Over 20 years or so I have been a regular visitor to the IOW and the car market there puzzles me -anyone else?
First, they still pay a premium for an "island" car. Years ago that meant it would probably be low mileage for its year , but as I understand it these days that wouldn't be such an advantage. And in fact the proximity to the sea- so salty environment- and lack of motorway or even dual carriageway, meaning many cars are never fully exerted- would make such a car, or balance, less attractive than a well-maintained "mainland " car . Nevertheless my impression is that dealers there are looking for 10-15% more than on the mainland.
In fact I have thought that buying a couple of cars at a time at auction or on EBay , then selling on the island, could be a nice little business.
Also in Ventor there is the most successful Kia garage I have ever seen - there are an incredible number of Kias in South Wight, and the used cars on the dealers forecourt are at very high prices- even though that area is not well-off economically.
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It may just be that the garage has a great reputation, and to many people a car is just a car.
Near me there are two very well regarded Honda dealers - perhaps it jumps out at me as we have a Jazz, but there really are a lot of them in the area. You can find yourself in Jazz convoys sometimes.
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Whats right with them? SImply horrible cars for people who consider motoring to be nothing but a tedious chore.
Which it probably is, bumbling around the IOW.
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Well it amazes me as well and I have lived on the island for the last 9 years. Did you notice the price of petrol here - it seems to have the same differential pricing.
As to car pricing I have tried to get dealers here to negotiate on price for new cars but they just aren't interested so buy on the internet.
I think islanders hold in high regard the reg plate was DL now HW, maybe also seige mentality and supporting local economy. I do support the local economy but only so far, the premium on cars here is ridiculous given that costs are also much lower ie wages etc.
As to driving on the island, my local commute was 12 miles through country roads with not one traffic light etc and hardly used the brakes travelling mostly at 45/50 mph. I should have thought that quite a good run for any car, but of course most people do only travel to the shops and back which is no good at all.
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12 miles, 45/50 mph = about 15 minutes. Not really enought to get a car good and hot.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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12 miles, 45/50 mph = about 15 minutes. Not really enought to get a car good and hot.
It's not bad though - I'll bet many cars in the UK (my wife's, for example) rarely do that. And the ambient temp in the IOW is presumeably at the top end of the UK's range.
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"Not really enought to get a car good and hot"
Your car takes quarter of an hour to get up to temperature? Five minutes max for ours, and about 1 minute for my air-cooled bike (especially with the acetone)...
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HJ reckons 10 miles to warm a car's engine etc. all the way through. Not impossible on the IoW, and I know many cars on the mainland that rarely get that length of journey. MiL drives her car twice some weeks. No journey is longer than 450 metres.
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>>HJ reckons 10 miles to warm a car's engine etc. all the way through
Trouble is I can't see the temperature gauge without my varifocals.
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Edit button poised and ready.
DD.
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"HJ reckons 10 miles to warm a car's engine etc. all the way through."
I'm sure he's right. I do know that the temp gauge isn't the whole story, and my original comment was slightly TIC. I suspect that the deposits from the initial few minutes of rich running need at least as long again to be dispersed. Also, if the exhaust system doesn't heat all the way through, the condensation will rot it from the inside that much sooner. So, long journeys good, short journeys bad. Isle of Wight cars also get through suspension components sooner than most...
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A friend works on the Island, but lives on darkest Oxfordshire. Drives and then takes the foot ferry from Lymington. 30 minute journey, but takes him back 40 years.....
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"First, they still pay a premium for an "island" car. Years ago that meant it would probably be low mileage for its year , but as I understand it these days that wouldn't be such an advantage. "
But the mentality persists, so Island cars still fetch a premium, despite the fact that most will have done short journeys slowly over badly maintained roads! IIRC, the Island has the oldest cars (average age, not a fleet of de Dion Boutons) in the country, but that is probably more to do with income that vehicle longevity. It's still a reasonable place to ride a motorbike, though, as long as you watch out for old dears and tractors...
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