whatsisname

G'day Kristian. I'm waiting on a set of new Bilsteins (should arrive in the next few days) and once I've fitted them the 33 will be ready for another show outing. I've not been to AJD so I'm looking forward to it! Not sure if it's up to the standard but I could probably bring the GT-Four N down - it's not exactly modified to the same extent as the 33 but they're not a regular site around these parts.

Well respected insurance companies - such as Shannons - specify a particular standard of alarm system (as per AS/NZS certification) and required documentation to prove installation by an accredited installer - I have both documents noted on my Shannons policy. As for insurance companies such as JC... if one doesn't have anything nice to say, best not to say anything at all.

Speaking from personal experience, Just Cars aren't particularly fussy when it comes to finer details... of any kind.

Dees and Tigers are moving in the right direction, finally. It only took a few years of wooden spoons and playing like a complete pile of shite, but they're on their way now. On the flip side the Crows have picked a great time to hit rock bottom and could end up with a spoon and SFA to go with it - although I think they'll manage to avoid it. Awesome effort from Jack Riewoldt on the weekend, a 10 goal haul. Leading the Coleman in a team currently sitting 16th is a fair effort.

G'day mate! Been a while but yes the car is finally at a point I can drive it whenever I want - sort of. Thanks. So how about the big 3.1L, how is she going? Does it drink E85 these days?

I've had the form sitting on my desk at work for ages but only just rediscovered it after getting through a mountain of paperwork! Count me in for the Show and Shine. I'll send off the enrty form and sort out payment shortly.

I disagree somewhat. Vettel is RBR's golden child in more ways than one. RB developed him and RBR want to get a bloody good return on their investment! We know F1 is driven by money, pure and simple. You can have all the talent in the world, but if you don't bring $ to the table you will go nowhere. Vettel is smack bang in the target demographic for Red Bull energy drink (think late teen to late 20's) his image fits perfectly with the RB brand, he is the long term future of RBR (signed to RBR till 2012 and currently in talks to extend it to 2015) Vettel winning and leading the WDC is a double bonus for RBR, it helps promote their product. It's the reason they are in F1 in the first place! They get a two for one deal if he wins the WDC and RBR the WCC. Webber on the other hand, he's the old boy of the pair and at 33yrs of age is outside their target market. RB are involved in all manner of sports sponsorship, particulary motorsports - NASCAR, F1, WRC, RB Air Race and so on. And in every single area they aim at capturing the younger end of the consumer market. They might not back the young and up and coming star in every discipline, but they sure aim for it in most of them - it's a bit hard in RBAR, not many 21-23yr old hot shot veteran aviators out there! Our own Matty Hall (ex-RAAF Fighter Pilot and Commanding Officer) is a relative youngster in RBAR and he has already lived half a lifetime in his previous career.

Hey Matty. Yeah for sure mate. I haven't driven the 33 much of late, but certainly keen to get it out. I haven't seen you since that day at Macca's - you and the missus were arriving and Kim and I were leaving. What are you driving these days? We should look at having a reunion with the old school crew.

They are rather heavy aren't they? I can see why the overall handling performance is down in comparision to the lighter and almost as powerful ST215. There's a reasonably big difference in power-to-weight ratio between the two, and the ST246. The biggest shame about the ST246 (all versions) is the bland tiptronic auto 'box. But it's acceptable enough for the daily urban grind and the additional suspension and drivetrain tweaks do make the N a hell of a lot of fun when you hit the twisty stuff.

Ha-ha. Yeah thanks Luke

The GT-Four N ST246 Caldina is even better again in terms of ability in the tight and twisty stuff. TRD got the suspension set-up sorted nicely, and the Torsen LSD helps too. How much does a C34 RS Four S weight? The GT-Four N is listed at 1480-1490, but it doesn't feel that heavy at all.

Vettel had an additional 1kg of fuel onboard compared to Mark, due to sitting tucked in behind Hamilton and then Mark - apparently.

Brendan, nice buy mate! That's a lot of gear for the money - especially when the AUD was in the $0.90's. The track car sounds like a lot of fun too. The brake set-up George is talking about is a little more expensive, but bang for buck is outstanding value for a 380mm rotor, huge 6-8 piston caliper, line, bracket and pad deal. And the quality is as good any of the Japanese brand name kits. Thanks, Kel. And I hope your potential employment situation comes out the way you want it too. Fingers crossed. Thanks, Damo. Mate if you do manage to scan it, do me a favour, don't put the photo of my face up on here - talk about a shocker!

The sad fact is, Vettel is a product of the RBR development program. RB have pumped serious money into him to get him where he is and that means he is the future of RBR (with Daniel Riccardo waiting in the wings). Mark was hired to help develop the car and provide the feedback required to get the team to where it is. However, Mark is not the future of RBR. I don't like it one little bit, but it is the reality. Vettel is and will remain the number 1 driver at RBR regardless of what Mark achieves in season 2010 - it would be bloody awesome if he could take the WDC but I doubt it. I just hope Mark doesn't fall foul of a return to his 'bad luck' days from pitstop errors and poor race strat' calls.

When it comes to matters like this honesty really is the best policy, Kel. The company in question is national but staff recruitment for this particular branch would be up to the branch manager and their offsiders would it not? Perhaps the manager has a positive outlook on career/working mothers, perhaps they don't (not that the latter is likely to admit it). The other thing to bear in mind is... company policy is one thing, reality is another.

Ah, but then it comes down to how much of that mark up you actually pay when the deal is done. Importer or yard, they aren't in it for the fun of it alone. It is also worth bearing in mind the ease of walking in, seeing something you like, getting it checked out (or doing it yourself there and then if you have the ability) and driving it out - no waiting, no stuff ups, transit damage, parts stolen in transit, compliance issues, the list could go on. I've heard first hand just as many horror stories of importing deals that turned sour. At the end of the day both options have pros and cons. The fact is there are decent cars out there in yards and there are decent cars available through the importers.

Sorry to hear about the Supra, not good mate. When I was at BW last I saw a bunch of under-bonnet parts sitting in a pile and figured it wasn't good. Hang in there mate, it will get there in the end. Both cars are awesome bits of kit, a JZA80 and an R34 GT-R, spoilt for choice. The brake package is a bargain. Half the price and the same quality as the name brand items.

G'day John, it has been a while mate, it certainly has. It was good to at least say hi face-to-face on the morning of the cruise, as brief as it was - I had commitments later that morning so unfortunately I couldn't come on the cruise proper. Ha-ha, yeah those wheel nuts are rock solid these days, I know that cause I fitted all new studs and I fit the wheel nuts on these days The 35 looks and sounds great mate, as does the 33. You, Andrew and I, and one or two others, we've been around on SAU for a while now. I still remember the days of SDU, when I was still young - late 90's.

There is a very big difference between repainting minor scratches and transit damage, and completely respraying to 'cover-up' a poor quality car. Show me a single import yard in the whole country that doesn't do transit damage/minor scratch repaint work prior to the car going on sale in the yard. All dealers do it! Everyone has their own opinion and tale to tell in regard to the various import dealers across the State, some will leave with nothing but a tail of woe to tell, others will drive out with a car that suits their needs, a smile on their face and nothing but a positive experience. I've had dealings with Synergy and they have been nothing but positive. Numerous people have looked over the car I bought through Synergy, including yourself Andrew (Nightcrawler) and every single one of them has been impressed with the quality of the car. Did it recieve touch-up work? You bet it did, the car travelled halfway across the globe with all manner of transport people treating it like just another piece of cargo, and that means transit damage occurs and needs to be rectified. As for price, what's on display is just the starting point

Pete, I disagree to a certain extent. Burton, apart from the Melb game has been rubbish. It is time for him to retire. He will continue to struggle with his knee and the way the club is rebuilding his time has come. Walker needs to step up. Bunji, his knees have been the same ol same ol for years! Every year people say the same thing and each year he proves them wrong. This year is no different. Goody, looked a little out of sorts over the last few games, was not right in the Lions game, you could see that clearly. I thought he might play on, clearly has the motivation and is good to see him play out the year to help mentor the young guys and prepare the next captain. Edwards, time to go. Been a long time stalwart of the club, but has lost the drive, lost the pace and is well out of form - hence he deserved to be dropped. Good to see the club will give him a farewell game. He deserves it. It's not like our season is on the line, it dropped off the radar weeks ago. The new breed to replace these guys are: Vince (down on form, needs to deal with taggers), Mackay (injured until recently), Dangerfield (playing in the foward line. needs to go into the middle) ...

Guys like Mackay, Vince, Knights, Dangerfield, Douglas, Porps, Otten, Davis, Walker, Tippett... these guys are going to have to step up and pave the way for the future, some have already shown that they can. Vince, needs to learn how to cope with a tag.

Hey mate, Thanks. I popped into the shop a month or so back and saw your beast there, the other beast that is. Hopefully it's finished sooner rather than later mate. Not yet. I just went with a basic upgrade, slotted rotors, pads, lines etc. Down the track a bit I'll put aside some dollars and when I do, it will be a set-up like you have access to that I will go for! How is 34 coming along?

I own a ST246W N Edition. The 'N' is the top of the range version and comes with a Torsen LSD in the rear, TRD suspension set-up and a full Recaro interior. In my experience it is worth paying extra for the 'N'. I have seen a best (GPS timed) 0-100km/h of 6.3 sec with the only mod a boost gauge and a couple of extra PSI via a bleed valve. A tweak of the tune and the usual exhaust and intake mod's would push it well into 5sec territory. From factory the mid range torque is more than sufficient (over 275Nm from very low rev's) They aren't a rocket ship but they are deceptive quick for what they are. The interior is also very impressive, good layout, good quality, excellent driving position (the Recaros help) and the grip level in the N is bloody impressive!

I didn't bother to watch the the show when it aired - more important things to do than watch trash TV - but I did see the ads for it. They showed an image of a blue R34 GT-R torn in half in a horrific accident. This accident occured almost 10 years ago and it was in NSW!

Given my prolonged absence from the SAU SA events scene, I will do my utmost to make this event - at the very least make the meeting spot early enough to have a bit of a catch up with everyone. I'll probably take the other car. Two early starts in a row, on a weekend no less!