The Baron

Wow that was quick - one down - one to go thanks to the 'IT Wiz' in question - I feel so official now

Oh and to get one of those "VIC member" buttons in the sidebar (now that I am member 164)

To buy the GT-R - simple really ;-)

My favourite obscure measurement The "poronkusema" - a finnish unit of measurement that measures the distance a reindeer walks between urinating (approx 7.5 km)

Season 7 episode 5 I heard it is available on bit torrent - like mininova.org

Which admittedly still leaves kms (very important) and pics (to entice the buyer)

My Father in law got a book for Christmas labelled something like "Jeremy Clarkson's 100 cars that make you go 'Phwoar'" - it was a bargain basement book from 1998 or so The R33 GT-R makes it into the list and in a tidbit of information JC mentions that he is the honorary president of the UK GT-R owner's club. Wonder whether that's still the case??

Having just seen the TopGear episode where they 'race' the Veyron (season 7 episode 5) - I think Jeremy Clarkson finishes the show by says something along the lines of: "The Bugatti is not only the best car ever made but is also likely to be the best car that will ever be made" - before ranting about 'ecomentalists' So if you take JC seriously - he'd take the Bugatti (as would I)

Get someone to give you a two hour lesson doing handbrake starts up a hill in a manual that can cope with the punishment (preferably something with a heavy clutch like a diesel landcruiser) When you stop stalling, bunnyhopping etc you will have learned the art of driving a manual - then get the car you want :-)

A mate of mine recently got the 8MP Canon 350D (which replaces the 300D) and is extremely happy with it. I have a 20D which is fantastic and would recommend Canon to all comers To compare the best site is www.dpreview.com

You can also try http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peak_oil

It's easy to beat 400 in a straight line (well relatively ;-) Put them both on the Nurburgring and see who wins over say 10 laps. My money is on the Bugatti

Okay - this one is pretty much in my alley as an environmental engineer. Yes peak oil is upon us. It is very likely that world oil production will peak before the end of the decade, maybe it already has. Combine this with sky-rocketing demand from Asia and you know why we are paying $1.30 per litre Things will only get worse BUT - we are the lucky ones. We are the top 1% of the world's population in terms of wealth etc so in Australia we will not run out of petrol for at least several decades. (Heck if we need to we can always gasify brown coal into hydrocarbons - an experimental plant already exists in the LaTrobe valley - not very eco-friendly but definitely possible) So what will the future hold. First of all a transition to Hybrids over the next 10-15 years. Probably an increase in petrol prices well ahead of inflation with increased percentages of alternate fuels such as Bio-diesel, ethanol etc. Then a gradual change to Hydrogen fuel cells and hybrids as soon as one of the energy companies decides to make a start in establishing a Hydrogen distribution network. As for our Skylines?? Well the internal combustion engine will be around for at least the next 15-20 years as a primary propulsion source. However you can expect to pay significantly more for the fuel you put into the tank and this will probably be met with increased registration and compliance costs as future governments will try to wean us of these monsters - but by then the old Skylines will be mainly museum pieces. You will have your club plates and take them to track days, towed on a trailer behind your Fuel Cell Hybrid SUV. By then there might even be an R36 GT-R, powered by 4 in wheel electric motors, in a body shape not limited by conventional motor layouts and setting new lap records on the Nurbuergring.

Money obeys the ideal gas law - in other words it occupies the available space. This means you always have enough money to do what you want. Provided you are part of the 95% of the population that don't fall outside the bell curve (either on the high side or the low side) you can always budget to afford what you want or need. Okay this means sacrifices and trade-offs but heck that's why we have free will. In my case I have a little poster on my wall at work with a picture of the R-32 that I want and 1000 little boxes underneath showing the amount of hours of overtime that I'll need to work to pay for it. Every morning at 7.00 am I can cross off one more box, and when I leave at 5.30pm I can cross off another :-)

Have been looking around a bit. For a modified 93 R-32 GT-R it's $1300 fully comprehensive at Shannon's vs $1850 at JustCar That's for a 36 year old Rating 1.

Thanks - will do - thankfully my place of employment has a 'straight to pdf' scanner

Well newbies includes me - so here it is: Nick: The Baron Name : Andreas Location : Northcote Car : currently Toyota Corolla Sportivo (140kW of front wheel fury ;-) but soon - very soon.......... Age : 36 email : [email protected]

Hello, only have been here a short while but have been really thankful for all the great advice given to a noob like myself. I've sent in my membership cheque and eagerly await becoming 'official' - now all I need is my Skyline

Hello, I've been working on an Excel sheet that deals with the 'what to look for when buying a Skyline' bits that are on the forum. I thought it would make a good tool for people when they look at cars (A4 Checksheet format - you can take it with you, fill it out, use it to compare with other cars, be prompted on some key bits etc.) I was wanting to upload it for comment and use, however the forum does not allow me to attach the file Any ideas on how I could make this available ?? In thankful anticipation

Hello everyone - I've put together an Excel file containing the key points of the various 'buyer's tips' from this forum. I thought it would make a good tool for people to use when looking at cars as a prompt and to be able to compare cars. I'd also appreciate feedback to see whether I can improve on it. However my first problem appears to be my ability to upload it to the forum Any ideas on how I can make this Excel file available for comment ??

I am sure there are plenty of Baronies out there that require Barons BTW The is also a user called 'Red Baron' fairly sure he is not Manfred von Richthofen though

I believe the little fabric tag at the bottom of the seatbelt includes a build date :-)

If you really want to tease me send a quick run down of specs, possible price and maybe a pic or two via PM - you never know.......

94 GT-R daily driver and For Sale eh ?? Pity it's not March yet otherwise I'd be really tempted - as opposed to just tempted I might PM you in the new year to see if it's still available Oh and thanks for the info

Thank you very much for all of your input :-)