Its always nice to have more than one source when appraising a possible second hand car. Reports on second hand - discontinued cars are not as common as they could be excepting HJ's wonderful effort of course!
They got that drole chap Quentin from top gear (in the good ol' days) to do the reviewing. Bloody funny in places, check out the Citreon BX, CX etc... for a chortle.
dan
p.s. apologies if already mentioned by someone.
|
Dan,
Had a look at this for the first time last night, hope HJ won't come down on you for linking to that site because there are some serious issues raised by the used car reviews you mention.
It seems they are written in a way where the reality of a particular car is never allowed to get in the way of amusing copy. This is fine for a crack but no help to the punter.
HJ doesn't do this, he writes about the car first and the "attitude" is a bonus rather than the dominant issue. For the potential buyer that is far more use.
The Count is anti-Citroen so you know that isn't going to sit well for me but I have no problem with objective comments. The review of the BX was written for pure comedy and from the point of view of a sneering Lexus owner. The thing is all BXs are under £1000 now and many are in the breakers...but so are all the other makes that surround them. There are two classes of BX driver, the person who uses them as a bargain second car because they do the job (TD Estate for example) and those who run them because £500 is all they can afford and the BX can be a dam good comfortable £500 worth.
Then take the Xantia vs Mondeo. He reviews them as if they were built 20 yrs apart, the Xantia being one not to touch with a bargepole and the Mondeo to be worshipped.
Put a Xantia and Mondeo side by side, say both TDs from 1996 with SX/GLX trim, and your choice will be down to personal preference. They both go, handle, are nice to ride in, well equipped and so on. I'm not even going to argue which is best but chalk and cheese they ain't!
The biggest farce I noticed were the reviews of Peugeot 806 and Citroen Synergie people carriers.
Here is roughly what he thinks of the Synergie..."Horrible thing. Shares its platform with Peugeot 806 and Fiat Ulysse, both of which are crap"
And the Peugeot 806?......"Sharing the same plain and dated-looking body as its Citroen Synergie and Fiat Ulysse sisters, the 806 does at least manage to incorporate some contemporary Peugeot styling touches to lift it above its boxy brethren. Identical underneath, it has the same pliant ride and reasonable handling. The 1.9 turbo-diesel is frugal....."
Hmmmm so that 806 sounds OKish but the Synergie must be rubbish, hang on a minute pal these are the same car from the same group! The're dam near identical! And that is exactly what HJ says on the Car by Car guide here.
The glowing self-praise introduction on the header page claims The Count is the streetwise guy to prevent you "doing your money". Funny how there isn't one mention in the Astra, Vetra and Corsa reviews that the timing belt/tensioner is likely to spend your Summer Holiday and Christmas Present wad in one!
Have a look at the car you own and see what the "comic copy" says.
I do feel better now.
David
|
Agreed David,
But you can get a better idea of anything with more than one source. He was spot on with cars like the Mitsi Colt and not as dismissive of some of the more ordinary cars (mondeo etc..) as you might expect given his 'attitude'.
If you read the BMW 3 series stuff you get the feeling that cars are judged on the sorts of people that drive them rather than the car itself. This has some use if coupled with more objective coverage given by HJ etc.. Unless a car is purely utility to someone who has no interest in image or asthetics.
As a age sub-30 driver l still have those sorts of concerns as you'd expect.
dan
|
|
|
Did your customer ever buy that Synergie?
I had occasion to whisk the Saab-owning sister in law and her BMW and TVR owning boyfriend (yes I am jealous) from Leeds to Halifax at the weekend. He is a slim 6' 5" and was heard to say "not a bad car, this; even I've got enough room". This from the rear seats.
|
|
i like my citroen bx, with the wonderful ride, the various height settings, alot of space, a very roomy boot, and those little sun blinds that come out of the rear parcel shelf. the only problem is the mechanics are so blooming complicated, including the oil filler, where you take the skin off you hand trying to take the cap off, why on earth does the cap have to be part of the pipework of the engine.
|
|
|
No Darcy they didn't buy it/one. Interesting "people" thing happened.
They missed an affordable one they wanted and the next possibility (P.806) was another £2K (newer and lower miles). They were all geared up to doing the deal on this one but the trader was just too hard with the allowance on the old petrol people carrier they had.
Three weeks on they have gone cold on a car change and he is still punting the 806 at top money with Christmas thoughts soon to get in the way of folks buying cars.
David
|
|
|
|
|
|
It's a bit hit-and-miss on coverage - no mention of the Mitsubuishi EVO, though it does include the ultra-obscure Subaru SVX. I did like the verdict on the BMW Compact though: "a real plonkers car"!
|
Actually guys the BMW 3 Series (91-98) is perfect proof of the point I'm making.
The Count starts off by saying they are one of the finest small saloons in the world, and highly prized with values to match. So we know just what a top car they are......
Whoops but no, in the "what it says about you", just a few lines below, buying one "of the finest small saloons" makes you "a bit short in the taste department".
Can't be both.
The Count is an ace presenter/entertainer on TV and a highly amusing read but this is supposed to be a top buying guide. Actually it's a top social opinions guide.
You are right though Dan, get the monster mortgage and six kids in ten years time and you'll be happy to mope off to Leggoland in an 806. Enjoy the "attitude" while you can.
David
|
David,
I fully agree with your comments regarding comedy value vs useful information on the 4car site, but I also agree with Dan that different perspectives are useful.
I don't agree that fine cars and tasteless owners are mutually exclusive though - most would agree that BMWs and (now to a lesser extent) Mercs are high-quality cars, but that doesn't stop them becoming status symbols for city suits and drug dealers!
|
You also forget the young cap wearers who lower/mod them to death. Kinda cheapens the image.
dan
|
|
A certain type of car, of which the BMW three series is one undergoes a demographic shift at around 5 years old. The original owners who were able to afford a expensive car in the first place have gone for a new one and the cars move to the demographic who like wide wheels and baseball caps. They then fail to maintain the car because they can't afford to service it properly and then wonder why is proves so unreliable.
|
|
|
|
Phew - thank goodness for that.
I thought that this was another advert for that flaming 'broker for U' internet car dealer....
|
|
|
The whole point about the car by car breakdown is that it assembles the experiences of Telegraph readers and visiters to this site. It's not merely one opinionated boke (me)'s point of view. Of course, assembling all this date is hard and time-consuming work. It's how the car performs for the public. And, after all, it's the public that lays out money to buy the cars rather than have them on extended press road tests.
HJ
|
|
|
Thanks to Dan (for starting this thread) I had a butchers at Quentula's Virgin sponsored effort on the 4car site. (Whoops, nearly put an 'h' in there.) It's all good Quentin Willson stuff. Bit complicated, though. Too many boxes to fill in for each entry. Yet, fair enough. He's in the business to promote Virgin, and so far I've only ever had two complaints from readers who have tried to buy from the Virgin site. One wanted an X Type Jag, which they couldn't get for him at the time. The other wanted a Yaris Verso, delivery of which has been delayed for months, though he should get it in December. However, if you want to read a distillation of real people's experiences of cars, there is no substitute for the car by car breakdown at www.honestjohn.co.uk
HJ
|
|
|
"The whole point about the car by car breakdown is that it assembles the experiences of Telegraph readers and visiters to this site. It's not merely one opinionated bloke (me)'s point of view. .................... It's how the car performs for the public."
HJ
Where have you actually publicised this unique selling point? It's not on the home page, nor on the breakdown page Shouldn't it be!
|
|
|
