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I don't know what you mean Tom! I've just done a count up and estimate I've had over 50 cars from 5 manufacturers in the last 14 years, averaging about 7000 miles in each of them (an extended test drive you could say!). I'd say I'm not brand biased, I only recommend good cars, not just the brand I work for, and honestly think the Exeo ST is the perfect car for Russ. That or a Yeti. Across the other manufacturers I've worked for, at the price point Russ is looking at they all get very rattly, unreliable and service work gets expensive. But then we all know how these posts go - member asks for guidance, sage wisdom provided, sage wisdom ignored and random totally different decision made. And that's before you consider this is Russ' post...

Thanks. I never get any oil in the catch can.....depending on the temperature I'll get a few drops of condensation but that's it. I've never had to empty it.....or even clean the inside. Yes - I personally have no use for a decorative cover that weighs 3/4 of a pound. I'm doing everything I can to keep the weight of the car as low as I can so the cover hangs on the wall. I got my headers ceramic coating done at a place here in the USA called "Swain Tech Coatings" and I've used them for about a year or 4000 miles give or take. They aren't as bright white as they had been but still look great. They really seem to do a good job with the temperatures too - I can touch the header within a minute or two of shutting the car off. It's pretty weird actually but seems to work. dave

pity you can't find it in your heart to post up retrospectively, as I'm sure it would add to the body of knowledge re S2000 builds. I'm sure it would be well received...

Wasnt required so I save space on the servers

And in the corner of meeting every single one of OP's criteria, including all the spec you could ever dream of, under budget, low miles and a mere stones throw from your house... https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201711251565801?advertising-location=at_cars&advertising-location=at_cars&price-to=5000&postcode=s211ah&body-type=Estate&page=9&make=SKODA&fuel-type=Petrol&onesearchad=Used Get out of that one.

Don't ask him where his excellent build thread is though

Ha ha! Well what do you expect?? Seriously though, internet has nailed this one. You just have to accept you started with the wrong criteria!

OP says he wants a petrol for 5k max, internet recommends a diesel above budget!

Anything but - all the road tests stated very clearly that it drove better than the A4 - Seat worked on the suspension and steering and it steered, rode and handled more sweetly than any A4 ever did. Also it used the far nicer dash of the A4 cabriolet that was never fitted to the A4 saloon Probably a very safe used buy and I would imagine prices are low because people just don't know about them - for it just to be labelled "an old A4" is doing the car an injustice

Who do you work for again Barney

Same here, as I had the Sport Turbo front anti roll bar which hangs from the back of the front top wishbone bolt. I asked my examiner after test about them and he said loosely tying as I had done with double ties was fine and I'd also covered the hose with split conduit.

Nah... a volksvagen is never the answer unless it pays your bills...

Mine isn't baffled but that's never been an issue for me. Mine is a 1 liter water bottle with a screw off top with a filter attached to the top and it's held to the chassis with a hose clamp. I needed a full 1L bottle for my racing class and this fits the bill.....it weighs almost nothing, you can see if anything is in there and it was nearly free as the bottle had been left at a race last year and I found it on the ground. Plus it's orange and matches the car. You can see it on the right side just in front of the header. dave

Having had a lifelong career in the NHS I must agree with the above quote. I'd go further and say up until the early 80's things in general were OK, then the NHS started inventing managerial posts and support service divisions. To date a huge (and I mean HUGE) plethora of support service posts exist, either counting beans, designing software to help count the beans, making sure all beans are treated fairly, regardless of colour or creed. Combined with that are thousands and thousands of managerial posts spread across many layers. Meetings, budgets, targets, meetings. Somewhere in all this there are a minority of NHS staff who actually treat patients. Put simply: Cash isn't the answer.

I believe that the only reason the NHS is in trouble, is because it's being run into the ground (or bring made to appear that way) by people who stand to profit from privatisation............. They have private health care, so why should they be bothered?

If my wifes experiences of working in and around the NHS is anything to go by there is certainly not a shortage of money in the NHS - what there is a glut of is stupid, ill-informed kingdom builders who are wasting money like its going out of fashion

I would wait until the body is on. If you drill the hole now, then you wont be using an M12 drill in your holesaw, so you wont get a perfect body cut. If you pilot it 6mm ( or whatever your pilot drill is) then you 'could' drill through the body from underneath when fitted. Then hole saw from the top, but the body isnt 'exactly' square and it could look a bit out. Also be aware of it not being a rollbar , as it wouldnt support the car if it did unfortunately roll at speed, but a hood hoop is a better name. With that in mind, it also needs to be square with the windscreen to keep the hood taught.

Point taken Dave, may re-visit

Also, just be cautious with things like self amalgamating tape. It certainly has its place, but one of the stated aims of a lot of IVA inspectors is to see kit builders using solutions and methods you’d see on a mainstream manufacturers vehicle. Yet at the same time, many have something of a dislike for certain uses of adhesive tape and stuck on covers. They used to have a favourite trick, where you’d used what they considered to be an unacceptable method of covering/fixing something. They simply ask to examine what was underneath. So you’d cut off the covering, and then they’d fail you on a lack of covering, unless you had some proper way of reinstating it, there and then. Whereas tie wraps, which you can quickly replace with fresh, and split tubing, they seem to absolutely love!

I found that what I thought was OK , I wasted a lot of time, as when the car sat on the ground , I needed to adjust it again. So, dont get too involved with it, as you dont even have the bodywork on and it can touch that as well. You can tweak the hoses without the need to rebleed the brakes, just loosen the lock nut and solid pipe on the chassis and twist it a bit.