Supercar Showroom

I saw this programme advertised a couple of times on Quest:

I decided I probably wouldn't watch it because I wouldn't like the customers - and I'd be bloody jealous of them too.

Then I accidentally caught episode 4.

There was one really irritating customer - but she wasn't buying a Supercar - and the car she did buy she wanted wrapping in a garish pink.

Yuk.

I've watched episode 5 now too.

The rest of the customers all seem really decent, knowledgeable people.

The idea of a car showroom with an airport runway to test-drive the cars on is a brilliant idea.

The supercar showroom in question is The DMB Collection.  The D stands for Dean (the boss) - he is played by Brian Cox:

No - the other one.

The rest of the cast are is main salesman Brad, his office manager Trudy (who I think I may be in love with), his daughter Ellie and the bloke in the control tower who is called Alex and is played by Caleb from Clarkson's Farm.

It's only the first series so the bits where they have been told to react in certain ways for dramatic purposes still look a bit wooden but it is good enough for me to have set the series-record link.

I do hope though that Ellie is not as dim as she is made out to be - i.e. really dim.

And I do think that Dean is changing the perception of car dealers;

Sounds Like Brewer's Telling Porkies

Well he is a used car salesman. 

I am a big fan of Wheeler Dealers - both the Edd era and the Ant era.

So I follow them on Facebook.

So I was somewhat perplexed to see this posting today:

Now Mike Brewer is obviously a car guy.

I am also a car guy.  I must be, I spend time writing a car blog that only 7 people read. And, speaking as a car guy, I am pretty confident in saying that things car guys find the opposite of interesting include:

• SUVs that farmers wouldn't be interested in
• Chinese Budget motors
• Bog-Standard Electric Cars

So I am incredibly sceptical when Mike Brewer says,

"MG has launched two new models, expanding the range to include an all-new EV and a plug-in hybrid variant of the HS SUV. Having seen the MG Motor UK ZS EV at the NEC last year, I can't wait to have a test drive in this. What do you think?"

I think MG must be paying you an awful lot of money to post that - it makes you less credible than Dominic Cummings.

The comments mostly though pick up on the fact that these cars look like a VW parked next to a Mazda.  All cross-overs look the same anyway but here I have got onto Paint and produced a VW parked next to a Mazda:

They've got a point.

My Wife Drives a Small, Darkish Blue, Japanese-Badged Car

So does The Prime Minister's now.

Several news outlets had the story this week.

Of Samantha Cameron's car, not Mrs.Metro's.

Here is ITV News covering it.

Here is the accompanying picture:

 

Oxfordshire used-car dealer Iain Harris sold Mr.C a Micra for £1495. There is no mention of Mrs.C being present.  Or having had a test-drive.  Or having had any say in the matter whatsoever.

When my wife bought her small, darkish blue, Japanese-badged car she researched what she wanted, test-drove it and negotiated the deal.  And used her own money to pay for it

Now there could be the rub - Sam Cam got a free car!  But, not wanting to sound ungrateful, if the Prime Minister was buying me a car - I'D WANT SOMETHING BETTER THAN A £1500, SECOND-HAND MICRA!

Sam Cam is supposed to be a modern, intelligent woman - surely she can choose and finance her own transport.

It looks like one of these:

 

So it is at least 6 years old.

And a Micra!

I'm not sure of Dave's car-buying skills either. The article claims he spent half an hour inspecting the car.  But this seems to have just been checking if the brake-lights worked.  Is buying a used car a way showing he is a man of the people?

Like supporting West Aston Ham Villa United.

I'm guessing it is a British-built, Japanese-badged car.  Although as a Bremain advocate, maybe he should have gone for something French, German or Italian.  At least it is Tory blue.  Maybe, as an image-conscious politician, there is more to think about after all.

And maybe he should have just let Sam Cam go out and choose her own car.

Getting Down With The South Side Posse

Autoguide call this video...

..."The worst car dealership ad you've ever seen"

Bit harsh.

The story is here.  I think it is great fun and derserves more Youtube hits.

Note that this video has the sobriquet "CLEAN VERSION".  That will be because there is a naughty word bleeped out.

At the bottom of that Autoguide Mitsubishi story is a link to another Autoguide Mitsubishi story that includes a video that contains a lot of swearing.

But when you watch it, you may just understand why.

Lots of Fun

Car lots of fun? This amusing article on the Car&Driver site highlights the secret language used by salesmen working on America's car Lots.

Now Arthur Daley here also had his own patois used on his car lot:

But that was just Cockney - Corblimey Mate! Luvaduck. Beales - Don't talk to me about Beales!

I've been meeting a few car salesmen lately.  Never a car saleswoman - do they exist?

My wife is after a new (or newer) car - it all follows on from the little yellow light that appears in a photo in my earlier post about the MOT test.  So far we've visited (in order of appearance) our local Toyota, Mazda, Hyundai and Ford dealers for test drives.

At the moment, my wife is being "up" while I am being "Third Baseman".  However, I'm not very good at this.  When she has finalised her choice, I will switch to being "Paperboy" - a role I recently played while purchasing our new family computer.  I wasn't very good at that either.

I have seen a couple of "Lot lizards" and would wish them well with "de-horsing" given the condition of my wife's current car - but that doesn't tend to happen in Britain anyway - if they want to keep you in the place, they make you a hot coffee and you are supposed to feel guilty if you don't finish it.

If you want to understand the past two paragraphs, and this clever illustration...

...you will need to read the article.

However, if you want to understand Arthur Daley, and maybe spend some sausage and mash on a new jam-jar, then this site may be more useful.