Motoring
A cabrio is not just for summer…
March 29, 2013 | 
Author When I bought my current cabriolet, it came with the optional hardtop, which I love, and in theory it’s great for “winter use”, however this winter, I decided to run without it.
The pros are it gives the car a second look, you can run “frameless coupe” mode, which you can’t in the actual coupe, and unlike the cabrio roof, it has a glass & heated rear screen. However, I have neither a garage, nor the space at home to keep it, which runs a few compounded issues. Before the fabric roof is stored for any period of time, it has to be dry, the roof is a two person’d job, and again you want it dry before you take it off to stash it in the house. As I don’t really have room to stash it at home, this means dads, which means this also has to be planned. This means last year it went on mid September 2011, just as we witnessed a lovely heatwave at the start of October, and didn’t come off till near the end of March, so that was nearly 6 months with a convertible I couldn’t use.
Running Reports – BMW E36 323i Convertible pt2
BMW 323i Convertible (E36 2.5l M52)
Starting mileage – 117662 7th July 2011 – 127287 30th September 2012
Total Miles – 9625
MPG – 25.76mpg
Costs -
- £215 – 12 months VED (July 11)
- £134 – Inspection Service
- £251 – Front Dunlop SP2000E
- £43 – Crankshaft Sensor
- £220 – Pagid discs & pads all round
- £493 – Insurance
- £40 – MoT
- £30 – Bonnet Badge
- £400 – Front Bilstein B4 Shock Absorbers (£135), Front Sachs springs (£135) & fitting (£130)
- £223 – 12 months VED (July 12)
It’s been over 14 months since my last running report on the 323i, and at first glance the costs may look expensive, but, two years tax & the insurance are just annual unavoidable’s, and even if there are cheaper to tax cars I think I’m saving some on depreciation. Tyres & brakes are service items and should hopefully see at least two-three years motoring, and neither were chosen on price, the tyres particularly, were chosen purely because they’re the OEM spec, and one of the reasons I bought the car was that it was, even at 14 years old, still running OEM spec tyres all round, so when the moment came to replace them, I chose to carry on running it on OEM Dunlops, rather than a cheaper mid-premium option.
Posted in Motoring, Review, Running Report | 
Tags: 323i, convertible, E36, Running Report | 
1 Comment »
You Park Like a C*nt
The fowl mouthed You Park Like a Cunt website it quickly becoming one of my favourites, it’s mantra:
“a blog which will help its creator come to terms with, and learn to enjoy people who simply park like cunts.”
The worlds full of them, which means every day you can join in the fun of submitting c*nts, as well as enjoying other submissions.
Within the hour of discovering the site I’d already found my first submission
Less parked, more abandoned
Posted in Motoring | Tags: BMW, learn to park between the lines, parking, SUV, You Park Like A Cunt | 2 Comments »
VW Golf GTI 8v
This is my old & much missed VW Golf GTI mk2 8v. One of the first of the ’88 spec with Digifant engine, RHD wipers, and no quarter-lights. Mainly a post as it’s about time there was some pictures back up online of her somewhere.
Bought as I was seeking a cheap runabout when I found this on a dealers forecourt, essentially 2 owners from new, 60,000 miles on the clock (at 13 years old), £1500.
2011 Ford Focus Zetec TDCI Road Test
Despite the 'all new' tag, it's still very recognisable a Ford Focus. Personally I'm a bit disapointed by this, when the Focus first came out, it was a bit of a shocker, and it seems a shame if you're starting with a clean sheet, not to do something new with the car. The biggest clue it's a new car besides the front bumpers is the rear lights have been moved off the rear C pillars and back on corner of the rear quarters.
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