Keith WR Jones
Title: Freelance knowledge expert
Keith WR Jones - known as 'sir' by many people who know him by dint of him being a former secondary school teacher rather than unnecessarily amplified levels of societal etiquette - used his award-winning blog as a conduit into motoring journalism, landing a staff writer role at Parkers in 2013.
Additionally contributing to CAR Magazine, Classic Car Weekly, the Daily Mail, MSN Cars, Practical Classics and The Telegraph, with occasional forays on BBC Radio 4, he rose through the ranks to become the first managing editor of Bauer Media’s New Car Automotive Hub in 2020.
In the new reality of a post-Covid lockdown world, Keith sought a fresh challenge in the automotive data arena, but the absence of opportunities to be hands-on with cars combined with his passion for journalism and storytelling saw him switch full-time to freelancing at the start of 2024.
As well as being a regular contributor to HonestJohn.co.uk, Keith’s also a columnist in Diesel&EcoCar Magazine. His writing can also be found on Autocar, BuyaCar, Carwow and heycar, plus he’s served as a UKCOTY judge for the past decade.
Since his childhood, Keith’s amassed a personal archive of more than 60,000 documents including automotive magazines and car sales brochures. Consequently, he’s become the go-to guy for other journalists, authors, researchers, events organisers and car industry PRs when fact-checking and detailed model timelines are required.
Keith read Management Studies at Lincoln University, going on to study for a PGCE in Secondary Education at Sheffield Hallam University four years later following a spell working in the covert surveillance industry.
When not scouring autojumbles and online selling platforms for yet more literature for his collection, Keith continues to conduct research for his first book — the Autocar Road Test Record.
What advice would you give to car buyers?
Buying a car should be both exciting and satisfying, but too often it isn’t. So what can people do to ensure it is?
Use the wealth of information and reviews available online to create shortlist of the models that will suit your needs best rather than cars which friends and family suggest for you. Then take those selected cars on test drives, ideally on roads you’re familiar with. Ensure you’re comfortable, that the boot and rear seats are big enough for your needs and determine which version has the combination of performance, efficiency and equipment that you require.
Once you’ve pinpointed the one that’s best for you, shop around for the best financial package you can find. Buying the first car you see at the first place you go to rarely results in a positive consumer experience.
What was your first car?
Wind the clock back to 1995 and I had regular access to an inherited 1989 Ford Fiesta 1.1 Popular Plus in an unflattering shade of non-metallic burgundy. Mechanically it was sound, the body was more than presentable but it was best avoided in the rain due to a badly fitted — and very leaky — aftermarket pop-up sunroof.
It was a dependable wee thing that conveyed me everywhere from the Scottish Highlands to Kent’s chalk cliffs. It eventually wore out during my younger brother’s tenure, proving uneconomical to keep roadworthy.
What cars do you currently own?
Our family car is a 2023 Skoda Kamiq, although I’ve probably driven it fewer than five times since it was purchased, but Mrs Jones is happy with it, recalcitrant multimedia system aside, so it’ll be around for a couple of years yet.
My own car was bought out of an urgent need for mobility yet it’s proved to be a gem of a thing, being super-practical and waftily comfy, so it’ll be sticking around for the long haul. It’s a 1998 Renault Megane Scenic RT 1.6e automatic in an unfortunate shade of blue. Okay, it drinks as though it’s paying homage to Oliver Reed and is about as sprightly as the pickled thespian was in later years, but it’s not yet plied 60,000 miles and has two sunroofs, neither of which (now) leak. What’s not to love?
