Damn I have to confess - I am well past pension age ( though still waiting to collect any!!!), and I will from today reduce my work load considerably - well I think so - but we all know that road so well 
If I continue with my self threats I will dispose of my wonderful Mazda 6 in the coming weeks. This has been an unusual situation. You see never in my 50 cars plus ownership have I ever stayed loyal to a brand!!! I have been through some fabulous classics ( BMW 2002 Tii - Audi Quattro (original) - Golf GTi (original) BMW 3.0 CSi etc etc. When I cam to live in Russia 6 years ago I had certain financial difficulties after paying 10 years of medical bills for a great woman who finally succumed to cancer. I was stoney broke and getting old. I bought an old Mitsubishi Lancer which behaved well but was only a go between. An Outlander was a company hack for 18 months ( great car) and then I bought a Mazda 6. It was ny first ever Mazda. It was in good nick but had some serious mileage but never let me down despite living in one of the world worst climates. When I flogged it I was sad. But then a few weeks later I came across the new Mazda (slant eyes) 6 which was just 14 months old and I bought it. Now it must go, for one reason only - the insurance is horrific!!! seems Mazda here have a very bad rep for theft. But I am paying 1725 quid a year !!! thats just daft - I have clean record and NCB for 5 years here. So she is in the market for sale on the net from today. I will get my price - which is why i am writing this - it will be the same as I paid for it !!!! - 720,000 rubles. The only thing is, I have done 26,000 kil since I bought it. I have done one service which cost me 110 quid and the car is perfect. I think it is the first time since the late 50's that I sold a car at same or better price than I bought it.
Now the point is what to buy. I have a 6year old daughter ( yes I am a horny old goat with a wife 28 years younger than me - and she sure didnt marry me for money!) - so I need a safe decent car - 4wd would be good but price is going to be vital. It will be interesting shopping.. Suzuki Swift - Panda 4WD - maybe even a Yeti might get into my budget but i doubt it. I am NOT going to break the budget - I am NOT going to break the budget - I am NOT going to break the budget.. oh bloody hell we know dont we :') Happy new year folks
20 October 2009
10 year old Subaru Forester with only 86,000kl
20 October 2009
I would gladly convert Euros with rubles if I can.
20 October 2009
Well finally a man has turned up with the correct amount of notes to take the Mazda away. Paperwork, banks, dereg will take 2-3 days and then I have to seriously decide what to buy because bugger walking and going on PT when its Minus 22-30C. Yesterday I spotted a 10 year old Subaru Forester with only 86,000kl within my intended price range. Was in the hidious battle green !! but didnt have time to check it out. Work to be done!
20 October 2009
Did you suffer the extreme heat
It managed to crawl all the way to 32deg Plus - St. P. rarely goes that high. Today we have MINUS 22 C and with a slight wind the chill factor brings it down to a chozzy -26 C
we had NO snow until the 4th Januaru - extremely mild for this latitude, but now we are paying. The Neva due to loads of rain in Dec was just 10 inches from the top!! They closed the new damn to prevent flooding. Now its frozen solid. Hopefully the thaw wont mak it worse - I always fear for the beautiful Hermitage, God thats a 3 day excursion! so much to see.
18 December 2008
Agreed about the weather! I live 6 months in Vladimir, 200km north east of Moscow and winter is always minus 15 to minus 25! That's why we live here in the spring and summer!!
Did you suffer the extreme heat in the summer of 2010? In central Russia we had plus 40 every day for over a month!
We will probably go to StP this year for a couple of weeks as my wife has family there. Great place, probably the friendliest and most refined of Russian towns.
20 October 2009
I'm happy for you
Thank you - but whilst I still and always will love and miss that lady - she would be the first to smile down on me because I have the dream of a little girl come true. Life is what you make of it.. But like the lost lady always said "everything in life has a cost" and the cost for me is living away from the country I love most (Greece) and suffering like today in MINUS 24C !!!
28 January 2010
Thank you for your reply!
I'll keep that in mind!
I'm happy for you because after you had such sad moments, you found happiness in life!
Great!!!
20 October 2009
What was it that took you out to Russia
17 July 2009
The insurance you pay for that Mazda is crazy. Surprised most people have it out there. What was it that took you out to Russia, just out of interest? Love? Work? Vodka? Interesting place to live I imagine.
20 May 2008
It's the Sedici not the Panda which is based on the SX4, so this will have a small boot too.
The Peugeot or Citroen versions of the Outlanders may have lost more money secondhand...