We show that the total variation mixing time is not quasi-isometry invariant, even for Cayley graphs. Namely, we construct a sequence of pairs of Cayley graphs with maps between them that twist the metric in a bounded way, while the ratio of the two mixing times goes to infinity. The Cayley graphs serving as an example have unbounded degrees. For non-transitive graphs, we construct bounded degree graphs for which the mixing time from the worst starting point for one graph is asymptotically smaller than the mixing time from the best starting point of the random walk on a network obtained by increasing some of the edge weights from 1 to $1+o(1)$.

We characterise regular bipartite locally primitive graphs of order 2pe, where p is prime. We show that either p=2 (this case is known by previous work), or the graph is a binormal Cayley graph or a normal cover of one of the basic locally primitive graphs; these are described in detail.

Let Γ be a finite connected undirected vertex transitive locally primitive graph of prime-power order. It is shown that either Γ is a normal Cayley graph of a 2-group, or Γ is a normal cover of a complete graph, a complete bipartite graph, or Σ×l, where Σ=Kpm with p prime or Σ is the Schläfli graph (of order 27). In particular, either Γ is a Cayley graph, or Γ is a normal cover of a complete bipartite graph.