The MG4 EV is the Car of The Year in the Parkers New Car Awards 2024
- Thread starter Dustydog
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Two friends have them , and think they are great medium sized cars, getting good range on them I think 200 MBP( Miles Before Panic. ) 😅
There are numerous reviews in online car sites. By and large that car comes out well, as do equivalent models from BYD. The Chinese have arrived.
Don't be silly, they are B and B 'ers, they can afford it, they save on Diesel fuel and can afford Fish and Chips.
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I know I have made this point not too long ago, but I feel it's worth repeating.
We have seen how much cheaper some of these new cars from the far east are, and that hopefully will spur the legacy european manufacturers to look at reducing some of their prices to remain competitive. But for me that is only part of the consideration.
With the new brands from China appearing in the UK and some getting rave reviews from journalists for value for money, but how many of the reviews look into :-
How reliable the vehicles are?
How good is corrosion resistance.
Is the material used strong enough to resist bending if you lean on the vehicle?
What is the after sales service like?
How well are cars with problems supported?
Are spares easily and reliably available at reasonable costs?
There is insufficient data yet to answer most of the above.
We have seen how much cheaper some of these new cars from the far east are, and that hopefully will spur the legacy european manufacturers to look at reducing some of their prices to remain competitive. But for me that is only part of the consideration.
With the new brands from China appearing in the UK and some getting rave reviews from journalists for value for money, but how many of the reviews look into :-
How reliable the vehicles are?
How good is corrosion resistance.
Is the material used strong enough to resist bending if you lean on the vehicle?
What is the after sales service like?
How well are cars with problems supported?
Are spares easily and reliably available at reasonable costs?
There is insufficient data yet to answer most of the above.
Workmate fit factory towbar for bikes. Only rated for 500kg trailer. Good enough to move some furniture in hire trailer.
I bet you said the same things about Japanese motorbikes.
I think the same was said about Japanese cars in the 80's and Korean cars in the 90's. I wasn't around but I guess they said the same about French and German cars in the 50's/60's (they would have been right about French cars
)
I had a colleague who exchanged his Golf mk1 for a Datsun Cherry. They both suffered bad corrosion but the Datsun was reliable as it corroded 😂I think the same was said about Japanese cars in the 80's and Korean cars in the 90's. I wasn't around but I guess they said the same about French and German cars in the 50's/60's (they would have been right about French cars
Having had an Estelle as our first second car I’ve had most of them thrown in my direction. Caused quite a stir when I parked it in my reserved spot which was alongside the contractors senior management cars😂
It did every pass in the Lakes albeit slowly in first gear. Grand little car.
In about 1975 Corollas started appearing in South Africa and I had the panel van version as a company car. Although at the time I lived in Johannesburg many of them suffered from rust within 2 - 3 years.
I later moved down to Durban and my boss had the Corolla station wagon (Estate) as a company car. One day he got into the car and the driver's seat went straight through the floor onto the ground the rust was that bad. However by the mid eighties they had resolved the rust issues. They were a very popular company car as they were extremely reliable.
As a private vehicle we had the Datsun Cherry and it had more rust than bodywork. However when we sold it a couple years later, even with the rust we got back all our money. The buyer was only interested in the engine as the Datsun engine was very reliable.
FIL bought one of these new. The only way the less affluent could enjoy a new car. It proved to be a very reliable tough nut but no road burner
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They were right about early Japanese cars, they rusted far quicker than typical British cars of the day which were pretty poor - but the Japanese quickly learnt and improved things immeasurably. Early Korean cars were heavily criticised for their quirky styling to European eyes but gradually caught up and overtook the remaining British makers.I think the same was said about Japanese cars in the 80's and Korean cars in the 90's. I wasn't around but I guess they said the same about French and German cars in the 50's/60's (they would have been right about French cars
I don't recall they said the same about early German cars - the VW Beetle was renowned for its reliability and could be driven flat out all day on autobahn and early motorways, something that British cars have never managed.
Not forgetting the superbly engineered Alfa Romeos and Lancias built with junk Russian steel that rotted away before your eyes
Does any one recognise the car in the picture? We had a puncture in the middle of "war zone" and to get to the spare, we had to remove all the luggage out of the boot. I don't think I have ever changed a tyre so quick. Girlfriend at the time was standing guard with our rifle which only held five rounds.
Austin Apache - the South African-built version of the BMC 1100 - styled by Michelotti so some similarity to the Triumph Dolomite
....bought a new Datsun Cherry N10 estate in 1979 and sold it in 2000 with very little rust and with 130k miles on the clock.
Nobody that rode in it believed it was only 988 cc!
The body was undersealed and regularly treated with Supertrol anti rust fluid.
Transported a family of 4 and camping gear all over GB and France....totally reliable.
A new clutch could be fitted in little over an hour via the bonnet opening !
Nobody that rode in it believed it was only 988 cc!
The body was undersealed and regularly treated with Supertrol anti rust fluid.
Transported a family of 4 and camping gear all over GB and France....totally reliable.
A new clutch could be fitted in little over an hour via the bonnet opening !
Correct and it was a brilliant little car. We traveled all over Southern Africa with it going from Durban to Cape Town, then on to the Victoria Falls, through game reserves and all the way to Kariba and then back down to Durban. Took about 6 months to get home back to Durban. We both managed to get temporary jobs and free accommodation house sitting. Fuel in the late '70s was very expensive at about $0.50 a gallon!
No I didn't because I was never into motorbikes, but certainly I had similar concerns about Japanese and korean cars when they first arrived in the UK, and rightly so. They simply had not understood the UK climate, and the result is they suffered rust. Even worse than many of the indigenous brands of the day.
The point is the issues I highlighted take time to develop a historic record, and without that record I have learned to be wary before jumping.
In case you cant remember some of my older posts, I settled into using Saab's and having had five over 30 years I appreciated the solidity and driving position they offer which few other brands seem to match even to day.
I miss Saab.....
George Turnbull ex BMC and his team aggressively examined and helped Hyundai introduce their Pony in 1982. It was the forerunner of the 24/7 taxi in the UK out of London. Look at Kia and parent Hyundai now.
No question moving to a Japanese motorbike in the late 60s was like going from a DC3 to Concord
No question moving to a Japanese motorbike in the late 60s was like going from a DC3 to Concord
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