Mincey

I must ask for an 18" clad ES when I take Betsy in for her next service. She provides a very smooth ride so on 18" wheels, it must be phenomenal!

What was I saying the other day about Lexus having a lot of catching up to do in the Grille Wars? I wish to retract that statement!

I feel a Mincey Anecdote coming on... Many years ago I was involved in a business sense with a chap who thought he was right about everything. He had a Tom Tom sat nav which was, apparently, the best thing in the world, and the only sat nav which could be relied upon. I remember him sticking it onto the windscreen of my second IS200 before we went on a business trip somewhere and it hitting my sat nav lid as it opened, resulting in a deep scratch. I took even more of a dislike to him after that. Anyway, the Lexus sat nav managed to keep pace with the wonderful Tom Tom unit. Both decided to take the same route, and the timing estimates were comparable. Fast forward a few months, and he decided that he had to have a Lexus. This was to replace a grotty MG ZS (?) estate which leaked like a sieve. He had to have an RX as it was the only thing Lexus offered apparently, which would take a bag full of golf bats. Had I known he was into golf, I probably would not have gone into business with him. I recall the first trip we made in the RX. All he did was moan and moan and complain and whinge about the sat nav and how inferior it was to the sainted Tom Tom unit. It was not long before I'd had enough. Had he set it up I asked? "Set it up?" he replied? He hadn't of course. All the speeds for the various roads were way below what they should have been. I changed them for him and guess what? All the estimated times suddenly became much closer to the mark. Golfers. They're almost as bad as cyclists.... Anyway, that's all by the by. I would just like to go on record to say that I would not spec a car with Sat Nav again unless it came as part of say, a high end entertainment package or there was no choice. I'd stick with Google maps. It's easier to enter addresses, it's quicker and updates are free and frequent. Plus there's all the traffic flow info too.

I was thinking of putting Go Faster stripes on my mudflaps before I fit them. Perhaps I should ask Swinton about the wisdom of doing this? I'm sure they'd take that as an opportunity to raise my premium by a further £10 a month (roll on May....)

A good point well made, if I may say so?

Can I moan about Rylan being everywhere please? Or are the words "being" and "everywhere" superfluous?

I must admit that I prefer buttons, switches and dials - once their location is memorised, there's no need to take your eyes off the road to adjust something. I have a touchscreen laptop but never use it, as after five minutes work I'd no longer be able to read anything on the screen thanks to my greasy finger prints. One in my car would look a mess very quickly.

Milk chocolate or plain diktats?

Alexa can be as bad. "Alexa, turn office on" is my usual command for switching my office light on. This is despite the fact that I will walk by the light switch as I issue this order on my way in. Alexa can make you very lazy. However, when Alexa responds with "I do not understand that command" or "Here's a channel you might like", the air can turn blue. "Alexa, JFDI!"

Mine is an AA branded pump with a screw on adapter and I must admit I'd prefer one with the old fashioned thumb lock thingy: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00HWMPK6S/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 It's worth a punt on £3.26 to see what they're like. I would imagine that the screw on adapter is preferred as it takes up less space when trying to cram the hose and power lead back into the all too small cavity!

I know, I know... I didn't know which one to use for best comedic effect. It seems that I did not choose wisely 😪

They were more than likely checking their social media! People like that should be taken outside and shot in front of their pets and extended families. Did I say "shot"? Sorry - I mistyped "given a stern talking to" again 😁

My ES F Sport on 19" wheels has a less choppy ride than my IS F Sport did on 18" wheels. It is also smoother on many surfaces than my wife's Ioniq on 15" wheels. I'd go with Colin's suggestion and check your pressures. My car is on Bridgestones which despite taking Michael Schumacher to several drivers' titles, aren't rated too highly on here.

"; CVT gearboxes have come a long way, but they still can’t offer the familiar stepped ratios of a conventional automatic – " Do you have to pass an exam in Thickness to be a motoring journalist?

Given the state of the boot lid, the previous owner clearly liked sticking inappropriate badges on it. It's the only RC-F Hybrid I've seen. I may be wrong though, it often happens.

Ian Paisley was seen in the middle of Belfast town centre holding a bike above his head. A chap asked him what he was doing. "I'm holding a Rally" he replied. (c) Frank Carson, TISWAS, sometime in the Seventies.

That was awesome! It's lucky that it's Tuesday and my current wife is going out to choir rehearsal tonight. I may well fire my Playstation up, load Gran Turismo and go around the Ring a few times.

I'd not thought of that!

I think Colin was referring to "admiring glances", of which Betsy has had many!

My father had a couple of 827's. The first introduced me to the concept of torque steer. Way back in 1990, upon returning home after celebrating getting my degree, despite being a bit worse for wear, I did see a note from Dad. It said "Well done, go to Silverstone tomorrow" with £30 in cash and the keys to his Rover. I was up at 4 the next morning (which was a struggle) to drive to the Friday F1 qualifying session. I'm glad that the Rozzers weren't out as I'm sure I'd have failed a breath test. Anyway, on the way home I was following a 3 litre Carlton down the Oundle bypass at a healthy rate of knots. A blue Esprit appeared behind me, and they were clearly in a playful mood. At an indicated 110mph (probably nearer 90) I bottled it and stuck my left indicator on. The Esprit flew past leaving me and the Carlton standing. Happy days.

Ok, the record was beaten by a Subaru WRX some years later, but just watch a master at work here. Tony Pond takes a stock (yeah, right - where's the rear view mirror?) Rover 800 Vitesse around the TT circuit at an average of 100mph. It's lucky that he didn't try it in an ES or IS, as they'd a) never be fast enough or b) wouldn't handle well enough....

And the IS.

I find it difficult to disagree with anything you say there e-yes (I'm sure I know someone who will though). I really couldn't care less that some Scheissewagen can beat me to 60mph. I'll chuckle as I pass him later while he waits for the AA/Green Flag/RAC to come and fix his "Ultimate Driving Machine". Again. My days of wanting to be Michael Schumacher ended many years ago. I just want to get where I'm going feeling as relaxed as I did when I set off - a task which Betsy copes with admirably. In Betsy, and even in my IS300h, which was allegedly the slowest crock of s**t on the road, I never heard myself saying "oooh, I wish this had got a few more BHP..."

You are leaning against an open door! How much damage has social media done? It has given a plethora of nutters an audience they would otherwise never have had. Bullying at school is no longer confined to school hours. And yes, the days of going to a library (that's a building with lots of books in it kids) to do some research for a school project or some homework, hoping that some classmate or other hadn't like, beaten you to it. Shaving: I struggled for years to get a decent shave. Each time Wilkinson Sword or Gillette brought out a new razor with an extra blade, I fell for the hype and bought on. My father didn't help - his only advice was to "go carefully and don't cut yourself". It was only when I stumbled across this chap on YouTube that everything clicked into place. I'm now a confirmed safety razor user and my chops are as smooth as a baby's bum every morning.

Oh amen to that!