Ace

Or, alternatively, I could just go on the game and earn a tax-free killing.

I have now joined the ranks of the unemployed masses; last week I was made redundant, along with 29 other colleagues. The company has decided that it can control all its services centrally and remotely from HQ in Nottingham, and therefore the West Thurrock office (a much smaller HQ, but operating identical services to head office) is no longer required. It has come out of the blue, and is all a bit of a shock; particularly as the middle of a recession is possibly the worst time to be laid off. I have been onto the usual job search sites, and there is very little out there that I could fit into (shipping / freight forwarding is quite a specialised industry). The company has extended an olive branch - the office closes for good on May 12, and anyone who stays until that date is paid an extra month's salary as a goodwill gesture, as well as the standard redundancy package. It's the first time this has ever happened to me (I'm 27), and it is an extremely surreal feeling. I am surprised at how I am finding that it affects just about every facet of my daily life - almost like a ball and chain shackled to my ankle. Words of advice, wisdom and encouragement (or job offers )would be greatly appreciated.

God bless him, wherever he may be. At 23, you haven't even begun to live your life to the fullest.

Nizam...?

It's 50000 Euros. Europeans do this a lot - either stick a comma or a full stop in. We are possibly the only ones who don't bother doing so.

Adrian Flux are generally deemed to be a fairly good bet, although there are others who might be worth a look, just to see if they can compete - Sky Insurance for example.

I would agree, except I followed your tangent so far that I'd forgotten where it started, and couldn't remember the original topic anyway...

I think I'd feel the same once I got my grubby paws on a Supra, but with the economy forcing everyone to tighten belts, an MR2 such as this might be a worthwhile stopgap, certainly when they are cheaper than Supras overall. A lot of people here seem to have, or have had, an MR2 as a "stepping stone" on their way to the Supra, so that has pretty much solidified my opinion on them. Now to go and buy the right one.

Thanks for all the input. So the general consensus is that, as with all other cars of this nature, it is fine as long as it is thoroughly checked and doesn't turn out to be a total shed. I thought as much Have any of you looked at the link in my original post? To the naked eye that example looks fine, obviously an inspection in person will confirm or dispute that. Is 2800 quid about par for the course / over the top / bargain?

I have been toying with the idea of picking up a MkII MR2 (probably a turbo Rev2 or Rev3) as a daily driver - the one in the link below caught my eye (even if it IS described as a 2001 model, which it clearly isn't). http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/cars/TOYOTA+MR2/Ne-2-4-5-6-7-8-27-44-49-53-61-64-67-103-133-146-236,N-18-240-4294965772-4294967173/advert.action?R=200909329568291&distance=53&postcode=da8+3bu&channel=CARS&make=TOYOTA&model=MR2&min_pr=&max_pr=4000&max_mileage=&vehicleYearOfManufacture=2001&vehicleRegLetter= Price looks good, and it seems a very tidy example. Anyone got any opinions on these, or have owned one? Would be nice to have a "convertible" turbocharged car for under three grand, but it's money poorly spent if I'm spending just as much again due to poor build quality, repairs, etc.

Best to start walking now, Todd. Wouldn't want to be late...

Without meaning to gatecrash this thread, but I have Sky+ HD (with an HD TV linked up to it), and my Sky box still displays a message advising that the HD format is not supported. It has done this with regular programmes, Anytime viewing and on occasions, programmes recorded onto the hard drive. Sky's technicians are unable to troubleshoot, merely passing it off as a glitch in the system. Which, of course, doesn't help when you have to keep pushing "back up" to remove the error message on screen. Has anyone else come across this yet? It would seem that, a la Microsoft with Windows, Sky occasionally enjoy pushing out their latest front-running technology before ensuring that everything is ironed out. Oh, and they refused point blank to remove our old Sky+ box.

Well, why not? We could drape it with some of his most humourous "deadpannery".

Cat.

A Michael appreciation thread is beginning.

Also, Michael is the absolute grand master of sardonic put-downs. You will not win any verbal joust against him. Just take all the advice on board, drool at the other Supras shown on the forum, and enjoy it. You'll get used to the collective sense of humour on here very quickly. Very nice motor too. You are to be congratulated on a fine purchase.

Diamond EDIT: second post in this game,and I'm out already. Balls.

Tile

What a wonderful outlook we must now adopt. I, for one, certainly won't be contributing to the "shed" mentality. I am perfectly prepared to wait for the right vehicle, and will pay the right money for it, however long it takes or however much it costs.

Then again, in the long run buying a cheaper Supra will invariably attract higher costs in repairs, maintenance et al simply for not being looked after by previous owners. Can there really be so many people prepared to part with they money, in this economic slowdown, for a complete shed just so they can say they own a Supra?

In all seriousness, perhaps you should reconsider. I owned a Mitsubishi GTO for 2 years, it cost me 20 grand during my ownership. It really is an eye opener, and unless you're a young high flying stockbroker or something similar, owning, running and maintaining a Supra is going to be a big shock to you and your wallet.

That sounds like a business plan all in itself

The following might be worth a look:- http://training.go-red.co.uk/index.aspx The phrase to note is "freedom to choose your own working hours" - fits the bill for you, precisely. I know of a few people who have had lessons with Red instructors, and they were lucky enough to be taught by some honest, mild mannered people. I rate you for thinking about it though - I can imagine you'll need the patience of a saint, and nerves of steel. EDIT: ignore this completely, I was too busy trying to be helpful to read your original post correctly. My bad. The bit about patience and nerves is still true though.

That must be true of a lot of people. Agreed that I am younger (28 this year), but I've been in the freight forwarding industry for almost 10 years now; I only fell into it as an office junior, fresh faced and wet behind the ears as a school leaver. I'm now a service manager looking after exports for three of the biggest European shipping markets - Holland, Germany and Poland. However, I never planned on working in shipping, and after so long in it, I've discovered that it is really quite difficult to change career paths. The worsening state of the economy makes it harder to switch professions too; particularly with London being a hotbed of redundancy - it was where I'd planned to begin my next profession. Ho hum. It really depends on whether you can continue drifting through as you are, content with your lot, or whether you want to find the drive and determination to find your niche in the working world. Better to regret something you did than something you didn't. My tuppence worth. L