Intro...

  • This is the web site of Rich & Clare...

  • Feel free to have a look around the place and contact us if you've got any questions at all...

  • There's all sorts of things here from where we work, hobbies, etc...
  • This site has gone through numerous stages (as can be seen from the site log, if interested), and the latest includes new menu buttons on the left to get to all the pages, and hopefully re-uploading of all the previously-deleted Pulsar SSS photos (which were deleted to make room for all the wedding photos).

    About this website...

    The first major overhaul of this website began during the late hours of Monday 6th January 2002.
    It was pretty much just copied across from my original ISP (Blue Lagoon) and then I modified the look of it by adding pretty menu buttons instead of plain text down the left hand side of the main page.
    Most of the code for this website was self-taught and hand-coded by me with lots and lots of trial and error on my trusty old Amiga using IBrowse, Perfect Paint, AmFTP, and a basic text editor.
    I've had no formal instruction or training on website design, but it's not hard to do once you've seen a few other basic layouts. I've got no time to bother learning how to use java or realplayer code - I get the message across perfectly fine without needing to resort to all that fancy stuff...


    Planned updates for this website (in order of importance)...

    • Redesign entire website with username change to 'richnclare'
    • Either set up the Apache server on my A1200 (yes, it's possible, but time restraints may prevent me from doing so) or alternatively host our entire site (or at least the images and/or larger files) on another server (with unlimited space!) and re-upload all deleted images...
    • Update all Pulsar modification pages so that it loads the full size photo by selecting thumbnails displayed on page (most pages now done - only Gauges & Suspension pages left to do)
    • Finish all Pulsar_Main page modification logs (now about 98% complete - actually the pulsar_forsale will be more accurate for now)
    • All the stereo pages (Build-up of system in Pulsar SSS, all previous sub boxes built for the SSS, and installs in my previous cars - will take quite some time!).
    • mpegs of my 18inch chrome wheels spinning around, and laps of Wakefield Park if I have any webspace left after uploading all the stereo pages!!!


  • Buying a new car: (22/10/03)

    We've discussed the issue of having two vehicles, and as she can't drive auto, I'm selling my beloved SSS. I've worked out a price range, and over the next few weeks I'll be updating all the Pulsar modifications pages with prices and more photos where required.

    We'll be doing the occasional trip to her parent's property @ Oberon, so a 4WD is necessary. She'll be selling her Festiva so our budget is around the high $20k's/low $30k's... We don't want to have to fork out any extra $$$, and she'd prefer it if we actually had some $$$ left-over after purchasing the new car. We still haven't decided whether it's going to be a 2nd-hand or new car yet, either (that'll probably come down to pricing). I've told her that since she needs it to be auto, I *need* it to be turbo :) So what will the new car be? My first preference was a Subaru Forester GT. Her preference was a RAV4. I know the RAV4's are quick as I've raced a few off @ the lights (years ago when I had a bootful of stereo gear and the 18's on the SSS), but they are quite expensive once you add on all the features that are standard in most other soft-roaders.

    The other preference was a Nissan X-Trail - to stay with the Nissan family :) We test-drove a new Forester 2.5 XS and I was very disappointed with it's power (I'd need something at least a little bit similar to the power I'm already used to!). Next was the GT, and it certainly had more power. I assume it's 4WD skills would be very similar to the XS. Sometimes it kicked-down but sometimes it didn't, and just slowly accelerated like the XS did... I'll have to test-drive another one to see if this particular one is on the sluggish side... Test-drove a new X-Trail and was extremely surprised. Took off well from stand-still, cornered OK, and I even managed to chirp the wheels a few times while turning out of side-streets without much effort. I didn't look to see if it was in 2WD mode or not, but the A/C was cranking, and it still went well. It even seemed quicker than the Forester GT!

    Today I test-drove a Mitsubishi Outlander, but don't particularly like the look of them, however the ground clearance is slightly more than the Forester. Power wasn't too shabby (2.4L AWD) and it definitely felt quicker than the Forester XS but not as quick as the GT. At this stage, I'd say we'll be getting an X-Trail.

    Well we test-drove another new X-Trail and it still has the sort of power I'm after, even uphill with 3 people in the car... I found out some info on the GT's and they're only 125kW @ flywheel in stock trim, and 0-100 times are 10.1s. I know the X-Trail is marginally quicker @ 9.8s but I don't think it would take much to get more out of the GT... Bigger exhaust and/or turbo and it'd be alot quicker than any X-Trail (and maybe even my SSS)... More to think about...

    15 Nov 2003 - Test drove another Forester GT (different dealer) and this one goes much better than the one we'd previously test-driven. After some more persuasion, I've now been given the all-clear to pick whatever car I want (I guess it'll be on my head if I get dud one, now!!!) so look out - there's about to be a Forester GT in my garage (when I sell my SSS!)

    Update 18 March 2004 - It's been months now I've been trying to sell my SSS, and even after two sets of ad's in Trading Post, and now with finance available for the prospective buyer, and further reducing the price, I still haven't had any calls (apart from dealerships or other advertising companies). We've definitely decided on a new X-Trail now (it's worth spending a few grand more for a brand new car with no history), and series 2 has been released with some minor (mainly cosmetic) upgrades, and we've even picked all the options we want for it, but we've yet to negotiate a price - there isn't much point doing that until I know for sure that I've sold the SSS as we can't afford the X-Trail until the SSS is gone.

    Update 02 April 2004 - placed deposit on new X-Trail on Sunday 28th March, should be ready to pick up before the wedding.

    Update 20 April 2004 - Sold the SSS for $16,000 - Now waiting for Nissan to call to say the X-Trail is ready so the buyer of the SSS can pick it up, then we can go and get our new toy (should be on or before 22nd April). They called on 13th April to say it was at the docks.

    UPDATE 25 MAY 2004 - Married, and back from honeymoon, and have been busy looking at photos everyone took of our wedding... I'm about half-way through picking a small selection of the official photographer's photos and putting them on this site. CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE WEDDING PHOTOS INDEX!!! Took the X-Trail to Oberon to get it dirty the weekend after we got it/landed from our honeymoon. Very pleased with it so far... Big 4WD daytrip planned for June Long Weekend

    Update 11th March 2005 - Lots happening at the moment:
    • Clare & I are running a "40 Days Of Purpose" small group at our place Click here for more details.
    • On 7th March we signed the contract with Tony Gardner Real Estate to sell our unit. I hope to put up photos on this website of the renovations we did over the last couple of years...
    • Clare & I found a beautiful 4 bedroom house at Panania that we both fell in love with as soon as we walked in the lounge-room; it has plenty of room to comfortably fit much larger groups than we currently can accomodate in our unit, and hope this is the house God has planned for us, even though it's slightly over our budget. Still waiting for Clare's 3 month probation period (because of her new job) to end before we can borrow from any banks. Looking at the dates, our contract for selling ends on 7th May, the contract of the house we're looking at buying ends on 10th May, and the end of the probation period is12th April, so these dates seem like they will all tie in nicely for everything to fall into place.
    • My old Pulsar SSS recently got traded-in by the person I sold it to, and is currently sitting in Blacktown Mazda.
    • Next "big trip" is to Stockton Beach with a group of X-Trail owners and a few others. Lots of photos & video footage will be online soon afterwards...
    • Went on houseboat on the Hawkesbury River with some mates, and I've discovered I really enjoy fishing. Caught lots of fish over the weekend, but they were all too small and had to be thrown back!
    • I've just finished 3 months of training with my new job as Installation Inspector, and start working on my lonesome from next week.