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Great. Well done Mr Brown

I have just caught up with the news that Mr Brown has announced in the Budget that the vehicle I am having delivered in April, a new Range Rover 4.4 Petrol Auto is going to attract an increased Road Fund Licence Rate of £210 per year.
Wonderful ! If I had kept my current R/Rover, a 2005 model, I could have continued to pay considerably less.So why do I need a 4x4 like this ?

Well, I frequently tow a large caravan on weekend breaks, and during the Summer months a car trailer behind it with one of my classic cars aboard to one of the various Marque Rallies held throughout the country. I include a rather nice concours A7 Type 65 in my stable that I have owned for many years.
It has always seemed odd to me that pre 1972 cars enjoy the privilege of free road tax - Something I do not take advantage of as I do not drive my cars on the public highway - I trailer them everywhere. I think it would be fairer if the group of motorists with Classic, Vintage and Veteran cars, who by their very nature must be reasonably affluent, also paid a Road Fund Licence like everyone else in line with the grams of CO2 their cars emitted every kilometre, perhaps with a ceiling cost of say £150 per year.
In that way, with shared expenditure, it would not be so hard on those of us who at a later stage in our lives are able and deserve to enjoy some of lifes little comforts without the discomfort of financial penalties. Don

Re: Great. Well done Mr Brown

The rights and wrongs of pre 72 vehicle excise duty being rated at zero could be debated at length...

One comment I feel qualified to reply to regards vintage and classic car people being by nature "affluent"????????
Most people in the classic world I know are not particularly well off, there are of course one or two who are more comfortable than the rest of us, but most of the members of my club are fairly normal people, either working class or retired. I myself work as a gardener for the local council, so could not by any stretch of imagination be called affluent!

Regards

Steve

Re: Great. Well done Mr Brown

I do realise it is 'horses for courses' but why don't you drive your cars to the events ?

A car takes up less road than a 4x4 and trailer, is easier to overtake and does less damage to the highway. If you saved the money you spent on the caravan and paid for B&B I expect you would be able to enjoy your 'holidays' without the additional expense. Taking the above points into consideration you would no longer need your 4x4.

Enjoy your cars in the way that they were designed.

Re: Great. Well done Mr Brown

Don,
If you trail your coat, someone will step on it!
Cheers, Dave

Re: Great. Well done Mr Brown

We get a lot of 4x4's coming into our village in the Summer, it's chaos. narrow streets etc.

The local school has banned 4x4's being used to ferry children to school, after a couple of incidents where they caused mayhem with the local bus, getting everthing well and truly jammed up for about 2 hours.

And if they knew how to reverse, that would be a start.

Algie, I use my Seven, not a 4 by 4.

Re: Great. Well done Mr Brown

Don, my thoughts are if you can afford a new 4 x 4, then you can afford the extra few quid on your road fund licence. I have a Cherokee Jeep and admit I find it appalling that Mr. Brown has done what he has done. We pay enough through the petrol we use, so perhaps it is a bit of in-fighting between him and two Jags.

Re: Great. Well done Mr Brown

.

I find your attitude towards Historic Vehicles Road Fund exemption to be both selfish and arrogant.

Mike

Re: Great. Well done Mr Brown

I agree. If you can afford to lash out something like £50K on a brand new Range Rover then you can afford to feed the thirsty beast. The fact that you might be getting on a bit cuts no ice with me either. I'm having to make do & manage with a meagre occupational pension and would dearly love to be in the financial position where I could treat myself to a brand new Chelsea Tractor every year. I think you're just wanting to show off. Pay your £210 quid and shut up, you tight git!

Re: Re: Great. Well done Mr Brown

I’m afraid that people like Don are the precise reason why large 4x4 should be taken off the road completely with the exception of true 4x4 users like farmers and for work use on the land.
I should imagine that Don is also the type that only drives down the middle or outside lane on the motorway and Oh-dear did the 2005 model get dirty by mounting a kerb so it had to be replaced or has the reg now got the wrong number? I hope the 2006 model has blacked out windows so that you can remain hidden from view.

I use my Austin 7 all through the year; it’s scratched, gets dirty, but never gets towed and is loved for its driving pleasures. Driving is what 7’s were made for, it also enables you to talk to people who used to own one or have fond memories of them this is where the enjoyment lies and I also consider this to be one of life’s little comforts - not on a trailer behind a Chelsea Tractor.

Re: Great. Well done Mr Brown

OH, I knew it would come to this.

Re: Re: Great. Well done Mr Brown

I normally refrain from becoming involved in issues like this as seldom does anybody come out of it smelling of roses. Nevertheless, Don is entitled to express his views and opinions, and whether you agree with him or not, he should not be subjected to the rather rude and, dare I say, possibly libeless remarks that some of you have left. Take care lads - We do not want this going any further do we?

JB

Re: Great. Well done Mr Brown

Yes we do want it to go further, Don's probably the same arrogant b...... who lost it behind a Seven on a back road - no perhaps not, it would have got dirty.

Anyway if he's got an ecological car for the Miss's that should balance out, shouldn't it.

Phil - watch out for my 4x4 wheelchair, some of you may recall I have a mobility problem....

Re: Great. Well done Mr Brown

I didn't realise that this was such an emotive subject amongst the A7 fraternity, I do think, however, that we should treat fellow forum readers with a bit of civility.

There are a couple of additional points which could be made, Historic Vehicles are Zero rated not tax exempt; whereas caravans and trailers are not taxed at all !!!

Finally can anyone explain why people spent £50K on a vehicle ( which looses almost 30% of its value immediately it is put on the road ) but seem to have trouble finding the controls that operate the indicators? are they difficult to operate ?

Re: Great. Well done Mr Brown

There's a saying that goes along the lines "If you don't want to get shot at, then don't stick your head above the parapet"

I'm not going to make any excuses for what I said in my earlier post. For someone to originate a thread with the comments posted by 'Don MacDonald' and not to expect a backlash is to say the least, naïve.

Granted, the Chancellor may have raised the duty on certain vehicles but for someone with the obvious financial means to buy a brand new Range Rover the extra £70 is a comparative drop in the ocean, and to moan about it on an open forum is just asking to be shot at.

Perhaps, rather than publically expressing his discontent he ought to reflect on the fact that there are people much worse off than he in this world and on the Grand Scale of things his misfortune is insignificant.He should be thankful for what he has.

"The man with no shoes thought he was badly off until he met a man with no legs"

Re: Re: Great. Well done Mr Brown

Have just arrived home from my trip to Truro, were I have been issued with a "historic vehicle" tax disc, which has of course cost me nothing. On the way home in the car a certain well known topical lunchtime radio presenter was discussing an issue wereby someone has been taken to court for remarks made on a chat room.

Personally I believe in a bit of free speech as long as each others veiws are respected and some degree of good manners are used.

I must agree it does seem such a waste that Dons cars are not used as intended, but that is his personal choice at the end of the day.

Perhaps Don may reply giving us some reasons why he needs to trailer the cars? We shouldnt realy judge him until we know more facts. Note the fact he drives an automatic car, perhaps he suffers from a disability of some kind?

Steve.

Re: Great. Well done Mr Brown

I drive an automatic, but I'm not disabled, thankfully. I just prefer it that way, perhaps 'Don' does too.

To suggest that just because someone drives an automatic they might be disabled is to be frank, inane and offensive, so lets be careful what we post.

To be honest, the fact that Don's RR is an auto isn't really relevant to what he was saying, apart from the fact that it will use even more unleaded when towing than a manual V8 RR. If you read his original post again he tells us that apart from chopping in his 2005 model for a new one, he goes on to tell us that his type 65 is just one of many in his (quote) "stable" of classic cars. That suggests to me that despite his advancing years (his words not mine) worrying whether he'll be able to afford a hot meal and pay his gas bill next winter won't be among his priorities.

Without reading any more into it, I'd like to bet that his current financial security is such that the extra £70 Gordon Brown is demanding to tax his new steed won't really cause him much hardship. He's just having a moan. It'll probably cost him that much in fuel just to get the bloody thing home from the showroom anyway!

Re: Re: Great. Well done Mr Brown

Reckless..

Certainly didnt intend to cause anyone any offence with my posting, quite the opposite in fact, I was pointing out that we shouldnt judge Dons actions until we knew more about him. I dont see it as inane or offensive to take a more cautious attitude towards another poster, I just thought perhaps there was a reason why he doesnt drive his classic cars. In honesty I think more offence is likely to be caused by us all lambasting him for not driving the cars.
Anyway enough ranting and raving about poor old Don can anyone remind me when this drive your old car day is happening? Seen as the Colander is on the road I feel obliged to do my bit for the cause and use it on the said day.

Regards

Steve

Re: Great. Well done Mr Brown

STEVE - THE COLANDER'S ON THE ROAD THEN ?

Congratulations, we can begin to relax now, few, hopefully no more tales of woe from down there in Cornwall.

Just in time for Mike Davis' meeting as well. You will be a happy Bunny.

I look forward to reading all about it in my friends copy of the Cornwall Club's mag.

Naomi

Re: Re: Re: Great. Well done Mr Brown

.

Steve,

"National Drive-it Day" is on Sunday 23 April, in four weeks time. That's the weekend after Easter.

'Use your Seven and let it be seen'


Mike



ps - It won't cost you any Road Fund.

Re: Great. Well done Mr Brown

As Naomi seems to regularly read the Cornwall Austin Seven Club magazine perhaps she should think about joining the club?

I am sure we would be only too happy to see her, we have many lady drivers so she wont feel out of place.

I think there may well be a suggestion in the April edition that we have a little trip down to Lands End on the drive your old car day, we shall have to see.

Regards to all the contributors to this forum, I have always reckoned that you can say what you like about someone, to their face, as long as you smile while you say it; how we can achieve the same on a forum I am not sure.

I must admit I am not sure why Don felt the need to put the original comment on a substantially Austin Seven forum when they are all Zero rated for road tax. Perhaps we are all a little jealous that he can afford to change his cars each year, and top of the range at that, whilst he appears to be in declining years and presumably on a pension, perhaps because he can he wanted to tell us.

Re: Great. Well done Mr Brown

Perhaps given the fact that this thread has already gone to 17 posts and he hasn't bothered to respond we should take his comments with a pinch of salt and get back to more important things...

DRIVING your old car is far more pleasureable than sitting all day in a field dusting it off with a 'Nanette'.

I think I'd rather stand on a step ladder in No-Man's Land smoking endless cigarettes in a luminous balaclava (Edmund Blackadder, Capt.)

Re: Great. Well done Mr Brown

Malcolm

I would like to join the Cornwall Club, but then the Scottish, Dorset, Solent, Essex, Bongtree and all those other Clubs I am not a member of too.

I believe you should support your local club, and that Club can benifit from your attendance at Rallies, functions and meetings. As we've seen with many of the BIG clubs, eventually there is dis-enchantment from from both the members and the committee (wondering why so low a % turns out for does) over the clubs active members and interest - one is tempted to cite the 750MC and recent rumblings in parts of the PWA7C, the A7OC (London) seems to have 'Francise' Clubs around the region too.

No Malcolm, I'll save my fee's for a lovely Cream tea in September when the gang from Dorset A7 Club visit Cornwall and see you all then, looking forward to the Skittles.......

Meanwhile I'll call round the Hon Sec's house and continue too read the mags till then.

Naomi

Re: Great. Well done Mr Brown

Ooooh, I forgot to say Malcolm, also there is the problem of too many members with little input and a lot of work for people like the Editor etc,.

Cornwall Club must be reaching a critical point over a monthly Magazine production, both in time of setting up, printing, assembling and distribution. I found in the past anything over 150 mags of say 6 x A4 sized sheets stapled down the centre to give a A5 format newsletter was hard work and time to put out to the trade, then it becomes a different ball game.

OK, Cornwall has moved on from 'new kids on the block' - Norfolk seems to have taken on that mantle now, and their membership is growing very nicely (another ex 750MC branch) - but keep Cornwall a viable friendly and active Club it has the enviable reputation for, and that comes from being SMALL, just like meeeeeee....

Naomi

Re: Great. Well done Mr Brown

Don McDonald???

Hoax, hoax, hoax!!!

Cheers

Ruairidh

Re: Great. Well done Mr Brown

Come on Ruairidh, a hoax, OK yes, some of us may have got that bit, but it's a bit of an excuse to let off steam, especially if it's to late to go down the gym or wet and windy to drag the dog out for a walk.

Hope all's well for the Rally in July, and the weather clears up by then, but the midges stay low, in fact very low, preferably below ground.....

Naomi

Re: Great. Well done Mr Brown

I'm not so sure it is a hoax, but of course it could be.
My point is what should we do about forum posts if they are an obvious hoax ? Should they be ignored, removed by the Webmaster (I imagine), strung along with, or 'Outed' if we know who it is ? Depending on the content matter it could be any of the above.
Clive