R9UKE's French Car Blog...

[robert_e_smart]

The Rover is dead!

Now to the BMW 540. A very very very impressive car. A real Jekyll and Hyde car. A nice sedate effortless cruiser. Tramp the loud pedal, kick down a couple of gears and whoooosh away you go. Lovely car, nicely put together, and quite comfortable for a BMW.

[Citroenmad]

My local scrapper seems to give good money for scrap still as the last one i chopped into them was a 52plate 106 zest D that was well stuffed and bodged to hell(felt dodgey on its drive to its death, all over the place it was!) but still loved holding low gears at the rev limit all the way over there

When I was pottering around town in the Activa the other day there was an awfully mechanical noise. I turned down the radio in case it was the Xantia making the noise, it was hard to pin point it at first. As soon as the 106 I was following had turned off into a junction the noise vanished. It was a 1.5D 106, what a racket!

[Citroenmad]

I often look at the engine badges on LagunaII doors and cringe at the 1.9DCis. Though yesterday there was a very tidy looking Tourer in dark blue which I walked by in a carpark, looked to have a leather interior and to be a range topper. Its badge said V6 24v, dont often see them!

[R9UKE]

KP - I see what people mean by depreciation free motoring now. Buying a car as close to scrap value with a little tax left every month could easily see you through a year. I SORNed the Mégane at the end of December, and January has been great fun, with only two breakdowns!

Robert, the 540i didn't use ANY coolant during your raping of it, so I presume all is good! Oh and I sold that 214i yesterday. Two buyers turned up at the same time and I ended up getting my asking price. Must remember that tactic

Chris - THAT kind of situation is what cameras are for!!! The one and only time I've hand an encounter like that here, I ended up owning the car. I look at the engine badge on every Renault I pass so as to not miss one. Seeing 2.0 16v on a Mégane is also great! Few things beat that sight though:

[Citroenmad]

I was considering taking a photo but it was in a rather large busy car park and the people I was with were already looking at me funny for looking at a Laguna

Another Laguna I spotted driving out of the same carpark was a 52 2.2DCi Dynamique, unfortunately for them.

Just saw a rather clean 2.0T Vel Satis about 5 minutes ago, in silver with the smaller of the wheels. They are getting a rarer sight.

Its a shame Renault deleted the engine trim badges on later cars.

[red_dwarfers]

I was considering taking a photo but it was in a rather large busy car park and the people I was with were already looking at me funny for looking at a Laguna

I've trained some of my family and mates to report back when they see an interesting car, still working on getting them to take photos

[R9UKE]

Its a shame Renault deleted the engine trim badges on later cars.

It's also a shame that there's only one petrol engine in the current Laguna range.

Kev - I'm sure you've noticed on my Facebook that I have my friends doing the same! The best is when they text me just a registration number. Put it into my car check app to find what kind of lovely they've spotted

Deposit taken on the 540i. It's time to find me a nice Scénic. (and a wife and two kids to go with it)

[CitroJim]

Its a shame Renault deleted the engine trim badges on later cars.

It's also a shame that there's only one petrol engine in the current Laguna range.

Well, advertising you have a big, juicy, hairy-chested petrol under the bonnet these days is about as socially acceptable as walking naked through Marks and Spencer... The looneygreenies have succeeded in making you out to be public enemy No.1 and a completely anti-social pariah if you run anything above 1000cc on petrol these days... Running a V engine puts you up there with Arthur Scargill in their eyes. You're evil basically.

It's such a shame. The V6 is an extinct species now and likely never again will family cars have such lovely engines nestling under their bonnets. Looks like we're condemned to bland diesels with more so-called anti-pollution devices than you can shake a stick at...

Let's enjoy our big engines while we can before they're banned. Sadly I can see it happening...

[R9UKE]

Very true. I'm sure there'll be huge taxes etc placed on driving old petrol guzzlers around but I really hope you're wrong about the ban.

I can't imagine motoring without a V6

[Citroenmad]

It's time to find me a nice Scénic. (and a wife and two kids to go with it)

Good luck with the search

Quite possibly why cars are not badged on engine these days, about all I see now is 'Bluemotion', 'DrivE' or 'Econetic' etc.

[CitroJim]

Quite possibly why cars are not badged on engine these days, about all I see now is 'Bluemotion', 'DrivE' or 'Econetic' etc.

..Don't forget 'Powered by Fairydust'

Wonder if fairydust is environmentally friendly?

[R9UKE]

There's a Ford Ka powered by fairy dust down the road from me. Must be a very capable fuel when it manages to pull the mass of pink fluffy rubbish and headlamp eyelashes along as well!

[Citroenmad]

Luke, maybe you should ask its owner where they get their fairy dust from, she might well be on to something

[DickieG]

It's such a shame. The V6 is an extinct species now and likely never again will family cars have such lovely engines nestling under their bonnets. Looks like we're condemned to bland diesels with more so-called anti-pollution devices than you can shake a stick at...

Let's enjoy our big engines while we can before they're banned. Sadly I can see it happening...

The V6 petrol might be on borrowed time but there's plenty of powerful straight sixes available and will continue to be so for some time yet, I might be buying a 3.0 231bhp straight six powered car tomorrow

[Citroenmad]

I might be buying a 3.0 231bhp straight six powered car tomorrow

A BWM what?