X50 test drive
Discussion
Well, such as it was anyhow. The OPC guy drove it (slowly) half the route and it was almost completely B road work.
I won't mention any names but I went to try out an 04 X50 Saturday. It was a bit quicker than my regular turbo but not stonkingly so as far as I could make out on the test drive, but somehow it didn't seem as "perky" if you see what I mean. I certainly wasn't disappointed on the 140 mile trip home in my car. The big advantage of this car was stability over ruts etc and grip -- it had michelin pilots compared with my pirellis. Even with the extra grunt it hardly wheelspun at all wheras I was johnny sideways several times in similar conditions. I'll get booked into somewhere for geometry since that was last done over two years ago, and might improve stability now that I know it can be improved.
Considering the car was 04 compared with my 02, I was extremely underwhelmed at the preparation -- especially at an OPC. The grey interior was grubby and it had quite a whiff to it, and I don't think it looked half as shiny as my midnight blue/swissol. New brakes and tyres were a nice touch though.
They totally wanted to rape me over my trade in though -- offering at least 12k below retail for my low mileage mint car while asking good money for their high mileage/well used example. Apparently because they always have to spend a fortune preparing turbos (like all that money they'd spent valeting their car, not). The salesman reckoned they have to budget for things like RMS which often needs doing (!!!) , and other "warranty work".
Now forgive me but didn't I pony up almost a grand last January to make sure that warranty work doesn't cost me anything? Plus if nothing was mentioned in the major service (which it wasn't) where does all this money get spent? He didn't even look at the report from July's service, preferring instead to "guess" that work was needed.
On reflection, the car seemed an improvement over mine in stability which I can easily and cheaply match, and probably usefully quicker than mine on faster roads but at the cost of losing some of its responsiveness. I know their car was properly run in since its previous owner was a famous professional racing driver, so I reckon engine wise this one would be as good as you can get.
Defintely time to go the private sale/purchase route if this is an example of OPC sales.
SM
I won't mention any names but I went to try out an 04 X50 Saturday. It was a bit quicker than my regular turbo but not stonkingly so as far as I could make out on the test drive, but somehow it didn't seem as "perky" if you see what I mean. I certainly wasn't disappointed on the 140 mile trip home in my car. The big advantage of this car was stability over ruts etc and grip -- it had michelin pilots compared with my pirellis. Even with the extra grunt it hardly wheelspun at all wheras I was johnny sideways several times in similar conditions. I'll get booked into somewhere for geometry since that was last done over two years ago, and might improve stability now that I know it can be improved.
Considering the car was 04 compared with my 02, I was extremely underwhelmed at the preparation -- especially at an OPC. The grey interior was grubby and it had quite a whiff to it, and I don't think it looked half as shiny as my midnight blue/swissol. New brakes and tyres were a nice touch though.
They totally wanted to rape me over my trade in though -- offering at least 12k below retail for my low mileage mint car while asking good money for their high mileage/well used example. Apparently because they always have to spend a fortune preparing turbos (like all that money they'd spent valeting their car, not). The salesman reckoned they have to budget for things like RMS which often needs doing (!!!) , and other "warranty work".
Now forgive me but didn't I pony up almost a grand last January to make sure that warranty work doesn't cost me anything? Plus if nothing was mentioned in the major service (which it wasn't) where does all this money get spent? He didn't even look at the report from July's service, preferring instead to "guess" that work was needed.
On reflection, the car seemed an improvement over mine in stability which I can easily and cheaply match, and probably usefully quicker than mine on faster roads but at the cost of losing some of its responsiveness. I know their car was properly run in since its previous owner was a famous professional racing driver, so I reckon engine wise this one would be as good as you can get.
Defintely time to go the private sale/purchase route if this is an example of OPC sales.
SM
Edited by supermono on Monday 27th November 06:52
supermono said:
Well, such as it was anyhow. The OPC guy drove it (slowly) half the route and it was almost completely B road work.
I won't mention any names but I went to try out an 04 X50 Saturday. It was a bit quicker than my regular turbo but not stonkingly so as far as I could make out on the test drive, but somehow it didn't seem as "perky" if you see what I mean. I certainly wasn't disappointed on the 140 mile trip home in my car. The big advantage of this car was stability over ruts etc and grip -- it had michelin pilots compared with my pirellis. Even with the extra grunt it hardly wheelspun at all wheras I was johnny sideways several times in similar conditions. I'll get booked into somewhere for geometry since that was last done over two years ago, and might improve stability now that I know it can be improved.
Considering the car was 04 compared with my 02, I was extremely underwhelmed at the preparation -- especially at an OPC. The grey interior was grubby and it had quite a whiff to it, and I don't think it looked half as shiny as my midnight blue/swissol. New brakes and tyres were a nice touch though.
They totally wanted to rape me over my trade in though -- offering at least 12k below retail for my low mileage mint car while asking good money for their high mileage/well used example. Apparently because they always have to spend a fortune preparing turbos (like all that money they'd spent valeting their car, not). The salesman reckoned they have to budget for things like RMS which often needs doing (!!!) , and other "warranty work".
Now forgive me but didn't I pony up almost a grand last January to make sure that warranty work doesn't cost me anything? Plus if nothing was mentioned in the major service (which it wasn't) where does all this money get spent? He didn't even look at the report from July's service, preferring instead to "guess" that work was needed.
On reflection, the car seemed an improvement over mine in stability which I can easily and cheaply match, and probably usefully quicker than mine on faster roads but at the cost of losing some of its responsiveness. I know their car was properly run in since its previous owner was a famous professional racing driver, so I reckon engine wise this one would be as good as you can get.
Defintely time to go the private sale/purchase route if this is an example of OPC sales.
SM
As i have consistently said on this forum you have to buy/sell privately to avoid the overwhelming desire to grab the car dealer by the throat when he makes ridiculous criticism of your car and bigs up the piece of crap he is trying to sell you 20% dearer than it is worth.It amazes me that people still expect anything other than a rip-off from these people,they are just dealing on book value commodities have no passion for the cars and half of them dont even know what the product well either.Like your sales guy quoting the 'rms' issue on the tt..hardly a major,common problem on a tt and that would have got me walking straight away...having said that i would have taken the x50 for a good caning firstI won't mention any names but I went to try out an 04 X50 Saturday. It was a bit quicker than my regular turbo but not stonkingly so as far as I could make out on the test drive, but somehow it didn't seem as "perky" if you see what I mean. I certainly wasn't disappointed on the 140 mile trip home in my car. The big advantage of this car was stability over ruts etc and grip -- it had michelin pilots compared with my pirellis. Even with the extra grunt it hardly wheelspun at all wheras I was johnny sideways several times in similar conditions. I'll get booked into somewhere for geometry since that was last done over two years ago, and might improve stability now that I know it can be improved.
Considering the car was 04 compared with my 02, I was extremely underwhelmed at the preparation -- especially at an OPC. The grey interior was grubby and it had quite a whiff to it, and I don't think it looked half as shiny as my midnight blue/swissol. New brakes and tyres were a nice touch though.
They totally wanted to rape me over my trade in though -- offering at least 12k below retail for my low mileage mint car while asking good money for their high mileage/well used example. Apparently because they always have to spend a fortune preparing turbos (like all that money they'd spent valeting their car, not). The salesman reckoned they have to budget for things like RMS which often needs doing (!!!) , and other "warranty work".
Now forgive me but didn't I pony up almost a grand last January to make sure that warranty work doesn't cost me anything? Plus if nothing was mentioned in the major service (which it wasn't) where does all this money get spent? He didn't even look at the report from July's service, preferring instead to "guess" that work was needed.
On reflection, the car seemed an improvement over mine in stability which I can easily and cheaply match, and probably usefully quicker than mine on faster roads but at the cost of losing some of its responsiveness. I know their car was properly run in since its previous owner was a famous professional racing driver, so I reckon engine wise this one would be as good as you can get.
Defintely time to go the private sale/purchase route if this is an example of OPC sales.
SM
Edited by supermono on Monday 27th November 06:52
KayC said:
As i have consistently said on this forum you have to buy/sell privately to avoid the overwhelming desire to grab the car dealer by the throat when he makes ridiculous criticism of your car and bigs up the piece of crap he is trying to sell you 20% dearer than it is worth.It amazes me that people still expect anything other than a rip-off from these people,they are just dealing on book value commodities have no passion for the cars and half of them dont even know what the product well either.Like your sales guy quoting the 'rms' issue on the tt..hardly a major,common problem on a tt and that would have got me walking straight away...having said that i would have taken the x50 for a good caning first
Nail hit on head kayc.
SM, the bigger turbos on the X50 are a bit "laggier" but they need some proper heat energy in them to reduce this to a minimum. Remember the cars ECU is adaptive as well, so if its been driven gently around town for any length of time this will excacerbate the problem.
Driving around B roads with a salesman sitting next to you isn't conducive to getting the turbos roasting nicely.
As kayc says, sell privately but be prepared for the waiting by the phone,tyrekickers etc. That's what you're paying to avoid when you go the PX route (well that and the carefully practiced BS you've heard, the cheap aftershave, nasty suits, the attractive laydeeez on reception
oh, and the coffee, toffee and biscuits too ! And last but not least, their profit !!! 
Well like I said the car was owned by a professional racing driver cum TV presenter, so I don't think it's been pussied around with New brakes, disks and tyres suggested the same...
Agreed re B roads but I didn't let the salesman's presence effect my style too much
The RMS jibe was unforgivable though and just an indicator of the BS they employ to screw down the price.
SM
New brakes, disks and tyres suggested the same... Agreed re B roads but I didn't let the salesman's presence effect my style too much
The RMS jibe was unforgivable though and just an indicator of the BS they employ to screw down the price.
SM
supermono said:
Well like I said the car was owned by a professional racing driver cum TV presenter
SM
SM
Tiffany Dell or Jason Plotloss ? Either way I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole (on the other hand maybe if it's THEIR hard earned they don't donut/generally abuse them like they do in front of the camera)
Rather not say which it was.
I didn't know Tiffany Dell had a 911 turbo too. Actually I wouldn't let the fact that it was owned by a professional racing driver bother me much either way.
On an totally unrelated subject, they had Jason Plato's new 997tt parked out the back. Fine looking car. From the state of it he'd booked it in for a wash
Andy
I didn't know Tiffany Dell had a 911 turbo too. Actually I wouldn't let the fact that it was owned by a professional racing driver bother me much either way.
On an totally unrelated subject, they had Jason Plato's new 997tt parked out the back. Fine looking car. From the state of it he'd booked it in for a wash
Andy
supermono said:
On an totally unrelated subject, they had Jason Plato's new 997tt parked out the back. Fine looking car. From the state of it he'd booked it in for a wash
Andy
Not sure Tiffany did have a 996TT but it was mentioned on here (IIRC) that both were awaiting delivery of their new 997 TTs.
I took it as wrote that they both had 996s to PX.
Tiffany being a massive fan as I recall from his X50 roadtest on TG or 5th gear.
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