Cotswold Pete

Nice room

May I suggest that if you get a Dacia, that putting wheels on church pew might be step up on the luxury front

I ended up with E350 (W212) - nice and pokey, jumpy auto box (as someone else said makes you behave like a nodding donkey, much more fragile than LS 400, boot right shape to get a bike in (LS 400 was larger but not as deep). Seats as comfortable as a Scottish Kirk. For sure it needs more repairs, but parts do seem cheaper. Seems as fast and as quite as LS 400, and not so heavy on tyres (possibly) I did think of S-class, borrowed a mates, but still seemed like a pretender to a Lexus Limo. Son just bought a 2013 Mazda 3 impressive little car, pretty quite not too many fancy gadgets so maybe when my time for larger cars expires something like a Mazda will do it.

That looks spot on, the streaks from my experience are just residue that sits in the pipe and rub off the end of the dipstick as it twists. My Merc dip stick is way worse, you almost feel like some major surgery is being undertaking as you wiggle it around. On the overfilling, if a smidgen over the second dot okay, anything else I would be nervous as experience of overfilling has never been a good outcome

A balloon pump is just as good for blowing outthe dust, but with that house of horrors a darned good hoover first

Indeed some of us do, and when I had LS even opened sun roof. There is nothing more refreshing on a cold winters morning of opening the windows for a few seconds before letting the AC do its stuff.

Do not forget to add the nearly £300Billion outstanding student debt which is growing faster than most students can ever pay off, so that bill will get called in at some time. As a country we are well bankrupt in so many ways (not that any politician really cares, that is for the next lot to sort out !!!)

Just run in the. I woud love to experience a nice low mileage model for old times sake. Last time I did was a Mk1 in 1994 with less than 10K on the clock. Bliss

I had a tow bar on my Mk4 (was fitted by first owner) I recall it was a Witter. Was not told that there were not approved. Only thing I used it for was the electrics to for a number plate to my Bike Carrier (boot mounted). As to getting one, the Mk4 was better than Mk3, apart from the Touch Screen fade in winter where the flourescent tubes degrade. I got rid of mine coz the tin mice were gonig mad in the rear arches, but at 250000 miles it has done me proud for 10 years. If you can get a well sorted one, you will not regret it. Getting all the running gear bushes is a must to save on tyre wear, and makes the beast so much more stable (passengers get less sea-sick). Never worry about fuel costs, what you spend on fuel you are not spending on garage bills

Qamar, sorry to hear about your challenges. Been there a couple of times over the years, and sometimes felt the hill was just getting bigger no matter how much I tried to climb it. I always found sharing with my close mates (not a thing blokes are always good at) helped even though they did not 'cure me', it felt like a load shared was a load halved. I did at one point after Covid go through exactly the same feeilngs about how overwhelming my LS was (not really sure why it got to that with a car), but worked out at the time I was worried retirement in 2024 and whether I could afford to run a decent car. I hope that whatever support you find can keep you safe in your head, and as suggested maybe park up the LS, and do what I do which is bird watching or something that takes your mind to some other 'nicer' zone. All the best

The DM (sigh). I am assuming they expect our MPs to freeze to naffing death when they spend a night in their second home which if they live in Bolton/Truro/Newcastle (where ever) they either stay in expensive hotels of sleep on the streets when they work in London (which from what I can see is a fair bit of their time). I assume Ted Verity will not be claiming anything from any government that he is not 'really' entitled to, and neither would Paul Dacre. I get that some entitled MPs (of all parties) try and bend the rules . With the daily rags you have to dig around to get the proper context. But I am glad my mother in law buys the DM, it is just amazing for lighting fires. I am a pensioner in 2 weeks, and maybe in 20 years time I will need the heating allowance when my pensions have all dried up (and the state pension will be enough to buy one copy of the Big Issue a week, and some dry bread to dip into my cold soup) , but we have a few changes of government to get through before we get there.

Slept in the back of Sunbeam Rapier many years back, went to the Top Rank had a bit too much and back seat of the Sunbeam was okay. Sunbeam - not sure if this was the car? It was this colour and had the overdrive and the funny little wind down rear lights and the valve radio. And Just remembered about 10 years ago did a stint of kipping on back seat of LS400, up in Lancs to then get up at 05:30 to a bit of early Bbird watching at Leighton Moss. Was not so bad - better than a tent (probably)

Tried that 44 years ago in a Ford Escort Mk 3 on a weeks hols in North Wales. Ended up doing B&B towards the end, so at least me and the girlfriend could get a good night kip before trekking up mountains.

Was told at a Lexus dealer a while back estates and saloons a thing of the past, everyone wants a UV of some sort.

Looks good. Had some friends who have done something similar and in first 15 months got a house that could be used, but taken 3 years to completely finish, and not yet started on the garden additions. I admire anyone who does this, but spent first 3 years in my current house just living on a building site (as it is 250 years old but not looked after for 100 years - was a heck of a state), and managed (well my wife did) to bring up two kids run a business from home for a while. Only got the final major works completed 10 years ago, and now it's time to start working on redecorating what was done 28 years ago. By the way a house like yours needs a stonking sounds system to go with that projector / TV. Looking forward to the final photos

Wow, I have been a Octopus customer for years, never won a bean, but they generally seem to be the most reasonable in terms of charges. Mind you have not played the wheel of fortune in a while

Sometimes it is the emotions attached to a house you brought your family up in and lived your life in. Just had a mate who had 6 bedroomed house with half acre of garden, and the heads said move, release capital and get a smaller house which is easier to heat and does not take every second of your retirement just to keep on top of the garden. After 2 years he finally did, but his wife still not over the heartbreak of moving after 40 years in their home, but they know it means the house can be used to allow a new generation to experience while they can sit in a nice warm house rather than sit on top of a fire in one room with the rest of house being like the artic. I am sure when this time comes to me and the missus when we only need 2 bedrooms (not 4) it will be emotion versus logic.

I know what you mean, but I always felt the LS experience was in the car and the external looks were a little bit secondary. I like the 400 and 460 from outside (not so much the 430), but prefer the 430 interior for looks but the 400 interior for the feel of space, its odd how a car tickles the 'like factor' in different ways.

Maybe give Japex a shout in Kings Langley, heard that they know their stuff on suspension, so worth a phone call (maybe)

That is a Lexus I would love to see, would the storage have proper straps to stop the wheelbarrow flying about on the way to the allotment for a spot of muck spreading. I do not have any gun dogs who could sit on the tail of 'the shooting brake' but a wheelbarrow I do have🤣

Sounds okay to me, but maybe the 21 Gun Salutes now and again would scare the Bejeezus out of the residents😗

I am the cycnic you do not want to get trapped with at a party.🤓😬💥 The original windows in my house still going strong, the new lounge window fitted 40 years ago needed a bit of TLC a few years ago, the next door neighbours 10 year old new bay window rotting already. Using the fast growing (harvested too early) timber always has a loose grain that resists water like a paper towel. Everytime I repair any timber features I scarf in oak to make sure things will last more than long enough for me to not be worrying when I am a dribbling idiot sat in front of Homes Under the Hammer all day every day.

Nope, I used to fly around the world a lot on business, so plenty of time to help create global warming and reading at 35,000 feet. Got a huge pile of books to read still, but only at bedtime, and even in retirement the garden / allotment and wifes project requests mean limited time to gem up on what's broken with this planet.

My missus - who works for an architects that wants to build low cost homes (as well as madly expensive conservatories for super rich people), says that from her experience the paperwork and costs for small builders to create low cost housing makes the whole thing a ruddy nightmare. The big wheels of the inflexible system called planning needs to be scaled back with appropriate checks and balances to stop cowboys building low cost houses that will be useless before the 'nominal' 80 year life span of a new build. I live in a Jerry Built Georgian house (most Georgian properties are Jerry built) still standing after 250 years, it was all small builders in them days, so clawing back the grip on corporates by scaling back the inflexibility (and costs) of the planning system is required I will be long in heaven (or hell) before the housing crisis that embedded itself in 1980 is actually cured.

Read this book - The New Few - fascinating read and you can see how we have got here. The whole we always do worse under labour than we do under Tory leadership is something I would love to read up more on, but never found a really good book written on this subject, but if someone knows of one then let me know.