Golf R vs Type R

Posted by carsalesblog on January 13, 2019
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Golf R

Well, I’m kind of thinking I’m pretty lucky!

As most of you will be aware that whilst working for Honda I manage to bag myself the Type R as my demo… probably the best car I have ever driven. 300+ BHP and didn’t have to pay for the replacement Continentals every 4,000 Miles – winner.

The Honda days are long gone now and a few hiccups along the way sees me at de Germans… VW in particular.

Golf R as a demo, thank you very much – but with an 80 mile round trip to work, a GTD might be more beneficial but hey ho, fuck it!

So Golf R vs Type R! Might need to get a job at Ford at this rate to bring the RS into the argument.

So, what’s the Golf R like? Well being honest… erm a bit boring really! Before you all rip my head off it’s an epic car, quick, smooth, very well built and very easy to drive. In many ways soooo much better than the over designed Japanese rocket.

As an everyday driver the Golf is just a nice place to be, the miles just fly by and no dramas. The power is there when you need it and you don’t feel over dressed when sat in a traffic jam. Admirably the speedo does top out at 200mph and there’s no getting away from the ludicrously quick gear change when you just tweak your right foot.

Both cars are epic and suit me to the ground – give me a hot hatch any day please. They do have their faults though! The Type R is just so twitchy and not particularly comfy for long journeys but being manual becomes alive in your hands and knowing that this car actually has more talent than the driver makes it a hoot to drive. The Golf on the other hand just doesn’t give you the same thrill. Yes epically quick off the line and in Race mode sounds tremendous but just not my cup of tea. Put it in launch control and be prepared to leave your stomach on the tarmac waving at you! It’s brutal!

Other than being a little bit boring the R does have a few faults! The pedals are oddly placed, the brake pedal is higher than the accelerator so making braking a bit of a odd procedure twisting your leg in a way that makes your knee hurt on a long run. The other being the gear change – just slightly move your right foot at motorway speeds and it changes down – why! At the other end of the scale turn into a junction and the car says third is the gear to be in but when you have turned and want to trap in… it’s in the wrong gear.

These are minor ailments I know but this car shouldn’t be like this!

However the question is this – which one is best!

The Golf R is the better car by a long shot, but which one would I have?

The Type R – just for its sheer looniness. If you want to buy a car like this, surely you want it to look like it goes 😀

So, I bought a Corrado

Posted by carsalesblog on May 29, 2018
Posted in: Driving, Motorsport, Reviews, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

So, I bought a Corrado.

For those of you that follow my Instagram page (carsalesblog) then you will already know that I regret selling my MK3 Golf GTi. This was a standard 3-door in Dragon Green that I had all the work done and was just lovely, then I stupidly saw the pound signs and sold it. Doh!

Within the week I regretted taking the cashout option and so set out to find another… which was a lot harder than expected. Maybe as I am a little picky! Must be a 3-door, under 100k miles, have a sunroof, plenty of service history and be a decent colour.

I spent months hunting and then suddenly I got sucked in by an advert for a silver Corrado.

This fit the same buying rules I had set out for the Golf other than the mileage – all sensibly priced Corrados are over the 100k miles mark, so put this to the back of my mind.

On the plus side, the car was only about a 20 minute drive from where I live so I agreed with the seller to go and view it.

Bit of a farce when I got there as the battery was flat, it was just starting to rain, and it was parked in a garage that seemed to be half the size of the car! So, I couldn’t drive it, couldn’t hear it start and couldn’t even see it! Tried to have a look around the car in the garage but really struggled. Not the best way to try and buy a car. I was assured by the seller that it drove spot on but was in need of the bodywork looking at.

I liked the car but still had the Golf in the back of my mind, so went with the principle that this needs to be cheap! Do any repairs on the car and get it painted and then just wait for the prices to rise. I think that within the next 3-5 years the prices will rocket on these useable modern classics.

So, I bid him – I’m not going to tell you the figures but I don’t think he could breathe properly and had to swallow a few times to put everything back in its rightful place! 😉

Obviously, I arrived back home without the car, but emailed saying the offer still stood if he changed his mind. For the next month or so, I kept seeing the car appear on different websites at all different prices which was really entertaining.

Then, out of the blue, I had a call saying if I could get over that same day then the car would be mine.

So, I bought a Corrado!

I was now the owner of a 1990 1.8 16v that had done 143,000 miles, with a stack of service history to die for. I haven’t seen many silver ones around so I was happy with my purchase. Straight over to my mate for his mechanical hands and eyes to spy and repair any potential issues and carry out a full service. A few days later, all done with a full MOT, just an advisory for a bit of rust on the underside of the sill (happy with that as next stop, paint shop.)

The paint shop bit has never happened though! Got a rough quote of £1,000 to put it right but just never got around to it! Why, you might be asking… the reason may surprise you, as it did me: I just don’t enjoy driving it…

Don’t get me wrong, it drives spot on and looks amazing – got a great reception on the road from other drivers but I just can’t get on with it which saddens me.

In my mind I think this now needs to be an asset rather than a fun car which as I’ve said before will take off in value very soon but I’m not that kind of guy, a car needs to be driven not hidden away from the road. After a day cleaning, polishing, touching in and vaccuuming – the Corrado is for sale!

Ebay is the place for this car and I’m shocked how many views and watchers this has had… yes I have had quite a few idiots that say that they will collect today for £500 cash! (you fookin won’t!) And an offer of a swop for a VW Bora that We Buy Any Car value at £275! You will be pleased to know that there are some sensible people that live on this planet that have offered realistic bids and a few viewings. The strange thing is that all the sensible offers are the same! £1,600 from 6 different people… so have told them all the same, £1,800 takes it – see what happens.

I don’t need to sell so happy to tuck it away for a bit longer, but we shall see what happens – will keep you posted. Then the hunt for a new investment will begin. 😊

Well, what can I say, as I am just proofreading this blog this has just happened:

So, I sold a Corrado.

A Car Salesman without a Demo – What?!

Posted by carsalesblog on May 7, 2018
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A Car Salesman without a Demo – What?!

The time came mid last year to hand back the key to the company car and buy my own…

The company I was working for at the time was rumoured to get taken over and I could see this not ending well for me! So I decided to bite the bullet and find myself a motor just in case the inevitable happened. This didn’t leave me long though and at the time, not a great deal of money to play with. I didn’t want to buy a shitty cheap PX that one of our sister sites had brought in, as knew that wouldn’t satisfy my needs since I would be handing back the keys to a FK2 Type R! Gutted!

We had sold an Audi A1 diesel for £9,995 on a 2 year PCP scheme and the guaranteed future value was nearly £8,000… £2,000 depreciation in 2 years! (That car will be being handed back at the end of the term – massive over-predicted valuation by the finance company there.)

I needed this sort of PCP win.

I had about given up on this idea, as all our nice stock were the likes of Range Rovers, A6, GTDs and a stunning 535 M Sport; all just too expensive for me. I had about decided on a much older Clio 197 and to take out a 5 year HP deal just to give me a cheap monthly figure. The car was good though, 1 owner, stacks of service history and in mint condition but there was always that niggling doubt… it’s French!

My colleague (who was hanging his nose over this classic Boxster – which he should have bought) had sold a GTD and gone out to deliver the car and was coming back in the part exchange – a Mini Coupe Cooper S.

Walking back into the Showroom, before telling me how it had all gone and even before putting the kettle on, he threw me the keys and said ‘you need to take that out – it’s fucking awesome.’

Don’t need to ask me twice! To be fair, between us we did try and drive every car that came in as we needed to know if they required any work or binning off into the trade – but mostly because who wouldn’t drive a whole host of premium cars if they could? 😀😜

Trade plates were already in the Cooper S so I was in and off. At this point I should tell you – I’m not a big fan of the Mini hatch, I find them a little bland and uninspiring but the Coupe… the Coupe has something about it!

Wasn’t long before I was on the country roads out into the Peak District to see what this little thing could do!

Back in the showroom after half an hour of fun, cut short mainly because I had forgotten to pick up my fuel card!

Coffee in hand and chatting about how good this car was, I logged on and set about comparing finance quotes… 5 mins later , approved on a 4 year deal for £90 a month – couldn’t believe my luck. This little pocket rocket was now mine, happy days.

Now to start calling in the favours, managed to get it through the workshop for free, 2 alloys wheel repairs booked to another car and the valet boys were more than happy to spend a little longer on this for me.

So the day came, the take over… yes, didn’t end well so had the Mini to play with, whilst looking for another job.

So what had I actually bought – Mini seem to have a infinite amount of extras that can be bolted on both in the factory and at the dealer. Now I’m no expert with these by a long stretch, but the basics are no different to most; options like leather, upgrade wheels, nav and Bluetooth are a must.

My car hasn’t got all these options but enough for me.

Mini Coupe Cooper S with air con, leather, upgrade black alloys, stripes and the all important Chilli Pack – to this day I still don’t know what that is!

2012 on a 12 plate, only 32k and full Mini Service History. 2 owners: the dealer and the lady who now drives a red GTD.

All for £90 a month – bargain.

I absolutely love this little car, it’s happy in traffic, no heavy clutch – get it on the open road and it brings a smile to your face and hit a slip road and aim for the outside lane hitting the red line and you will be there very very quickly… surprising really.

Pressing the Sport button weights the steering (bit pointless as it feels good anyway) and makes the exhaust pop when you let off the throttle! Like that! Like that a lot. 😀

Inside is a nice place to be, a bit dark as the roof lining is black, but I actually like that. Everything is to hand and neatly prepared. The huge speedo in the middle of the console is very nostalgic but totally pointless as it has a small digital speedo right in front of you. As the roof line on the Coupe has been drastically lowered compared to a normal hatch, there still seems a great amount of headroom even for me at 6ft 1. The boot is huge and can swallow a set of golf clubs easily (even my mates 1 Series can’t do that!)

There are however a few down sides (as to most cars) not huge but are niggles.

The plastic interior is a bit much. Could have done with some soft touch materials here and there. The 2 rear parcel shelves rattle like fuck and I hate rattles in a car! This is an ongoing fix for me but reading the forums, it is a inherent fault with them all.

The ride is firm, very firm but this doesn’t bother me a great deal as I have no spine or teeth left from running the Civic Type R for 2 years!

Rear visibility is pretty poor but you soon get used to it as the car isn’t exactly huge.

It’s kind of nice actually, having a car of my own. I get to tinker about with it (not that it needs much.)

I have fitted an ‘S’ badge to the front grill. Hunted for a central armrest as missed not having one and playing with the idea of a re-map and a trip to the Nurburgring.

Would I buy another? Yeah I probably would – one with nav, Bluetooth and possibly the more powerful John Cooper Works but for the extra money over what I’ve got, I will be keeping this one for the foreseeable future.

Holiday Rental Lucky Dip 2

Posted by carsalesblog on May 4, 2018
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Holiday Rental Lucky Dip 2

I know, I know, you haven’t heard from me and my random blogs for ages! It’s actually been over a year since my last blog; wow a lot has happened but that’s another story. Had a bad year or so really, but hey ho, keep battling as they say!

So I find my self laid on a sun bed on the first day of my holiday in Lanzarote and thought I would actually write you guys a blog.

As you may be aware from previous posts, when I visit this lovely island I let the car hire decision be fate – I book the cheapest possible and see what I get!

I have been out here twice since I last wrote about this and both times I had similar hire cars – but what the hell do you write about a Fiat Qubo other than the cool sliding rear doors? My point exactly!

So this holiday, I’m sure you’re all eager to know what I got…

To be fair, I think I’ve had a bit of a result. I booked the car hire about a month ago. I always check 2 companies and go with the cheapest (as you do). To my surprise, I got a weeks’ hire of a supermini with air con for €52. Fucking hell, my last bar bill in London was twice that!

I thought this was amazing value for money, until last night when I thought what the hell am I going to get!?

Soldiering on, up at 3am this morning for mum’s taxi to East Mids. (Saying mum’s taxi… she got in the back and I had to drive the new Jazz the 40 or so miles to the airport. My fault really, I sold her the Jazz 😜 – she likes it. 😀)

After we made it through the foreign airport, to Autoriesen for my €52 hire car, which was, to my surprise, a 1.2 Polo… result!

Looking at the key, it wasn’t a new car but no problem, it had remote central locking.

Out to the car and all good so far, our cases easily fitted in the boot. Jumped in and all-round leccy windows, mirrors and AC – all I really need. Key in the ignition and 4 minutes later the car started… ah!

As all of us in the motor trade think, oh well, fuck it, it’s started – off we go.

Being fair to our little VW it’s not a bad little car – I managed to get it to 126 overtaking a lorry, this does sound impressive but this is KM not MPH!

It’s got me here, it’s not going to go anywhere else until it has to take me back to the airport in a weeks’ time, so a result in my book for €52.

Happy holiday to me 😀

A Car Salesman’s Day Off

Posted by carsalesblog on September 27, 2016
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A car Salesman’s day off!

So what does a car salesman do on his day off?
Normally, he gets up late then visits the pub! Question answered!

So I though I would blog about my day so far… yes it’s a Sunday, the sun is out and 

I’m not at work! My girlfriend is at work (she’s in car sales too,) so the day is my own… so what am I up to?

The day started by being woken early by Girlfriend’s Cat who decided it would be a good idea to run round the entire house at 100 mph with her claws out so it sounded like we were having extensive building work carried out! Add to this the occasional leaping onto the bed from what feels like the chimney pots!

Awake now… obviously!

Nice cuddles before the alarm goes off as one of us is going to work. 

As days off are pretty rare within the Motor Trade what I’m about to say might sound stupid… no… correction… WILL sound stupid! I have a day off to myself and I’ve decided to go for a run! Yes a fucking run! Don’t get me wrong I am into fitness, I have 2 pairs of running trainers which cost more than I like to remember and a gym membership which obviously never gets used!

There is some sort of sense in why I decided to run… I have enrolled in a 10k and 2 half marathons within the next few months so I really should start properly training!

So Rother Valley had the delights of me in my shorts for a morning run. 7.73 miles later, I’m a sweating mess and in need of coffee. Those of you in the Motor Trade will know that coffee is needed in a morning and lots of it! So Starbucks drive through got a visit from a gasping, sweaty, red faced customer this morning… and as it was a drive through it cost nearly the same as my running trainers… robbing bastards!

Back home for a much needed shower.

Well that’s what I thought. My god, Sunday fucking drivers are the fucking worst! WHY WHY WHY?! I understand that it’s nice to go out on a Sunday; I’d like to do it myself – but if you’re going out surely it’s better to actually get there! 30 mph through a 60 limit is not acceptable in anyone’s book! Too much traffic to get past so I opted to sit right on the bumper to try and force the idiot in a Saxo out of the way! This didn’t work… down to 22! FFS… I’m hot, sweaty, tired, in need of a shower, not had coffee and being held up by Grandad in his piece of shit that’s worth less than my recently purchased Starbucks. So at the first opportunity I turned off to stop my self ramming him out of the way!

Eventually made it home, downed the million pound coffee and jumped in the shower.

So with the rest of the day to myself, (it’s 20 degrees, lovely day,) I’m just going to jump in the car, sunglasses on, windows down, tunes pumped up and see where I end up. Sounds perfect doesn’t it. I think everyone is doing the same! All Grandad’s friends in similar Saxos are out on the road today and even the traffic lights are taking the piss out of me too… red, red, red, red!

Finally out of the city and into the country side – giving the new demo some stick… unfortunately not a Type R this time but suppose there isn’t the potential to lose my life or licence in every twist and turn that appears!


Hungry… pub, view, pint, burger, yes!

So what does every cars sales man do on his day off… The Pub!

Civic Type R

Posted by carsalesblog on August 4, 2016
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Civic Type R
Call me a lucky twat if you want too…… I certainly would!! I am in the fortunate position that my company car is the all new Civic Type R!!! Can hear the mumbling now!!! and to make it worse I’m on my second!!!! Sorry!!!!

I’ve probably clocked up around 10,000 miles in them now so have a good idea what they are like.

There’s a lot of press right now with the arrival of the New Focus RS but I’m not interested in finding out which of these cars is best……. I can guarantee that if you are in the market for this sort of car then you won’t be disappointed with which ever you get behind the wheel of!!

The initial response I’m getting from people when chatting about these cars is the price! The CTR I currently have is a standard GT in Milano Red and has a retail price of £33,800…….. Yes I agree £33,800 for a Civic is a little excessive!! But you have to ignore the fact it’s a Civic….you sort of have to think of it as a Type R Type R as its a complete animal compared to its predecessors!!!!


This car is incredible – if you want to pop to Tesco with the kids to get the weekly shop it’s quite happy to do so, want an afternoon bimble to the garden centre again quite happy…… a trip to Edinburgh for the family holiday…. again more than adequate…… but you want a bit of fun, an over take or there’s always a dick in an Astra glued to your rear bumper then just drop a gear, bury your foot in the floor and OMG get ready!!!! This car is quick…… If you’re not watching the speedo and just driving you will be having fun – look down at the digital speedo and you will s**t yourself!!!!! 

I have never been in a car that attracts so much attention, people love it, they wave, point, thumbs up and drop there window at the lights to comment…… Unfortunately I have attracted the attention of a blue undercover Police Land Rover Discovery when I had the freshly launched Crystal Black GT but luckily it took him a while to catch up and I was happily parking up when he eventually appeared!! 

There are a few gizmos on this car that I agree, even I thought they were a piss take but now driving it, I sort of agree with. The G counter isn’t one! I DO NOT GET THE POINT OF THIS! However the lights above the speedo which light up when you get close to the red line is brilliant as driving a car this quick needs to give you all the help in the world to drive and drive and drive.

If you are on a drive (drive meaning drive!) then forget pushing the ‘+R’ button!! Press this and your spine will just simply shatter, the car will break and you will be forced to buy a softly sprung French car next, as this mode is just stupid! Honda say this stiffens the suspension and eases off the traction control……. all good on the track but on the roads around Sheffield results in a pretty dash board but once arriving at your destination a big pile of vomit!!!

So keep the car out of ‘+R’ mode and it is f*****g brilliant…….. GT gets: Dual Zone Climate Control, Parking Sensors and Reverse Camera and Nav…… Not sure why you would opt for the standard Type R for £3,000 less as you don’t even get a boot floor or parcel shelf!!!

There are down sides to this car as with any car!!! It is being picky but I’m honest and open when writing these reviews!!! The curb side front alloy has a tendency of being bullied by curbs!!! I’ve never really had an issue with curbing alloys but on these cars my god I’ve twatted it more times than I’ve changed my Socks!!! 

Front seats are an issue too….. I’ve been in quick cars that when you tip into a bend you fall out of the drivers seat but the side bolsters on the Type R seats are just ridiculous, they hold you in but trying to get out need climbers ropes and pulleys – Id done less that 4,000 miles in my current car and the side bolster was showing signs of wear already!!!!

Passengers are moaning that the ride is too firm which it is but when challenged about it and compared to older less refined cars then they do agree that it’s not that bad when they see what it can do!

The Type R is unbelievable for a front wheel drive car and it’s the first car I’ve had that if I had the money I WOULD buy one! 

For a 310 BHP car I think this is a bargain…. You might be thinking ‘get fucked it’s£33,800’ but bare with me……. Servicing is the same price as a 1.6 Diesel Civic and behave yourself and it will do 37mpg! Buy a new one and you get 5 year servicing for £555 and 5.9% APR PCP finance…….. negotiate hard and you will get a discount…… Look hard and find a dealer with a car in the showroom and you are on a winner especially if they have a Demonstrator car too!!! (If you’re not sure what i mean then email me) The only issue is the Continental Continue Sport 6 Tyres – sound impressive and are phenomenal but only last for cough cough cough 5,000 miles if you’re lucky…… 

Look at the car…… Bad side is tyres, a pain to get out and you need an Alloy Wheel Insurance Policy……. But all this is forgiven the moment you punch it through the gears!!! Comparing it to the Focus RS and the Golf R – if you want to stand out then this is your car with its flared wheel arches, huge rear wing and standard black alloys where as its rivals get lost in the whole ‘Sleeper’ look.

Reading this blog back to myself, it does read like a Sales Pitch!!! 1) I am in car sales and 2) rarely do I like a car soooooo much!!!!

So, two words for you……..

BUY ONE!!

Girl Power!

Posted by carsalesblog on February 2, 2015
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A few years ago I read an article in one tabloid about how all cabriolets were now being bought by middle aged females. This has played on my mind ever since. I say played on my mind, I really mean that it’s really annoyed me! All I can think about is that the journalist that wrote it gets paid a lot of money and is able to drive all the latest models that the world of motoring has to offer, for one of the biggest newspapers in the country and he hasn’t bothered to think about what he wrote or gather the correct facts! Just shows that I’m a bit envious I suppose.

He babbled on about how middle aged women now have a disposable income so are now able to buy cabriolets like the Audi TT, BMW 3 Series, Merc SLK and Mazda’s cute but brilliant little MX-5.

I don’t want to sound sexist, but I agree with his vague point in principle. I do think that cabriolets are aimed at the ladies! Most cars can be categorised to suit a male or to suit a female buyer and deep down I think you all agree.

To prove this point and staying away from cabriolets for the moment, take the Nissan Juke: lots of curves and a bit of an odd interior – definitely a girl’s car.

gc1

But on the other hand you have the Chrysler 300C: straight panels, bulbous headlights, definitely a guy’s car.

gc2

These two cars are quite obviously gender orientated and there are others that can be classed quite easily too. Next time you are on the motorway, play the game – as you catch a car have a guess who’s driving, then when you overtake you can see if you are correct. I bet you get more right than wrong!

There are more difficult ones to call, such as the Range Rover (I have just recently written about these – take a look) INSERT LINK, the VW Golf and Ford Fiesta.

Obviously it is all a matter of opinion, take the BMW 1 Series – I would class this more of a feminine motor but watching the roads there are a lot of guys driving them. (Including myself last year!)

So let’s get to the point:

Is the babbling idiot who wrote; ‘within the last few years its just mature women who are buying cabriolets’ right?

Hell no. In my opinion (and don’t forget I’m a Used Car Salesman, so I’m always right,) cabriolet cars have always been aimed mainly at women!

He’s right with the cabriolets mentioned, Audi TT, BMW 3 Series, Merc SLK, but let’s just think about all the drop tops that have been available over the years: Vauxhall Tigra, Peugeot 307CC, Renault Megane CC, Golf Cab, Toyota MR2, Nissan Micra C+C, MG TF, the list goes on… The most obvious car in the category to be aimed at the ladies is the Ford StreetKa. I have driven one (and yes I did have the roof down too) and thought it was brilliant, but it is undeniably a girls car (and it was produced in pink!)

gc3

Again, I don’t want to sound sexist, and I’m not by a long shot, there are only a few exceptions to this rule! These being Honda’s S2000 and the US’s Corvette but being a ‘car guy’ there is something quiet arousing about seeing a girl in a guy’s car. (I know there are ‘car girls’ out there before you girls start screaming at your screen as you read this.) This has to be one of the best pics I’ve seen for a long time:

gc4

On the other hand (this is my point exactly) – Ladies: does this work for you? And be honest!

gc5

I rest my case!

The Range Rover – Love or Hate?

Posted by carsalesblog on January 5, 2015
Posted in: Driving, Reviews. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

This is a hard blog for me to write as I have never driven a Range Rover in my life! I have been in a few and spoken to owners who love them and some that hate them. The lovers tend to be lovers of Land Rover not the Range Rover icon. The haters (and they have good reason to hate them,) bought them as an alternative to BMW/Audi/Mercedes.

Watching the roads these days, the place is littered with RR’s and mainly the new shape – their distinctive daytime running lights give them away (start looking out for them – you will be amazed!) I really don’t understand why there are so many as they aren’t cheap!

rr1
I mentioned earlier that the ‘haters’ have good reason and that good reason was the lack of reliability – the thing you want most from a car (especially ones at this price). One colleague managed about 800 miles in his new Sport in 6 months due to the Engine Management System putting the car into limp mode every time it was driven. It never did get fixed, was returned to the lease company and he opted for an X5 instead. A family friend who had a proper RR in black suffered catastrophic electrical failure at night on a busy motorway roundabout!

Bearing all this in mind and with a price tag that starts from £61,250 for a Sport, £73,950 for the original RR, and a whopping £104,150 for a RR Long Wheelbase, and let’s be fair, the spending won’t stop there: if you were buying a Range Rover you WOULD choose some options from the pages and pages available to you. For example: you have 17 combinations of wood and leather, 6 Interior Head Linings to choose from – 10 different sets of Alloy Wheels and this is all before 18 Exterior Body Colours and a further 9 choices of Roof Designs. A good option, which I like the thought of is Deployable Side Steps, where the side steps appear from the underside of the car automatically when the doors are opened or the key fob pressed to gain easier access into the car but the £3,177.73 price tag is verging on the side of ridiculous. The most bizarre option I have found is Illuminated RR Kick Plates for each door sill – a must at a mere £774.52!

The main contenders available in this sector and up against the RR are the BMW X5, Porsche Cayenne, Audi Q7 and Mercedes ML, all very good cars with more spec as standard, nicer to drive, cheaper to run and better value for money than a RR.
rr2
So you might be thinking that I’m writing a bad blog about the RR. Certainly not. I have a thing about them, I would actually drive one even though they are a silly price to buy, stupidly expensive to maintain and they aren’t going to be cheap on fuel or give you the drive of your life. Added to the fact that they will certainly let you down at some point, I can see that this thing I have about RR is going to cost me a lot of money one day!

Perhaps I need to drive one to get this obsession out of my system – I don’t actually know anyone who does have a new one or works for them. One of my closest friends does work for JLR (Jaguar/Land Rover) but the last time I saw him he was concentrating on the all new Electric/Hybrid one so driving his wouldn’t really help matters. Added to the fact that it was filled with all the electrical and diagnostic equipment from the whole JLR development building, probably making its value more than Tesco’s monthly wage bill!!

So what the hell am I going to do, I want to know what the fascination is all about with these cars and I really want to know why stars such as Kate Moss, Daniel Craig, Angelia Jolie, Jennifer Aniston, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Lopez and Bruce Springsteen (the list goes on and on but you get my point) own or have owned one.

I suppose the easiest option to me would be to go and work for Land Rover and looking at the list of celebs above it could be a win-win situation, especially looking at how many are hot, rich, famous females 😉

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My point is that as much as they are iconic in every way, if I had the sort of money to buy one… I wouldn’t! (I would be a Car Salesman’s worse nightmare as I would tip up at my local Dealership to Test Drive – I’m hating myself for saying that!) An Aston Martin, a Lamborghini or even a Ferrari would top my list above the RR. Spending that sort of money on a car means you have enough money not to worry about little things like cost of running, depreciation and if it does break and let you down the answer will normally be ‘buy another’ but these people who have RR’s tend to have more cars than days of the week! And I’m not talking Fiats and Renaults either!

 

So I will have to resign myself to the fact I will never own a RR, but (and let’s see how good my blogs are!) if there is anyone reading this from LRUK or any kind Dealership out there that would like to lend me one for a week or so (I will head to France in it) then I am here and willing to do a proper road test for you.

 

BMW Drivers

Posted by carsalesblog on December 19, 2014
Posted in: Driving. Tagged: , , , , . 1 Comment

So why are BMW drivers cocks?

We have all been there, sat in the outside lane of the motorway, looked in the rear view mirror and there it is: the unmistakeable kidney grille of a 3 Series sitting 4 inches from your rear bumper. It doesn’t matter how fast you are driving, he’s there, normally wearing some sort of designer sunglasses and chatting away on the phone. I do have to say though that this doesn’t stop at BMW drivers now; the BMW in your rear view mirror now has competition from the four rings of Audi too!

So the question is, why? As the answer to this question is of national importance I am going to attempt to answer this for you.

I have just spent a short time working for a BMW dealer, (a lot shorter than I expected but hey, that’s another story!) Part and parcel of working in the motor trade means plenty of demonstrators available. (For those of you not in the trade, demonstrators means: cars I get to take home.) Normally your demo gets swapped and changed at the drop of a hat so in the awkward short time I had at BMW I commuted home in a 1 Series, a 2 Series, a 4 Series and two different 3 Series, together with driving and demonstrating all the cars up for sale.

At the moment I am utterly convinced that the 4 Series is the prettiest car on the road and if I had the choice of any company car or if I needed to buy a car (and had enough money) I would be signing the finance docs for a 4 Series M Sport. To keep up BMW standards, of course, I would have to get myself a private number plate and a new pair of sunglasses!

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But enough of me drooling over what I believe to be the sexiest car on the road at the moment, this isn’t why you are here reading this blog.

So why this view?

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Bear with me on this one; I may go off on a tangent to get to the point!

Before getting the keys to my new demo – a lovely little 2 Series M Sport – my mode of transport was a heavily kitted out Honda Civic Tourer diesel which I will always rate as a very good car. Being the Civic Estate, it escaped from the shocking rear-view visibility that the 5 door suffers from and to be fair I think the Civic Tourer is a good-looking car. Working for Honda and driving all the cars in anger, I can’t really fault any of their range (other than the odd CR-Z – which I don’t really understand). Using this as a sales tool, I have been known to say to customers ‘why would you buy prestige when Honda’s are this good?!’ Hondas are good, better by far than Toyota, Ford, Nissan and even VW, but are they actually better than BMW? I found this answer out after driving my new BMW 218d M Sport in white for about 7 miles! It’s in another league! And this was just a 2 Series… Yes, I know those of you who are in the trade or are car geeks will be saying ‘Yes, yes, yes, but the specification in the BMW will be shite compared to the Civic,’ and you would be right! The BMW lacks a lot of things that are standard from the mainstream manufacturers, such as the likes of a reverse camera, sat nav, panoramic roof, tinted windows, leather, keyless entry and even simple things on some models like cruise control, parking sensors and a central arm rest.

The drive of all the BMW range is breath-taking. I have driven a lot of cars but nothing like what gets tested on Top Gear or Fifth Gear, mainly run-of-the-mill, everyday cars, which I don’t think is a bad thing; it means that I can report a good car that’s not out of reach of 90% of the population!

What drove this home to me was driving a 320d M Sport for a week or so, covering around 1,000 miles. As most of the journey was motorway it wasn’t until the last quarter of the journey home that I realised how good these cars are. The last driver of this car (and he will probably read this blog ;-)) had set a speed warning at what could only be described as licence losing speed! As I was trying this car out, after the speed warning had chimed for the 3rd time, I thought I had better have a look at the instrument panel and see what was happening to the car. I eased off slightly and stopped concentrating on the racing line of the fast A roads I know like the back of my hand and that I had driven other cars hard on before and was shocked to see that the chime was programmed at let’s just say 3 figures! 3 times it had chimed! The driveability of these cars is like I have never experienced, the confidence that the car gives you even when you aren’t on the limit is superb. The speed and handling that the car can deliver, although on a long commute this can be overlooked – pay attention to what you and the car are actually doing and you will be very, very impressed. You will then see why that the Ray Ban wearing BMW driver who is sat on your rear bumper is actually there – because he or she is finding it easier to get from A to B than you! And faster!

bmw3

BMW’s advertising has always been ‘The Ultimate Driving Machine’ and more recently ‘Sheer Driving Pleasure.’ I’d agree. So next time you mutter ‘wanker’ under your breath at a BMW driver who is tailgating you, pulled out on your or just not bothered indicating, just tell yourself that you need to drive a BMW for a couple of days to experience what I’m talking about.

I do need to add to this though: I’m from the era of front wheel drive cars! I have never driven a Capri or never really had a rear wheel drive for very long. I’m used to the front end pushing wide at speed and I can deal with that. I have to admit that I did have an old 316 for a few weeks as a temporary fix while waiting for an insurance payout for my stolen Ford Puma. This did result in a ‘Watch This’ situation, thinking that I can be the Stig and get the rear end smoking! This resulted in me going round a roundabout backwards. Luckily (for me) other than a lady in a Megane Scenic screaming, resulted in no death, no damage and no brown trousers! All rear wheel drive cars have to be respected in the wet or at the limit. It is always in the back of your mind when pressing on that the rear could step out, as good as the traction control is, if you are on the limit or poor weather conditions then you will be on the phone to the insurance company, filing a total loss claim before the accident has actually taken place!

Would I pay the extra for the driveability of a BMW over the functional mainstream car? Hell yes!

BTCC

Posted by carsalesblog on April 23, 2014
Posted in: Driving, Motorsport. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

As you may have read in one of my previous blogs, many years ago as a child we as a family followed the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC).

This was the era of John Cleland, Will Hoy, Tim Harvey and Steve Soper. Also back then in their younger days were Jason Plato and Matt Neal, who are still in it today.

This was when BTCC was very exciting, near enough every manufacturer was in it to win and it was very, very close racing between all the brands. No one driver ran away with the points.

The final race of the season in 1992 at Silverstone was one of the best races I have ever seen, anyone of 3 drivers could still take the Championship. Tim Harvey, in his Listerine BMW 3 Series, the late Will Hoy in the Omega Securicor Express Toyota Carina and John Cleland in the Vauxhall Sport Cavalier.

It was exciting and heart breaking in so many ways. The race started and Hoy took the early lead of the trio and looked comfortable until Harvey caught him and you could see on the replay deliberately put Hoy off the track! Penultimate lap and Harvey was in front of Cleland, but Cleland would still take the title on points. This was until Soper (Harvey’s team mate) appeared behind him in his battered BMW that looked more like a Compact 3 Series than a Coupe due to an earlier incident he had been in that had put him to the back of the field, leaving him to make a remarkable fight back. Turning into Luffield, Soper made the biggest lunge up the inside of Cleland after Cleland had leaned on Soper on the previous corner, resulting in them spinning off across the track leaving Harvey to take the Championship controversially. Racing is racing though and this is what the BTCC is all about.

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This race was so close and exciting it was untrue, the last three laps are well worth watching:

What I’m getting at is that all the manufacturers were in this series. It was a cheap day out to spectate, plenty of support races, lots of manufacturer stands showing off the latest road cars, and loads of memorabilia stalls to purchase hats, coats, umbrellas, stickers and badges etc.

The crowds at these events were huge; booked seats in the grandstands were a must. You could go on the Pit Lane Walkabout and get to talk to the drivers and get their autographs too.

After about 2000, the BTCC started to fade off. More and more manufacturers pulled out and at one stage only 3 were left in it. The rest of the field were made up of independents. Don’t get me wrong the racing was still exciting, but it lost its shine.

Last year after years not really following it on TV anymore I saw a race on ITV4 and thought to myself ‘it’s getting back how it used to be,’ so I was lucky enough to be treated to a day at Silverstone courtesy of RacingLine (yes that was a plug!) and have to say what a day!

The sun was shining and it was t-shirt weather, which is not normally the case at an old airfield circuit in England. We easily found a seat in the grandstand at turn 1 for the first race of 3. A nice grass embankment to watch race 2, then back in a grandstand overlooking the final complex of the lap for race 3. The racing was fantastic, all the usual nudging and scraping  that the BTCC is renowned for.

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Of course there were all the support races such as the Porsche Cup, Ginettas and the fearless Junior Ginettas, as well as the awesomely close cut Renault Clio Cup. To be fair, I didn’t get to see much of the support races, as we were being whisked around the pits and hospitality by our host from RacingLine (yes another plug).

Looking online now and ticket prices are around £25, which for a full day out isn’t bad at all and you get to see probably the closest racing the world has to offer!

One tip though, if you’re a bit short of money take a sandwich as for 2 hamburgers, a portion of chips and a bottle of Coke from a glorified ice cream van, I didn’t see any change from a £20 note!

So has the BTCC got its shine back? The racing was superb, not stupidly busy (yet) and good value for money. There wasn’t the same amount of memorabilia or manufacturers’ stands as years past but pretty sure that will grow.

So, yes the BTCC is back – go to a race this year – I certainly will!

Last but not least – thank you to RacingLine. 🙂