A sense of scale - money, cars, music [Archive]

MikeMusic

27-10-2012, 10:06

YNWaN

27-10-2012, 11:47

It's a good job you didn't click on the Aston Martin add then - all values are relative.

Audio Al

27-10-2012, 11:55

Its the same with everything in life ,

you pays the price if you have the money

I can get a meal in the local cafe for £4.20 or go to a swanky restaurant and pay £200 , its all food :mental:

MikeMusic

27-10-2012, 12:24

It's a good job you didn't click on the Aston Martin add then - all values are relative.

If you have loads a money or just plain want to none of it is a problem
I like people spending that sort of dough, keeps my world going round

Question is and I can't see anyone asking, out of interest..
What else have they spent money on, specifically hifi and music ?
Do they have interest in music, feigned or real ?
What other high value items do they have ?

Range Rover never really appealed to me
But yes I would quite like a Veyron
:)

MikeMusic

27-10-2012, 12:26

Its the same with everything in life ,

you pays the price if you have the money

I can get a meal in the local cafe for £4.20 or go to a swanky restaurant and pay £200 , its all food :mental:

For sure.
I prefer to eat at home. Mostly for comfort and better use of time.
If eating out were cheaper I would still eat at home
A good meal in a good restaurant is horribly difficult to find

Audio Al

27-10-2012, 12:36

A good meal in a good restaurant is horribly difficult to find

Very true :)

seoirse2002

27-10-2012, 13:10

Absent mind, clicked on a Range Rover ad.

Range Rover Sport £49,795
:eek:
:mental:

This is normality for some people
That's £48,095 more than I paid for my current Saab

I get way more out of my music and kit than I would any car.
Im afraid to say,but the car's the star for me...ideally with a decent sound system...But its all relative I suppose and depends on what the priorities are,Im sure many people could buy a nice car with the money some people on here have spent on hi fi...to each his own:cool:

Ali Tait

27-10-2012, 13:27

Love my cars I must admit, but I refuse to spend a fortune, hence why I have a 3.0 V6 Alfa 166 with 226bhp. Cost? 1200 quid. Bargain!

MikeMusic

27-10-2012, 13:30

Im afraid to say,but the car's the star for me...ideally with a decent sound system...But its all relative I suppose and depends on what the priorities are,Im sure many people could buy a nice car with the money some people on here have spent on hi fi...to each his own:cool:
I have to confess my old Saab is a 2.3 Turbo
:)
But where can you *use* it ?

If I wanted a Range Rover I'd go 2nd hand and save a bundle

MikeMusic

27-10-2012, 13:32

Love my cars I must admit, but I refuse to spend a fortune, hence why I have a 3.0 V6 Alfa 166 with 226bhp. Cost? 1200 quid. Bargain!

Cheapskate !
I paid £1700 !
:)

Hmm. Is that the same floor pan as the 9000 ?
Nice drive ?
Assume it goes like stink
Sounds like cake and eat it to me

MikeMusic

27-10-2012, 13:34

Very true :)

So often I've been disappointed.
One I return to again and again Kingston Vegetaria.
Yes its veggie - forget that
The range and quality of food is just great

hifi_dave

27-10-2012, 14:15

If I wanted a Range Rover I'd go 2nd hand and save a bundle

And buy a heap of trouble. I have owned 3 Range Rovers from new and they were a disaster. Every time you get in and turn the key, you worry what's going to go wrong/fall off today..:eek:

The most reliable cars I have owned - various SAAB.

MikeMusic

27-10-2012, 14:29

And buy a heap of trouble. I have owned 3 Range Rovers from new and they were a disaster. Every time you get in and turn the key, you worry what's going to go wrong/fall off today..:eek:

The most reliable cars I have owned - various SAAB.

Never looked at a Range Rover seriously. Vaguely ware of horror stories
I'm on my 4th Saab
:)

Ali Tait

27-10-2012, 16:41

Cheapskate !
I paid £1700 !
:)

Hmm. Is that the same floor pan as the 9000 ?
Nice drive ?
Assume it goes like stink
Sounds like cake and eat it to me

Yes, the platform was developed for three cars- Alfa, Saab and Lancia. Yes, goes like stink, through a tankful of petrol anyway!

Made for the roads up here though, it's a big saloon that handles like a little two seater. Give me a twisty A road and I'm in heaven.

You always get a friendly wave from your fellow Alfa drivers too!

MikeMusic

27-10-2012, 17:24

Yes, the platform was developed for three cars- Alfa, Saab and Lancia. Yes, goes like stink, through a tankful of petrol anyway!

Made for the roads up here though, it's a big saloon that handles like a little two seater. Give me a twisty A road and I'm in heaven.

You always get a friendly wave from your fellow Alfa drivers too!

I think Saab lost handling when they went for super safety.
It hardly handle like a 2 seater
Would be interesting to compare the 2

Ali Tait

27-10-2012, 17:56

Aye, never been in a 9000. The good thing with the Alfa is despite it being a large saloon, it only weighs 1500kg, not bad for a car of it's size.

walpurgis

27-10-2012, 19:07

Just sold this little baby. It didn't exactly hang about. Nice car.

seoirse2002

27-10-2012, 23:21

Love my cars I must admit, but I refuse to spend a fortune, hence why I have a 3.0 V6 Alfa 166 with 226bhp. Cost? 1200 quid. Bargain!

Alfas are cool!
In daily use a 146 TI with 35,000 on a new engine after trading in my old 146 with 246,000 on the clock and still going strong....now my other car...different story.. only out for long trips out of town...love em both:cool:

Ali Tait

28-10-2012, 00:41

Aye, love my Alfas. Have the 166, and save for the weekends a 164, again a 3.0 V6. It's in good nick having been in storage for seven years before I bought it seven months ago. Needed a good few quid spending, but now that's done it's been a totally reliable daily driver for my other half during the week. These are rare cars nowadays, a shame as they are a great car, I'd probably take the 164 over the 166 on a fast twisty road if I was pushed to choose. Both are great though!

isuckedmandelsonslemons

28-10-2012, 07:14

Alfas are cool cars.

I had a red 156 a few years ago with full body kit including massive spoiler. Total boy racer but great car and never missed a beat.

When I took early retirement I bought my wife a pressure a two-year old Alfa Brera. Stunning car. Unfortunately it went into limp mode in way home and in the two years she had it the car had numerous problems (mainly electrical). It wasn't a total nightmare but not a good ownership experience.

That was traded in for a Jaguar XF. This is by far and away the best car I've ever driven. Considering that I spent three years as a motoring journalist that's not a bad endorsement. We've had lots of nice cars. The Jag knocks them all I to a cocked hat.

Don't ask me why but I'd love an Alfa estate to replace my Discovery.

All that said. Cars are the biggest waste of money ever. And anyone who buys a brand new one has more money than sense IMHO.

Ali Tait

28-10-2012, 07:36

What engine was in the Brera. 2.4 diesel?

isuckedmandelsonslemons

28-10-2012, 08:25

Yes.

Ali Tait

28-10-2012, 09:46

A common thing the limp home with them. A good idea to do an egr and dpf delete and remap. Lets the engine breath as it should, and you can get up to 250 bhp.

A nice looking car the Brera, thinking about getting one myself.

bobbasrah

28-10-2012, 10:06

A common thing the limp home with them. A good idea to do an egr and dpf delete and remap. Lets the engine breath as it should, and you can get up to 250 bhp.

+1000%
Although the logic driving the environmentally 'friendly' brigade in office might be applauded, the technology employed to address it is mainly not deserving of anything but contempt. The damage done by not using EGR and DPF are miniscule, and there are many more deserving cases for a environmental crusade than the motorist. :rolleyes:
Once a technological application has been developed which is reliable, not costing a arm and leg to service, and not using known carcinogens, by all means apply it. :steam:

isuckedmandelsonslemons

28-10-2012, 15:25

Ali, very pretty car indeed. Bit if a hairdressers car but superb to drive. I could never really get used to the cramped conditions but that's not a surprise considering I drive a Disco 3.

Filterlab

30-10-2012, 23:19

The Saab 9000 shared a platform with the Alfa 164, not the 166. Also shared with the Fiat Croma / Lancia Thema if I remember correctly.

MartinT

31-10-2012, 11:46

A good idea to do an egr and dpf delete and remap.

I have had my last three cars (BMWs) remapped and all have gained performance and improvements in economy. Turbo diesels make the greatest gains.

It's all about the environment (temperature, pressure, humidity) and quality of fuel. In this country you can remap because our fuel is high quality and our weather never extreme, it's just the manufacturers that don't like you doing it.

Be honest and inform your insurers if you do it, though.

Ali Tait

31-10-2012, 19:48

The Saab 9000 shared a platform with the Alfa 164, not the 166. Also shared with the Fiat Croma / Lancia Thema if I remember correctly.

Yep, that's what I meant. :)

StanleyB

31-10-2012, 20:08

I am a SAAB 9-3 first generation version fan myself. The actual car I have was originally used in the SAAB sales brochure and then sold for scrap to a SAAB specialist who happens to be a friend of mine. It turned out that the car had quite a few bits on it that were optional extras or ended up not getting fitted to the production car. That included a 2.3L engine. The production cars were fitted with a 2.0L engine. But running and repair costs are horrendous. Mind you, that is offset by the wow factor. Suffered a two year ban and confiscation of my license once after outrunning a Volvo 850R5 (and if you know which Volvo that is you know what I was up against ;)).

bobbasrah

01-11-2012, 07:24

......Suffered a two year ban and confiscation of my license once after outrunning a Volvo 850R5 (and if you know which Volvo that is you know what I was up against ;)).

Was that a white one with fairy lights on the roof and lads in uniform inside ? :doh:

StanleyB

01-11-2012, 08:34

Was that a white one with fairy lights on the roof and lads in uniform inside ? :doh:
It was. A pity I had no camera phone to record the event and the conversation between them and me. One asked what sort of car it was since I had removed the brand and model number badge. The other one jumped in the air like a little kid who was the only one who knew the answer to a question posted by the teacher. He took the keys off me and said I could not drive the car any further. But because it was parked in a round about he jumped in it to try to move it. Nearly crashed the car in the process. On mine the turbo kicks in at about 1600RPM. On the production model it kicks in at about 2000RPM...

MikeMusic

01-11-2012, 08:41

It was. A pity I had no camera phone to record the event and the conversation between them and me. One asked what sort of car it was since I had removed the brand and model number badge. The other one jumped in the air like a little kid who was the only one who knew the answer to a question posted by the teacher. He took the keys off me and said I could not drive the car any further. But because it was parked in a round about he jumped in it to try to move it. Nearly crashed the car in the process. On mine the turbo kicks in at about 1600RPM. On the production model it kicks in at about 2000RPM...

Love the turbo
The 9000 kicks in way better and faster than the 900 did

MartinT

02-11-2012, 11:41

Love my two turbos ;)

Ali Tait

02-11-2012, 15:48

I have had my last three cars (BMWs) remapped and all have gained performance and improvements in economy. Turbo diesels make the greatest gains.

It's all about the environment (temperature, pressure, humidity) and quality of fuel. In this country you can remap because our fuel is high quality and our weather never extreme, it's just the manufacturers that don't like you doing it.

Be honest and inform your insurers if you do it, though.

Yes they do work well as most manufacturers derate the engine and use DPF and EGR to improve emissions at the expense of power, so a delete and remap can have significant gains.

MikeMusic

02-11-2012, 16:01

Talking to an otherwise sane bloke

He is trading in his 3 year old Passat alike for a VW Toerag on lease
"because it is cheaper.. " than whatever .....
£100s per month
so after about 3 months he will have spent what I did on the Saab I've now had for some years
They saw him coming

Ali Tait

02-11-2012, 16:09

The lure of a brand new motor seems to hypnotise some folk.

DSJR

02-11-2012, 16:23

many years ago, an old client brought his long retired friend in, who changed his Jag XJ every two years, losing many thousands of pounds each time - this was the period in the early 80's that Jags weren't as well made as the superb basic design needed IMO. When I suggested he could have a nicely made, good looking and reliable B&O stack system for a couple of grand (6500 I think it was), which would last him for decades (they've proved their long life since that time) and give a pleasant sound, it threw him a bit, although he still didn't bite :(

MikeMusic

02-11-2012, 17:19

The lure of a brand new motor seems to hypnotise some folk.

Just watch the shiny thing, you know you want it

and after a few years I'll buy it for a song
:)

MikeMusic

02-11-2012, 17:22

Ali Tait

02-11-2012, 17:29

Just watch the shiny thing, you know you want it

and after a few years I'll buy it for a song
:)

Exactly! My 166 has a lot of options, the paint alone was an extra £2500. Full hand made Momo leather interior, another couple of grand. I reckon new price was probably around 29k.

MikeMusic

02-11-2012, 17:46

Exactly! My 166 has a lot of options, the paint alone was an extra £2500. Full hand made Momo leather interior, another couple of grand. I reckon new price was probably around 29k.

These people are doing us a great service !
:)