Sporky McGuffin

I thought the V50 was 0-60 in 6.4 and the Octavia (officially) 7.3, actually 6.9 or so? Ah - or it could be that the V50 was unaccompanied, and the VRS had the Skoda chap in it. I probably drove the V50 a bit harder. The V50 did feel faster, but that might have been because when you floor it it's such a job keeping it in a straight line. The VRS just seemed to accumulate speed without any great fuss (though in a most fun way).

Mozzerella's more about texture.

Anyone who doesn't like cheese is a wrong 'un. Though I suppose I should let off anyone with an actual allergy to the stuff.

That's the appeal.

Pvc.

Oooh - that stripey Five Counties stuff is pretty cool. All stripey food is, I suppose.

'Course, if you're interested in a speed awareness course...

I do like dolcelatte and blue brie, but I think my favourite, which probably makes me a dreadful pleb, is a fairly strong cheddar. Either the proper stuff from a farmer's market or similar or the better supermarket stuff. I'm not that fussy.

I thought the Sonys were very good indeed, but I think the Sennheisers are just a little crisper and more detailed. They also fit my ears slightly better, though it's possible that I just needed the next size up of plug for the Sonys.

Still better than grapefruit juice though.

Hmm. I checked the Glass's thing on the Vauxhall site and that suggested £6820 for mine if it's in excellent condition.

It certainly looks like it'd fit. But that was the one thing I didn't check before buying the Fabia, and a hard case won't fit sideways in there. :(

Maybe you should try balsamic vinegar as a breakfast drink?

If it's full on depression then there will, as I understand it, be an underlying brain chemistry problem. The tablets are there to fix this underlying problem - there is more to curing depression than just taking them but they are a very important part of it. This is where the "pull your socks up" brigade are often out of order; full-on depression isn't something that can be fixed by taking a brisk walk (though such is never a bad plan). Best of luck.

I used to use those Sony MDR 71 thingies, but after running them over with a wheelie chair I decided to try some Sennheiser CX-300s. Which are ace. You do get some "body noise" though. £18 from Play when I got mine.

Don't say that! You'll spoil everyone's uninformed knee-jerk reactionary rantings! I mean what would Britain be without a populace of credulous morons willing to believe anything the tabloids say and have a go at a non-existent "PC brigade" for something that hasn't actually happened? I wonder how long it'll be before someone says "Yeah, but it's the sort of thing they would do".

Ah - that's a good point. I could see lots of "Is this a real VRS?" and "what else have you modded?" questions. I think the problem really was that the demonstrator was yellow. A black spoiler wouldn't show as much.

Thanks chaps - most helpful. Especially that code for the heated seats - Lady Bertie McHobnobs can now have no objections whatsoever. I was thinking of losing the spoiler just for added "stealth" value - one of the things I like about the VRS is that the differences from the normal Octy are fairly subtle. Could someone elaborate on the "Simpsons" thing please? Are they a particularly generous dealer? Oh, and my Fabia is a 1.9 Elegance estate; presumably that'd resell a little lower than a same-age-and-mileage fabia VRS.

I was looking at a petrol with rear parking sensors and maxi-dot, I think. I'm in Guildford so the two nearest dealers are Station Garage and the Aldershot one. I think I prefer the Aldershot place; they're certainly nicer to deal with for servicing, apart from the no while-you-wait thing.

Ah-ha. I did a bit of a search and answered the maxi-dot question myself.

First time the company had already been cut down from about 12 to 3. Then the boss said "Terribly sorry, chaps, but Friday'll be your last day. Bring a big car if you've got one and we'll take anything we fancy from the office. Oh, and I got you double the statutory requirements. Sorry I couldn't do better. Who wants to go to the pub?" Second time I found out from a receptionist at the site I was working at. Something of a stark difference.

My Fabia was in for its (excruciatingly painful) 40k service on Saturday, so I took the opportunity to have a go in the Octy VRS. I liked it a lot. Not as quick as the V50 T5 I tried a couple of weeks ago, but much better seats and it felt grippier and more reassuring somehow. Like being in a snugly-fitting trainer instead of a work-shoe, if that makes sense. I am now, therefore, rather interested in the idea of owning one, particularly as Lady Bertie McHobnobs has given notional approval to the idea. However, there were a couple of things I forgot to check, and was wondering if anyone could answer? 1) How wide is the boot - both the main bit and the hatch? I'm trying to work out if a guitar hard case will go in. I think it will but would like to be sure. 2) What is maxi-dot? I can't find an explanation. And would I want it? 3) Would the factory be able to make me one without the spoiler? 4) Do they do non-leather heated seats? The options list suggests not but the chap wasn't sure. 4) The chap suggested that my Fabia would be worth £6800 at trade in (it's an 05 but has 40k on it). Drive the Deal suggest about £16300 for a new VRS. Are these both sensible figures? Ta muchly. Oh, and being the most important aspect, if I did get one I think it would be black.

Mine's an Optiquest, which it seems is Viewsonic's budget range. It's a perfectly decent screen though, fine for gaming. Much better with DVI than VGA though.

Ah - yes, I see what you originally meant now, sorry! I just got a 22" widescreen for my PC. That's nice.

Does anyone actually make a 720p panel though? All the LCD TVs are WXGA and scale 720 lines to 768.