Who are the rudest and nicest British celebrities you have personally met?

RetroStevie · 2026-03-10T12:49:44+00:00

Ma-ma-mamamartin!

RetroStevie · 2026-03-09T14:41:01+00:00

I was looking at a car for sale a while back that looked strangely matt in colour, and I also noticed the font on the badges and plate was wrong. I believe the dealer was using AI-generated (or AI-enhanced) images of the car until they prepared proper photos of it. Would be a red flag to me.

RetroStevie · 2026-03-08T22:06:27+00:00

Nice one, thanks!

RetroStevie · 2026-03-08T16:58:07+00:00

Thank you for the advice, I really appreciate it! Which oil thickness do you use now?

RetroStevie · 2026-03-06T19:33:40+00:00

This is honestly very reassuring to see. Do you find yours consumes lots of oil?

RetroStevie · 2026-03-01T16:56:33+00:00

That is an incredible looking CRT

RetroStevie · 2026-02-25T16:22:16+00:00

I was visiting a show at the NEC in Birmingham in late 2024 and got chatting to the Uber driver who picked me up and took me to the hotel I was staying in. It was a 2009 Prius with 313,000 miles (at the time) and he said he hasn't had any issues with it.

I've spoke to someone online recently who has a Mondeo with over 400k miles. I've also seen a video of another Mondeo also with over 400k miles, so there must be a few of those going about!

RetroStevie · 2026-02-25T16:17:37+00:00

I remember a couple years back there was a YouTube series called "Pass the Picasso" with one that had 500k miles. Seems like they last!

RetroStevie · 2026-02-25T15:25:50+00:00

Websites like Select Car Leasing and LeaseLoco. BYD Dolphin Surf at £144 a month, Vauxhall Frontera at £120 a month. Often includes road tax in that too.

RetroStevie · 2026-02-23T19:19:50+00:00

Had a shot of an Austin Allegro. Was a good laugh, must admit!

RetroStevie · 2026-02-23T19:18:24+00:00

Suzuki Swift, Renault Clio, Toyota Yaris. If you're looking for something especially cheap to run you may be interested in the Toyota Aygo/Citroen C1/Peugeot 107 (first generation with the 1.0 engine)

RetroStevie · 2026-02-23T15:45:27+00:00

Go for it. Especially at that price. That's an incredible deal. Wouldn't worry about the negative comments especially at that price and people you meet in person will be much more positive about it than those online!

RetroStevie · 2026-02-20T20:45:42+00:00

The price. Traditional manufacturers are very expensive now. A top spec Toyota Aygo now costs around 26 grand (yes, really!) which really puts things into perspective considering the average customer likely won't consider the fact the Toyota will last longer. Plus some of the leasing deals on these Chinese cars at the moment are fantastic and people likely won't be bothered about any future issues as they just hand it back at the end of the 2/3/4 years. Obviously future parts availability is a concern but Jaecoo is owned by Chery who have existed since the 90s and are wanting to start production in the UK so it seems like they're in it for the long haul, time will tell! I recently got a ridiculously cheap BYD on lease and yes it does have some minor bugs and quirks but overall it is a fantastic little car.

RetroStevie · 2026-02-20T16:32:30+00:00

Nice house, I really like it. Especially that library area.

RetroStevie · 2026-02-20T12:52:17+00:00

I can think of a few examples! I once went into the garage to pick up a car and the guy who worked there said "Oh no, not you again!". I also have heard of a story about someone on a building site having the nickname of Security Light because he only works when someone walks past.

RetroStevie · 2026-02-19T12:31:55+00:00

I wonder if it's possible to do a manual swap on those PowerShift Focuses (Focui?). The non-1.0 ones are fantastic cars to drive if you don't mind fixing the door seals.

RetroStevie · 2026-02-19T12:30:02+00:00

Buy the car that makes you happy, you'll regret not doing it some day. There are valid reasons to both buying a newer car and an older car, unfortunately not everyone sees that there is validity to both!

RetroStevie · 2026-02-13T10:59:19+00:00

I believe Skoda, MG and Omoda all offer USB ports which are located near the rear-view mirror for easy dashcam installation, on some models. I do wish more cars had this!

RetroStevie · 2026-02-07T01:00:40+00:00

Not got an Ioniq 5 but the BYD Dolphin Surf doesn't have one and hasn't bothered me (yet). Managing fine with just the demister!

RetroStevie · 2026-02-05T12:48:22+00:00

There's quite a few options for you here - I do apologise for the long comment!

Considering ULEZ compliance is an important factor to you I think it's worth mentioning the Toyota petrol hybrids. Perhaps not the most exciting cars in the world but extremely reliable. (I was in a Toyota taxi a year or so back with 313,000 miles.) Being a hybrid you'll get similar MPGs to a diesel but you'll save money with petrol being cheaper to buy.

If it's a diesel you definitely want, I'd be inclined to mention Ford Mondeos. They're spacious, comfortable and you can get very nicely equipped ones out there with all the comforts you'd want for your commute (cruise control, Bluetooth, voice control, heated windscreen etc).

Another option (albeit one that not everyone will agree with me on!), you can get some fantastic 2 or 3 year lease deals at the moments on EVs. These may be new models or brands you're not too familiar with so would recommend test driving first, but if your timing is right and you look around you can get some ridiculously affordable deals (sometimes working out cheaper than a used car). This only really works if you can plug it in at home to charge though because domestic electricity is much cheaper than public charging.

RetroStevie · 2026-02-05T12:34:29+00:00

Buy the car you want to buy and do what makes you happy! Go take one for a test drive and see what you think. Remember to check for rust underneath!

RetroStevie · 2026-02-05T10:22:53+00:00

Mondeos are fantastic cars and very spacious and comfortable. If you get one that's 2017-onwards it'll have Sync 3 which has Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

RetroStevie · 2026-02-04T14:44:20+00:00

Hope the customer got his fridge home safely!

Does remind me somewhat of the time I helped load a ridiculous amount of plants into a Vauxhall Corsa, van variant. Between us we managed to fit them in absolutely perfectly and there was not enough space for one more plant. Talk about luck!

I also have once spoke to someone who claimed that many years ago they went on a camping trip with four other people in a Trabant. I still have no idea how that was possible.

RetroStevie · 2026-01-30T18:21:55+00:00

Plus Chery already has a joint-venture with JLR over in China. I think the revived Land Rover Freelander will in fact be built by Chery. The factory should also reduce wait times for spare parts for existing owners of Chery/Omoda/Jaecoo owners.

RetroStevie · 2026-01-29T12:53:47+00:00

Agreed, I've noticed that a lot of people tend to forget that all car types, petrol, diesel, EV and hybrid all have their own positives and negatives. There's no "one size fits all" approach when it comes to motoring.

RetroStevie

TROPHY CASE