I'll try and find a pic

That car is beyond ugly, HUGE in comparison to the old one, and doesn't have 3 proper seats in the back. I really wanted to buy a diesel Outback or Forester

Admittedly, it doesn't have the style of a Duesenberg, but I wouldn't call it ugly in comparison with some other modern cars.

So have you found a suitable car yet?

When I first saw this topic, I was going to post Touran, a workhorse we've been more than pleased with, with, not only 3 good rear seats, but another two casual ones behind: Then I noticed that it had already been mentioned.
Some time back, I was given a book of ugly cars, mainly European, and I hate to mention that I'd owned one of them: No name given!

Yeah, the missus has got one. It's OK but seeing as I have to change my (company) car anyway it'd be nice to get one that can seat 5 comfortably.



Allegro? Princess? Ambassador? Camargue...

Heh! The Aztek's my favourite of those.



So far the Discovery is the only (what I'd call) nice car thta I've found with 3 proper seats in the back (well there is the G wagen but it's even more ridiculously expensive/uneconomical), the new model CRVs etc all have humps in the middle. The new BMW X3 will allegedly have 3 seats so I might wait and see what that's like. My preference would be for a nice "normal" car, not an off roader. Makes me feel like buying a Merc W123.

Funnily enough, I've driven all those cars, either as hire cars or by way of business. The Camargue was a shambles, even the people at RR generally hated it: The same basic design, as an upmarket Fiat, looked exactly right. Farina wasn't it?

The book I referred to was ctually called "Crap Cars" and it did include a few Jap cars, but I'm remaining tight lipped!

Was it a Brit?

Ital? (Farina made me think of that)

A hefty clue: If you had a motorhome, what would you tow?

N.B. If you look at the grille on a Camargue, it's the only RR ever that has the radiator other than vertical.

The Disco 4 is a good vehicle if you want an off-roader style with upright seating for good visibility in traffic (plenty of them never see the dirt). The 3.0 TDV6 diesel is powerful and quite economical considering the boxy shape it has to push through the air and all the extra bits it has to rotate (constant 4wd). Good for towing too.

Ours won't see much dirt if we get one, we have an L200 pickup for farm work, so no towing either (mind you that's only taking sheep to slaughter twice a year). That's why I'd rather a non 4x4. I'm still no wiser, although the missus says we should look at the Volvo XC90 (another 4x4!)

Knowing nothing about motorhomes, and next to nothing about Jap cars, I'm (not for the first time) clueless.

The Camargue was exceptional in it's ugliness, I can't think of a single redeeming feature, although there was an attribute that meant you could win against just about anything else at Top Trumps (can't remember if it was cc, RR didn't publish hp at the time did they?).

Nothing worse than trying to photograph one on a sandy beach: RR insisted on having the symbol on the hubcaps the right way up, so somebody had to take one off without leaving footprints in the sand. Eventually, the penny dropped that, if you synchronised front and rear, and then drove the car carefully 20-30 feet forward and stopped at the critical moment, you could achieve this.

Aren't the Roller hub caps set up so they always sit right way up? i.e. they don't actually rotate and are on some really good bearings so for the most part they don't rotate.

I was thinking of suggesting this. I've got an XC90 and love it. They do come in non 4x4. The 5 cylinder is best, as it comes with an AW trans (the 6 comes with a chevy trans that explodes, and the 8 is a yamaha motor).

Mine's not got everything I didn't want... no 4x4, no sunroof, no third row seat. It's the most basic model, and still has most anything you would want.

The wife likes it as well.

Well I've just found out I can get £10k off an XC90 (25%!) so best we get down to a Volvo dealer for a test drive.

Disclaimer: I'm a Jeep guy

It's hard to quantify fun per dollar, but IMHO I'd definitely have to get a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. Slight hump in the middle, but I could live with that. Having the options to go topless and doorless rules.

Definitely check out the 2011 Grand Cherokee too.

They are on the new BMW era ones, think that was a new feature though.

Quite so, but it was an ongoing project when I was at Crewe, as was the retracting silver lady!

Topless and doorless, in the UK????

I've only been there twice, once in March and once in the middle of summer. It was nice weather both times, but the time in March was a little cool to go topless.

I suppose it's a bit like Seattle there where you've only got one nice month or two?

A pic of my nephew and I in Salisbury last time I was there.

Perfect day to drive around topless and doorless.

The last time I was anywhere near Salisbury I had to ring someone to place an "emergency accommodation required" post on the Downsizer forum, we were travelling from Oxford to Bath and the roads were completely flooded, spent hours trying to work our way through all the closed roads before giving up.

Got an XC90 on rental booked for next weekend, will let you know how it goes.

I think you'll like it. Mine's got way too much power for a front wheel drive car, so take it easy at first.

Yeah, we liked it. The engine's a bit agricultural around town but liveable. Very comfy and a really relaxing car to drive.

Translation?

Rough!

Yup, I think a V8 would suit it nicely but dread to think what the mpg must be like.

Ah, how I hanker for my 15 years as a Range Rover driver, on the other hand, we decided that it was ridiculous having two gas guzzlers parked outside, when one of them goes no further than a 12 mile radius, so I've swapped my convertible for a Suzuki Alto auto: Cheap on everything and no worse for all those short trips.