mystery machine

Great value for money, if you can stomach the hatch. I can't. Now that the Evo X has 10K service intervals and a softer ride, I'd rather wait until one of those falls into my price range. Granted, I could be waiting a while!

+1I hate punctures.

They already have an answer to that. I can't remember what they call it, but it's basically a very long, thin chain that wraps itself around your wheel until it will no longer turn...

I guess if they wanted to they might be able to put sidewalls on them (very soft ones with air holes?). Unless there's some benefit to the open design that I'm missing (other than for making it plainly obvious that these things don't require air).

Your motor's so clean it almost hurts my teeth

I would've said a door seal... but wouldn't have thought that would affect both sides...

Feck me, Stewarty - what happened there? Looks like you drove it off a cliff Bleeding miracle that rear nearside quarter-light survived intact! How were you after all that?

My 2p: - The benefits are not to be dismissed. - They look gash. I'd certainly be interested in reading about an A/B performance test with conventional tyres! Interesting.

Aye, the RB320 looks a total pussycat without the stickers right enough Seriously though, it's a stunner. I masel have aspirations to RB320-dom... I wonder if you'd be up for answering a question or two... Do you use it as an everyday motor? What are the servicing costs, if you don't mind me asking? How's your MPG so far? Also, is it as brutal over rough roads as some reviews would suggest? (I guess this is subjective). Many cheers. Tam.

The next meet is being televised? Cool - put me down for a dish and set-top box

Sorry to hear about the bother. Very good that you had a witness, though - can make all the difference, as I'm sure you're aware.

I was up the Trossachs this weekend too - some great roads out there I "took it up the Duke's pass" a couple of months ago (oo-er missus), and I was very disappointed - the road surface was pitiful compared to previous trips I'd made across there. Certainly used to be a great road. Road surface aside, you really have to think in three dimensions when you're hooning it across there, on account of all the ups and downs and interesting cambers - Top Gear test track it is not Had to dodge a coach yesterday myself. He was crossing the white line after coming around a bend - luckily there was an entrance to a farm road on my side of the road that I could pull into. Drivers of large vehicles don't seem to give a feck these days - "largest vehicle has the right of way" seems to be the zeitgeist...

Nice to see how the other hauf lives

Hello and welcome to the forum - braw wagon I'll go with all of those, apart from the one about checking the reflection in shop windows. Don't get me wrong, the car looks good in the reflection, but then I catch sight of my own ugly dip...

Absolutely lush, mate - interior is beautiful too What are the orange bits? With the black paintwork the exterior reminds me a bit of the instruction manual for my mobile phone.

All good to know, thanks again fivetide. Aye, I'm definitely interested in gaining more experience actually controlling the car during a slide, regaining grip, etc. In general I think I've got a fair idea where my limits and the car's limits lie (wrt understeer at least) - as long as the road surface stays fairly predictable. Perhaps much like yourself, the reason for seeking a skid course is that, even with the best of intentions, one day I could find myself driving through diesel/gravel/shecht - and I'll want my 'plan B' to happen intuitively, without wasting too much time thinking about this exciting new experience of going sideways around a corner That's actually quite tragic about your man in the Ferrari - as you say, to have the kind of cash to afford a motor like that but not the ability to really enjoy it... In fairness, I suppose at least the guy was trying by coming along to the skid course

Sorry to hear about that, Buffalo - hope you get it sorted. Very concerning indeed that the oil level in one of these cars could be four litres off registering on the dipstick and your oil pressure light didn't even come on

Totally different story today, though - first proper dry conditions here for weeks - hullo!

Sorry, fivetide. I did read your post, but I was working at the time so couldn't reply. Thanks muchly for the useful info - it sounds spot-on for me Tam.

Perfect

It's probably just the time of year Welsho, i.e. the state of the roads. I've certainly felt mine has been less grippy these past couple of weeks - few wee shoogles here and there. You know what it's like, after the salt's been down for a few months it gets ground down and down until it ends up almost like a greasy covering over the road. And I'm convinced they spew more of that stuff onto the highways than they used to - litigation mitigation by the local councils, p'rhaps? Should have driven my previous (front wheel drive) motor last winter - I was getting wheelspin in third gear! (and the car hadn't been modded or 'owt). I got so pissed off with it, that's why I went for a Scooby, which - although not immune - is obviously MILES better

Aye, it does have a touch of the RB5s about it. The RB5 is the nicest-ever looking Impreza, IMO.

That sounds spot-on Sparky - especially as they covered both understeer and oversteer. Think I might look into that. What do they actually use for the surface of the skidpan? Cheers

geoffg - aye, I saw Knockhill listed there. Certainly close enough for me, I'll check that out - cheers. Have you used them for skid practise yourself then? ScoUK - that's a pity your local guy didn't go for the group thang, although from your experience he doesn't sound like the most reliable character. A group visit's an interesting proposition, but... Tam.