ging ot save up for an Alfa becasue PrincessPy told me they don't rot any more and they make me smile.
ANd Weasel lives behind the Stargazer facotry but apparently they don't use it any more so she can't build a big Meccano thing with ticky stuff int he end to stick down the chimney to stick things onto.
Just a thought
Feb. 10th, 2006 03:39 pmMX-5s and Celicas get called "Hairdressers' cars".
If hairdressers can afford cars like those, I want to be a hairdresser.
If hairdressers can afford cars like those, I want to be a hairdresser.
Fantastic :)
Aug. 7th, 2005 09:17 pmThe best driving song, ever, is "Don't Stop Me Now" by Queen.
I reckon it's making uop for the fact that iPod playlists are harder to turn into Queen's Greatest Hits than cassette tapes were :)
I reckon it's making uop for the fact that iPod playlists are harder to turn into Queen's Greatest Hits than cassette tapes were :)
Oh, goddammit.
Aug. 3rd, 2005 01:51 pmThe history
I inherited Mum's Fiat Uno when I graduated; it was a 6 year old D reg at the time. I ran it for 2 1/2 years until it started deciding to stop on motorways... (though I always managed to get onto the hard shoulder before grinding to a complete halt, and it would start again after a 10 minute nap.)
So I traded it in for a 3 year old Astra. I loved it. Top of the range, 1.6l, electric almost-everything, went like a thoroughbred with ginger up it's tailpipe :)
Except now it's 10 years old (albeit with only 76k on the clock), is cripplingly high insurance because it's prime joy-riding material (not being garaged), is only doing 30mpg, the heat shield over the exhaust manifold is so rusty it's developed a resonant frequency at about 1500 rpm, and it's starting to worry me cos 1990s Vauxhalls aren't known for their reliability. So I started looking for a replacment.
The options
Well, haviing spent all my savings on living whilst on insurance, I started looking at things that would last me a couple of years while I saved up for a Proper Car. I'd like a Celica. I'd sell my Gran for a Ford Capri (Mk1) or a Dodge Charger. I'd sell my house & live in the back seat for a V8 Vantage... But I'll settle for a 5-6 year old Mazda / Corolla / Civic or another Astra.
Apart from the dealerships being flooded with Peugeots (tells me something I suspected) and hardly having any Japanese models, I didn't think I was being too picky. But in the whole of central / south Manchester & Stockport, I found two things I'd consider. Both Mazda 323s. One was a 1.8 S reg, the other a 1.5 X. Unfoortunately, the X reg wasn't only £4.5k, it was also automatic (and I like driving too much to want a point-and-steer car). So I looked at the S reg.
The issue
Looked good; test drove nicely. Pants part-ex value offered for the Astra, but *shrugs* the Mazda was cheap, and would likely last longer than the Astra will.
Unfortunately, the AA car data check turned up the fact that, despite the odometer reading 65,000, the DVLA had registered a mileage in February of 78,000.
Buggrit.
The garage promised to check up for me - and actually did, to my surprise. I had a call on Saturday saying they'd squeezed a refund out of the person they bought it from, and would pass this on to me in full. So I said I'd take a couple of days to think, and would get back to them by Wednesday.
I thought and decided that it drove well, so losing 13,000 miles wasn't too much of a problem, and I'd give it a go.
Strangely enough, they sold it on Sunday. I think I need to find a phone number for traing standards.
And another cheap middle aged car.
Bloody car salesmen.
I inherited Mum's Fiat Uno when I graduated; it was a 6 year old D reg at the time. I ran it for 2 1/2 years until it started deciding to stop on motorways... (though I always managed to get onto the hard shoulder before grinding to a complete halt, and it would start again after a 10 minute nap.)
So I traded it in for a 3 year old Astra. I loved it. Top of the range, 1.6l, electric almost-everything, went like a thoroughbred with ginger up it's tailpipe :)
Except now it's 10 years old (albeit with only 76k on the clock), is cripplingly high insurance because it's prime joy-riding material (not being garaged), is only doing 30mpg, the heat shield over the exhaust manifold is so rusty it's developed a resonant frequency at about 1500 rpm, and it's starting to worry me cos 1990s Vauxhalls aren't known for their reliability. So I started looking for a replacment.
The options
Well, haviing spent all my savings on living whilst on insurance, I started looking at things that would last me a couple of years while I saved up for a Proper Car. I'd like a Celica. I'd sell my Gran for a Ford Capri (Mk1) or a Dodge Charger. I'd sell my house & live in the back seat for a V8 Vantage... But I'll settle for a 5-6 year old Mazda / Corolla / Civic or another Astra.
Apart from the dealerships being flooded with Peugeots (tells me something I suspected) and hardly having any Japanese models, I didn't think I was being too picky. But in the whole of central / south Manchester & Stockport, I found two things I'd consider. Both Mazda 323s. One was a 1.8 S reg, the other a 1.5 X. Unfoortunately, the X reg wasn't only £4.5k, it was also automatic (and I like driving too much to want a point-and-steer car). So I looked at the S reg.
The issue
Looked good; test drove nicely. Pants part-ex value offered for the Astra, but *shrugs* the Mazda was cheap, and would likely last longer than the Astra will.
Unfortunately, the AA car data check turned up the fact that, despite the odometer reading 65,000, the DVLA had registered a mileage in February of 78,000.
Buggrit.
The garage promised to check up for me - and actually did, to my surprise. I had a call on Saturday saying they'd squeezed a refund out of the person they bought it from, and would pass this on to me in full. So I said I'd take a couple of days to think, and would get back to them by Wednesday.
I thought and decided that it drove well, so losing 13,000 miles wasn't too much of a problem, and I'd give it a go.
Strangely enough, they sold it on Sunday. I think I need to find a phone number for traing standards.
And another cheap middle aged car.
Bloody car salesmen.
*Inspects self*
Jul. 18th, 2005 09:48 pmIt seems to be me. However, for some unexplained1 reason, I ended up in Hyde Park watching REM2 this weekend, when there were perfectly good Rammstein and Meatloaf concerts on elsewhere.
If I hadn't been comfortably beered3, I'd have realised that getting Separated From The Herd would have been a good thing. Well, the agreed meeting place *was* the Aston Martin garage (Volante & Vanquish atm) :)
Still, saw a Real Live DB9 walking back later - twice - and a Maybach (the car even Mum & Dad would have to sell their house to buy).
Somehow, I avoided getting very interesting suntan lines rom my tshirt-with-cutout-Superman-logo.
And we found singing drunken Australians4 on Sunday. Weekends don't get much better than that :)
---
1 - Well, unexplained other than being invited byminspi. Which is a damn fine reason.
2 - Although the corowd behind us, who were watching the REALLY BIG SCREEN seemed to be watching an entirely different concert, since they were dancing, standing looking bored, and waving camera phones in the air at completely different times from the rest of us. We reckoned they were being shown the previous night's Queen+PaulRodgers show instead. Oh, and despite what the website said, the Zutons weren't on the lineup, and despite whatminspi's tshirt said, neither were Tog24.
3 - I blameukmonty for being in Bath and making - making, I say, me drink his share too.
4 - On top of beer and jugs of cocktails, they had a round of flaming sambucas. One of them at least didn't realise that you extinguish the flame before drinking...
If I hadn't been comfortably beered3, I'd have realised that getting Separated From The Herd would have been a good thing. Well, the agreed meeting place *was* the Aston Martin garage (Volante & Vanquish atm) :)
Still, saw a Real Live DB9 walking back later - twice - and a Maybach (the car even Mum & Dad would have to sell their house to buy).
Somehow, I avoided getting very interesting suntan lines rom my tshirt-with-cutout-Superman-logo.
And we found singing drunken Australians4 on Sunday. Weekends don't get much better than that :)
---
1 - Well, unexplained other than being invited by
minspi. Which is a damn fine reason.2 - Although the corowd behind us, who were watching the REALLY BIG SCREEN seemed to be watching an entirely different concert, since they were dancing, standing looking bored, and waving camera phones in the air at completely different times from the rest of us. We reckoned they were being shown the previous night's Queen+PaulRodgers show instead. Oh, and despite what the website said, the Zutons weren't on the lineup, and despite what
minspi's tshirt said, neither were Tog24.3 - I blame
ukmonty for being in Bath and making - making, I say, me drink his share too.4 - On top of beer and jugs of cocktails, they had a round of flaming sambucas. One of them at least didn't realise that you extinguish the flame before drinking...
Caffeine makes the workld seem shiny & new & full of things moving very slowly.
fire_kitten's party was fab, with added dragonmamma and redshira on top of the usual suspects. Kriek always helps, Paul McCartney has clearly made a pact with the devil (since he looks 10 years younger than people 10 years younger than him), men are like shoes, and five bean chilli makes a damn fine breakfast.
Just possibly may have mademinspi's brain hurt with drunken text messages. Again. nannyo told me to do it.
---
Every week, I love Top Gear more. Richard Hammond an James May - such an old married couple. Arguing over a cashpoint, wearing matching anoraks, dancing to the Bee Gees... *shakes head* Oh, and the car was nice, too :) Though I'd be hard pushed to decide between the Hamster & the DBR9... Oooh, back to the men = shoes train of thought! (Blamenurse_liz. I do.)
---
5 days to London.
6 days to REM.
9 days to work.
fire_kitten's party was fab, with added dragonmamma and redshira on top of the usual suspects. Kriek always helps, Paul McCartney has clearly made a pact with the devil (since he looks 10 years younger than people 10 years younger than him), men are like shoes, and five bean chilli makes a damn fine breakfast.Just possibly may have made
minspi's brain hurt with drunken text messages. Again. nannyo told me to do it.---
Every week, I love Top Gear more. Richard Hammond an James May - such an old married couple. Arguing over a cashpoint, wearing matching anoraks, dancing to the Bee Gees... *shakes head* Oh, and the car was nice, too :) Though I'd be hard pushed to decide between the Hamster & the DBR9... Oooh, back to the men = shoes train of thought! (Blame
nurse_liz. I do.)---
5 days to London.
6 days to REM.
9 days to work.
