A long catch-up

[azekeil]

Quite a long one, so here are some cut tags:

So, I'm back from my week's holiday in a cottage in Scotland. I have many pictures of the places we went to visit: Drumlanrig Castle, Culzean Country Park, Edinburgh, Loch Doon. Culzean was a place I used to go to on weekends with my family, so I had fond memories of the place. I couldn't have hoped for better weather on the day we went there - blue skies and hot but not sweltering temperatures. Sorry for all the pictures of the stone bridge - I used to play on it as a kid; it was just as I remembered it, which was really nice :)

I'm proposing a biking holiday to Scotland at some unspecified point. The roads there are wonderful; quite often pristine surfaces, curvy, hilly and usually with a view into the distance so you can really go for the corners. That, combined with the fact there are simply many less people on the roads, and the wonderful scenery and places to visit in Scotland would seem to make it ideal for a trip - if the weather is good. Having said that, we did sadly see one bike accident during our time there. So, who's up for it? ev1ldonut, dylan, stuartl and mandalorean and Toni, I'm looking at you guys in particular...

My glasses suffered an incident while traipsing painfully pushing through the branches of the pine forest around Loch Doon; they are now very weak around the nose piece. I am going to have to seek a solution, but ultimately this may involve new frames :/

This morning I went out to buy some milk. Upon seeing a cheap fuel price at the local supermarket I spontaneously decided to fill up as well - only remembering when I got to the till that I had lost my wallet before the holiday and had no cash or ID on me. One embarrassed conversation with the supermarket's security guard later and I was on my way home to have the cup of tea with the milk I had gone out to get. Luckily, the replacement card I'd ordered had arrived but kissycat1000's mum had helpfully put the post on the side when she came in to water my plants while I was away, and so I had missed it when I first came in. After opening it up and signing the back (and having my cup of tea), I was able to go back and pay the cashier with my shiny new card. Whoops :)

I'm sure someone at GoodFella's is having a laugh - either that or they're just completely ignorant of pop culture. One of their pizzas came in a box with the slogan 'Share and Enjoy' written on it...

After reading gerald_duck's post about his Lexus LS400 MkIII, I'm seriously considering getting one. kissycat1000 is having issues buying a bigger car for our family outings; I've always wanted to own a V8 - and this one is not that much less fuel efficient than my current car - and significantly better performing. My only gripe is that it will be a quiet smooth ride, and not the growly loud sporty V8 noise I'm after. A look on autotrader tells me I could have one for the princely sum of ~3k. I'm rather tempted. Tell me why/why not, and point me at other V8s. Any car (not van/truck) considered...

Tomorrow I have my review, which should be interesting. My boss sounded interested in my proposal for a new team lead by me when I tested the waters with him, so I submitted a written proposal for it before I left for the holiday. I guess I'll find out what he thinks tomorrow morning - unless he bumps me back on his schedule again. But that could be tricky in itself as he knows I'm busy, and my review has to be in by the end of August.

I'd also like to take the time to apologise to those people who have been going through various things and posting about them. This applies to quite a few people. It's not because I don't read your journals. It's certainly not because I don't care. Sometimes I just can't express the sentiments I feel in a way that is appropriate for this medium, so I haven't commented at all. Yes, I know, I'm a crap friend - I hate phones and in fact pretty much any form of communication apart from on here or face to face. So I guess I'll just have to spend some more time with you all huh?

Finally, in more upbeat news, sepheri will be joining in the party celebrations to make the increasingly inaccurately named the Truly Terrible Trio's party into a foursome. Not that I'm complaining. I guess it's now the OMGWTFBBQ. So, don't forget to let me know if you're planning to come / want crash space / want to know where it is :)

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Scotland.........its just wonderful *happy sigh*

[azekeil.livejournal.com]

Hello mother.. is that you?

[nemy.livejournal.com]

No twas I. But god knows why its didnt register

[azekeil.livejournal.com]

Ah! Lol. You use pipex too, huh? :)

[nemy.livejournal.com]

Is that like tippex?

;0p

[h-i-p-p-y.livejournal.com]

'Share and Enjoy'

No, because when I have a pizza, it's miiiiiiiiiiiiiiine, muwahahaha...

Sounds like you all had fun. Saw kissycat1000's video of the tyre swing.

[easternpromise.livejournal.com]

I'm hoping to make it along to the BBQ!

Sounds like you had a lovely holiday - Scotland is definitely on my list of things that I want to do, so it's really useful to see what you got up to! :)

[stuartl.livejournal.com]

You know me. I'm definitely interested in a bike holiday but there are three (obvious) problems.

1. My wrist is still a big issue.


2. Because of (1) I have done a total of 4 miles on the R1 this year, meaning a long journey is going to be hard work.


3. I'm working until the end of January, so it'd be weekends only.

:(

With regard to cars:

Get yourself a ten year old A8 4.2. You won't be disappointed. It's much more of a drivers car than the LS400 but still as quiet and smooth.

[azekeil.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I know your wrist is sore. I'm not sure exactly when I'm suggesting going - it could be something like next summer to try to get the best weather and the best chance for your wrist.

I would actually prefer a sporty-sounding V8, but if it can be a family car too then that would help. I'll have a look at the A8.

[stuartl.livejournal.com]

Next summer is much more likely than this year but I'm having to waken to the possibility that I will never be able to do long distances on the bike. I'm still having big issues on the bicycle but it is still early days.

I'm tempted to tax the bike just to get some short runs in...

[azekeil.livejournal.com]

Upsetting, yes. I would get the bike sorted for short runs as as long as you don't overdo it (something you've become somewhat renown for) it should strengthen up somewhat.

I'm hoping that there will be a resurgence of summer before the winter so I might aim for then, but it will be pretty touch-and-go. There's no reason we couldn't do it again anyway next summer :)

[gerald_duck]

The A8 is likely as smooth, but it's nowhere near as quiet, nor as reliable. The running costs are higher. The sound system isn't as good. The chrome is pretentious. The seats aren't comfortable. You can't buy a used one from a main dealer with a three-year unlimited-mileage warranty. It doesn't have the glorious cold-cathode backlighting for the binnacle. The seats aren't as comfortable. Because of all the specification variations, you have to choose carefully to get what you want; with the LS400 the only choice is the colour scheme and everything else is standard. Because Audi is a higher-status marque, depreciation isn't as steep and the things cost more.

The A8 was one of the other cars I considered when buying my LS400; can you tell? (-8

[azekeil.livejournal.com]

Interesting, thanks.

Can you tell me more about the costs of running the Lexus? How much are tyres, how often? What were the nasty problems you mentioned that occured during servicing (if I can find out if they've already been done on one I'm looking at, for example)? Who do you get your insurance from, as I'm looking at ~£620 with my current insurers for TPFT.. :/

[gerald_duck]

Servicing varies from dealership to dealership; it's likely cheaper your direction, but here it varies between about £200 and £400, with free good courtesy car, every 9000 miles. Timing belt is every 63,000 miles and a little steep at £500, because they have to take the engine block out to fit it. Other costs seem to run about 25% more than for my old Ford Granada, but less breaks and wears out.

The tyres are 225/60 WR16; Stapleton's sells me Pirelli P6000s for £120 a corner fitted, and they tend to last 20-25k miles with my blend of twisty-turny, high-speed trunk road and town driving.

My insurance is Norwich Union via a broker, and £950 full-comprehensive (35 years old, full NCB, village, driveway, one speeding ticket in last 5 years, no mileage limit). Welcome to the world of expensive cars that do 0-60 in a shade over seven seconds and reach 155mph on the autobahn.

My car is not as cheap to run as a Mondeo — not by a long way. I reckon it at about 30p a mile, all-inclusive. I'm very glad I have it, though. (-8

[azekeil.livejournal.com]

Yes, I appreciate it's going to be expensive. I guess I'm planning to do it for a year then sell it on. Basically before the petrol prices get (more) prohibitive. I may be able to avoid / put off the majority of those major costs, without affecting the resale value if I'm careful (I only tend to do about 5,000 miles a year). I figured it might cost me around twice as much overall as my current car to own.

[stuartl.livejournal.com]

Whatever car you go for, the LS400, the A8 or something else; when you hit that car market they're expensive cars to run.

The petrol consumption brings tears to your eyes and the timing belt/cam chain makes you consider selling relatives. The tyres actually aren't bad at all compared to other cars but you end up going through them more quickly as you enjoy yourself :)

I'd never go back. I love them :)

[azekeil.livejournal.com]

The petrol consumption figures for the A8 and the Lexus (from the '95 era anyway) are 29mpg on a run, which isn't really that different to the current car I'm running. I realise the other expenses will bump it up somewhat; I can't really justify it but I can afford it, so I'm tempted to do it and get it out of my system before I get priced out of it by rising oil prices.

Like I said, if I do it for a year (considering my low mileage nowadays) I could probably avoid most expenses if I'm careful.

I have my bike as my big extravagant thing; I only really need a small efficient runaround car that can take the kids at a push. I'm only really considering it at all for two reasons: V8, plus being 'the family car' for a year. kissycat1000 has realised she could do the same with a smaller sporty car for a year too if she wished, but I think she's against changing her car more often than she needs to.

I have to admit it's daft for me as I hate buying/selling anyway. Still not decided one way or another at the moment. Looking on Autotrader the A8's are generally about 1/3 more expensive which I can't really afford :/

[azekeil.livejournal.com]

Oh, what do you think about a BMW 740i? They're in my price range too it would seem...

[stuartl.livejournal.com]

The 7 series is much like the LS400. It's the same luxurious motor with the same kind of comfort and handling.

Good car but not a patch on the A8, IMO...

[azekeil.livejournal.com]

Oh, can you tell me what they do for the 9,000 mile service?

[stuartl.livejournal.com]

Suck in air through their teeth and start sentences with "Well...."

[stuartl.livejournal.com]

I think we'll have to agree to disagree here.

The LS400 is targeted as a cruiser, which it's very good at. It's incredibly quiet, it's incredibly luxurious. The A8 is very quiet, it's very luxurious but that's not it's core target market. The A8 is targeted at those who want to drive the motorways in comfort without sacrificing the fun on back roads.

With the slightly stiffer suspension, wider track, four wheel drive and a sporty semi-automatic transmission the A8 responds much better to being poked whereas the LS400 behaves a bit like a barge on the back roads.

Where the LS400 benefits is in cruising, but I don't consider that worth it for the loss of the times I want to have a bit of fun.

With regard to seats in cars you must have realised by now that every seat in every car is a compromise? The seat is designed to accept the shape of body the manufacturers see driving the car, compromising the soft foam for support when cornering and braking.

With my body shape (bearing in mind that I'm a completely different height and weight to most people reading this ;)) the 5 series is horrifically uncomfortable, shocking for a 30-45 thousand pound car. The 7 series is ok and the A6/A8 are both very nice. The most comfortable car I've sat in, for my body shape, isn't a Lexus, BMW or Audi. The Peugeot 406 seat, lumbar support, bolster shape etc are all perfect for my back and legs. Consequently I'd expect both of you to hate it :)

[azekeil.livejournal.com]

It's a Peugeot; designed for small French men :p

[gerald_duck]

The only downsides I've noticed with my series of LS400 are:

• Servicing and parts costs, while very reasonable for a luxury car, are still much higher than for lesser vehicles.
  
• If some arsewit breaks any glass except the windscreen, the replacement will likely come from Japan.
  
• There's no trip computer (boggle!).
  
• The remote central locking doesn't open the boot; you have to use the key, or the electronic release on the dashboard.
  
• The transmission tunnel is big, so a third adult passenger in the back isn't very comfortable.
  
• The finish on the standard alloys isn't that great, and weathers badly.
  
• The front and rear fog lamp switches are in different places.
  
• The front-seat passenger has switches for central locking, window and seat-belt height adjustment… and often gets them confused. (-8

I think a similar list for any other car would be much more substantial.

JD Power rated it the most satisfactory car on sale in the UK two years running with good reason.