No no no.....in this car you need to dig up an Etak. I had one. The map data was on MICROCASSETTE! http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etak

TRUE! This one's mine, the best handling car I've ever driven by miles.

I'd like to add on, know when to buy cheap tools.

really? Because I usually see cars at work that are maintained the worst that belong to men.

OMGSOFUNNY! Get it?! Because women, amiright?! LOL THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND CARS.

So yes, the Mini is slow. In fact, I remember one particular situation where I was driving up a rather relaxed grade, a grade so relaxed that you might attempt to use it to go sledding only to discover that it is actually flat, and the Mini was huffing and puffing as it climbed to the top. But on the way down… well,…

I think the Singer comparison isn't working.

No. The BBC's model is the single reason why Top Gear was any good at all — They could rip on manufacturers without fear of losing advertising revenue. You can't do that here.

I love Top Gear and I love Clarkson, but he fucking punched a coworker. That is absolutely grounds for firing, in any organization. I hope Top Gear stays, but I won't be angry if it doesn't.

The cooling generally was fine on them (apart from when people mounted the fan the the wrong way round because they were used to fans sucking through the rad, not blowing through it)

The bigger problem was having the distributor and coil right behind the grill with no protection from water so heavy rain or deep puddles…

Oh, neat. Where do you hail from? I lived in Auckland, and then Rotorua, and briefly Taupo, about ten years ago. I still miss it every single day. I wish I'd never left to come back to the States.

Aww. This makes me happy. I lived in New Zealand for a few years and got attached to a couple of the newscasters. John Campbell was one of them. He just seemed like such a nice dude. This makes me a little nostalgic for my second home.

John Campbell is adorable in general, he is a gentleman and a national treasure.

YAY, NZ in the news!

Disappointed with a belt? It's rated at 150,000 miles. Knowing VW's history with chain drives I'd much rather have a belt!

for as much as they claim to hate each other, Clarkson and Piers Morgan come off as the same kind of person. The boorish loudmouth who just HAS to tell you what they think about everything and everyone, regardless of whether you asked. The world needs far fewer people like them.

You forgot fuel pumps and fuel pump relays, control arms/bushings, strut bearings, and anything plastic in the interior that moves and gets touched by at least one sunbeam during its life.

Yup, the 850 destroys heater cores, MAF's, front shock towers, Radio switch bulbs, antenna recoilers, and many other items.