fast car

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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 😀

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 😀

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!!