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Guess I'm lucky then... the renewal came in and I thought I'd maybe just buy it in the shop (seeing as I was under the impression that they were going to be available in the shops now, not just sub only). Hope in a way that it's not an additional reason for them going under, if a lot of people thought the same as me then they'd have less capital to play with to actually get it published in the first place.

I had an S6 Avant with the 4.2 V8 engine... as quick as it was in a straight line it was crap in the corners or B roads... was just a bit too big IYKWIM, the scoob with similar power is LEAGUES ahead (plus I didn't like the semi auto box on it). After the last RR day with the STi I managed to find a plot of the Leon's RR print out. Having quickly scribbled over the top of a copy of it, the Leon TDi has more power and torque than the STi to about 3k, then the STi just about doubles the TDi figures from there onwards I am, however, hoping to sort that out with a full decat and remap on the STi though

Unless you were doing a lot of miles in the scoob then I'd agree... the initial outlay of cash would take a long enough time to claw back to be worth it. I guess if you are keeping the car forever then maybe it's worth it but up here the lpg stations are far enough apart that it'd be a right PITA having to go a particular way to fill up the whole time ('cos once you have lpg you won't ever want to put more than about a fiver of petrol in it again )

TBH, I'd half wondered about an early classic that could be spec'd up as a bit of a "winter warrior" that wouldn't matter if it was dented, etc. Would mean cheaper road tax (due to keeping the STi off the road for the 6 months you'd keep the classic on for) but I doubt the wife would let me go for it (added to which I'd then end up modding two scoobs and one is pricey enough )

Use silicon sealant if you want to stick the plate on without it coming off. Had a problem with the "official" number plate sticky pads not holding the plate on well enough. Used silicon and it never shifted once

Pfff... you're all doing what I did over 4 years ago... I traded in the first scoob for a Leon Cupra TDi (Seat claim 150bhp but it RR'd at closer to 170bhp ). While it's good and the mpg is great (plus tax/ins is cheap too) it's not a scoob, hence me buying the STi a year and a bit ago I'd have done more with the Leon but the wife started using it more than me and she didn't want it remapped, etc, hence me heading back to a scoob

Personally anyone who pays £4k for insurance needs their head looked at IMO If it were me, I'd buy a cheaper road car (to insure) and make sure it had a tow bar, get yourself a classic turbo and a trailer and trailer the scoob to track days with the £4k you are saving. That way you also get used to the scoob on the track and in time you'll be able to get insurance for it on the road as well. Only downside is you can't cruise around in the scoob. Oh, and welcome BTW

Could be an issue with it getting up to heat, might be worth trying to ensure better air circulation about it to see if it helps in the meantime. Sounds a bit like my old telly though, started doing similar things to yours, occasionally it went greenscreen rather than off altogether though. Eventually just stopped working altogther though so I'd get ready to replace it if you can't get hold of a repair guy.

Yup, another PIAA convert here, to the point that I bought a set for the wifes Leon as well. Use far less screenwash when using the PIAAs 'cos you don't need to keep the screen wet to use the wipers IYKWIM. Silent as well (so far anyway).

I'll have them all... would love to own a collection like that (and have a few spare acres to make my own rally stage on )

Would have been better if they had tested both cars as Manual gearbox'd versions IMO. Both cars looked pretty good on track though and I watched the near miss a couple of times... still have no idea how they managed to miss each other

Yeah, the 06STis and onwards are already £400 for tax, most of the 01+ models will catch up next year I think.

Was gonna say I'd love to get my tax for a couple of hundred. I still wonder if there is a way of reducing the C02 value, getting the car re-tested and getting taxed on the lower value. The 06STi is only just in the top group by 2 C02 "points" so surely it wouldn't be that hard to get it down a bit at whatever rpm, etc they measure it at?

Yeah, mine are still moving about under me but not just as much as they were. Getting a bit more used to them. Think it's just that there is so much tread compared to the RE070s and T1Rs that I'm feeling the blocks of rubber moving under it individually rather than as a single move of the tyre if you know what I mean. Just take a bit more getting used to from new than the likes of the old S02's or S03's, they seemed to be perfect right out of the box.

Service intervals vary depending on age, for the kind of money you are looking at I'd guess they'd all be every 10k (earlier ones were 7.5k IIRC). Can't remember how much the services cost but I'm due my 20k on the 06STi soon. Fuel tank varies with age as well, early ones were 50l later ones 60l. If you get 320 miles out of any of them you'll be doing very well... I get 220-260 out of mine (60l) on average and the very best I got so far with granny style driving (to see how much mpg I could get) still only seen me get about 310 out of it. Would be better on a longer run though I guess. Have found with the two scoobs I've had though, other than servicing (and modding ) you really don't need to chuck money at them (other than fuel obviously ), have always found them very reliable and fun to drive.

Yup, me too... pre-ordered them when I found they were being released.

When we were looking years ago I thought that although the Recaro looked pretty good, it didn't really seem to have the kind of support a 1 or 2yo needs in a car, esp when they fall asleep. Best bet is to try out a few seats in the car though. We got one that fitted the old scoob perfect, but is a crap fit in the new STi or the wifes Leon. Would definitely recommend an isofix seat if you can find one though as you'll get a better/stronger fixing I'd have thought.

You *bought* one? I was given mine when I filled up.

Yeah, I had Toyo T1R's on mine previously and you could just start to feel them giving on the greasy roads, had no grip on the edges of the tyres at all. Exited the tyre place after getting the F1's fitted and had to hit opposite lock as they gave instantly (didn't think I'd given the car as much of a booting as that ). Can still feel them moving about a lot more than the Toyos. We'll see if they are still the same in a few hundred miles though... had heard a lot of good reports about the tyres so am hoping I'm going to get on with them and don't need to change them (esp after the cost of 4 new 19's).

Just had a set of 235/35/19s put on the STi. Dunno how long Eagle F1's take to bed in but the car feels like it's moving a hell of a lot more than it did on the Toyos. Am hoping that they do eventually bed in nicely and don't continue to move as much. BTW, a 175/35/18 is an odd size

Yeah, I had that same hassle earlier on this year. Thought that by passing me directly to the other insurers that it'd be a quick check of details not giving them all the details time and time again. Right PITA and at the end of it all I don't think any of them were any better than my renewal with Bell Direct.

Don't know when it was a third of the price then, have had an lpg'd Disco V8i for years and it's always been around half the price (either just under or just over half). Never been as low as a third of the price. IIRC the cheapest I was able to buy it for up here was about 32-35p/l, which would be close to a third of the price of unleaded now, at the time I think unleaded was ~70p/l (ish). The biggest put off for people with lpg conversions is the cost to convert, the number of stations in the area that supply lpg and the fact that they worry that it might affect their cars engine. Around here we have a couple of stations that supply it, but the closest ones aren't the cheapest in the area, unfortunately for me the cheapest one is at the wrong end of the town (that I don't even live in).

Yeah, I seemed to have missed that argu... discussion as well

People have been saying that as long as I can remember... and it's (LPG) still half the price of any other fuel.

Enjoyed the Spefest did you? Heard the car heading down the street and noticed you, then spotted you wandering up the street again a short while later but was indoors at the time