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After the recent well attended success of Abingdon on 17/07/15, The North Oxford Crew are looking at going again in October. https://orders.motorsport-events.com/EventDetails.aspx?EventID=993e5cc4-fa69-46b0-9104-13553b1d749b I Know I can speak to Natasha at Motorsport Events, and if we can get 10 Westfields from the club, we will all get a free tuition session So when you book, mention that I have organised this and they will add you to the list. I will also catch up with Natasha a week before the event to confirm (as long as we get 10) So, I will be booking, who is joining me? 1. Gary Lucas (KugaWestie) MX5 Westfield

About a month ago I decided to look at a trip to Cornwall in my lovely V8, so I booked a B&B in a lovely place called Launceston,I believe some of you know the area. It was only when I put the phone down that I realized I had dropped a mega bo@@@@k by booking the trip on our Anniversary which is the 1st August, what do I do now I thought, cancel it? tell her indoors what I have done and hope for the best? or change all the dates and go later? so with all this in mind I opted for "chancing it" and hoped she would be ok with my plans. Now did she............... go spare? scream and shout? throw things of great value at me? go into the garage and kick the Westfield? threaten to divorce me? No, none of the above, in fact her exact words were, go and enjoy it Sweetheart I have lot's of baking to do and will be busy for a few days. Here's the catch............................................................................................................................................................................................ JUST MAKE SURE WHEN YOU GET BACK YOU HAVE SOMETHING VERY EXPENSIVE TO OFFER ME AS A BELATED ANNIVERSARY GIFT. I knew it was too good to be true, but hey what a women love her to bits. Petemac

I have checked the calculations and Tiggs is spot on with the new Target times etc.

Yes! Someone else who shouldn't have sold it then

Dommo, I'm 99% sure that's my old 318iS!!! Was it VJI****

Bargain

Or get the Range Rover and make it clear she's responsible for any repair/maintenance bills?

I can imagine the conversation now: "Darling, I'd like a Range Rover like the Jones next door" "Here you go honey, I've bought you a Subaru Legacy" *slams fingers in Subaru door*

There's a very old saying...... "Never drive a Defender further than your prepared to walk"

Not a Range Rover for your budget. LR defender would be better as it doesn't matter about the odd prang or two, plenty of overhanging branches& rocks in the Peaks to hit. Yeti, Quaskai, Rav4, Golf 4x4, Audi A3 Quattro are more sensible and won't ruin you financially.

mine has got flat floor tunnel flared side panels and diffuser and as well as keeping everything cleaner it does seem to feel the rear is more stable than before at higher speeds the gearbox is slightly hotter too there was also a noticeably difference at higher speeds the car will keep accelerating with no noticeable drop off whereas before it used to slow over 6500rpm in top now it goes right through to 7500

Would swap the Spanish or French roads for Buckinghamshire potholes any day of the week , btw if you have the time and going through the limousin region try to stop at lac du vassiviere , Its France's largest man made lake and in the summer import sand up from the southern beaches , Fantastic windey perimeter rd which is worth doing in it own right , Also if you decide not to travel on toll roads and follow alongside the main autoroute there are plenty of small campsites (some that are free) to stop off at , Hoping to travel myself next year down to Denia in Spain so looking forward to your adventure scribblings .and good luck

Forgot to add, I gave my car a really good service before I went and checked as much as I could, even down to the plugs being cleaned and gapped I also added a little more air to the tyres and found it improved my mileage quite a lot. bearing in mind more weight with full tank most of the time and luggage.

There will four of us in two cars going to the south of France next year and we are going to replicate what we have done when motor biking in France over the past many years. Rule one is always to stop for fuel when the gauge says half a tank as you never know when the next fuel stop will be and we have been flagged down by quite a few bikers who were out of fuel. This can be even more critical on a Sunday where the major supermarkets will have fuel but the rural garages tend to be shut. We always pre-book hotels etc. as we can then take our time and enjoy the days knowing that we have somewhere to sleep, the Camponile Hotels chain and the Welcome B&B Hotel chain offer good value for money en-suite accommodation. If you get off the major roads and into the twisties(we're going to play in the Alps next year) then don't expect to do much more than 150 a day. The scenery is far too good and the roads demand full attention so frequent stops are required for photos etc. The breathalyser rule never became law in France so don't worry about carrying those and as has been said before watch your speed. The speed cameras are well hidden, dark grey in colour and very close to the ground but there is always a warning sign within 2kms of the camera and you soon get used to spotting them. With regard to mobile cameras the French are like us and will flash their lights to warn you. If you have radar warning on your sat nav turn it off as the penalties for not doing so are large. The best bit about France in a Westfield is the attention it creates, several times we have returned to the car to find dads posing their kids in front of the car for pictures and once even sat in the car. Try speaking French to the locals and let them laugh at your accent, it's a great ice breaker and usually leads to much merriment and occasional drinking. Hope this is of use, let me know if I can be of further help. Ian

Lovely bit of packing that mate made me chuckle. It was do-able and I didn't have any real issues to worry about, I did tend to find accommodation on the outskirts of towns which seemed to be cheaper. Suggest you try searching the net which is what I did before I set off, and just noted 3 or 4 places to try along my route, it worked ok for me and I was fine. I looked at the route I was going to do each day and pretty much stuck to it "unless" there was something I fancied seeing and was not afraid to deviate from it, that was half the fun, some of the small villages are really scenic another tip is to "write down" a few phrases that may get you out of trouble if it happens, or a phrase book, I did need it once! but only once. My Sat Nav was "geographically bewildered" ok, it took me down the wrong F@@@@@g road for a short time, even though I'd up dated it, by the way if you intend to take one it may be worth having a ciggy lighter adapter put in your car to keep it charged, mine was worth every pennie, I got a mate to put one in for me on the dash. You have already got some great tips from the guys and no doubt more to come. Just take each day as it comes and enjoy, check you have ticked off all the important boxes before you set off and enjoy, I was in no hurry to get there so no need to hammer the throttle (apart from when the car was empty of luggage and there were some nice quiet roads to have a little "safe" fun) I see your from up North, I'm from Stockton -on-tees but live in the Black Country (Midlands) Nice chatting to you. Pete

If you do decide to use the motorways, I can thoroughly recommend a Sanef TAG to get you through the telepeages without having to stop. Much easier than passenger unstrapping 4-point harness, climbing out etc. Just come back from trip number 3 to France. 1800 miles and as much fun as ever. Make sure your cooling system is up to the job. My standard 1600 MX5 motor got a little warmer than usual on the drive from Bergerac to Chartres last week in an air temp of 40 Celsius (probably a lot warmer close to the tarmac where a Westie gets its air from!)

Don't worry about your French, I went to France last year off the cuff and was amazed how many French like to speak our native tongue, I did get a little confused at the petrol stations at first on how to fill up and pay (it was a long time since I had been there) but just watched those in front of me or asked and they were all very helpful. You will see lot's of b&b's, they were also very good and eager to help and they just loved the sound of my Seight. Plan well and you will love it, as mentioned the roads are very good and you will see some great scenery, the back roads can be very slow going though!! but if your in no rush just enjoy it, I just drove until I was ready to find a b&b, settled down for the night couple of beers "no more" their rules are far stricter than ours. Stay well fuelled up and don't chance letting your tank get too low, I always topped up and kept it that way. Sorry if I'm teaching you to suck eggs. Hope you have as much fun as I did. Pete

We used ibis hotels for overnight stops but I did find for this year's holiday that we ended up having to find more local accommodation as all the big cheap chains were booked well in advance but have had some lovely local b&b I'm the past

very good point Barney - as with all insurance its cirtical to ask what is excluded rather than what is included :-)

Come on Kingster, you know you want to Fair warning though - it's damned addictive!