F-Stop Junkie

That's the problem with driving on brake discs. You'd have been fine if you'd put some other wheels on...

If you buy any product or service then you're putting your money into that company's pocket. I pay for my broadband every month, and I'm damn sure my ISP takes more money from me than it pays to provide me with broadband. Like I said, that's life. The Government does put a lot of tax on fuel, and a lot of the calculations are based on percentage costs (things like VAT for example) so as fuel costs rise, VAT pushes them higher still. The Government could reduce fuel duty or get rid of VAT on fuel, but it would lose a good chunk of money and have the green lobby up in arms. Petrol though is just one cost of having a car. It needs servicing, it needs an MoT to prove it is road worthy, it needs new tyres when the old ones wear out. Again, that's life. What are you suggesting, that because we pay for fuel and a tax disc that MoTs should be free? Insurance isn't based on top speeds. What you're suggesting is some form of insurance communism where we are all affected equally. The problem is that insurance is based on risk. Older drivers are lower risk, more experienced drivers are lower risk, less powerful cars are lower risk, some areas are lower risk than others... Also there's the cost of repairing a car, which varies depending on the cost of parts and so on. It's very narrow minded to say that if a car is speed limited, then you shouldn't pay so much for insurance. You know as well as I do that a high performance car is more likely to spin its wheels and cause the driver to lose control, it will accelerate faster, which means you'll be going quicker more of the time... How could my Dad in his little Corsa pay the same as some 17 year old who's decided he's going to insure a Subaru no matter what? Plus if you have a fast car, you're more likely to drive quickly, and therefore you're more likely to have bigger accidents. There's nothing physically stopping you driving down a country lane at 150mph. It's like saying you shouldn't need a gun licence because you're only using it as a paper weight. Ah, you did say how much you're paying, sorry I missed that post.

So your argument against car insurance is that it's capitalistic? That's a new one on me... Lets see, in 2003 Microsoft had cash reserves (That's not profit, or turn over, or anything like that. This is cash just laying around doing nothing) of $49 billion dollars. HSBC (the world's second largest bank, and seller of car insurance) made a pre-tax profit in 2007 of $22.1 billion dollars. That's life. That's companies working to improve shareholder value as that's what big companies do. That's companies driving down the cost of the services they offer so they can make more profit. That's how business works, buy low sell high. If you believe that a company is making too much money - say through success, hard work or economies of scale, then feel free to shop elsewhere. I don't think speeding fines are there to get more money out of the motorist, but to punish people who have broken the law? The reason petrol prices are so high is that the price of oil has gone mental. In 98, the average price of a barrel of crude oil was about $14. Now it's gone past $100 a barrel, so we have to pay more. Oh, and car tax IIRC does not pay for the roads (it's not called road tax), but just for the pleasure of using a car. Local councils pay for road maintenance out of council funds. Well that's a different argument all together Laws have to be made and provisioned on the basis of a lowest common denomenator. We have a law that says you can not drive a car unless you are qualified to do so and have show sufficient ability not to be a danger to other people. However, when speed limits are set they are not based on the best drivers in high performance cars, but on young drivers who don't know what they're doing, and old drivers who can't remember what they're doing, and those who have passed the test but have little more ability than that. It's not about outright car control, but having speed appropriate to the surroundings. Drivers who have gone for big speed on the Autobahn in Germany say that if it's busy and there's a chance of a lorry pulling into the outside lane doing 70 while you're pushing 180, then you have no chance. If you speed a silly amount in an unsuitable place, then you deserve to be banned. If you're driving at the speed limit on a motorway in thick fog, you deserve to be banned. This is my one big criticism of speed cameras. I can be high as a kite, pissed as a fart and be doing 50mph in the fast lane of the M1, and no speed camera will catch me. A proper traffic officier would pull me over for tailgating, driving at speeds unsuitable for the conditions, or any number of situations where it would be right for me to be pulled over. They would also let 90mph on a deserted motorway go without even a warning, because they have the ability to make that judgement, and that's what's needed. You never did say how much insurance you pay for your moped? Do you pay?

Also if you add crap to your car, then it will dent the performance. A big boot install (maybe two or three amps, a couple of big subs, a big wood or steel frame to hold it all in place, extra battery) adds a lot of weight right over or behind the rear axle, right where you don't want it. You'll get more understeer, less rear grip, potentially snappy oversteer, and you'll be paying in fuel to cart it all around. Plus where do these people put their shopping???

Well now petrol has gone past a litre, is that too expensive? Gonna not bother with that too, or start stealing it? Business makes money shocker. Of course the big insurance companies make money, but that's the bet. Ever seen a poor casino owner? Insurance companies insure a whole lot of stuff, for a whole lot of people, take a hit when a lot of people claim, and do well when they don't. Are you suggesting a co-op approach to insurance? A non-profit making scheme that has big enough reserves to cover potential payouts? Fair Trade insurance? Maybe not the last one, we know the insurance companies are getting well paid for their cover... The bottom line is that motor vehicles are a good way of doing a lot of damage to people and property. Young, inexperienced people - or those with a history of bad driving through claims or prosecutions - are a greater risk because they are far more likely to claim. That's life. I'm still lost as to where your moped comes into this? Paying a lot for insurance?

If you're replacing steel wheels, then yes. If you're replacing existing alloy wheels, then maybe. If you go for a lightweight wheel, then yes - although the longevity of the wheel could be compromised - but if you go for a cheaper aftermarket wheel then they may actually be heavier than the OE items and reduce all the good stuff you mentioned.

Yeah, the user interface is pretty rubbish. First thing I did was learn which button does random, and basically left it at that. Oh, and set up a couple of play lists for variety.

No? Definately. You'll be a better driver, get more out of driving if you enjoy doing so 'enthusiastically' and it's the cheapest option. Yay, for the win, and whatever else young people say these days...

Meh, mine's about £350 a year, with one year's no claims...

Also, be honest why you're modifying your car. If you want a car that looks like you want it to look, so that other teenagers can drool over while you stand outside Burger King, then go nuts. Alloy wheels for the most part are purely cosmetic. Is it worth shelling out the cash for some detail like that? If it is, then go nuts. On the other hand, if you want bigger wheels for the looks, then you'll have to accept it could make the ride worse, make the handling worse, raise the ride height of the car, and potentially make your car illegal (that is if the rolling circumference of the wheel is sufficiently different to the standard wheel, then your speedo could misread by more than 10%). I checked, and keeping my wheels the same size, but fitting a tyre two profile sizes smaller (from a 60 to a 50) would make under read by 7%... Meh, each to their own. Just don't buy blue LED washer jet covers

Ok, have you ever looked at the radio while driving? Looked at a shop window? A girl on the pavement? Stared at your speedo as you approach a speed camera? At 30mph you cover about 13 metres every second. That is at a speed you can legally do in many built up areas with people around, and if someone happens 30 metres away while you're thinking about something else, then you'll barely have time to react, let alone stop. If you have an accident with other people involved, the cost of your car in the bigger picture is next to nothing.

Hallejuah brother! I'm all for a _good_ stereo as I agree it's a good way of passing time. My Alpine head unit is great as it sounds good and integrates well with my iPod. It's no louder than the Ford stereo, and at motorway speeds it sounds exactly the same. I don't get though why a car stereo needs several external amps, a sub box to clog up your boot, etc... Was a bit of a rant, but my hatred of those who don't see the point of car insurance has overtaken my mild annoyance at tosspots in Saxos who turn up an underpowered stereo to the max so that everyone can hear 140bpm techno being distorted very badly.

What a selfish view. You know why insurance is so expensive? It's not the value of the car, it's the queue of people you could run over. It's the person who can't work for a year because you were trying to find a map in the glovebox. Could you afford to cover the loss of earnings someone is facing for the rest of their life? I used to work for someone who was once Britain's best hope for a pro road racer. He got hit by a car, and had to give up an International pro riding career. He got a pay out to cover what he could have earnt as a pro, but he'll never get to ride the Tour de France or a classic road race. It's not £10,000 wasted over ten years, it's insurance against something bad happening as you own a vehicle that can injur and kill people. What if you hit a £100,000 car, and a dealer asks you for £50,000 to make it road worthy again? How are you going to pay? There's a reason why third party cover is a legal minimum. If you're worried about pissing money away, why pay for theft and fire cover? Isn't it cheaper just to park it somewhere safe?

Then they can't afford the mods. It's like buying a car that does 5mpg when you can't afford the petrol. Heck, what's wrong with standard? And why put in a big stereo? A car is probably the worst place to listen to a good stereo, especially if your 5" exhaust is droning all through the cabin, and you've got your window wound down despite the fact it's snowing. And another thing, why is the quality of music in cars always inversely proportional to the volume it's being played at? Dave Pearce's Dance Anthems or Xtreme 'Ardcore 08 doesn't suddenly sound good because you can't hear your ears bleeding. That said, once I drove into a car park, wound the window down to get the ticket, then turned the stereo up because The Archers was just starting... Got some smiles off normal, sensible people who appreciated the irony. If you want a good stereo, buy a good stereo. Then put it in a nice, quiet, stationary room, and listen to it. Similarly, if you want a car that handles well either spend the money on a proper suspension kit and get the geometry set up right, or buy a car that handles well in the first place. Do it properly, or don't do it at all.

Ben Collins is the normal Stig (which would explain why the Ascari got such a good laptime, as he campaigns one in British GT, also why he was used to doing endurance racing for the Britcar 24hr) as he used to do stuff himself - like the parachutist landing in the open top Merc, or racing against the mountain boarder in a Bowler. However, as someone said, the stig does vary. African Stig was clearly not Ben Collins. Julian Bailey (Ex-F1 and Toyota BTCC driver) has stood in before. Even Damon Hill (rumour has it) put down the Stig's Simpson lid when they needed a guest at short notice as he was around from Stigging duties. Heikki Kovalinen was the Stig when the Renault F1 car was first featured and did a 59 second lap, the owner of the Maserati MC12 was the Stig when that did a lap... How come I knew all that off the top of my head? I should get out more...

Don't get too hung up on getting a hotel in town. Some people I know stay in Wembley right next to the tube (and outside the congestion zone). Get on the tube and in ten minutes you're right in the heart of things. Travelcard is a definate must. So cheap to get around fairly easily. If you want to do the London Eye or Madam Tuessards or anything like that, get tickets in advance. A lot of the longer queues (Especially at Tuessards) are the queue for the ticket office, NOT to get in! Also hunt around for offers for major attractions. Go to Picadilly Circus in the evening, tick that off your list of things to do in your life. Ditto Covent Garden in the day. If you're after somewhere quick and nice to eat, then Wagamamas is always a hit. If you and your _lady_friend_ want to do something a bit posher than try Top Table to get a reservation and discount at somewhere swanky. Avoid Hard Rock Cafe or Planet Hollywood unless you like cheap food in expensive surroundings. Try Ed's easy diner in Soho or the Hamburger Union in Covent Garden for burgers instead. Oh, and hunt out a Krispy Kreme or two. Those who know will agree...

if it's 2005 onwards, then that's the new shape. Before that the Focus was facelifted and tweaked around 2002. If it's an old shape focus, the shape of the driving lights will show if it's facelifted or not. If the lights are rhombus shaped, then it's a newer one, if they're rounded then it's the original model. Ok, I see the problem now on the original shape. I found this list: 1.8 TDi Ghia 5d (98) 12.1 s 111 mph 88 bhp 1.8 TDi Ghia 5d (01) 12.0 s 111 mph 88 bhp 1.8 TDCi Ghia (100ps) 5d 11.2 s 115 mph 98 bhp 1.8 TDCi Ghia 5d 10.4 s 122 mph 113 bhp This list actually says when each varient was made, but you'll have to do some more digging I think: http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/specs/Summary.aspx?model=269

To be fair, it's a swanky apartment, right in the middle of town and next to a lot of the student bars (and the skate park!) with hot and cold running Nandos... It's actually more than my mortgage, but then Nick's flat is 10 minutes from where I work, where as my house is 10 miles...

Amen. It's not uncommon for prices to be affected by customer rep sales targets too... Get the right person at the end of the month, when they absolutely need to sell 20 more policies, and it could save you a few quid. It's just luck.

Just my opinion, but if you have a good background with some other graphics package, and you know what you're trying to achieve, then yes. Tutorials are good. With no experience or reference, a book would give a more rounded introduction.

True, but you would have a manual... Why don't people use Photoshop Elements first? Or something similar? Photoshop is a complete pain in the arse to use until you're upto speed (and even then it's less than intuitive!) but people try to use it 'because it's photoshop'. Anyway, don't bother with on-line tutorials if you have no background in Photoshop. Buy a good book.

Simon's bullshit filter in full effect Direct Line wouldn't touch me on certain cars (including a Civic 1.6 VTEC and Accord Type-R) for the first year on my own policy at 26! They also don't allow mods, as it obviously makes you a higher insurance risk. However, the service from them has been second to none. My one claim was handled perfectly. It's worth paying for proper cover IMHO. As for having a parent insure your car, I know people at Uni who had their claims disallowed due to 'incorrect ownership details'. Can you afford to run that risk? Especially if you're away from home at Uni. Just isn't worth it...

I don't know if criminal damage could be pushed if someone wanted to, but i'd be more concerned about the school coming after me, and punishing me somehow. All depends on who sees you doing what and so on. Also if you're storing stolen pallets on school property, then that's a big deal too if someone goes looking for them and contacts the school...

Fat Man's Tracksuit. Was pretty good actually, I had a tape Jamie sent me. Jamie was definately one of the good guys, great writer, and all round nice bloke. Kinda makes you sick

I know JJ went streety, the same as Jeff Lenosky. He rode at the Bike Battle in Boston in 2003. He also rode a lot more mototrials? He did (does?) have an oddly attractive girlfriend, and a bike chain tattoo round his bicep. Not nearly as cool as Aaron Lutze's Biketrials tattoo though!