patches

I feel like that needs to be on a motivational poster Jokes aside, it is 100% true though. As mentioned in my initial post, the whole reason behind the second rack is because the chats we have driving to the trails are just as good as the riding itself, and that is priceless. Unfortunately though priceless experiences are not synonymous with bottomless funds, and when I only get out to ride about 6x a year (my own fault, due to an over commitment of extramural activities), so the cost/trip for that extra rack is pretty steep.

Utes/Bakkies and vans both hold value well. Likely because tradespeople use them, and tradies can be seriously cashed up. (There's a saying "tradies get the ladies", haha) In SA Quantum's and Hiaces are synonymous with taxis. Here it's the tradies.

Yeah, prices in NZ are rocketing too. My wife didn't plan on departing with her hard earned savings so soon, but the XC40's seem to go up nearly $1000pm here, so she bit the bullet and shelled out the clams. Also an eye opener on the NZ to SA price difference. About 3yrs ago I remember vehicles (particularly European luxuries) in SA being significantly cheaper than here in NZ (when converting ZAR to NZD of course), but now it seems it's the opposite. That car (same spec) here would be $82,000 or R836,000 (equiv) The one my wife bought is the same, minus the panoramic roof and Harman Kardon. Also random, but Volvo NZ specs the "climate pack" on all their pre-ordered cars (definitely don't need heater steering wheel and headlight washers).

Far from me physically (about 1500km and a 3hr ferry ride) Further from me financially 😅

Season 1 or 2? The last few episodes of season 1 lost us a bit, and were a bit mentally taxing, so we're taking a break before season 2.

Yeah, I weighed up the roof vs towbar option, and the towbar was tempting as those Thule clip on 3 bike carriers are less than half the price of 1 roof carrier (so way cheaper than 3), and they will be fine for my fairly sporadic riding. However the towbar is pricey (about R25,000 equiv here). Also, I find myself using roof racks a ton (have them on the Polo) and they made that little car so useful, especially when transporting timber or sheets of plywood (which happens more often than I ride, haha). So definitely would benefit with roof racks on the Volvo. And like you say, who knows when that spare carrier will come in handy for picking up predestined purchases, haha

Haha, I like how this went from do I buy a 2nd bike carrier to buying a ute/van 😅 My wife is fully aware of my intentions to buy a van or ute at some stage. I even tried to jokingly suggest a nice double cab over the XC40. She just laughed. As for my Husky, it's road registered so I can braap to the trails, but that can get tiring. If/when mini-humans come along we'll probably need a second car, so maybe I'll get my ute/van then.

Hahaha, well the bike carriers are just one example, but how many of us keep a spare bike, or bit of kit etc for riding buddies. Not saying it’s a bad thing. Heck for years I had 2 spare enduro bikes (1 MTB, 1 dirt bike) for that “just in case” ride with a buddy. Riding is a social activity, so often the cost of it will extend beyond ourselves.

The dealership had some roof racks, Volvo branded, but likely made by Thule, so I guess one could add them to the bill. If we went the finance route we may have added a sneaky towbar. Damn things are pricey! Yeah, initially I’ll just get the racks (R5500), 1x Proride 958 (R3500), 1x Seat cover (R900). A second Proride and seat cover can follow later. *Costs are ZAR equiv of what we pay here in NZD.

Correction... What Patches' WIFE bought, haha The car is hers. I don't even own one, haha. But yeah, hence the costly measures to keep it nice. But the thread isn't just about this specific circumstance. More just to provoke thought into how we are willing to spend good sums of money to have mates come ride with us, and that's perfectly fine! Like when I lived in SA I had a Citroen Berlingo kitted out to carry 4 bikes. I had all manner of axel adapters, and my vehicles primary aim was transporting me and mates to and from trails. Granted I rode 4-5x a week then.

I guess I should have stated that currently these riding activities only happen about 6x per annum. I'm even feeling stingy buying the bike carrier for myself 😅

We recently purchased a new car and with a new car comes a new challenge on how to transport bikes. The old car (2015 Polo TSI) was a little run-around and we didn't care much for dirtying interiors or some light cosmetic damage caused by clip on bike carriers. However the new car (2022 Volvo XC40), although more spacious, is somewhat sacred (at least for now), so a more considered approach needs to be taken when transporting muddy bikes and bums. So I'll be heading down the path of a Thule roof rack, bike carriers, and seat protectors I'd likely be spending around R4500 (equiv) extra to be able to transport a 2nd bike and rider. A riding buddy. Yes, one could always say "I'll meet you there", when it's a local trail, but where I live (Auckland, NZ), even the local trails are 45min away, and half the fun of riding with friends is the company, even on the drive there and back. So therein lies the question... at what point does one usually call it and say it's too costly to purchase equipment to accommodate the transportation of a riding buddy? Keen to hear the various Hubber philosophies on this

Extremely dangerous! Definitely going to require a new bike!

I had a Buy Now of $9,990 listed for anyone quick to the party that didn't want to get into a bidding war. Will be interesting to see if it exceeds that Buy Now price?! Most of the other things I have sold this way, exceed the Buy Now at auction.

haha yeah, I'm safe from the couch... for now!

I think therein lies a clue (I know, easy to see in hindsight). But if I were to hazard a guess, the pics posted in the ad may be from Christmas (5 or even 17+ months ago) when the watch was received as a gift, and a braggy photoshoot ensued, unrelated to the advertising of said item (5 days ago). Again an element of misleading/false advertising, intentional or not.

So true! I leave one on each bike as a "valve cap" for the prestas.

Can't argue with the dictionary! "completely new and unused". Used "just a few times"... not brand new Used once... not brand new

Well that is part where many take issue with the Healthy Homes Standard. In a number of cases getting houses up to the prescribed standard isn't practical. Adding heat-pumps seems to be the easiest fix, but then landlords find that their tenants don't even use them as they don't want higher power bills. A lot of the time the upgrades that landlords implement translates into increased rent, and when asked, many tenants in lower income households would rather have the option to rent a cheaper place because it doesn't have a heat pump etc. Then there's the fact that why is it ok for an owner to live in almost any form of leaky/damp/draughty/cold building, but not for a renter?

Our 1950's bungalow does surprisingly well, now that I've replaced the ceiling insulation in all-but-one room (a project for another weekend). It does get a lot of natural light, and we do run the heat pump occasionally (aircon for those not fluent in Kiwi speak). Typically our monthly energy bills are: Electricity - $60 (spring, summer autum average) - $90 (worst case winter + wife working form home with heatpump on all day) Gas - $60 (for hot water & stovetop) Haven't got double glazing, underfloor or wall insulation though, and in the event that my dreams come true and we move to the South Island, we won't sell up in Auckland so may have to put a fair bit of money in to meet the Healthy Home standard for prospective tennants.

Very nice! Very nice indeed! I tried really hard to get the Polestar onto my wife's shortlist. She even humoured me by going to the dealer to get more info. Not to mention my "business plan" on how the sub-$80k models qualify for a $7,500 rebate, so it's such a great deal! I think I over-did it though, as each time we'd drive past the the storage yard, a few km from our house (where all new Polestars park pre-sale), she'd give me a "don't say anything about a Polestar" look. They're also on the up-and-up here. With that government rebate, Tesla Model 3's have been selling like hotcakes. But not that Polestar stock has landed, they're on the increase too, for those that want a car that doesn't look like a fish. In the end though, she didn't quite like the design as much as I did. However, its not all lost. She does like the other 2 variants on the CMA platform... the XC40 (clearly) and the upcoming C40. So maybe in a year or so she'll trade in for an XC40 Recharge when they launch here. Are they available in Aus yet? I've seen some YouTube test vids on them from your side of the Tasman Oh and did you go for the dual or single motor?

I took the plunge and listed my wife’s Polo on a $1 TradeMe auction… it’s worked for me in the past. Hopefully it does now or I’ll there may be a few nights on the couch 😅 https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/volkswagen/polo/listing/3596191956?bof=r2xal3Ji

That's awesome! It's so scenic around there too! Wishing you guys many happy years in the new home!

I think those are for me to purchase. Fair enough, haha Looking at getting some black Thule Wingbar Edges. Way cheaper than the R25,000 (equiv) that Volvo charges for a towbar... ouch!

Not my purchase but my wife's. Volvo XC40 T5 R-Design. Quite an upgrade from her little Polo (seen behind). With this nice new vehicle comes a catch... I don't actually have a car of my own (once we sell her Polo). We share a car (have done so for 5 years), and it works out fine 95% of the time as we commute by bus most days, I have a motorbike, and most other places we either travel together or one of us is happy staying at home. However, when it comes to transporting muddy MTB's (and bums), the new car will be off-limits (at least until the shine wears off) so I either need to get a roof-rack & carrier, a towbar and carrier, or find a something to cover the interior with 😅