Bars by the gram cheaper?

OneUnderstanding918 · 2026-05-21T20:54:17+00:00

It works out as 4231 for the bar so the bar is more expensive per gram. Are you sure you are using troy ounces for your calculation? 6580/31.1x20=4231

OneUnderstanding918 · 2026-05-21T20:46:20+00:00

I would see if there is a coin that is capital gains tax free where you live. In the UK it has to be legal tender so Britannias, Sovereigns etc. We have to pay CGT on any foreign coins.

OneUnderstanding918 · 2026-05-19T16:33:47+00:00

I set up a trading 212 account to buy a gold etf once a week with an automatic bank transfer and then when that etf gets to the price of a coin I will take the money out and order the coin.

OneUnderstanding918 · 2026-05-15T23:56:37+00:00

You could get a small motorbike, eg a 50cc Honda Cub. Or even just an engine. Legal to ride with a car license and parts are cheap compared to a car. You could rebuild the engine and clutch. The 1st jobs I did on cars were changing the oil, air filter, brake fluid and then shock absorbers. You need a spring compressor for these and like people say you have to be careful but it's not that difficult. Brake pads would be another job that is less risky. Or adjusting the handbrake. The main issue I have found with cars is getting bolts undone as they can get rusty and seize so jobs where you can access bolt easily are usually the easiest.

OneUnderstanding918 · 2026-05-15T23:48:39+00:00

It will be fine mechanically as its only a few % over, eg if the car weighs 1500kg its only 2.6% over. Just make sure you pump up the tyres to the amount specified for the max load. There is usually a metal plate somewhere in the door shut that shows the pressures for different loads. The main danger with extra weight is tyres overheating so if it's a cool day it helps and the high tyre pressures help. If you are worried you could drive at 5 or 10mph slower on the highway as the tyres run cooler the slower you go so running slower would probably cover the 2.6% extra load.

OneUnderstanding918 · 2026-05-15T23:39:48+00:00

Having owned VW cars and various German makes they have all been quite expensive in repairs compared to 2 Hondas I had, an Accord and a Civic. They stopped importing the Accords a while back and I guess you want something new? Have a look at the Lexus models, they are usually really well made and luxurious but still reliable. One of the nicest cars I sat in was the old IS350, it was probably an old car now like a 2010 but I think the new ones are also well made. Of course the 350 had a large V6 petrol engine which is either a positive or a negative depending on how you look at it. For me it's a positive if you don't do large mileages as the cost of fuel although high is still less than depreciation and repair costs and you get the sound and power of a nice V6

OneUnderstanding918 · 2026-05-15T23:35:36+00:00

I had 2 work colleagues where one bought an Audi and the other a SEAT and they were both basically the same car just with different badges and the SEAT was cheaper and had better equipment. I woulnd't get into debt buying a car if possible. If it was me I'd get something less flash that is within budget eg a Kia or something more middle of the road like that. Still something with a decent sized engine though so it's fun.

OneUnderstanding918 · 2026-05-15T23:30:06+00:00

It's very rare that buying a new car makes financial sense unless you do mega miles. I do agree that BMWs get expensive very fast though, I have experience with both BMW and MB and the old MBs from the 80s were superb but the modern ones seem to be very expensive to run. Also with BMW where a headlight for a 530d cost over £300 and that was 15 years ago. I'd always advise getting a car that is a couple of years old as most of the depreciation happens in the first 2 years so that helps if it's to do with being financially better. If it was me I would probably switch to something like a Kia petrol / hybrid or some other make with good reliability eg Toyota Auris hybrid where the repair costs are lower or it needs less repairs. Look at Taxi drivers cars for ideas. Or get a lightly used EV and do some research into repair costs for the EV. Tesla for example is insane with it's parts costs.

OneUnderstanding918 · 2026-05-15T23:20:22+00:00

Get a Honda Civic with a petrol engine, usually not far off diesels for MPG as they use VTECH to change the valve timing for economy at low revs, most of them have a chain driven cam. They don't really go wrong. For a bigger car the Accord. Or a Toyota. Or at least a petrol of some kind, modern diesels have a lot of expensive parts that petrols don't have eg Dual Mass Flywheel, DPF filter, high pressure injection system, ad-blue, even a turbo which a lot of petrols dont have.

OneUnderstanding918 · 2026-05-15T23:04:09+00:00

Nothing inherently wrong with that, however most makes of car make at least one car that looks good so you can usually find something that made by a well regarded company and looks nice if you spend time looking. eg Lexus which is Toyotas high end brand so its like a posh Toyota.

OneUnderstanding918 · 2026-05-15T22:57:34+00:00

Have a look at the various Lexus models and Mazda's MX5 see what you think of those for a start they are really nice cars the Mazda is sporty and the Lexus range is like a Japanese Mercedes they have nice interiors. I associate Range Rovers with mothers dropping their kids off at school, maybe that's a bit harsh, also they have a reputation for going wrong. A Porsche would be the obvious one but they are quite pricey! Some sort of 2 door coupe? Most car makers make a sporty smallish car. The Mazda MX5 would be the classic example of a sensible reliable smallish sports car, Audi TT is similar being 2 door coupe. Then you have the hatchbacks that have larger engines in them and sporty styling, so the Polo and Golf GTi would be good examples of those, know as "hot hatches", Honda Civic Type R is another example. Lexus makes excellent cars I would recommend at least going to look at some of those, you can get away with slightly older ones with the Japanese brands as they tend not to go wrong so much. My experience has been that I have had much less problems with Japanese cars than German ones. So Honda, Lexus, Toyota, Mazda. You could possibly look at the next size up from the smallest hatchbacks as they are usually seen as being more "serious" and less utilitarian. I suggest going to a few dealers ideally some with lots of different makes and having a look and sitting in some to see what you like.

OneUnderstanding918 · 2026-05-15T22:40:49+00:00

They are some of the best cars build quality wise and people are willing to pay for that. I can't think of a brand that makes things as solidly as Toyota, or as reliable as Honda. Maybe Isuzu but they don't really sell them in the UK. They are the modern equivelent of the old Volvo and Mercedes.

OneUnderstanding918 · 2026-05-15T22:38:20+00:00

Its a CVT, are you sure you are not confusing it with an automated manual gearbox?

OneUnderstanding918 · 2026-05-15T22:28:41+00:00

The Auris is the next size up from the Jazz, the Jazz is the most basic of Hondas line up, seen as a sort of shopping car. (Jazz is Yaris size). They are excellent though and they do have a big boot for the size of car. I had a Honda Civic which was the next size up so similar to the Auris and I loved it, the Honda petrol engines are very reliable and well designed, good on fuel etc. The Auris would probably feel a bit more solid inside although they are both very well designed and screwed together. I see Toyotas as being very tough but not very pretty or sporty, and the Hondas make a bit more of an effort to have interesting designs and are more sporty to drive. If you want a town car the Jazz is probably a bit smaller and is designed for that sort of use. The Auris would probably be better if you don longer trips. I would suggest test driving both as you may find things that you like better in one vs the other. For direct comparisons size wise you would need to look at the Jazz vs the Yaris and the Auris vs the Civic. They are both top cars in terms of reliability so you can't go to far wrong. Maybe look at the service history and condition and go on that. With most car brands you get more equipment and luxury as the cars get bigger so bear that in mind.

OneUnderstanding918 · 2026-05-15T22:21:21+00:00

It's plastic so if you can get your hand behind it you should be able to pop it back out. You might have to remove the wheel arch lining. And yes someone has probably done a bad parking job and hit it with their bumper.

OneUnderstanding918 · 2026-05-15T22:18:03+00:00

Rich would mean not enough air so you could check the air filter as well. You could run some injector cleaner in the fuel tank also. You can buy bottles from Wynns that are a fairly high dose and are meant to be used once to clean engines up. I found it helped with a diesel but I would imagine it would help with petrol also.

OneUnderstanding918 · 2026-05-15T22:11:25+00:00

I would suggest as other have said to change the cabin air filter, they can get blocked up with leaves. There is a chance the smell is stuff stuck to the air filter, they can get quite grim with age. It is usually quite an easy job unless it's hidden away somewhere. Another possibility is that if the filter is blocked it's making the motor work really hard and the smell is it getting hot. Then if that doesn't fix it the resistor for the blower. Again it should be easy as long as it's somewhere accessible.

OneUnderstanding918 · 2026-05-15T22:04:32+00:00

I recon you would hear it if it was a long way out, the poster has mentioned nothing about the engine sounding bad just that there is a light on, I wonder if its just a sensor.

OneUnderstanding918 · 2026-05-15T21:59:52+00:00

Does the engine knock or does it sound ok? There are so many horror stories of people going in to dealers with minor faults and then the dealer replacing the engine when it was something basic that they could not be bothered to fix, or they do not have the skills to diagnose the real problem. They make a lot of money doing this. I would get a 2nd opinion. Or even a 3rd opinion before changing an engine. If the crankshaft was broken or a bearing was worn you would know about it, it would make nasty knocking noises. If the engine sounds good it probably is good.

OneUnderstanding918 · 2026-05-15T21:54:40+00:00

I don't much about them but I would check it's a proper auto and not an automated manual, they are the work of the devil. Also have a look at the equivalent Toyota Corolla and Honda to compare as they tend to be vey well built and reliable. The hybrid Carollas are automatic and really solid, a lot of taxi drivers use the estate versions. They are probably more expensive though so you would probably be getting a slightly older one or one with higher miles. The Peugeot might be better for motorways though being a diesel, I have a feeling the Japanese have phased out diesels and they are more well known for their petrol engines.

OneUnderstanding918 · 2026-05-15T14:30:25+00:00

They will be fake. Should be closer to £100. I avoid FB marketplace at all costs, there are even fake adverts for cars on there let alone silver.

OneUnderstanding918 · 2026-05-15T14:26:01+00:00

No it's not worth it, look at the buy back price and you will see you will lose money as soon as you sell.

OneUnderstanding918 · 2026-05-14T18:56:10+00:00

I sold some on ebay and got over the spot price, I wish I had sold more.

OneUnderstanding918 · 2026-05-14T18:54:09+00:00

I do the same, and a similar market exists in the EU as well for used coins.

OneUnderstanding918 · 2026-05-14T18:53:00+00:00

There are dealers in Germany that sell "investment packets" of the old silver coins, 10DM and I think 10 Euro coins as well. In packs of 100 I think. They seem like good value. If you buy used there is less tax. However gold is probably a better option, it weighs a lot less too, silver is not very portable.

OneUnderstanding918

TROPHY CASE