chrisp65

What if you used your car for a driving holiday across Europe I still remember many of our pan european escapades as a kid, including sleeping on the side of Lake Geneva, Austrain forests, De Efteling Theme Park, going through the tunnels under the Alps, my dad trying and spitting out an espresso in northern Italy. I have such fond memories that I've driven my kids around France in our car, plus a few trips to Eire, camping trips out to the Forest of Dean. Without a decent car my kids would have missed out on a few years of competing in the South Wales junior surf and rescue competitions. Really early mornings watching the sun come up on freezing cold beaches from May until October with room for a couple of boards, a camping stove, kettle and frying pan. I know it's not a very PC or acceptable thing to admit to, but my car has really helped give my kids a sweet few years of memories. The trick is to use it as a piece of kit that gets you to the beach, or gets you to Disneyland. Not as your crowning glory to be polished and stared at and compared with others as a pathetic status symbol.

Jesus.

page 7 of National Fraud Authority 2012 Report showing benefit fraud estimated at £1.6 billion and tax fraud at £14 billion if only there was some way the government could put 9 or 10 times more effort into hunting down tax fraud it's been the same under every lazy government to be fair to the current incompetents the only difference here of course, is that Cameron has set a precedent of publicly condemning the likes of Jimmy Carr for tax loophole schemes so it would appear only right that at some point very soon he publicly names and shames Gary Barlow

A dodgy Russian linesman will aid a team to the World Cup? that's right, host nation will buy the world cup

apparently last time Austria won eurovision was.......1966 anybody want to make the leap

yes, our entry for next year, a pregnant Paul Lambert in a tutu performing with tranny midgets singing 'every hole's a goal' from up a spangly ladder make it happen

seven! 7

8 options in no particular order, talk about covering your options you are Stan Collymore and I claim my £5 **** you I can do what I want this is eurovision this is more like it, a bit more like on topic I hereby re state my misinformed aggressive first post you cretin

8 options in no particular order, talk about covering your options you are Stan Collymore and I claim my £5

my missus made me go and stand out the kitchen, has Poland finished yet?

that whole jaffa cake thing was entertaining the cream of UK's legal and tax establishment trying to work out what the difference is between a cake and a biscuit and in the end deciding something that was made of cake that had cake in the title and went hard stale like a cake not soft stale like a biscuit was probably a cake

yep, you have to look at cars as basically 'white goods' what do you need it to do, what's the reliability like, what are the lifetime costs Too much worry about badges and speed when in reality you can only go as fast as the nice person in front of you and you're sat inside the car so you can't see the sporty shape. I've ended up with a few nice cars but really almost by accident and it has revolved around getting ridiculously good deals and crazy interest. My eye opening moment was when I wanted to get rid of my Golf (most unreliable car I've ever owned and dealership and VW Milton Keynes were all liars). I wrongly presumed to go looking at 'everyday' cars and was getting really frustrated by the final price. Then I opened a Sunday paper and Merc were offering 1% interest. Turned out I could drive away a 3 year old C Class Avantgarde with electric and leather for a lower monthly than a new mid range Astra. What's more, having that attitude, rather than 'wanting' a Merc meant the salesman blinked first on every bit of the deal. That's pretty much what I've done ever since because the deal has been good. But next time it could just as easily be a Skoda or an Audi or a Dacia if it does the job I need it to do and the price is right.

with your holidays I'd maybe look for a budget motorhome

the lovely individual that first spec'd up my current car chose the uprated stereo and additional speakers - the sound is just insane also spec'd a chiller glovebox so my drinks stay lovely and cool on long drives I'll have to keep an eye out for the popcorn maker, I don't think they have them in the top top marques though see if you can spot a bloke that's found the drive he likes, my last four cars in order of driving preference: Mercedes Mercedes Mercedes Volkswagen lugubrious automatic switched to 'comfort' suspension and gear ratios for the laziest motorway cruise

So now you have spent double to have no value left in them. Never buy an expensive car thinking you will have more money come selling time. NO, BAD ADVICE always buy a new expensive german car with lots of extras, preferably one that was top of the spec list and then add some extras because that way, in 3 years time, I come along and get fantastic value

going to get out and have a first bike ride with my missus Just recently bought her first bike (no, really she's never had a new bike before and she's, er. over 25) and it's getting a run out today. Nothing special she won't be riding enough to warrant some £2k self build machine. It was actually bought from Go Outdoors of all places. It turns out you can haggle in there. Bike was advertised as about £260 reduced to £220 we were having a think about it when the nice man offered us a further discount to get it under £200. This nearly put it into Halfords Apollo bike pricing so I told him that another £20 off and we wouldn't bother shopping around we'd take it away. Slightly strangely his counter offer was £180 and a free bike pump. So, at about £180 it's a good enough bike for riding up and down the prom and round n round the lake. Which is what we'll be doing. Once I've had my bag of chips.* *Weight loss regime on track. Lost 7 or 8Kg, on course to drop the other 5 or 6kg mid summer. Diet plan involves eating chips whenever I want as long as I then burn some cals.

yeah, once again, apologies mate that's never happened before

Allahu Akbar!!!

I'd sat in the cockpit of a couple of big planes landing at Heathrow and that's fascinating, being able to see the dots on the screen and because everything is so busy in the sky around Heathrow being able to translate the dots into that plane over there and that plane over there. A proper lifetime experience. Then 9/11 came along and put an end to it.

you'll only be considered a 'class' teacher when you allow the sixth formers to smoke a little pot around at your place until then, you'll be a good teacher well done mate

does this new role mean more holiday ? first thing I saw 'starting September' gravy train for life now, probably sewing elbow pads on a tweed jacket as we speak

I got the flying commute when a Director of the firm got a panic attack at Heathrow. He'd done the journey dozens of times, he was sat in the lounge, flight got called and he just couldn't do it. On the subject of planes stuck together with ticky tacky, I've previously had opportunity to have a good look around an engine repair and refurb faciltiy. All I can say is that BA engines arrive for a service in better condition than some other airlines leaves. They must be top of the tree for looking after their kit.

I was only introduced to Cash relatively recently (5 or 6 years), I put the obvious 'Ring of Fire' on a CD for the car, just as a cheesey fun singalong. Man, what an artist.