Johnwg

Yes everything is the fault of the public sector worker... sack every one of them and put them to work (for nothing) painting rocks white...... As someone who works in the NHS, the only reason for sick leave I see is because people put in well over 12 hours worth of extra unpaid work per week, leading to them burning themselves out and having to be signed off with stress.. As for earning 12% more, as an economics graduate, all I can say is that those who I graduated with and headed off to London earn more than double than I do... Why, because all that they wanted for a career was £££££££££'s... Me, I wanted to do something I believed in. Are your comments above just a straight C&P from the latest Daily Mail editorial, or has your head been so far up your arse for the past 30 years you still think it's 1981?

Views appreciated.... is there anything else out there that ticks all these boxes? - Low road tax - £30pa - Stupidly high MPG - Fun to drive - Good dealer network (i.e. on the doorstep) and service deal (i.e. TLC) - Cheap to insure - A bit of space for the odd occasion you need to carry a some kit around e.g the dog, fire wood or Fell walking gear - Holds its value Looking at 12 month old one with 9k mikes on the clock, £14kish with a Salt/Pepper/Chilli/Curry whatever is the best pack (they confuse me ).

Braved the elements at 6 am this morning and got 4.5 miles in at -8.. previous best for running in the cold was -5. To be honest it wasn't too bad once I'd warmed up, in fact I probably found it easier than running in hot summer temperatures! Out of interest, what's the coldest you've ever run in?

Had 4 Marangoni Meteo winter tyers fitted on the Saab at Kwik Fit for £68 per corner (215/55H/R16's) at the end of October, glad I did now. Been driving in ice and snow all week around South Cumbria and the front wheels haven't spun once. Scandinavian Car + Winter Tyers = as good as a 4x4 for me

The last time the UK had a large debt issue wasn't because the 'old' Labour Government had to fork out £60bn+ to bail out the Banks (which is the main reason that government debt is so large)...... now correct me if I'm wrong but bankers aren't renowned for being left wing Labour types, so if the Tories had been in charge since 2005 would they have left all their mates in the city to sink? Of course not, they would have bailed them out (just the same) and and then taxed the hell out of everyone and cut public spending to make up for it (just like they're doing now) ..... at least the Labour plan (which would have worked IMHO) provided the grounds for sound long term economic recovery which would have benefited the many and not the few.

Been watching it unfold since lunchtime... quite shocked that it's all on my doorstep (only 30 or so miles away in the "South Lakes" here).

Royal Marine I take it?

Living in the South Lakes I do a fair few Fell Run's. I have been running for about 13 years now and thought I was fit until I moved up here, it was like starting to run all over again as it's impossible to go out for a run without hitting long steep uphill streches. All I can say is runing up hills is the best training you can get When I go back home to visit the parents and go for a run I find I can run 5-8 miles without breaking a sweat as it's mostly all flat!

Does it really matter? As long as it goes well and suits you needs who cares?

To be fair mate, that's a good deal. I have a Toyota dealer on the doorstep and the new Prius looks "OK" IMHO. At the end of the day we all need a car that suits our needs best in terms of price and running costs, hence why we aren't all hammering around in 911's and Aston's.

I think it's engine that he had in the XJ when he drove from Switzerland to Blackpool on one tank, and wasn't really that arsed about economy.

The Jag could be a goer, can be had for decent money now the XF is established. Dull... maybe, but Clarkson had fun with one at The Ring a few years back http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2584f1_8ug

Tom, am considering going down this route http://www.maptun.com/ However, that price seems very good Shark_90 Thirdtime - yes it is a 9-3 estate, but considering everytime someone one here has a Saab 9-3 they are informed in no uncertain terms that its a Vectra I thought I'd just nip it in the bud from the word go

For now - got myself a Vectra Estate and very nice it is to.... 56 Plate, Vector Sport ,1.8t with 32k Miles on the clock. Traded in for my 57 Plate PD TDI Octavia VRS with 40k on the clock, plus an excellent after sales package (12 months RFL, 4 new tyres, full major service, free MOT for as long as I own the car, 1 years warrenty, 1 years breakdown coverage, next service £99, to name but a few). Just over 300 miles in it so far and all's good, a really smooth and refined ride

Nice cars. I enjoyed mine when I had it. Presume it's a TDI?