So THAT’S why they call it a test drive
Anyone reading my gushing long termer reports on my dearly departed Clio 197 Cup will have seen this coming but I’m now in the process of seeing through my threat of laying my own cash down on something fast and Clio shaped.
By Tom the gaffer 16/01/2009 01:00
I don’t quite have the funds for a new one but I’ve always liked the previous shape 172s and 182s and the hardcore appeal of the 172 Cup has always been strong. So here I am, out of my press car comfort zone and on the brink of actually spending some money on a car. And it’s a scary business, especially when said car tries to kill you on the test drive.
Testing the brakes on a Clio I tried yesterday revealed a pull to the kerb so strong the car nearly spat me off the road. I pointed this out to salesman when I got back from the test drive and he promised it would be MOT’d and serviced before being sold but the fact it was on his forecourt at all in this condition is a bit frightening. Still, that’s why they call it a test drive!
So I won’t be buying that one then. But I’m looking at a couple over the weekend that look more promising and it’s given me a chance to try out the Autocheck service you can find on the MSN Cars homepage. You simply put the registration details of the car you’re hoping to buy into it and it comes back with an instant report to clarify its identity and warn you of any outstanding finance or whether it’s been crashed or stolen. £25 lets you check five cars and is well worth it for the peace of mind. The car I’m looking at has come up clean so looks promising. Fingers crossed it doesn’t try to kill me either!
Dan
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Links:
Clio Cup farewell report
Clio 172 Cup road test
Autocheck
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Testing the brakes on a Clio I tried yesterday revealed a pull to the kerb so strong the car nearly spat me off the road. I pointed this out to salesman when I got back from the test drive and he promised it would be MOT’d and serviced before being sold but the fact it was on his forecourt at all in this condition is a bit frightening. Still, that’s why they call it a test drive!
So I won’t be buying that one then. But I’m looking at a couple over the weekend that look more promising and it’s given me a chance to try out the Autocheck service you can find on the MSN Cars homepage. You simply put the registration details of the car you’re hoping to buy into it and it comes back with an instant report to clarify its identity and warn you of any outstanding finance or whether it’s been crashed or stolen. £25 lets you check five cars and is well worth it for the peace of mind. The car I’m looking at has come up clean so looks promising. Fingers crossed it doesn’t try to kill me either!
Dan
---
Links:
Clio Cup farewell report
Clio 172 Cup road test
Autocheck
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About Richard
Richard AucockSo committed to car journalism he is Guild Chairman of the Guild of Motoring Writers. He has been writing about cars since he was 15 and is living the dream.
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