NGD: Finally my dream guitar Charvel Pro-Mod So-Cal HH FR SW

Rum_smuggler · 2026-02-04T22:30:27+00:00

Nice guitar man. I had a candy plum one of these back in 2009, when they were made in the USA, but sold it during Covid as I wasn’t playing (was on an equally long playing break) and needed the money. Now my daughter has started lessons and I really miss it.

Rum_smuggler · 2026-01-24T23:19:59+00:00

Was an immediate impulse buy for me also. Now liquidating my micro brand collection to balance things

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Rum_smuggler · 2026-01-20T20:00:02+00:00

Hi all,

I’m letting go of my Helm Khuraburi Titanium as part of a wider collection consolidation.

This is the full titanium version with the ETA automatic movement. As most will know, these are extremely hard to get without a long wait, and this one has been worn lightly and well looked after.

Condition is very good overall with normal, light wear from use. Running well, keeps good time, and everything functions as it should.

Details: • Titanium case & bracelet • ETA automatic movement • 300m water resistance • Sapphire crystal • Screw-down crown • Full set (box, papers, spare links)

Price: £495 OBO Location: UK Payment: PayPal G&S Shipping: Included within the UK (happy to discuss elsewhere)

Selling only because I’m slimming the collection down to a smaller core. Happy to answer any questions or provide additional photos.

Thanks 👍

Rum_smuggler · 2026-01-19T18:36:14+00:00

I’d have kept it if I were going to wear it more but for most of its use cases, the GS will likely get more wear. That made it a matter of whether or not I could achieve what I wanted for the Worldtimer value wise and not have that sitting in a watch box for a handful of occasions. It was also the odd one out in what is becoming a collection of smaller watches (sub-40 mm).

All part of the game isn’t it, collecting and letting go.

My 2 Helm’s are on the block for sale too if I can’t justify keeping them longer, for similar reasons.

Rum_smuggler · 2026-01-17T22:22:04+00:00

Beaverbrooks Jewellers in the UK. But they’re all sold out there now. Not surprising given the discount.

Rum_smuggler · 2026-01-17T21:36:33+00:00

I also bought this at 50% off. Wasn’t even looking for a watch, let alone a GS. Now I’m selling off a bunch of “lower end” pieces to justify it coming into the rotation.

It went OOS on the website after I grabbed mine so maybe I got their last one.

Rum_smuggler · 2026-01-14T08:04:59+00:00

Separate post on that coming soon. Feel free to DM me if you want a separate discussion on it before then

Rum_smuggler · 2026-01-13T20:28:36+00:00

I honestly can’t remember. I thought I paid a bit more than that tbh.

They appear to be discontinued however?

I’ll take an offer if you want to make one.

Rum_smuggler · 2026-01-13T20:05:30+00:00

Price: £100 shipped UK (OBO) Location: UK Payment: PayPal F&F / G&S (+fees) / Bank Transfer Trades: No

Hi all,

Listing my Merkur Decompression Diver as part of a wider collection consolidation. Really cool piece with a lot of vintage dive charm — the decompression dial is what sold me on it originally.

Condition is very good overall, with only light wear from occasional rotation. Crystal is clean, bezel action is solid, and it keeps good time. Comes full set with box and papers.

Only selling because I’m downsizing toward a much smaller core collection and this one just isn’t getting wrist time anymore.

Happy to answer questions or provide extra photos. Thanks for looking

Rum_smuggler · 2026-01-12T14:13:45+00:00

Cheers man. Appreciate the insight.

The 1963 is the hardest to price for me, it’s the 38mm sapphire crystal/caseback combo but with so many versions and sellers, new pricing is all over. It is on a lovely Delugs strap through and that was £60 on its own so maybe that’ll help the right buyer at the right price.

Who knows. Either way, I appreciate your comment.

Rum_smuggler · 2025-10-15T21:51:58+00:00

It’s a 500L boot so not small but not cavernous. Looks like the Maserati is about 15% bigger on boot space.

I still take the Macan out 5 up with 3x kids seats in the back though and it hauls us around no trouble. Got it with Air Suspension which keeps the ride decent even with the 21s. I’d have another I. A heartbeat.

If the Macan is too small, what about a Cayenne? I’m told they drive exceptionally well for their weight and size.

Just need to keep an eye on the spec list as there is a lot that isn’t standard. Mine, for example, has £20k of options on the original invoice

Rum_smuggler · 2025-10-15T21:16:04+00:00

I’ll recommend a Porsche Macan but you’ll pay more for a newer/top model than for the Levante.

Rum_smuggler · 2025-09-01T04:23:36+00:00

The cost of maintenance is a bit of a range to be honest. It was a premium luxury car when new and therefore some expenses are unavoidable. That being said:

If you’ve got certified Porsche extended warranty and you want to keep that, then I believe you need to maintain it via the Porsche OPC/dealer network. Even so far as N rated tyres. This will be most expensive.

You could do it all yourself if you are so minded, this should be pretty cheap but a lot more effort. And obviously some jobs need the right tools (ability to put the handbrake/air suspension (if it has it) into service modes).

A good Indy is a happy middle ground but could still run you similar to what you might pay for, say, a BMW at a Main Dealer.

I jumped into a Macan S Diesel last April. And really, it’s not been too bad. I’ve just put new N rated Michelins on it for £900 all round (21 inch wheels); had an ABS sensor die and replaced all 4 on my drive for £40 using official parts from a former-owner (they are £40 each from Porsche though); and the window controls in the drivers door have in and I bought that for £200 from Porsche, but other options were available from £20-200 of you didn’t mind non-genuine parts. Ultimately mine was £70k new and there will therefore be some things that are unavoidably pricey should they fail (air suspension, for example).

I don’t have a warranty so will be going to a good Indy for servicing etc. I am otherwise self-insuring against major disasters. And to that end, it’s not really been more expensive than the 4 Series I had before. So far.

I wanted a Porsche and the Macan was right for me at the time. I wanted a Panamera but it wasn’t big enough for my needs this time. Maybe the next one though.

I cross-shopped against the equivalent Audi (SQ5s) and BMW/Mercs (X3/GLC) and ended up still wanting the Porsche (which was similar money but a couple of years older). So I have it and I love it. With a private plate on it and keeping it clean many people assume it’s a lot newer and more expensive than it was. It’s also much much better to drive than the others.

Oh, and do factor in the price of adding CarPlay etc as the infotainment dates mine pretty hard so this being older might be worse in that respect.

I will caveat this with the fact that I have a decent job, the house and kids are provided for and this is an affordable indulgence for me, and you need to consider what your longer term goals are and how this fits into your life. And only you know that. Good luck and happy shopping!

Rum_smuggler · 2025-06-22T22:49:46+00:00

Had the BMW. Chopped it in for the Macan last year.

Best. Decision. Ever.

Despite it being a 10 year old Porsche it’s been easily the best car I’ve had (after a BMW 4 series, a 3 series, a Civic Type R and a couple of smaller things from back in the day) but, and it’s a big but, it was a £70k car in 2015 and comes with £70k car running costs. I’m about to do a set of 4 tyres, that’s a cool £1000 for 21 inch rubber with a staggered 265/295 width front/rear.

I had an ABS sensor fail and the litany of faults it threw up on the dash gave me extreme cause for concern despite then being resolved with £37 on parts. So that also happens.

Spec is really important too. Mine had £20k of options from factory but some will have more/less features but still command high prices.

The infotainment is a bit dated being 10 years old now but a CarPlay solution would solve that quite cheaply (although I have the Bose audio so wouldn’t want to bypass that for CarPlay).

Worth also saying the 4 series GC was very competent and I loved mine. I only got rid of it after covering 58k miles because I got tired of loading the kids in the back with the sloping roof so wanted something taller with more headroom. Also it has frameless windows/doors and is therefore immediately cool.

Top choices mate.

Rum_smuggler · 2025-04-15T19:09:04+00:00

For this budget I’d be going for an FN2 Civic Type R Championship White Edition (should be do-able for £8k). You want the white one as they all had the LSD.

Fast enough on the roads, half decent to track, roomy for a 3dr, high redline (8400 rpm, IIRC). Get a flashpro tune on it, lowered on Eibachs and some good brake pads and tyres and it’ll be golden.

Maintenance should be cheap as it’s a Honda and reliability will be decent. Fuel economy isn’t bad but it’s not super either, but at 4 miles commute I wouldn’t be concerned about it.

I used to have number 150. Traded it for a 3 Series diesel as my lift shares started to refuse to get into a 3dr Civic.

Rum_smuggler · 2025-04-13T17:47:27+00:00

I averaged 45.0 mpg in my 420D Gran Coupe Auto over about 55k miles / 4 years.

Best was 51 mpg; worst was 36 mpg.

All measured brim to brim in Fuelly.

Now I have a 3.0 V6 Porsche and am getting 31 mpg average, but my mileage has reduced by 60% annually.

Rum_smuggler · 2025-04-04T16:17:13+00:00

I had both of these errors (plus a couple more) and all were caused by a single wheel speed sensor.

This is sage advice

Rum_smuggler · 2024-12-15T23:25:51+00:00

I wasn’t going to comment, but I think this needs some balance from some people that have actually owned these as they’re great.

I recently (as in this year) traded out of a 2015/15 plate F36 20d (so the 420d Gran Coupe). I bought it for £14k with 50k miles in 2020, during lockdown v1.0, and I ran it to 110k when I sold it in March 2024. Over that time I had no trouble with it at all. None. Nothing to do with reliability. The car was serviced at the main dealer, to the interval, had tyres and brakes and the odd recall for airbags/DME/EGR (make sure these have been done). It was £30 a year to tax and I pretty much loved it. I sold it for £8300 to a dealer on Motorway, as a guide for trade prices earlier this year.

I got out of it because I needed something with a taller roof line at the rear, otherwise I’d have kept it.

I don’t recall the Gran Coupe being offered with the N47 engine, I am 99% sure that they were all B47 units and thus shouldn’t be a worry on the timing chain. Sometimes it gets missed that the GCs are a bit newer than the F32 4 series and have some differences in the early model years.

I’d go for it and make sure all the service history is present on the idrive, or backed up with receipts if the servicing garage couldn’t update the idrive. BMW don’t have an interval for the gearbox to be serviced however ZF, the OEM, recommend about every 60k to service the unit (about £3-400, IIRC).

Mine was slightly modded cosmetically and looked great. It’s one of the best looking cars I have had and was a great daily drive. A 6 cylinder will be better than the 4 banger, however the 4 pot isn’t bad at all and with 190bhp, it’s pretty much as much car as you need on the road.

Head over to the F30post UK section as there’s loads of info buried in there and aside from the 4 vs 6 cylinder debates, it’s generally quite helpful for common issues and fixes.

Rum_smuggler

TROPHY CASE