Not quite so bad here in the UK - around €1 a litre for both diesel and petrol on average, so I do feel your pain there. It’s either one of those newer small displacement TSI petrol units or a diesel at those prices.

Sadly, the 1.9 JDTM is a truly terrible engine. The 2.4 is much, much better and a more viable option for those of us in Europe! The 1.9 gets around 45mpg in real world driving, the 2.4 around 35mpg. The 3.2 - ermm, realisticially it’s low 20s unless you’re at a steady cruise on a motorway.

BMW host masterclasses in this every year. Stuff you’d want like a convertible that doesn’t let in rain when stationary, self-cleaning bodywork or a magnetic towing option.

Heh. I have a strong suspicion that it’s all down to perception and expectation. Droning around the Falklands, the same cup of coffee is nowhere near as good as coming back from a short-field combat landing in the desert.

That’s the one to get - the 3.2.

Not at all - it’s all completely subjective anyway. However, I have seen a Brera in person and I haven’t seen any of the Lamborghinis or many of the other cars either.

Capisco!

You can have one in 2030 I think. Dropped my wife off at work last week and there was one in the carpark - it looks better than the photos and that’s not often you can say that about a car.

It’s a great engine. It just breaks too easily to the point of needing complete replacement. Great engine - too fragile. I couldn’t recommend anything with that 1.9d to anyone looking to buy a car.

When you import one, get the 3.2 petrol-engined model, if they haven’t all rusted out. The diesels are hideously unreliable and, whilst surprisingly good to drive, will shove a red hot poker firmly up your ass at some point. If you must get a diesel pick the 2.4, rather than the 1.9 which has ruined various…

I have very fond memories of my time in the C130 (assorted variants) at Her Majesty’s expense.

I’m up to 15,000 hours but I could still learn from experienced light aircraft pilots!

Matt,

Thanks for the great reply. The F100s I’ve found for sale in Europe are 10,000 Euros and upwards so it’s still more economical to import one, or something like it, from the USA.

They’re all a bit small for what I need but they’re certainly tough. Bulgaria has the factory for the Great Wall range of Chinese vehicles in Europe, but there’s very little out there in terms of information on durability and longevity.

Having spent a week out there on a very basic fact-finding mission, a large number of Bulgarians have moved out to the cities away from the country - the cities are where the jobs and the money are.

The snag is the used car market in Bulgaria. I’ve been out there on a fact-finding trip which is why I’ve decided to buy a house in the country, rather than rent in a city, but everything out there is clocked.

Thanks for the enthusiast’s guide to these. Currently in the UK, there’s nothing I would consider buying that would last more than a month on Bulgarian roads outside the cities.

I hadn’t actually considered the LandCruiser but it’s a very good suggestion. I don’t think we got the diesel in Europe - straight 6 for us - but nothing wrong with those engines either.

This is something you should be aware of yourself, especially in light aircraft. A blocked pitot system will show the same airspeed (trapped pressure) regardless of what your aircraft is actually doing.