Just picked up my courtesy car.
Discussion
A Kia Rio 
After a small accident at some traffic lights (It was my fault because she isn't a fast driver, according to the young lady that hit me, despite the fact I was stationary at a red light), my car has just gone to a local body shop to have the rear bumper repaired. I picked up this abomination of a car about an hour ago and it's made me think, does anyone actually buy these for themselves? And why?
Upon entering the 'driving' seat, I was greeted by a rock hard seat with adjustments designed by someone who had clearly never been in a car before. Now I'm not a 7 foot tall MMA champion like most people, I'm a mere 6'2", but I struggled to get the seat into a 'that'll do' position. On to the mirrors. Why anyone would even consider fitting some kind of concave rear view mirror, where things appear to move towards you depending on where you move your head, is beyond me.
So I started the car, at least I think I did, a glance at the rev counter confirmed it had actually started. I decided I would make sure I knew where the clutch bite point was before moving off, so I slot it into reverse. Forget bolt action rifles and precision engineering. Changing gear in this car is awful, not just a bit rubbish, truly awful. A gear stick that feels like it began life inside a Christmas cracker doesn't help matters.
I lift up my left foot, nothing. This car is a 60 plate, it's only a few months old, yet the clutch bite point is so high I actually have to lift my foot off of the floor for the clutch to bite. The revs start to drop as I find where the bite point is. Then suddenly, without warning and after I've dipped the clutch again the car revs itself! Some kind of anti-stall I'm lead to believe. Not just a little bit either, enough that the bloke in the nearby garage looks and laughs. 'Look at that idiot, trying to race around in his hatchback' I'm sure he's thinking to himself.
By this point I'm considering handing the keys back and walking the 10 miles home, but I figure I must soldier on, battle it out with this car and return home victorious. It's also really cold out today. I get the car to the exit junction of the garage and indicate left, only after turning the wipers on mind. Shortly after stopping an elderly woman in a fiesta flashes me (quiet at the back, I mean her lights). I crawl out with the engine screaming at me, no wonder the clutch is knackered already.
Joining the M4 was hilarious. Used to a bit of diesel grunt I was in 4th, after wrestling the car down the slip road at 50mph, ready to slot in behind a lorry. So I put my foot down, nothing, actually nothing. I stir the gearbox around a bit and get 3rd gear, it gets a bit louder, but still nothing. Luckily people had seen me travelling down the slip road in this steel wheeled monstrosity of a car and had moved right, allowing me to join the motorway.
As I go to move right to over take the lorry I notice a warning light telling me I should be in fifth gear. I'm sorry, but having a passenger that 'tut's' every time you round a corner with a bit of va va voom is one of the single most annoying things on this planet for me. So imagine the temperature of my urine when the car itself starts telling me how to drive. Boiling.
I just wanted to get home now, I'd forgotten everything about rental cars being the fastest cars around and was driving like I had a DSA examiner sat beside me. So imagine my surprise when the car starts to under steer like a crazed baboon towards the curb at a roundabout, with the tyres squealing. All at the frankly anti-social speed of 12mph... give or take.
I arrive home, safe. Lock the car and announce to myself 'That is the single worst car I've ever been in'.
So, back to my original question. Does anyone actually buy one of these things for themselves, with their own hard earned cash?
Give me an older car any day.
After a small accident at some traffic lights (It was my fault because she isn't a fast driver, according to the young lady that hit me, despite the fact I was stationary at a red light), my car has just gone to a local body shop to have the rear bumper repaired. I picked up this abomination of a car about an hour ago and it's made me think, does anyone actually buy these for themselves? And why?
Upon entering the 'driving' seat, I was greeted by a rock hard seat with adjustments designed by someone who had clearly never been in a car before. Now I'm not a 7 foot tall MMA champion like most people, I'm a mere 6'2", but I struggled to get the seat into a 'that'll do' position. On to the mirrors. Why anyone would even consider fitting some kind of concave rear view mirror, where things appear to move towards you depending on where you move your head, is beyond me.
So I started the car, at least I think I did, a glance at the rev counter confirmed it had actually started. I decided I would make sure I knew where the clutch bite point was before moving off, so I slot it into reverse. Forget bolt action rifles and precision engineering. Changing gear in this car is awful, not just a bit rubbish, truly awful. A gear stick that feels like it began life inside a Christmas cracker doesn't help matters.
I lift up my left foot, nothing. This car is a 60 plate, it's only a few months old, yet the clutch bite point is so high I actually have to lift my foot off of the floor for the clutch to bite. The revs start to drop as I find where the bite point is. Then suddenly, without warning and after I've dipped the clutch again the car revs itself! Some kind of anti-stall I'm lead to believe. Not just a little bit either, enough that the bloke in the nearby garage looks and laughs. 'Look at that idiot, trying to race around in his hatchback' I'm sure he's thinking to himself.
By this point I'm considering handing the keys back and walking the 10 miles home, but I figure I must soldier on, battle it out with this car and return home victorious. It's also really cold out today. I get the car to the exit junction of the garage and indicate left, only after turning the wipers on mind. Shortly after stopping an elderly woman in a fiesta flashes me (quiet at the back, I mean her lights). I crawl out with the engine screaming at me, no wonder the clutch is knackered already.
Joining the M4 was hilarious. Used to a bit of diesel grunt I was in 4th, after wrestling the car down the slip road at 50mph, ready to slot in behind a lorry. So I put my foot down, nothing, actually nothing. I stir the gearbox around a bit and get 3rd gear, it gets a bit louder, but still nothing. Luckily people had seen me travelling down the slip road in this steel wheeled monstrosity of a car and had moved right, allowing me to join the motorway.
As I go to move right to over take the lorry I notice a warning light telling me I should be in fifth gear. I'm sorry, but having a passenger that 'tut's' every time you round a corner with a bit of va va voom is one of the single most annoying things on this planet for me. So imagine the temperature of my urine when the car itself starts telling me how to drive. Boiling.
I just wanted to get home now, I'd forgotten everything about rental cars being the fastest cars around and was driving like I had a DSA examiner sat beside me. So imagine my surprise when the car starts to under steer like a crazed baboon towards the curb at a roundabout, with the tyres squealing. All at the frankly anti-social speed of 12mph... give or take.
I arrive home, safe. Lock the car and announce to myself 'That is the single worst car I've ever been in'.
So, back to my original question. Does anyone actually buy one of these things for themselves, with their own hard earned cash?
Give me an older car any day.
Two points.
- Despite being a new car, it's probably already been thrashed to death..
- Lots of people out there couldn't give a rats ass about styling, performance, "soul" and lots of other things that petrolheads do. Some people just want a car, that moves them from A to B, that is reasonably safe and reliable. And cheap.
Rueh said:
A Kia Rio
Does anyone actually buy one of these things for themselves, with their own hard earned 60 easy monthly payments?
EFA.Does anyone actually buy one of these things for themselves, with their own hard earned 60 easy monthly payments?
I do know what you mean, people buy s
te like that, yet they can spend the same amount of money, get a new car, and still end up with something reasonable. 
Nice write up. 
I do know someone who bought one under the scrappage scheme. Her old 106 was starting to get unreliable (not surprising considering she never had it serviced - I used to dread the "could you look at my car?" requests).
I've never had the pleasure of driving the Kia, but to her it's just a way of getting to the stables and to work with less chance of breaking down than the Pug.
Shame she leaves the front fogs on all the time "it makes me more visible on country lanes!"
I do know someone who bought one under the scrappage scheme. Her old 106 was starting to get unreliable (not surprising considering she never had it serviced - I used to dread the "could you look at my car?" requests).
I've never had the pleasure of driving the Kia, but to her it's just a way of getting to the stables and to work with less chance of breaking down than the Pug.
Shame she leaves the front fogs on all the time "it makes me more visible on country lanes!"
pmanson said:
We've got some Hyundai iSomething on the drive as a replacement while the police fingerprint ours.
I've not had the opportunity to 'test drive' it yet - I hope it's not as bad you describe
I've driven a brand new Hyundai iSomething, briefly. It was noticeably worse to drive than a bottom of the range diesel corsa.I've not had the opportunity to 'test drive' it yet - I hope it's not as bad you describe
Great write up, I feel you pain had similar experience in a courtesy car the other week, 10plate 1.4L Peugot 207. Could not believe the high clutch & took me a minute to figure out the light meant to change up!
Most amusing was the method the garage had for ascertaining the fuel in it when I took it away, girl looked at the range and wrote down "87miles worth" rather than 1/8th of a tank!
Most amusing was the method the garage had for ascertaining the fuel in it when I took it away, girl looked at the range and wrote down "87miles worth" rather than 1/8th of a tank!
HellDiver said:
I'm having difficulty with the OP's assertions that a 96hp car is that poorly performing. A 1.4 Focus is 80hp and they can join the motorway without killing the occupants.
96hp, really? My 75hp Renault Clio was noticeably faster than this Kia.AndyAudi said:
Most amusing was the method the garage had for ascertaining the fuel in it when I took it away, girl looked at the range and wrote down "87miles worth" rather than 1/8th of a tank!
This garage apparently runs a 'return empty' policy, what a great idea!doogz said:
We had a slightly older one as a rental car in Malta last year. As long as the car was rolling, you could pick a gear, between 1 and 3, and slot it into gear. Without the clutch. Downshifting though required double declutching or there was lots and lots of grinding.
Was it green? Dents on every panel and rented out by a lovely old man in Bugibba? If so, we hired the same wreck.doogz said:
Mr Gear said:
doogz said:
We had a slightly older one as a rental car in Malta last year. As long as the car was rolling, you could pick a gear, between 1 and 3, and slot it into gear. Without the clutch. Downshifting though required double declutching or there was lots and lots of grinding.
Was it green? Dents on every panel and rented out by a lovely old man in Bugibba? If so, we hired the same wreck.Yes, it was green, and yes, we rented it in Bugibba!
It was an utter shed, but we still had fun in it that day.
doogz said:
We had a slightly older one as a rental car in Malta last year. As long as the car was rolling, you could pick a gear, between 1 and 3, and slot it into gear. Without the clutch. Downshifting though required double declutching or there was lots and lots of grinding.
Thing is in Malta there are so many cars and the standard or driving/roads/signing is so appalling you need all the power possible to get out of the way of the locals.Went last year and had a 1.6 Zafira hire car. God it was so underpowered, even more so as I had to have the A/C on full all the time as it was so hot.
Went to pick up a hire bike with my mate who lives over there and on the way back it started to rain, well the roads turned into a skid pan within 5 mins with zero grip. I pulled out of a roundabout thinking I had loads of space but just span the front wheels hardly moving. I looked right and 3 cars were coming at me and looked like they had no intention of stopping. My mate whimpered something about dying. The front wheels managed to get some grip and we pulled away. The 3 cars missing us by a few feet. I think the locals see it as a bit of sport.
Sorry went O/T there.
GreatGranny said:
doogz said:
We had a slightly older one as a rental car in Malta last year. As long as the car was rolling, you could pick a gear, between 1 and 3, and slot it into gear. Without the clutch. Downshifting though required double declutching or there was lots and lots of grinding.
Thing is in Malta there are so many cars and the standard or driving/roads/signing is so appalling you need all the power possible to get out of the way of the locals.Went last year and had a 1.6 Zafira hire car. God it was so underpowered, even more so as I had to have the A/C on full all the time as it was so hot.
Went to pick up a hire bike with my mate who lives over there and on the way back it started to rain, well the roads turned into a skid pan within 5 mins with zero grip. I pulled out of a roundabout thinking I had loads of space but just span the front wheels hardly moving. I looked right and 3 cars were coming at me and looked like they had no intention of stopping. My mate whimpered something about dying. The front wheels managed to get some grip and we pulled away. The 3 cars missing us by a few feet. I think the locals see it as a bit of sport.
Sorry went O/T there.
I just returned a Toyota Igo curtsey car. Truly terminable in every sense, the worst thing was that my insurance company were fixing the car in Preston (close to my accident) and I live in Cambridge, this meant a 4 1/2 hour 60MPH drive in the Igo. This thing moves around in a light breeze.
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