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Post by Alanović on Feb 7, 2017 12:32:35 GMT
Off on the annual ski trip shortly - Slovenia this year. Will be flying in to Trieste and back from Venice (OK, Treviso) on the cheap with everyone's favourite blue'n'white Irish cattle mover.
The ski resort is about a 90 minute drive from Trieste, and we'll need daily transport from hotel to gondola, so I've got a rental car booked. Ford Focus estate or similar. £300 for the week including £65 extra for returning to a different location (bloody con). Got a darned good deal on accommodation (B&B, evening meal, thermal spa hotel with use of all facilities, and, here's the kicker - lift passes included) for £200 per person for a week. Billy and the Bargains. Flights are £120 each return, so a pretty blooming cheap way to a week's skiing and luxurious lolling in a thermal spa.
I wonder what car we'll get...........it had better have winter tyres is all. Last year was a VW Transporter 8-seater (required for, erm, 8 people on the trip), which we drove from the snow-free resort in Bosnia to snow-blessed Slovenia. Cutting out the middle man this time and going straight to Slovenia, of course the snow is great in Bosnia (my preferred destination) this season but hey ho.
Love a bit of a foreign road trip. The car will, of course, be Italian reg'd, but no worries about borders, insurance etc...ain't the EU great. Sigh.
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Post by Humph on Feb 7, 2017 16:42:38 GMT
Sounds great and provided the car is a car, has an engine, seats everyone and copes with your luggage it doesn't really matter what it is does it. But it would be nice if it was an Alfa of some kind I suppose. Be a nice change not to have to drive with your head at an angle too I expect ! Have a great time !
😀
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Post by Hofmeister on Feb 7, 2017 16:46:09 GMT
Wont be hiring a car till Late June when we fly down to my mates apartment in Torrevieja. Usually I grab a Panda size car, for just zipping about in, tho I previously hired a Juke (a remarkably good car, compromised by naff all rear or boot space) to drive to Granada.
This year we are also visiting friends who have a villa near Cartagena, and will be doing some trips with them, so I'm just on the cusp of booking an auto Leon for a couple of weeks.
Didnt hire a car in Tenerife, it was a package tour for 7 days of Sun Sea and Sangria, all on the doorstep so to speak. Only trip was a coach tour up to Teide for cava, sunset, and night star gazing.
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Post by Hofmeister on Feb 7, 2017 16:52:02 GMT
Oh and I have booked a cottage in Devon for a week in September. If I get all the ducks in a row, it will be my first road trip in the new wagon.
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Post by Humph on Feb 7, 2017 16:55:22 GMT
Have you decided what the the new car will be yet? Sorry if I've missed that in another thread but I've been a bit of a busy bee of late on the old wage slave front ! 😕
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Post by Hofmeister on Feb 7, 2017 17:04:22 GMT
Have you decided what the the new car will be yet? Sorry if I've missed that in another thread but I've been a bit of a busy bee of late on the old wage slave front ! 😕 Not at all decided. Carry on the good work, I was admiring all your honest toil from behind my Mojito at sunset last week.
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Post by tomoco on Feb 7, 2017 19:36:28 GMT
I wonder what car we'll get.......... My money is saying a Fiat 500 XL. Last rental I got was a Leon. Didn't rate it. A bit underpowered (I've no idea what engine. 1.2 turbo, I guess) and gave me back pain on longer (45+ mins) drives. Edit to add... I do like a Mojito. That looks stunning.
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Post by Alanović on Feb 8, 2017 9:34:18 GMT
Yeah, I'm thinking a 500 L or XL is highly likely. Which would be typical as my Mum's got one and I've driven it a few times. I like to try different things.
The car's booked with Hertz, they're usually pretty Ford biased in my experience, but I've not used them in Italy before. Only time I hired in Italy it turned out to be a flipping Opel Meriva. Gah. Mind you, that was in Naples and it turned out to be quite a good car for that city. Good view from the driver's seat, narrowish and easy to park.
Don't really like mojitos. Tequila = on the never again list for me. Will be enjoying the excellent local beer in Slovenia, mainly Lasko Zlatorog.
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Post by Hofmeister on Feb 8, 2017 11:53:50 GMT
Don't really like mojitos. Tequila = on the never again list for me. How about the missus Strawberry Daiquiri?
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Post by Alanović on Feb 8, 2017 12:15:07 GMT
Don't really like mojitos. Tequila = on the never again list for me. How about the missus Strawberry Daiquiri? I'd stick to the Cruzcampo, personally.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2017 15:53:39 GMT
Last time I was in Italy I ordered a Focus estate from Hertz and got a 500XL. I was worried we could not get everything in, but its boxy shape was excellent and everyone was happy, even the passengers. AS I got speeding tickets I can confirm the performance was satisfactory.....
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Post by Alanović on Feb 8, 2017 15:58:46 GMT
The children like my Mum's 500L as it's roomy inside and affords a decent view for passengers. I'd rather have a proper car from a driver's perspective though. I'm actually crossing my fingers for a Focus, I've never driven one of any generation, despite having been a passenger in many.
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Post by Alanović on Feb 20, 2017 10:49:35 GMT
Well we're back in one piece (mostly, barring some sore joints) and the answer to the what car games was......drumroll.............. SEAT Leon SW TDi (1.6 presumably). Very nice little car and with a surprising turn of pace even when fully loaded with 4 people, three large suitcases and peripheral backpacks and suchlike. Pleasingly economical too, at the last fill up on returning the vehicle it took about 30ish Euros, and had gone over 400kms on that. I think that's OK. Comfy seats too, plenty of room for everyone. Built in satnav did the job. Jolly good show overall. Highlight of the trip in motoring terms was spotting a proper mint condition, beige 5-door Alfasud outside our hotel in Mestre, and a Lancia Gamma Coupe for sale in a showroom round the corner. POA. Also, somewhat bizarrely, beige. Drool.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2017 18:31:57 GMT
Woah! Two cars we have owned in my family. When I was a spotty youth I had two Alfasud 1.5s including a Ti and my father had a Gamma. Typical Italian builds but I would have both of them now if they were restored to a proper condition. Interesting that they both had flat four engines. Drool indeed!
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Post by Alanović on Feb 21, 2017 9:58:26 GMT
An Alfasud 1.5 Ti was the car responsible for my lifelong Alfa droolage. It belonged to the parents of an Italian girlfriend I had when I was 17 (sigh). 'Twas white, rusty, and huge amounts of fun. Girlfriends' Mum was very liberal and was more than happy for me to hoon it around the gaff. I'm sure I've told this story before but after a while girlfriend's Dad came to want to sell it and replace it with something more, er, reliable. He wanted £600, I wanted to buy, and only had £400 to my name (more than I've got these days ironically). He did not accept. Next day, girlfriend rear ended a Granada in it and killed it. TPFT insurance, car lost. Harrumph. It was replaced with a blue Mk3 Escort 1.6L. Which was horrible. :-( Then I disgraced myself with a blonde and that was it. Bloody idiots all round. :-(
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