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Re: Australian hire car lottery.

Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2019 4:59 pm
by ZedLeg
Mito Man wrote: Tue Jul 23, 2019 4:55 pm
JLv3.0 wrote: Tue Jul 23, 2019 12:57 pm
Just to reiterate - great country, great people, too far to just visit. It's not really the biggest insult imaginable from me or are you new here? :lol:
I went to Scotland 2 weeks ago and hit the same conclusion. 10 hours drive to Edinburgh, then another 2 hours to get to the nice countryside bits :lol: Switzerland and Italy are closer.
Feel free to stay away.

Re: Australian hire car lottery.

Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2019 5:17 pm
by mik
Mito Man wrote: Tue Jul 23, 2019 4:55 pm
JLv3.0 wrote: Tue Jul 23, 2019 12:57 pm
Just to reiterate - great country, great people, too far to just visit. It's not really the biggest insult imaginable from me or are you new here? :lol:
I went to Scotland 2 weeks ago and hit the same conclusion. 10 hours drive to Edinburgh, then another 2 hours to get to the nice countryside bits :lol: Switzerland and Italy are closer.
I'm 10 minutes from some challenging, open, quiet driving roads. 8-)

So where did you go in Scotland, and what vehicle were you in?

Re: Australian hire car lottery.

Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2019 5:47 pm
by Mito Man
mik wrote: Tue Jul 23, 2019 5:17 pm
Mito Man wrote: Tue Jul 23, 2019 4:55 pm
JLv3.0 wrote: Tue Jul 23, 2019 12:57 pm
Just to reiterate - great country, great people, too far to just visit. It's not really the biggest insult imaginable from me or are you new here? :lol:
I went to Scotland 2 weeks ago and hit the same conclusion. 10 hours drive to Edinburgh, then another 2 hours to get to the nice countryside bits :lol: Switzerland and Italy are closer.
I'm 10 minutes from some challenging, open, quiet driving roads. 8-)

So where did you go in Scotland, and what vehicle were you in?
Stayed in Edinburgh the whole time. Day 1 arrived in the evening so just explored the city.
Day 2 went to the Trossachs and did a lap of it, stopped off at a few Lochs and a distillery so couldn’t make it to Oban. Drove back via Glasgow and another distillery.
Day 3 spent the morning at another distillery and then a trip to the Cairngorms in search of the Old Military road.
Day 4 lunch in Edinburgh then a long slog back to Kent.

Took the X5 as it was a last minute family trip with dog in tow! Did Edinburgh to Dover on 1 tank, couldn’t drive very fast in the bends by the end either as the car was stocked with 20 litres of whisky.

Re: Australian hire car lottery.

Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2019 5:49 pm
by ShockDiamonds
Drove up to Braemar from Dundee years ago. Epic place. Also did St Andrews during the same weekend. Having been there during my Uni years it made me realise how much I missed the place. Although even back then they’d still failed to convince the powers that be to allow them to open a BK :)

Re: Australian hire car lottery.

Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2019 11:09 pm
by Marv
I didn't know what to expect with Australia when I visited there on my year travelling. Only spent just over 10 days total in the country, but I really liked it.

I'll definitely spend more time there, when I go travelling again in a few years time. Will definitely get to Tasmania next time too.

Of course, if you've got the time and you're that end of the world, then NZ isn't unreasonably far away - visiting both Australia and New Zealand makes the long, long journey worth it.

Re: Australian hire car lottery.

Posted: Wed Jul 24, 2019 12:08 am
by nuttinnew
I've not been to Aus, when/if I go I'll want to go for an extended period to make it worthwhile, but then much dollars :(

I understand Mito's pov; getting out of the se is a pita, there're always traffic problems for one reason or another and night time offers little respite because there are always roadworks and/or closures along the way. From here it's normally easier and quicker to hop across the Channel than try and get anywhere else by road. I wish there was still Motorail, even a ferry to Hull would help, most of the drive up just feels like an extended commute these days :( I'll be back at some point because I've still a lot of it to see, I just wish there was a way to skip a few hundred pleasureless miles.

Re: Australian hire car lottery.

Posted: Wed Jul 24, 2019 12:32 am
by Mito Man
There’s no bloody motorway for the last 100 miles to Edinburgh if you’re going up the right hand side of the country - just roundabout after roundabout every mile. Still faster than going 3/4 of the way round the M25 and up the M6 though...

Need to make plans to go back to the Ardenne though, some nice places there and it’s under 4 hours away including the train!

Re: Australian hire car lottery.

Posted: Wed Jul 24, 2019 2:19 am
by unzippy
JLv3.0 wrote: Tue Jul 23, 2019 11:38 am the Aussies are Brits with an accent.
They are really not. Well, maybe the ones that made the effort to leave Aus and explore the world are. But not the locals.

The biggest surprise for me is that Australia is a foreign country :lol:

Re: Australian hire car lottery.

Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2019 12:40 pm
by McSwede
To add to this thread I'm in Croatia and booked two hire cars. One for me and my family and one for the bro and his. Mine ended being an asthmatic base fiesta and my bro got a nice spec Citroen C3 aircross. Bloody typical!

Re: Australian hire car lottery.

Posted: Fri Aug 02, 2019 8:33 pm
by 240PP
I’m in Italy and also have a basic spec Fiesta. I think it’s a diesel. Overall, it’s pretty good, Fords generally are, but it’s fucking slooooooww. Quite grippy though and the steering round the mountain roads is quite communicative.

But it’s fucking slooooooooww.

Re: Australian hire car lottery.

Posted: Fri Aug 02, 2019 9:20 pm
by McSwede
240PP wrote: Fri Aug 02, 2019 8:33 pm I’m in Italy and also have a basic spec Fiesta. I think it’s a diesel. Overall, it’s pretty good, Fords generally are, but it’s fucking slooooooww. Quite grippy though and the steering round the mountain roads is quite communicative.

But it’s fucking slooooooooww.
Mine is a petrol and I am amazed at how gutless it is. A Merc sprinter towing two BMW GS's was out dragging me on some hilly roads today 😂

Nice drive apart from that though.

Re: Australian hire car lottery.

Posted: Sat Aug 03, 2019 1:51 pm
by 240PP
1.0 Ecoboost? I had a Focus hire car a couple of years ago with that engine. It drove brilliantly, had loads of toys, pretty much all you can ask of a car. But that engine..

Not only was it dog slow, the computer suggested I was getting an average of 42mpg.

Re: Australian hire car lottery.

Posted: Sat Aug 03, 2019 6:38 pm
by McSwede
240PP wrote: Sat Aug 03, 2019 1:51 pm 1.0 Ecoboost? I had a Focus hire car a couple of years ago with that engine. It drove brilliantly, had loads of toys, pretty much all you can ask of a car. But that engine..

Not only was it dog slow, the computer suggested I was getting an average of 42mpg.
There defo was no turbo involved. My M140i felt ballistic coming home from the airport. That new car feeling all over again!

I think I'll look at a fiesta with a decent engine for Mrs McSwede when the Volvo lease ends in Jan. Really nice drive and plenty of room for her.

Re: Australian hire car lottery.

Posted: Sun Aug 04, 2019 1:02 pm
by scotta
McSwede wrote: Sat Aug 03, 2019 6:38 pm
240PP wrote: Sat Aug 03, 2019 1:51 pm 1.0 Ecoboost? I had a Focus hire car a couple of years ago with that engine. It drove brilliantly, had loads of toys, pretty much all you can ask of a car. But that engine..

Not only was it dog slow, the computer suggested I was getting an average of 42mpg.
There defo was no turbo involved. My M140i felt ballistic coming home from the airport. That new car feeling all over again!

I think I'll look at a fiesta with a decent engine for Mrs McSwede when the Volvo lease ends in Jan. Really nice drive and plenty of room for her.
Great that isn’t it. After I got the golf back from getting the rust fixed it felt like a rocket ship after a week in a Mazda 2 Auto.

Looking forward to the first drives of the 240 and the Elise when we get back next week.

Re: Australian hire car lottery.

Posted: Sun Aug 04, 2019 8:28 pm
by McSwede
scotta wrote: Sun Aug 04, 2019 1:02 pm
McSwede wrote: Sat Aug 03, 2019 6:38 pm
240PP wrote: Sat Aug 03, 2019 1:51 pm 1.0 Ecoboost? I had a Focus hire car a couple of years ago with that engine. It drove brilliantly, had loads of toys, pretty much all you can ask of a car. But that engine..

Not only was it dog slow, the computer suggested I was getting an average of 42mpg.
There defo was no turbo involved. My M140i felt ballistic coming home from the airport. That new car feeling all over again!

I think I'll look at a fiesta with a decent engine for Mrs McSwede when the Volvo lease ends in Jan. Really nice drive and plenty of room for her.
Great that isn’t it. After I got the golf back from getting the rust fixed it felt like a rocket ship after a week in a Mazda 2 Auto.

Looking forward to the first drives of the 240 and the Elise when we get back next week.
How are you liking the M240i in comparison to the Golf R? How do you find the differences in the ways they deliver their performance??

I must admit I love the rear drive balance and the slightly edgy nature of the handling when the road conditions are less than perfect. In the dry with DSC off it feels great especially on the new Goodyear F1SS's.

Re: Australian hire car lottery.

Posted: Sun Aug 04, 2019 8:53 pm
by IanF
I’ve booked a car for our US holiday this week.. their “equivalents” is probably stressing me more than the alligators/sharks/gunmen combined! 😂

Re: Australian hire car lottery.

Posted: Sun Aug 04, 2019 8:57 pm
by mik
Often in the US though they say " you've book class whatevah : they are in zone 3 - choose the one you want".

Great system 8-)

Re: Australian hire car lottery.

Posted: Mon Aug 05, 2019 5:16 am
by scotta
mik wrote: Sun Aug 04, 2019 8:57 pm Often in the US though they say " you've book class whatevah : they are in zone 3 - choose the one you want".

Great system 8-)
Yep. Last time I got a choice of an X3 328i or infinity Q50

Re: Australian hire car lottery.

Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2019 12:23 pm
by 240PP
Been driving round Sorrento and Positano the last few days, the Italians redefine ‘not giving a fuck’.

It’s either terrifying or hilarious, I haven’t decided yet.

Re: Australian hire car lottery.

Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2019 1:59 pm
by mik
Its terrifying.

You have to "drive italian" to make any progress, but the way scooters sit 10cm off your rear bumper with the rider in flip-flops with a helmet loosely balanced on their head to meet legal requirments never gets easy. :?

PS look for signs - in many places it is the legal expectation that you will make room if a scooter coming the other way decides to overtake and comes into your lane - even if they are doing so around a blind bend. :shock: