(y) Always thought this to be the case John, just twats at work worried about their new car acquired on PCP. Me and my brother knew different, jump leads on, start car, remove jump leads... simples :)
(y)Noco have a good rep, I went for a Topdon one as amp for amp it was cheaper than Noco. I already have some Topdon diagnostic kit which seems to work well. It's just for peace of mind and possible assistance to others.
My car has only let me down twice and it's been the battery both times*...
I can only speak as I find. Apart from the usual serviceable items - cambelt, clutch, suspension, battery, tyres, servicing, etc. it's never really let me down. Come to think of it none of my cars have ever gone bang.
All makes have their issues and their fair share of lemons. It's a lottery...
I've got about 10 SACDs and they do sound sweet but then so do most of my CDs. I've owned my current CDP about 3 years and I can probably count on one hand the amount of times I've played an LP on the turntable. The CDP comes pretty damned close to the sound of LP playback.
That Hillman had a couple of quirks to it - handbrake was on the RHS of the drivers seat and a foot-operated headlight main/dipped beam switch. Also owned a Mini where the the engine starter button was on the floor :)
The only thing that appealed to me was the 20% Ford employee discount :)
BL were rust buckets - I've owned a few over the years. I've never understood the fanatical appeal of Alfa's... I'd rather have a fugly reliable car than a pretty but unreliable one... guess that's why I drive a Bora :)