peter@pons

84 % of statistics are made up on the spur of the moment. Peter

This is great stuff, just like listening to a proper domestic at the next table in a restaurant. do French Entree know what they have done to their business by losing all these opinions and arguments, no one visits the site anymore for fun but I am really pleased to see some old names here. I have not been able to keep up to date for the last couple of years but now have renewed interested - please keep up the good work and if I feel that I can throw my hat in the ring without upsetting too many members I may well. Thanks for renewing my faith in freedom of speech! Peter  

Regular crossings from Blaye - Google for details.   Peter

Could they possibly be damsons in distress?   Peter

Try the Didier Meril overlooking Rance near the yacht club. Super food and a great wine list. Good luck   Peter

Sounds as if you have found a car at a  reasonable price - well done! Much better value than the 2008 you were looking at originally. I hope it serves you well. I was told years ago that as a Protestant family making cars for a Catholic country, Peugeots had to be better than the opposition.   Peter.

Sounds a bit expensive for a 4 years old car, out of warranty, and not particularly low mileage. The asking price in England for the corresponding 2011 model is only £9750, but then used cars in France are not good value. If there a car auction company in your region try going along to see what the cars fetch on the block - that is a more realistic price guide. Good luck. Peter. 

Hi Dave and Olive, At the moment it seems that all the major manufacturers have an entry model at or under 10,000 euros,Renault, Citroen, Peugeot, Ford ,Fiat etc. They may not all have diesel engines but all are fuel efficient, safe and reliable. Some of them may also have special deals on right now or coming soon, these deals may require you to have a 10 year old p/x or finance or a sense of humour, but all are worth looking at. My no.1 question is do you have a local garage with a new car franchise? If so, you may be well advised to start there. If you are going to buy a new car, and I would strongly this as used car prices in France are a joke, then take a look at what your local dealer can do for you. He has virtually no profit in the bottom of the range models so he will be relying on parts and servicing to make his money - he will be really keen to look after you, he has manufcturer's standards and targets to adhere to, including customer satisfaction, and it is not just your money he is after - all warranty work goes towards his parts and service hours targets! If you don't have a local dealer then look around at all the cars that have been suggested so far, but a few more too. Renault are making a big push with the Romanian Dacia which is as much Renault as Skoda is VW, so don't forget Skoda! The Dacia Sandero is by all accounts a decent car, backed by Renault and cheap.  And talking of Skoda and VW, by far and away the best value in the small car market at the moment is the VW Polo - at current prices it is spectacular value! Check out the full deal,there may added incentives, in the UK there is an insurance offer included and there may also be finance offers, and whatever anyone tells you about residual values, VW has always been up there with the best. So may I wish you bon chance in your quest, and I hope that my wasted youth and adulthood in the motor trade have been of help. You may have to stretch your budget a bit, but it could pay dividends in the long run - and never tell the vendor that you can afford to!   Peter  

My family came from Midhurst which is worth a visit- You may see a polo match at Cowdray Park, also racing at Goodwood, both are near Chichester, good beaches at Bognor and the Witterings, God's own county! Peter

New product from 3M called Command for mounting larger pictures,mirrors etc. I could not find it in France last week but must surely arrive soon. Peter.

If you don't like graffiti,sign a partition! Peter

Bear in mind that the batteries do not last for ever and are very expensive to replace -this will affect the residual value. Also if you are "green" minded,these batteries are lithium/cadmium based and are as eco friendly to dispose of as nuclear waste! Peter

Have you tried your local garage? Peter.

Some Xenon lights have a simple switch system to provide a flat beam which is acceptable as a dipped beam. Others do not so the lights have to be changed. Be very careful to establish which is which as they are very expensive - 600 euros for a Ford S Max without bulbs or power packs!   Peter

Marriage is proof that mankind does not benefit from collective knowledge. Peter.

I have just encountered the same problem with a new Ford S Max. I think that the adaptive headlights are different. I had to get a separate set of headlights for registration purposes but I think BMW prices may be prohibitive! I am sure you must be able to blank off the necessary parts of the headlight glass, Xenon or not.   Peter

Be careful - cars in Spain attract a luxury tax as well as VAT, as do cars in Holland. If you dont buy tax free from Spain you will end up paying more.  this is why some manufacturers are giving different deals in different countries.   Peter

I must agree that the Val de Seugne is excellent but far from cheap.  Le Moulin des Goguettes on the137 just south of Pons is a routier, 10.50 euros for the daily menu inc wine,lots of locals every lunchtime. Also in Pons the Aire des Loisirs resto is very good value but summer only - it gets a bit damp at this time of year! Three other good value eating places in Pons,Hotel Bordeaux, Auberge Pontoise and  the Francaise. Plenty of good food in 17. Peter 

Hi Steve, You can normally get 6 Nations on www.myp2p.eu Go to live sport and click on others extreme right of page. Streaming - not brilliant pictures but better than nothing!   Peter  

Never take sleeping pills and laxatives at the same time! ANON.   Peter

according to the OED the derivation of the word is very interesting _ it's a mixture of golly (a euphemism for God) and polliwog meaning tadpole. Just how offensive can one be? let's all just get a life.   Peter  

I recommend teletext!   Peter

James 125 with hand gear change! Soon discovered 2 wheels not enough - have never fallen off a car.   Peter

Sorry Powerdesal, can't understand that! Try me at [email protected] as well as [email protected] hope one of them works.   Peter.   

Are you using spark plugs?   Peter