Brian69

Yeah, I understand why; today Vauxhalls are badge-engineered Opels (the last all-British Vauxhall, i.e. one that didn't have a direct Opel counterpart, must have been in the 1970s).

Saw a Zafira this morning on my morning run (well, light jog) - again, Vauxhall grille badge was missing, revealing the Opel 'lightning' behind. 'Opel' does sound sexier than 'Vauxhall'.

I mind one of the PE teachers at my school came back from a school trip* to the Continent with a RHD Ascona (equivalent at the time to a MKII Cacalier) - obviously he had made a tidy saving. *This was a long time ago (early / mid 80s), so not 100% certain about the school trip bit, but pretty sure it was. I vividly recall the car - it was a red hatchback.

Ah. All very small markets. I suppose the costs involved in smacking Opel badges on them as opposed to selling them as Vauxhalls must be small.

Twin-charger / DSG combo is great fun.

Is the R.o.I. the only RHD market that the Opel brand is sold in? I saw an Insignia with the Vauxhall grille badge missing, revealing an Opel 'template' (for want of a better word) behind.

Just a local car wash - they got a bit of bad press recently as they employed someone on a day's trial and didn't pay him (although I believe this happens across a lot of sectors these days), so I was going to go elsewhere; however, the convenience factor won. I live in a flat, so washing it myself isn't an option (there is a tap at my lock-up garage but no water comes out when you turn it on!).

I ran mine through the VW configurator and it came out at £19,700 - like you say, no one would ever pay that (unless it's someone like the poor chap on here that paid in excess of £20,000 for a Fabia vRS!). Arnold has a brand new one (not pre reg. or ex demo) in his showroom at £18,250 (it's a five door so I'd imagine the 'list' price is just over £20,000).

Badly needs a wash! Today's job.

I've clocked up 400 miles in three weeks, so still a long way to until the engine loosens up. At this stage not a lot I can add to the comments I've already made, other than that I remain very pleased with my purchase. An S1 would've given an extra level of performance, but I would rarely have exploited it to justify the premium. Took the revs up to 4,000 this morning - will wait until the mileage hits fours figures before I go beyond that. I have a few trips on some good roads planned .

Aye, I like the Leon but if an R is only an extra £800 then it would be the R every time - even if only because the residuals on the R will be much stronger (that and a classier interior).

Ouch! Sorry to hear that, George.

They're hit and miss - I've used them on a few of my cars, with mixed results.

Like the Spitfire, Phil .

I'm glad it's not just my imagination - the 1.8T does seem to pull much stronger in gear - as much as I'm a twin-charger fan the EA888 is a heavier proposition - just a pity it isn't available in the MKIII Fabia...

Aye, got a 15" (?) spacesaver - you're right - it's definitely a big plus - wouldn't want to get a blow out in the middle of nowhere with only a tube of useless goo in the boot. The battery fair eats into the boot space - although it makes it an ideal size for the dog...

Thanks Keith - I should have checked the manual. I was actually looking for the locking wheel nut when I decided to pull that out (locking wheel nut is under the spare wheel).

WTF is this?? -

Don't think I've been over 3,000 revs - you can make decent progress at low revs, so taking it easy is no hardship. MFD shows the oil temp. - pleased to get that back.

Same spot - different angle (and car ) -

Good to see it re-opened! Aye, quite a number tramp it on the long straight that the Loudoun Inn sits on.

Is the soup out of the Loudoun Hill Inn? I know the A71 between Strathaven and Darvel like the back of my hand (going way back...) - aye, cracking road, but a wee bit busier than I would have liked.

Now it has brightened up (finally), I've taken a wee spin out to Loudoun Hill -