I couldn't believe my eyes the other day. I saw a 56 reg Focus - virtually brand new as far as I'm concerned - drive by me in an absolutely terrible state. Rubbish was piled up to the roof in the back of the car and the exterior was filthy, the front bumper had a chunk missing from the bottom and there were dents and scrapes all over the front wing and driver's door. The alloys were absolutely wrecked from kerbing. Whoever's responsible for the upkeep of that car ought to be ashamed of themselves.
It is not the first time, I've seen a few new cars go buy me that are in such poor condition my old banger puts them to shame. If you don't care about the car, why buy an expensive, shiny new one in the first place?
|
Company car probably? Fleet vehicle; nobody responsible for its upkeep?
And people wonder why an mot is needed after 3 years too !
|
|
Surely a company wouldn't let an employee wreck a car to that extent. That car is worth thousands less than the book price as is and would probably cost a thousand pounds plus to make it look half decent again. A lease company wouldn't have it back in that state I don't think! Or maybe someone is just so rich that they can just afford to let a new car make a quick transition to worthlessness.
Edited by pendulum on 21/05/2008 at 20:28
|
We still live in a land of plenty, for the time being at least.
I bet the keeper of this car wouldn't let it get into that state if he had to wait six or nine months to get it.
|
I have a cousin who works for a major UK company and has had company cars for the past 20 years or so. All treated very badly. Not sure what the 'rules and regs' are, but he seems to get away with it.
I was with him one time when we were stuck in a traffic queue on a dual carriageway which had a kerb and narrow median strip to the other side. He got fed up with the queue and simpy drove up and over the kerb and down the other side onto the other carriageway!
Another time I went with him to pick up a garden statue which he promptly threw along the back seat, without any covering or protection.
It amazes me that people on here recommend ex-fleet cars, I would never ever treat my own car in the same way.
|
|
|
|
|
I don't think this is that uncommon unfortunately. It does amaze me why these people change their cars every 3-5 years with brand new ones though. Why get a brand new car if you're going to trash it within a week.
|
|
|
If you don't care about the car, why buy an expensive, shiny new one in the first place?
It one of those things that I find really odd but it doesn't just apply to cars. Have been looking at houses recently and surprising how many people let their property deteriorate through lack of the most basic maintenance or care. I guess its a combination of laziness and lack of self respect
|
If you don't care about the car, why buy an expensive, shiny new one in the first place?
Some people look on a car purely as something to be driven, and not as something to be washed, polished and otherwise nurtured. If I was a millionaire I probably wouldn't bother about the state of my car as much as I do now. When it became too bad I would probably just scrap it and buy another ~ a bit like Michael Carroll, self-proclaimed King of Chavs I suppose. If you've got it, flaunt it.
Edited by L'escargot on 22/05/2008 at 08:24
|
|
|
|
Mate of mine has a company car - alloys scraped due to high rise old stone kerbing in his road (Nightmare to avoid, I've tried) - Rubbish he tidies it out occasionally but lots of travelling plus Kids using it to go down the beach in means debris soon piles up in car very quickly.
Scrapes and dents - Parks outside in a rat run street where cars are solidly parked both sides in a narrowish street or when left at business hotels. Most scrapes happened when he was not in the car .
Filthy state - 2 days travelling if it is slightly wet along motorway will easiliy do this.
He travels so much that often is only home at weekend so does not want to spend that time cleaning car every time.
Saying that it is probably not as bad as the car described in Original post.
|
|
Observations of colleagues and employees over several decades of company-car use have convinced me that the attitude to and treatment of the company car is entirely consistent with the attitude brought to the job as a whole. As ever, behaviour with cars is merely a manifestation of the intrinsic nature of the individual. Having inherited one company car from a departing colleague, I'm proud that the company mechanic said it was in better condition when turned in than when it was given to me, and that wasn't for lack of use as at times I was doing over 30k a year.
|
|
|
|
