Thank you everybody who took part in last week's Fun Online Poll, results as follows:
What is the biggest threat facing the UK's trees?
Don't worry about it, they'll be fine - 53%
Horse chestnut bleeding canker - 21%
Acute oak decline (AOD) - 9%
Great spruce bark beetle - 3%
Phytophthora ramorum - 1%
Chalara dieback of ash - 1%
Other, please specify - 10%
Suggestions for "Other" included "Home-Owner-Ism", which I think is a bit far fetched, even by my standards, and Walter The Softie had this to say: "All of the above and together they will change the face of our streets, woodlands and forestry. Forever. They won't be fine but I'm not sure there's anything we can do about it, other than start liking sycamore."
So now we know.
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Her Indoors announced a while ago that she'd like us to buy a Mazda MX5 (preferably automatic as she doesn't have a proper driving licence, which seems like a bit of a contradiction in terms to me, a sports car with automatic transmission).
So I started paying more attention to them, and what strikes me is that Mazda MX5 seems to tbe sports car of choice for older people (i.e. I've not seen an MX5 driver yet who is younger than I am), so they are presumably for those people who chicken out of spending their life savings on a Harley Davidson when they have their mid-life crisis and who go for an affordable, practical little sports car instead.
Something else I've noticed is that I'm overtaking an MX5 as often as an MX5 overtakes me. Bearing in mind that I am Mr "Stay in the middle lane and do 65 mph to 70 mph" this seems to be missing the point of having a sports car somewhat, doth it not?
So that's this week's Fun Online Poll.
Vote here or use the widget in the sidebar.
A grim document
4 hours ago
14 comments:
So you are the bastard who blocks the motorway centre lane at less than average traffic speed and leaves me with the almost impossible job of trying to push all the Audis and BMWs out of the way in the third lane so I can get our small campervan round you?
W42, yup. But you shouldn't be doing more than 70 mph in a small campervan.
But I can legally do 70, which is faster than 65-70. Being stuck at 65 behind a middle lane hog is seriously no fun at all in the van because people think the campervan is the obstacle. So they overtake and try to cut sharply back in to get their own back - suddenly realising that there is actually a car (yours)in their way which was invisible when they were behind me. Then I have to slow sharply knowing that just behind me is a queue of impatient cars driving way too close!
You should try it sometime.
W42, clearly, if there's somebody right behind me I pull over into the slow lane, I'm the world's most considerate driver.
Open-top sports car are for cruising and showing off. If you want to drive "sportily" you get a Scooby or suchlike.
Open top cars are no fun on the motorway with the top down, whereas they are fun on an ordinary A road, even at the legal limit of 60mph.
"Bearing in mind that I am Mr "Stay in the middle lane and do 65 mph to 70 mph" this seems to be missing the point of having a sports car somewhat, doth it not?"
The MX-5 isn't really a sports car. It's a fun little car with bags of personality. If you want a car for that reason, you can't go far wrong. Well-priced, well-built and reliable.
C, B, yes, fair points.
TS, a colleague once admitted he'd done 140 mph on the (English) motorway in an MX5. But he was in his twenties at the time and didn't specify whether that was with the hood down. Most Americans drive with the hood down or they wouldn't be able to see where they're going and the wind resistance would be awful.
We hired one for my 40th in Oz for driving around Queensland , most fun I've had in a car, there were even arguments over whose turn it was to drive.
Something that never happened with the Nissan Almeira , when the answer was of course, my turn .
Oh and it was a Manual, not sure how much fun an automatic version would be. Although I think newer models have one of those automatic/manual option gear boxes
Hmm...........
W42, yup. But you shouldn't be doing more than 70 mph in a small campervan
Remind me. Who is it claims that all arguments containg the words "should" or "shouldn't" must be disbarred as meaningless? :-))
And MX5s don't do 140 mph, roof up or (especially) roof down.
PC, good, I'll get myself one for my 50th birthday.
FT, you're allowed to use "should" if it's the law. because that is what the word means: "there is a duty on you to/not to..."
Meaningless is something like "Every family should have a car" or "Cars should not be taxed" or "Drink drivers should be jailed for life", those are just people\s opinions, it's the logic and facts to support those opinions (be they right or wrong) which I'm interested in.
The only guy I know with an MX5 is 56 or something. You're looking at 2.5k or so for a decent 1.8 though.
You can get a Renaultsport Clio 182 or a Toyota Celica 190 for that now, they are probably more fun and less 'pipe n slippers'.
Up here in Aberdeen all the young guys seem to drive Honda Civic Type R's though. I think you can even get those for MX5 money now.
My old mates Dad bought him one as a present for quitting smoking weed about 10 years ago when they first came out. They really shift and he was really spoilt.
Sl, £2,500 is my sort of budget for a car, so that's good.
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