From A to B: Tales of Modern Motoring

[BlackPrince]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQsMFQZa8os

A BBC documentary from 1993 on reps and their (fetishization of their) cars.

"For some reason, having an ‘i’ on the car’s badge—usually referring to the fact that the car has fuel injection—is a huge deal to these guys. One guy even called it “the ‘i’ factor.” With a straight face.

There’s a guy here who thinks map pockets are very important." [from http://jalopnik.com/this-uk-documentary-about-comp...

[Charlie Michael]

I was just watching this documentary. The Maestro guy was so pissed off!

I'm still not sure if it is a brilliant bit of film-making satire or if these people actually existed.

[T0MMY]

Very entertaining, thanks for the link Monumental A-holes abound.

[essIII]

Highly amusing so far.

At 10:23 is that a milk truck harassing the Rover (maybe?!) estate?

[JimbobVFR]

Satirised brilliantly by Steve Coogan with his Gareth Cheeseman character and also to a certain extent with Alan Partridge.

[Noesph]

I remember watching this on bbc four a few years ago (although the one about first cars). Its somehow very dull, but you can't turn away.

[MajorMantra]

This is amazing.

[T0MMY]

It does nothing to dispel my rather unkind preconceptions of salesmen These people could not be more different to me in the way they think...it's absolutely fascinating.

[PHmember]

I remember watching this ages ago, it's both cringe & comedy gold.

I remember one of them banging on about the letters on the car like LX or CDI (hazy memory) & saying that he wouldn't pull across to let someone in an inferior model passed on the motorway. Complete & utter bellend.

[Impasse]

Noesph said:

I remember watching this on bbc four a few years ago (although the one about first cars). Its somehow very dull, but you can't turn away.

I remember watching it the first time around. I thought they were all dicks back then. Thing is, has much changed today?

[retrorider]

Shame they never followed it up a decade later which was referenced in the episode with the young drivers.

[cptsideways]

I'm sure this was the program that was on when we first moved into our house, remember watching it whilst decorating. I'm sure its actors.

[Ari]

This is brilliant!

This bloke IS Pistonheads.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPBpktyYBnY

[T0MMY]

Impasse said:

I remember watching it the first time around. I thought they were all dicks back then. Thing is, has much changed today?

Nope, but the fact that just about anyone with a job can afford to lease a sparkling new white Audi makes it harder to demonstrate your wealth and superiority unless you really are very rich indeed

No idea what it's like in the world of sales jobs but for my company, the car choices are more around trying to give the right impression from an environmental point of view and trying not to make it look like the company wastes money on frivolities. Not even the Directors (and this is one of the largest companies in the UK) get anything remotely special or sporty. In fact they get the same car as us technical people and managers, but can get the Estate version just to introduce a slight hierarchy.

[cptsideways]

Ari said:

This is brilliant!

This bloke IS Pistonheads.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPBpktyYBnY

Man maths

[IntriguedUser]

PHmember said:

I remember watching this ages ago, it's both cringe & comedy gold.

I remember one of them banging on about the letters on the car like LX or CDI (hazy memory) & saying that he wouldn't pull across to let someone in an inferior model passed on the motorway. Complete & utter bellend.

I just watched lol!

Insane, but he looked dead serious, no emotion at all! He was talking about if the bumper was the same colour as the car then it meant it was colour coded, which mean it was the gli instead of GL

[tumble dryer]

cptsideways said:

Ari said:

This is brilliant!

This bloke IS Pistonheads.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPBpktyYBnY

Man maths

It begs the obvious questions though...

How many (or few) of us consult our other half on the choice of vehicle in
A, a single car family?
B, your 'own' car? (Given your other half has their own.)

[lightthefuse]

I remember watching this first time round... age is most definitely catching up with me!