Thinking of other cars which sold well but weren’t actually very good. Vauxhall Corsa from 1993, I couldn’t understand why anyone bought these over a Mitsubishi Colt, Nissan Micra, 106 or a Clio. They were b***** awful to drive, ditto the Tigra that was based on it which seemed to outsell Fords fantastic Puma as the things were everywhere.
Nissan Qashqai - No more spacious inside than the Renault Megane it’s based on, but dearer, uglier, less economical, worse to drive and they’re not even reliable things. No reason to buy one, but they sold in big numbers.
Ford Escort Mk V - Stunningly bad car, the only redeemer was that the kicking Ford took from the press and dealers forced them into the biggest turnaround in motoring history when they replaced it with the fantastic Mk I Focus. Chalk and cheese, the early Mk V Escort was another car I just couldn’t understand why anyone bought one. Drive a CVH Escort than jump into a 16v Zetec SE Focus and it’s like you’ve jumped forward a hundred years.
Edited by SLO76 on 28/01/2025 at 12:30
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Don't forget the Nissan Juke! Regularly high up in the sales charts, why?!
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Don't forget the Nissan Juke! Regularly high up in the sales charts, why?!
We may have a winner! Awful things, utterly pointless.
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Its mentioned on the other thread, but good car which flopped goes to the A2 - a car I have just been parked next to. For a car which will be 20 years old this year even on a dull damp day it looked fresh as a daisy.
I had one a 1.4TDi and its the one car I'd have again. It was said it was too expensive, but the A class (which would flip over) sold far more which suggests it was an Audi marketing problem.
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... good car which flopped goes to the A2 - a car I have just been parked next to. For a car which will be 20 years old this year even on a dull damp day it looked fresh as a daisy.
Ditto my A8 (20 this year too), because also made of aluminium. Surprised the A2 wasn't as successful as the A8, a model which has been successfully evolving for over 30yrs.
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Its mentioned on the other thread, but good car which flopped goes to the A2 - a car I have just been parked next to. For a car which will be 20 years old this year even on a dull damp day it looked fresh as a daisy.
I had one a 1.4TDi and its the one car I'd have again. It was said it was too expensive, but the A class (which would flip over) sold far more which suggests it was an Audi marketing problem.
They were a little dull to drive, but I agree with the other comment that it was Audi's marketing that did for them. I went and test drove one and, at the end of the drive, the salesman literally took the keys and walked away. I think he assumed that, at 24, I didn't have the money to buy one. I ordered a Mini the next day.
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They were a little dull to drive, but I agree with the other comment that it was Audi's marketing that did for them. I went and test drove one and, at the end of the drive, the salesman literally took the keys and walked away. I think he assumed that, at 24, I didn't have the money to buy one. I ordered a Mini the next day.
an arrogant sales bod at a German marque's dealership, a rare find indeed...
chap i knew was told to come back to the local BMW palace when he could afford one, had the shiny suited twerp checked the number plate on the modest car he visited in the value of the plate alone would buy a top spec 7 series, the chap owns half the village where he lived, he quite fancied a 3 series but bought another Ford and i don't blame him.
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With respect John, not sure anyone could consider a TR7 as being a clever car!.
Was it a good one?, obviously you have direct experience (and possibly a little biased?), but that is arguable. One did regularly feature in The Professionals though, which is very much a plus point!.
That it was a commercial flop was due to a perfect storm of circumstances.
1, Although you are talking about 1980 on DHC, by which time the effect of the strikes on quality control may have passed(?), people would still be very reluctant to take the plunge on a BL product.
2, The TR7 took a very different path styling wise from it's TR forebears. And while I do like its looks (I actually prefer the coupe), I think was in the minority.
3, The aforementioned forebears were known and loved for being old school "hairy chested" roadsters, which the TR7 wasn't. In the case of the 5 and 6, that also included the soundtrack and bragging rights of big straight six engine. So going from a 150bhp 2.5 6 pot to a 105bhp (92bhp to meet North American emission regs) was never going to win over existing TR owners (even if the 7 could get down a twisty road as quick or quicker).
4, The hot hatch. For most people looking for something a bit sporty, why would you shell out for a compromised 2 seater when you could have your cake and eat it?.
With the TR7 though (as is often the case), opinion has changed over time. While I can't see them ever having the same following and attaining the same values as the forebears, they are becoming more popular and respected.
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With respect John, not sure anyone could consider a TR7 as being a clever car!.
Pop-up headlights (they've never failed); cantilevered windscreen wiper on driver's side; no scuttle shake because well engineered sills; low slung 'slant4' engine affording unusually low bonnet (c.f. Mercedes 300SL 'gullwing'); ventilation able to deliver cool air to face with simultaneous hot air to cabin; rear plastic window unzips from hood affording excellent rear view (and more draught-free ventilation); ability to survive long enough to become a cheap to run 'historic vehicle'.
Was it a good one?, obviously you have direct experience (and possibly a little biased?), .
Mine was...and still is (of course I am;-)
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With respect John, not sure anyone could consider a TR7 as being a clever car!.
Pop-up headlights (they've never failed); cantilevered windscreen wiper on driver's side; no scuttle shake because well engineered sills; low slung 'slant4' engine affording unusually low bonnet (c.f. Mercedes 300SL 'gullwing'); ventilation able to deliver cool air to face with simultaneous hot air to cabin; rear plastic window unzips from hood affording excellent rear view (and more draught-free ventilation); ability to survive long enough to become a cheap to run 'historic vehicle'.
Was it a good one?, obviously you have direct experience (and possibly a little biased?), .
Mine was...and still is (of course I am;-)
My first new car as a 25 year old was a TR7 bought on a company assisted purchased scheme (which insisted on buy British) and through a pal who at the time was the finance director of a main dealer (good deal).
It had all the nice to have gizmos, by the standards of the time was plenty fast enough.
Bad points - complete rot box - sills bubbling at 2 years old. Do I, 45 years on, still lust after another - absolutely not!!
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With respect John, not sure anyone could consider a TR7 as being a clever car!.
ventilation able to deliver cool air to face with simultaneous hot air to cabin;
There were plenty of cars that could achieve that at the time. Sadly not many now, a totally backward step.
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With respect John, not sure anyone could consider a TR7 as being a clever car!.
Pop-up headlights (they've never failed); cantilevered windscreen wiper on driver's side; no scuttle shake because well engineered sills; low slung 'slant4' engine affording unusually low bonnet (c.f. Mercedes 300SL 'gullwing'); ventilation able to deliver cool air to face with simultaneous hot air to cabin; rear plastic window unzips from hood affording excellent rear view (and more draught-free ventilation); ability to survive long enough to become a cheap to run 'historic vehicle'.
Was it a good one?, obviously you have direct experience (and possibly a little biased?), .
Mine was...and still is (of course I am;-)
Pop up headlights had been on the go for at least a decade before the TR7 appeared John. And while yours may never have failed, they do fail, even cars with manual mechanisms can fail due to sticking rods or cables. But the reason they are no longer used is because they severely compromise aero when they are up and are also not great if you hit a pedestrian. So cool?, yes. Clever?, no.
You say "well engineered", I'd say deep. That isn't really being clever, there is a choice of either having deep sills with shallow doors (and a more rigid structure) or slim sills and deeper doors (which would give easier access but compromise the structural rigidity). Sensibly, for a sports car, Triumph chose the former.
Is the bonnet that low?, its been a while since I've studied a TR7 in the flesh, but the bonnet doesn't look that low in pictures. In fact the bonnet line of the Ferarri 365 GT4 (launched in 1972) looks lower (despite having a 4.4 litre V12 under there)
I'm not sure that needing to remove the rear window to get a good view is clever(?), but as a van driver and ex bus driver I don't actually need a rear window to see what is going on behind me
;-)
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Back in the early 2000s, I was a company car driver, and there was no restrictions on choice as long as the lease value was below a certain amount (which bizarrely we never knew)
The benchmark car was a BMW 320d. Others on my grade chose staples like the Mercedes C200 or Audi A6 TDi. Liking something a little different I went from an A6 1.8T to a Volvo S60 D5.
Anyway this was in the days when dealers and even manufacturers were falling over themselves to provide 24 or 48 hour test drives for company "user choosers"
Two cars I tried out at the time and really liked which proved to be sales flops were the Peugeot 607 and Renault Vel Satis!
I tried 2.2 diesel and petrol versions of the 607 and both were a lovely place to be with a real penchant for motorway cruising in comfort (I was doing about 25k miles a year)
The Vel Satis was even nicer inside and quality was surprisingly good but the car must have been quite heavy because you had to work the engine to make good progress even though it was the 150bhp 2.2 diesel.
In the end the I played safe with the Volvo and avoided the car park jokes
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Thinking of other cars which sold well but weren’t actually very good. Vauxhall Corsa from 1993, I couldn’t understand why anyone bought these over a Mitsubishi Colt, Nissan Micra, 106 or a Clio. They were b***** awful to drive, ditto the Tigra that was based on it which seemed to outsell Fords fantastic Puma as the things were everywhere. Nissan Qashqai - No more spacious inside than the Renault Megane it’s based on, but dearer, uglier, less economical, worse to drive and they’re not even reliable things. No reason to buy one, but they sold in big numbers. Ford Escort Mk V - Stunningly bad car, the only redeemer was that the kicking Ford took from the press and dealers forced them into the biggest turnaround in motoring history when they replaced it with the fantastic Mk I Focus. Chalk and cheese, the early Mk V Escort was another car I just couldn’t understand why anyone bought one. Drive a CVH Escort than jump into a 16v Zetec SE Focus and it’s like you’ve jumped forward a hundred years.
My dad had a K reg Ford Escort 1.4 LX as his last company car before early retirement. Other than it had electric front windows and a manual tilt-turn sunroof (all the previous ones he'd had every 2-4 years hadn't), the car was awful.
Dangerously slow, too, with only 75bhp on tap if I recall correctly. My mid 90s 1L Micra was quicker off the mark. I was going to say 'what was the point of the real spoiler on that Escort, but then my Micra 1L 'S' had one too...
His firm sold it to him at a big discount, but he soon PXed it for a brand new Fiesta LX 1.25 (Zetec engine), which was light years better as well as being about 3-4 sec to 60 quicker.
I suspect why people bough Corsa was because they thought buying a Vauxhall supported British jobs (although I'm not sure Corsas were built in the UK) and because they likely got them at substantial discounts off the list price, especially at the month/quarter/year end. Probably their only selling point. Now with Stellantis owning Vauxhall and prices sky high, very few are sold. I'd put good money on the Vauxhall brand disappearing within a few years.
Another bigger seller is the Nissan Juke mk1 - surely Nissan must've been practically giving them away, either that of some very naive (mainly) women buying them as handbag cars.
The daft thing was they didn't even look good or have that much interior space. I've notice how many end up back on forecourts or via the car supermarkets in short order - no way can that many be ex-hire or fleet cars.
Whilst the mk2 is not as bad to look at (basically a Micra on stilts) as the mk1, I still don't see the appeal. Whatever you may think about the Mini, at least it has some visual appeal and driveability.
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My dad had a K reg Ford Escort 1.4 LX as his last company car before early retirement. Other than it had electric front windows and a manual tilt-turn sunroof (all the previous ones he'd had every 2-4 years hadn't), the car was awful.
Dangerously slow, too, with only 75bhp on tap if I recall correctly. My mid 90s 1L Micra was quicker off the mark. I was going to say 'what was the point of the real spoiler on that Escort, but then my Micra 1L 'S' had one too...
His firm sold it to him at a big discount, but he soon PXed it for a brand new Fiesta LX 1.25 (Zetec engine), which was light years better as well as being about 3-4 sec to 60 quicker.
Arrgh no i knew someone would remind me of the blasted lean burn 1.4 Escort, a more hateful gutless car ever my misfortune to lay eyes on, i didn't thankfully own one but Eurodollar had loads of them on rent and i shifted dozens of them.
Hells own job just to get them up onto the transporter, something they share with that awful 3 cylinder Corsa favoured by BSM and later still by automated manual Fiat 500s which holds the notable crown of being completely incapable of pulling themselves up onto the top deck of a transporter, hence getting a run up and once managing to get the back wheels onto the deck when it would run out of steam then getting a colleague to lift the deck level while you sat there and continue driving/reversing on which is most disconcerting when you have such an incapable car and nothing stopping you rolling off the back again once clear of the skids bar the brakes and wondering if the thing would stall out at exactly the wrong moment.
After a while those awful Escort 1.4s were defleeted (renters doubtless glad to see that day) and replaced by 1.8 engined Escorts which were hundreds of times better.
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Good subject, and you’re right sales success doesn’t necessarily define a car as being a good one. Look at the number of Peugeot 207’s and 307’s that they sold despite being r******.
Not sure I can agree about the 207 - surely the fact that we have kept ours for 16 years may mean something ? I might have agreed if you had listed the 206, I only had one of those, for only 2 months, just couldn't live with the seats.
Anyway, it depends what is meant by a 'good' car - that can mean many different things to different people.
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“ Not sure I can agree about the 207 - surely the fact that we have kept ours for 16 years may mean something ? I might have agreed if you had listed the 206, I only had one of those, for only 2 months, just couldn't live with the seats.
Anyway, it depends what is meant by a 'good' car - that can mean many different things to different people.”
The TU series 207’s were hardy enough, I’m not really targeting it for its longevity I’m referring to how awful the things were to drive compared to what else you could’ve had new at the time. It was a real step backwards for Peugeot who used to be class leaders for driver enjoyment. I remember being bitterly disappointed by both the 207 and the 307. They were both joyless things, merely appliances that sold because Peugeot chucked money at marketing and almost gave them away.
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Good subject, and you’re right sales success doesn’t necessarily define a car as being a good one. Look at the number of Peugeot 207’s and 307’s that they sold despite being r******.
Had the misfortune of being leant an early 207 HDI as a courtesy car while my 206 was in for one of its many many main dealer visits.
I remember when I returned the service receptionist excitedly asking me what I thought of the 207, I replied " its the worse car I've ever driven & can I please have a 107 next time "
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I drove an Audi A2 demonstrator for a day. It had 100 miles on it. I doubled that.
When driving from cold, you could not engage second gear.. OK when warm. I found it narrow and slow (petrol version). It was VERY expensive for what it was..
We also thought of a Peugeot 1007 - with the electric sliding doors. But the (new) demo model had a flat battery so the doors would not open. Utter dealer incompetence.
I recall the new Allegro : the plastic of the Quartic steering wheel was rough and cut my hands...
The Peugeot 205 was brilliant but the handling of the diesel was boat like (to me at least)
Colleague had an early Dolomite Sprint: the bonnet release failed on day 1...
Edited by madf on 28/01/2025 at 16:24
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The Peugeot 205 was brilliant but the handling of the diesel was boat like (to me at least)
Weird how perceptions vary.
I had a 1.7 two door 205 in poverty spec (GRD?). Bought as a station hack but occasionally backed up the family BX estate.
Obvs as a diesel it wasn't going to get any 0-60 records but 30-50 and 50-70 were not too bad.
My memory of it is that it handled nearly as well as I'd have expected the GTi to do.
One bonfire night we ended up with both our cars at Mrs B's rellies due to my work and late finish; she went early with the kids.
Coming home off the M40 at Banbury and following the old line of the B4525 through to the A5 it was like a sports car hacking round the bends and using throttle to the full exiting them.
Mrs B was behind me leaving the M/way but I was home a good ten minutes sooner.
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We also thought of a Peugeot 1007 - with the electric sliding doors. But the (new) demo model had a flat battery so the doors would not open. Utter dealer incompetence.
Apparently they had a lot of problems with those sliding doors. I drove one as a courtesy car and liked it's utlitarian nature, comfort and quirky looks.
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Apparently they had a lot of problems with those sliding doors. I drove one as a courtesy car and liked it's utlitarian nature, comfort and quirky looks.
They certainly did have issues, seen them when current in my previous work with the interiors fully stripped out and a head scratching tech trying to sort out the wiring.
They were popular with us transporter drivers, due to their height they qualified as 1.5 cars on our pay scale..:-)
Edited by gordonbennet on 28/01/2025 at 19:52
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We also thought of a Peugeot 1007 - with the electric sliding doors. But the (new) demo model had a flat battery so the doors would not open. Utter dealer incompetence.
Apparently they had a lot of problems with those sliding doors. I drove one as a courtesy car and liked it's utlitarian nature, comfort and quirky looks.
The problems were not due the doors being of the sliding variety, they were due to Peugeot deciding to make them electric.
Not only does that result in the doors being unusable with a flat battery, it contradicts any notion of a utilitarian nature. It also made the 1007 much heavier than a car that small should have been (not far off 300kg more than the Suzuki Ignis we had!). That in turn made it both thirstier than it should have been and compromised the ride/handling. Also absolutely amazing that while Peugeot (and Citroen) managed to integrate the handles for the sliding rear doors of the Partner (and Berlingo) well, they couldn't manage the same for the 1007, resulting in that awful looking handle arrangement.
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Had the misfortune of being leant an early 207 HDI as a courtesy car while my 206 was in for one of its many many main dealer visits.
I remember when I returned the service receptionist excitedly asking me what I thought of the 207, I replied " its the worse car I've ever driven & can I please have a 107 next time "
Wow, that is some really helpful and constructive feedback, well done!
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Nobody has mentioned the Vauxhall Sintra … think I’ll run now .
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Nobody has mentioned the Vauxhall Sintra … think I’ll run now .
A terrible car that no one bought.
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Nobody has mentioned the Vauxhall Sintra … think I’ll run now .
A terrible car that no one bought.
The car and van hire company I worked for in the late 90s had one of these. I never drove it out on the road, but in terms of space and practicality it seemed OK.
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I will nominate the Calibra. Very attractive styling but underneath just a Cavalier so not great through the twisties.
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The Rover 75 was launched to a fanfare , applauding its British heritage and built with the backing of BMW engineering expertise . Even the BMW chairman promoted the launch as the last ditch attempt to save the company. They even fitted a diesel engine from BMW which was unfortunately a little underpowered . An estate followed to help flagging sales but to no effect.
Massively supported by BMW the car wasn’t a sales success , buyers preferring either a BMW, Audi or Lexus , and Rover went into receivership.
Owners found them selves with cars that they had paid top dollar for but overnight they were stuck with, unless they were prepared to accept a huge loss .
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The Rover 75 was launched to a fanfare , applauding its British heritage and built with the backing of BMW engineering expertise . Even the BMW chairman promoted the launch as the last ditch attempt to save the company. They even fitted a diesel engine from BMW which was unfortunately a little underpowered . An estate followed to help flagging sales but to no effect.
Massively supported by BMW the car wasn’t a sales success , buyers preferring either a BMW, Audi or Lexus , and Rover went into receivership.
Owners found them selves with cars that they had paid top dollar for but overnight they were stuck with, unless they were prepared to accept a huge loss .
A good car in need of a good engine. You hurriedly upsized K series wasn't man enough in 1800 form and had a habit of eating head gaskets, and while the KV6’s were smooth, they lacked torque, had an i****ic three timing belt arrangement that was very costly to replace and thus ignored. The diesels were gutless and grumbly plus they’d lunch their timing chain if neglected. If only they’d built the 600/800 replacement based on the Honda Accord instead of a cobbled together parts bin special.
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A good car in need of a good engine. You hurriedly upsized K series wasn't man enough in 1800 form and had a habit of eating head gaskets, and while the KV6’s were smooth, they lacked torque, had an i****ic three timing belt arrangement that was very costly to replace and thus ignored. The diesels were gutless and grumbly plus they’d lunch their timing chain if neglected. If only they’d built the 600/800 replacement based on the Honda Accord instead of a cobbled together parts bin special.
Yes the early diesels with the 114 BHP engines were sluggish but the later versions with the 129 BHP engine also had 221 lb/ft of torque which made them fairly quick. Another of my company cars for 7 months when I changed jobs, and I quite liked it, although it was under-geared at motorway speeds, having 5 gears and was pulling almost 3000 RPM at 85.
The 1.8 petrol really was sluggish and even more low geared.
The sweet spot was the 2.0 V6, I had an early one on extended test drive, but discounted it when a gentle cross country journey gave just 30 MPG, where my A6 1.8T would have easily done 36+
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I had an MG ZT-T with the KV6. It had very flimsy cupholders but was otherwise a lovely thing. The engine felt fine to me, but it did have a few quirks to keep you up at night. As I recall, the ECU (or something else important) was in the plenum under the windscreen, which had a tiny drain that could easily clog up with leaves and drown the electrics Most people modified the plenum with a little inspection hole that you could use to poke a skewer down and through the leaves.
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I will nominate the Calibra. Very attractive styling but underneath just a Cavalier so not great through the twisties.
Weren’t sporty to drive at all, but were hugely practical for a coupe. Think of it as a sporty looking Cavalier and it makes sense. An easy sale unless it was a base model 8v on steels. A good car, but not a great one in my opinion.
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I will nominate the Calibra. Very attractive styling but underneath just a Cavalier so not great through the twisties.
Weren’t sporty to drive at all, but were hugely practical for a coupe. Think of it as a sporty looking Cavalier and it makes sense. An easy sale unless it was a base model 8v on steels. A good car, but not a great one in my opinion.
My dad had a 4wd turbo as a company car (based on my advice as a 16 year old!). It wasn't amazing and not at all refined, but it was b***** quick
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I had a Mazda Xedos 9 for a while. That was an incredibly good car but never sold well. They marketed it as a Merc/BMW/Jag alternative but the interior was miles off. If it had been a Mondeo/Vectra challenger it might have done well (Mazda 6 well, not market dominance).
Bad cars that sell well; the aforementioned Nissan Joke and Qashqai, pretty much every Ford From the 1980s to 1990s, the original Suzuki Vitara, all Jaguars since the 70s. Maybe a bit harsh on the 70s and 80s British built cars, but I can still feel the vinyl burns on my legs from summer in shorts. I was amazed when I drove a Citroen C3 Aircross a couple of years ago. Absolute garbage.
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Seems to me that the consensus is that a car doesn't have to be 'Good' to sell well, or vice versa. Presumably this shows a lot of it may be brand loyalty or perhaps clever adverts ?
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One to make you all laugh.
The Korando. Not a bad car but not a success.
There are only 6 brand new ones available in dealers and some of them discounted.
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It can't recall Rover 75 diesels ever lunching many timing chains. The diesel was a bit slow in early versions (but competitive with the class norm when launched) and was better once updated to I think about 130bhp.
On the whole the diesel was the best and usually most reliable. They had a habit of thermostats failing and clutch slave cylinders were weak but they were pretty decent for the time.
Edited by pd on 29/01/2025 at 08:02
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It can't recall Rover 75 diesels ever lunching many timing chains. The diesel was a bit slow in early versions (but competitive with the class norm when launched) and was better once updated to I think about 130bhp.
On the whole the diesel was the best and usually most reliable. They had a habit of thermostats failing and clutch slave cylinders were weak but they were pretty decent for the time.
Well known problem with BMW’s 2.0 4cyl diesels, whether it be in a BM, Toyota or Rover 75. Neglect and abuse are often to blame.
Edited by SLO76 on 29/01/2025 at 08:09
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Maybe if really neglected but the M47 had a pretty chunky chain which was probably as reliable as any timing chain equipped engine.
The same couldn't be said for the N47 which came after it.
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One to make you all laugh.
The Korando. Not a bad car but not a success.
There are only 6 brand new ones available in dealers and some of them discounted.
You are aware that Ssangyong is now KGM?
I ask because there are 28 brand new ones (Korando's) listed on Autotrader.
11 of those are discounted, ranging from £650 to £3k off (presumably) list price.
Edited by badbusdriver on 29/01/2025 at 08:09
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Seems to me that the consensus is that a car doesn't have to be 'Good' to sell well, or vice versa. Presumably this shows a lot of it may be brand loyalty or perhaps clever adverts ?
I doubt brand loyalty features much, brand desirability maybe. People want Audi's, BMW's, Merc's, and Range Rover's, doesn't really matter whether or not they are good cars, its the image that counts.
Then you've also got the lazy or convenience buyers, who don't really care what they drive but don't want to travel any further than necessary for servicing or whatever. They will get something from whichever dealer is closest, regardless of whether the car is any good.
And you also have those who don't have much money to spend but must have a new car. It may no longer be the case that cheap cars were nasty cars (though actually there aren't really any cheap cars any more), but it used to be the case. I remember my Grandad trading in his Hillman Hunter for a brand new Lada Riva and him ending up really hating it and proclaiming that his old Hunter was a much better car!.
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I ask because there are 28 brand new ones (Korando's) listed on Autotrader.
11 of those are discounted, ranging from £650 to £3k off (presumably) list price.
Mea Culpa. I had only searched for Manual gearbox
Still £10.000 less than a Sportage or Cashcow.
www.autotrader.co.uk/car-search?advertising-locati...w
Believe it or not I am aware that Ssangyong is now KGM.
Edited by Orb>>. on 29/01/2025 at 08:38
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Mea Culpa. I had only searched for Manual gearbox
That has little to do with the make, it is because so few buyers of anything other than small cars want a manual gearbox.
About the only similar sized car with a manual gearbox I can find brand new on Autotrader in reasonable numbers is the Nissan Qashqai with 160 listed. Then a big drop to the Skoda Karoq with 55, Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage with 31 and 27 respectively
Only 8 Seat Ateca's and 7 Vauxhall Grandland's, but no manual Peugeot 3008's, Citroen C5 Aircross' or even MG ZS' listed.
Still £10.000 less than a Sportage or Cashcow.
Cheapest manual Korando listed is £23,495. Cheapest manual alternative?, Qashqai is £24,566, Karoq (1.5) £25k, Sportage £25,775
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The Jaguar X type was launched with a big budget advert featuring Sting and the song “ An Englishman in New York” Perfect ! But in reality things didn’t get off to a good start with failures including gearboxes.
Rust was a major problem with most cars rotting badly behind the plastic sill covers.
I still however love the styling, wooden dash and cream leather seats. Most have disappeared into a heap of rust but it doesn’t stop me wanting one before they all disappear !
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The Jaguar X type was launched with a big budget advert featuring Sting and the song “ An Englishman in New York” Perfect ! But in reality things didn’t get off to a good start with failures including gearboxes.
Rust was a major problem with most cars rotting badly behind the plastic sill covers.
I still however love the styling, wooden dash and cream leather seats. Most have disappeared into a heap of rust but it doesn’t stop me wanting one before they all disappear !
I wasn't a fan of the X Type saloon, I don't think the pseudo XJ styling workd on a car with that proportions, makes it look dumpy IMO. Didn't mind the estate though, I felt it was a more balanced looking thing.
Not that rare yet though, 127 of them listed on Autotrader!
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I quite liked the idea of the X Type but, as soon as people cottoned on to it being a more expensive and slightly cramped Mondeo, they lost interest.
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One to make you all laugh. The Korando. Not a bad car but not a success..
I don't think there are many 21st-century cars that could be called Bad in 20th-century terms, but there will always be a spectrum, usually depending on the originator's personal preferences, or defined by intermittent surveys of failure rates.
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One to make you all laugh. The Korando. Not a bad car but not a success..
I don't think there are many 21st-century cars that could be called Bad in 20th-century terms, but there will always be a spectrum, usually depending on the originator's personal preferences, or defined by intermittent surveys of failure rates.
Ssangyong / KGM have carved our a real niche for cars that are perfectly good but so resolutely ugly that nobody will buy them. See also Fiat Multipla.
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One to make you all laugh. The Korando. Not a bad car but not a success..
I don't think there are many 21st-century cars that could be called Bad in 20th-century terms, but there will always be a spectrum, usually depending on the originator's personal preferences, or defined by intermittent surveys of failure rates.
Ssangyong / KGM have carved our a real niche for cars that are perfectly good but so resolutely ugly that nobody will buy them.
Maybe with past models, most notably the Rodius, but hasn't been the case for a while now. The styling of the current lineup is pretty much anonymous, cover the badges up and the Tivoli and Korando could be anything.
See also Fiat Multipla.
I remain a huge fan of the Multipla (including its looks), such a brilliantly practical design. Light and airy interior thanks to the huge glass area and that genius 6 seat layout (when I was a kid I'd have absolutely loved to sit up front between Mum and Dad!). So much better than pretty much all SUV's (IMO). Unfortunately its looks were just too "out there" for the majority of buyers.
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One to make you all laugh. The Korando. Not a bad car but not a success..
I don't think there are many 21st-century cars that could be called Bad in 20th-century terms, but there will always be a spectrum, usually depending on the originator's personal preferences, or defined by intermittent surveys of failure rates.
Ssangyong / KGM have carved our a real niche for cars that are perfectly good but so resolutely ugly that nobody will buy them.
Maybe with past models, most notably the Rodius, but hasn't been the case for a while now. The styling of the current lineup is pretty much anonymous, cover the badges up and the Tivoli and Korando could be anything.
In the eye of the beholder and all that, but they are both fairly unpleasant to my eye. Not Rodius bad, certainly but kind of hea***-like for some reason. Anyway, it seems that ugly cars are all the rage these days, so maybe their time has come.
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