According to the letter we all received last week, despite increased damage to the company trucks and vans (Mr Yo Bro didn’t help with his high speed reverse into a bay and taking the side off one of our MAN’s with his trailer tail swing), the company has had a good year, and this was reflected in our generous xmas bonuses. Just a pity the taxman had to help himself to half of it. Grrrrr
As a reward, one of the bosses decided to trade in his elderly Saab 93, and treat himself to a brand new, top of the range… Kia Optima ! Well, to be fair, it is a nice looking motor. It’s just that it has that Kia badge on the bonnet. The other boss has stuck with his trusty Ford Focus estate.
So, I was wondering what cars your gaffers have sitting in their reserved parking places in the yard? Are they members of the Audi/BMW/Merc club? Or are they especially flash and have a Porsche 911 or an Audi R8? Or are they down to earth like the Dutchies and run something more modest?
What does Albion drive?
While I remember, a mobile xmas tree followed me into the 1,650 metre long tunnel on the A2 motorway near Utrecht tonight. I tried to identify what it was in my mirrors through all the bright blingy lights, and think it was a Scania. However, I think he had one of those fancy exhaust systems fitted as the sound that was reverberating off the walls of the two lane acoustic chamber was fantastic. I lowered both my windows to get the full on effect. Unfortunately, he turned off just after the tunnel, otherwise I would have slowed down to let him overtake and get a close up dose of those burbling pipes !
Since you ask, a 64 plate Vauxhall combo, admittedly it’s the top spec with air con. 7 months old with 8k on the clock when I got it, replaced an ex GPO 55 plate combo with 180,000 on the clock.
I did once have a VX220 turbo, it was bonkers. Yoga to get into it, if you caned it, you’d feel the nose start to lift and I think suspension must have been a dirty word to the engineer. I f****** loved that car. You had to drive , actually drive, instead of just point it in the right dirdction Got it out of my system now. Sort of.
My last boss had a thing for X5’s. Not sure what my current boss drives. I do know someone in our office drives a bonkers RS3. Looking around at some of the cars in our yard when drivers are here, some are your usual drivers fair. The cars range from the mundane to the silly. Someone has a heavily modified Scooby, plenty of 4x4’s/pickups. The odd van or two. Couple of Jags, 2 or 3 motorbikes. When my Type R’s battery died I took my 17 plate E220d into work and that was by fair the most expensive car in there.
New E class merc.
I work for a company that just happens to run their own trucks so he’s not a transport boss so the transport manager drives a very boring white corsa so you can immediately tell she certainly isn’t a petrol head [emoji57]
The only time I ever knew who the boss was is a long time ago. Jack Henley and Alan Firmin were both into cars, so each had more than one at his disposal, Posche 911s, Bentleys, Rollers, Jags and classics were in the collection, but the everyday turn up to work/run about vehicle was usually a Mini pick up. There was never anything ostentatious about either man and their own offices were certainly nothing to write home about.
Our firm are struggling they tell us, so they can not afford Christmas bonuses, I’m heart broke for them and lay awake at night worrying about them…
I can’t understand where the top range Jag and array of BMs on the car park come from, …must have been presents.
robroy:
Our firm are struggling they tell us, so they can not afford Christmas bonuses, I’m heart broke for them and lay awake at night worrying about them…
I can’t understand where the top range Jag and array of BMs on the car park come from, …must have been presents.
They are all on PCP. Its extremely rare for people to buy these expensive cars even though they can clearly afford to.
cav551:
The only time I ever knew who the boss was is a long time ago. Jack Henley and Alan Firmin were both into cars, so each had more than one at his disposal, Posche 911s, Bentleys, Rollers, Jags and classics were in the collection, but the everyday turn up to work/run about vehicle was usually a Mini pick up. There was never anything ostentatious about either man and their own offices were certainly nothing to write home about.
You would more often see Alan firmin driving an old mk 4 ■■■■■■ around the area his roller was a mid 80s job I think his pride and joy was his E type he brought new . Even the boys who had new rollers and Bentleys one drove an older 306 the other last I saw was a modest jeep . Very rarely the big cars came to work even after the trucks moved to Snodland
citycat:
According to the letter we all received last week, despite increased damage to the company trucks and vans (Mr Yo Bro didn’t help with his high speed reverse into a bay and taking the side off one of our MAN’s with his trailer tail swing), the company has had a good year, and this was reflected in our generous xmas bonuses. Just a pity the taxman had to help himself to half of it. Grrrrr
As a reward, one of the bosses decided to trade in his elderly Saab 93, and treat himself to a brand new, top of the range… Kia Optima ! Well, to be fair, it is a nice looking motor. It’s just that it has that Kia badge on the bonnet. The other boss has stuck with his trusty Ford Focus estate.
So, I was wondering what cars your gaffers have sitting in their reserved parking places in the yard? Are they members of the Audi/BMW/Merc club? Or are they especially flash and have a Porsche 911 or an Audi R8? Or are they down to earth like the Dutchies and run something more modest?
What does Albion drive?
While I remember, a mobile xmas tree followed me into the 1,650 metre long tunnel on the A2 motorway near Utrecht tonight. I tried to identify what it was in my mirrors through all the bright blingy lights, and think it was a Scania. However, I think he had one of those fancy exhaust systems fitted as the sound that was reverberating off the walls of the two lane acoustic chamber was fantastic. I lowered both my windows to get the full on effect. Unfortunately, he turned off just after the tunnel, otherwise I would have slowed down to let him overtake and get a close up dose of those burbling pipes !
Swap a Saab 9-3 for a Kia,I have a t plate old generation 9-3 and the build quality is unreal it is like a tank, I don’t think many of these Kia’s and other Korean car will see 18 years service and still be going strong.
I find it astonishing that some people buy cars that won’t last,and Saab sadly no longer with us due to GM trying to get them to devalue the Saab brand and pulling the plug
robroy:
Our firm are struggling they tell us, so they can not afford Christmas bonuses, I’m heart broke for them and lay awake at night worrying about them…
I can’t understand where the top range Jag and array of BMs on the car park come from, …must have been presents.
They are all on PCP. Its extremely rare for people to buy these expensive cars even though they can clearly afford to.
PCP, HP, or ABC they are still to pay for.
Don’t believe for one millisecond they are hard up, it just annoys me that they can afford all that kind of stuff, by whatever irrelavent payment method, but when it comes to recognising their drivers at Christmas with a 10quid case of beer, that is too much.
On a side note they have contracts with beer wine and spirits distributors,.and the PALLET they are sent every year at Christmas, is shared among management and office staff.
I just adjust my attitude to them and the way I do my job accordinglly. , but hey that’s just me, some of the others don’t seem to care.
citycat:
According to the letter we all received last week, despite increased damage to the company trucks and vans (Mr Yo Bro didn’t help with his high speed reverse into a bay and taking the side off one of our MAN’s with his trailer tail swing), the company has had a good year, and this was reflected in our generous xmas bonuses. Just a pity the taxman had to help himself to half of it. Grrrrr
As a reward, one of the bosses decided to trade in his elderly Saab 93, and treat himself to a brand new, top of the range… Kia Optima ! Well, to be fair, it is a nice looking motor. It’s just that it has that Kia badge on the bonnet. The other boss has stuck with his trusty Ford Focus estate.
So, I was wondering what cars your gaffers have sitting in their reserved parking places in the yard? Are they members of the Audi/BMW/Merc club? Or are they especially flash and have a Porsche 911 or an Audi R8? Or are they down to earth like the Dutchies and run something more modest?
What does Albion drive?
While I remember, a mobile xmas tree followed me into the 1,650 metre long tunnel on the A2 motorway near Utrecht tonight. I tried to identify what it was in my mirrors through all the bright blingy lights, and think it was a Scania. However, I think he had one of those fancy exhaust systems fitted as the sound that was reverberating off the walls of the two lane acoustic chamber was fantastic. I lowered both my windows to get the full on effect. Unfortunately, he turned off just after the tunnel, otherwise I would have slowed down to let him overtake and get a close up dose of those burbling pipes !
Swap a Saab 9-3 for a Kia,I have a t plate old generation 9-3 and the build quality is unreal it is like a tank, I don’t think many of these Kia’s and other Korean car will see 18 years service and still be going strong.
I find it astonishing that some people buy cars that won’t last,and Saab sadly no longer with us due to GM trying to get them to devalue the Saab brand and pulling the plug
I had a Saab 95 and it was a bloody good well made and sturdy car. It had that quality car feel when you drove it, and was listed at the time as the safest on the market in a collision.
I got a lift off a mate in his brand new Kia, good deal, good back up, all the trimmings on it, and all hi tech electronic cack.
Sat in it it was road noisy, with the ride of a 70s Cortina,… it was Accrington Stanley to Saab’s Real Madrid.
robroy:
Our firm are struggling they tell us, so they can not afford Christmas bonuses, I’m heart broke for them and lay awake at night worrying about them…
I can’t understand where the top range Jag and array of BMs on the car park come from, …must have been presents.
Few years ago I worked for pattersons quarries on agency and the full time staff were requesting a wage rise of about 50p per hour. The usual excuses got trotted out
“Oh business is slow”, “We’re on a down turn”, We’ve got large overheads", “If we give a pay rise we’d need to lay drivers off” etc, etc
2 months later the three directors all appeared with top of the range cars
citycat:
According to the letter we all received last week, despite increased damage to the company trucks and vans (Mr Yo Bro didn’t help with his high speed reverse into a bay and taking the side off one of our MAN’s with his trailer tail swing), the company has had a good year, and this was reflected in our generous xmas bonuses. Just a pity the taxman had to help himself to half of it. Grrrrr
As a reward, one of the bosses decided to trade in his elderly Saab 93, and treat himself to a brand new, top of the range… Kia Optima ! Well, to be fair, it is a nice looking motor. It’s just that it has that Kia badge on the bonnet. The other boss has stuck with his trusty Ford Focus estate.
So, I was wondering what cars your gaffers have sitting in their reserved parking places in the yard? Are they members of the Audi/BMW/Merc club? Or are they especially flash and have a Porsche 911 or an Audi R8? Or are they down to earth like the Dutchies and run something more modest?
What does Albion drive?
While I remember, a mobile xmas tree followed me into the 1,650 metre long tunnel on the A2 motorway near Utrecht tonight. I tried to identify what it was in my mirrors through all the bright blingy lights, and think it was a Scania. However, I think he had one of those fancy exhaust systems fitted as the sound that was reverberating off the walls of the two lane acoustic chamber was fantastic. I lowered both my windows to get the full on effect. Unfortunately, he turned off just after the tunnel, otherwise I would have slowed down to let him overtake and get a close up dose of those burbling pipes !
Swap a Saab 9-3 for a Kia,I have a t plate old generation 9-3 and the build quality is unreal it is like a tank, I don’t think many of these Kia’s and other Korean car will see 18 years service and still be going strong.
I find it astonishing that some people buy cars that won’t last,and Saab sadly no longer with us due to GM trying to get them to devalue the Saab brand and pulling the plug
I got one of the Vauxhall derived Saab convertible’s for the ex … what a piece of rubbish that was (the car that is )
yorkshire terrier:
Swap a Saab 9-3 for a Kia,I have a t plate old generation 9-3 and the build quality is unreal it is like a tank, I don’t think many of these Kia’s and other Korean car will see 18 years service and still be going strong.
I find it astonishing that some people buy cars that won’t last,and Saab sadly no longer with us due to GM trying to get them to devalue the Saab brand and pulling the plug
Well if you’re paying for it on some sort of lease deal or finance, you just trade it in every 3 years or so, therefore long term reliability isn’t really an issue.
As they tend to sit around when I’m away, I prefer to buy an old car outright and run them until they become uneconomical to repair, at the moment I’ve got a Saab 9-5 Aero Estate, bought it for £600 2 years ago, it’s got over 150,000 on the clock, it’s as immaculate as you could get a 13 year old car, everything works, it is solid, got a bit of grunt, but the servicing costs are probably a bit more than your average banger.
To keep the thread on track the bloke I normally work drive round in a VW Caddy Van, another bloke I work for is worth a bit, last time I saw his road car it was a full spec Range Rover, but I’m sure he’s got more at home, his race cars collection includes a GT40, AC Cobra and Silk Cut Group C Jaguar.
with air con. 7 months old with 8k on the clock when I got it, replaced an ex GPO 55 plate combo with 180,000 on the clock.
