Jump to content

Best courtesy car?


washerboy
 Share

Recommended Posts

So what's everyone's favourite or best courtesy car. Mine was a lexus i200 when I took my Nissan in for a service. It was at that time the flashest car I had ever driven. The worst was a toss up between a fiat 500 and a Ford ka, both truly awful. The ka I had long term and only drove it 90 miles around trip to the garage in Sheffield and besides that it sat on my driveway and I used the pushbike to get to work. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just before Christmas we had a brand new Audi A5, not an Audi fan myself and it handled like a dog but the auto box was nice when we had to make the 4+ round trip to Farnham.

I had a touran once when my golf when in for a service and my boy loved it because it was big and had trays in the back you could eat off 😂

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cant really think of the best as most courtesy cars are usually base models.When we had the Stype from Strathstones Jaguar they always tried to loan you 'like for like' so that was good.

However since they all started charging high excess in case of damage.Plus to put courtesy on your own insurance Involves an admin fee just makes it not worth the hassle. If car is going in for a service.I tend to either get the wife to follow me into the garage.Or I arrange the garage to just take me home.

When my MX 5 NC went in for 3 days work at Mazda they loaned me a new MX5 ND in 1.5 skyactive.What a **** car,I took it back the next morning and used my wifes Ignis for the period.

Edited by Davyo
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi there

About 30 years ago I was contacted by the local LR dealership and offered a test drive for an afternoon in  Range Rover, I explained that I couldn't afford one but they said   that my details had come from Head Office and that it was OK. 

So I said OK and as it was just before Christmas I went from SE London to East Sussex and had a nice winters ride and decided to get a real Christmas tree. It fitted nicely in the back with the seat down (wouldn't have gone in my Golf!!)

After around 3.5 hours I gave it back (with the shed pine needles in the back).

Never found out why I was chosen..  gift horse and all that!!

cheers 

Gdadphil

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Years ago my L322 Range Rover was lightly rear-ended in slow moving traffic during a torrential downpour. I got out to check that the poor woman on her Fiesta was ok. She was pretty shocked so I offered to wait with her whilst someone came to collect her. My Range Rover was barely marked but her car was crumpled. Gave her my details and carried on to my 9am meeting. By the time the meeting finished I had a voice mail from her insurance offering to collect my car for repair and provide a courtesy car. I hadn’t even considered a claim as it was so minor a collision. Car taken away on flat bed from the office car park without any hassle. I was pleased as punch until a tiny Hyundai hatchback turned up in luminous blue. No way would my dogs, 4 Guns and all of our kit fit in the car that weekend for the drive down to shoot. Called her insurance company and explained it wasn’t an acceptable replacement, they said that it was the best I would get. I just replied that was fine, please return my car today and I will arrange the repairs and hire vehicle myself then bill you for the cost. Suddenly they couldn’t be more helpful, if I could wait 2 hours I could have a brand new (3 miles on the clock) top of the range XC90 of the just released new model. It was an absolute dream, I kept it for four weeks and when I got my ‘rubbish old’ Range Rover back it was a worse step down than when the Hyundai had turned up! Wish I had never had the new car, it spoilt me! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had a Mazda CX-5 when my 3 was in for service. For the life of me I can't see the point. It's based on the 3 platform so there's no more usable space either inside or in the boot. All it's got is a bit more headroom and ground clearance. So you pay a £5K premium over the great handling 3 for a flabby SUV with no more space and no more gadgets. Why?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I’ve had a Range Rover Velar 300 HSE (pretty awesome 😎) as a courtesy car for past few weeks whilst my Evoque has been in for repair following a water leak from an ill fitted windscreen. I could get used to the luxury but wouldn’t chuck £70k into a vehicle.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

36 minutes ago, Westward said:

I had a Mazda CX-5 when my 3 was in for service. For the life of me I can't see the point. It's based on the 3 platform so there's no more usable space either inside or in the boot. All it's got is a bit more headroom and ground clearance. So you pay a £5K premium over the great handling 3 for a flabby SUV with no more space and no more gadgets. Why?

Same with the MX5 ND, they went backward, smaller than an already small car MX5 NC.This time no glove box at all and a boot with the corners cut off plus wafer thin paint.Think the salesman had a chat with service(to loan me an ND as courtesy) in the attempt to get me to trade in my NC.Terrible car, esp in the 1.5 Sky active, had to plant your foot in the carpet to get any response. Saying that however there is a 2 ltr, as they pointed out. But the car is just so ugly (reason for design was due to Alfa potentially sharing the same platform but Fiat partnered instead, i.e the 124 Spider) Mazda saw the plans for the ALFA, panicked and got it SO SO WRONG. I had test drove the 124 spider (put my name down for one)and it was 10 times the car the ND is, pity they withdrew due to emissions (order cancelled) ? Personally i think Madza had something to do with it, not purly down the emissions.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wife got a big Merc CLS coupe when someone ran in the back of the Audi. She loved it and wanted us to buy one as next car. Untill it snows and couldn't get off the drive which is nearly flat. Nice car but it put her off.

I usually end up with a roller skate sized offering.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

26 minutes ago, figgy said:

Wife got a big Merc CLS coupe when someone ran in the back of the Audi. She loved it and wanted us to buy one as next car. Untill it snows and couldn't get off the drive which is nearly flat. Nice car but it put her off.

I usually end up with a roller skate sized offering.

Same with the Stype,thankfully we always had a small car to use if a bit & I mean a bit of snow.Autos are really scary in the snow when creeping as once you tap that brake your a sledge.

Once had to leave the Stype parked up in Hart Village as it just slid I to the curb.Eventually the park brake jammed on.Susan rescued me in a little Renault Twingo.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had a BMW 3 series saloon as a courtesy car which went like stink! But couldn’t put the hound in the boot being a saloon so dog straight on the backseat.

Also has a Mazda 6 Estate which was also very nice, but thirsty, nothing to do with my driving style in a hire car of course 😇

Link to comment
Share on other sites

None of you have company cars do you? Ours are leased and as soon as the garage realise this and that they wont be making extra for adding special VW screenwash or Audi air to your tyres you will be lucky to get a courtesy car at all. I've taken in a Skoda Superb estate full of work stuff and been given a Skoda Citigo to drive from london to Bournemouth and back in.

Twice recently colleagues have taken in cars to find the prearranged car has been cancelled (given to more profitable customers).

The last time I was nearby so I offered to taxi my collegue around, I parked my new RAV4 outside and the Skoda new car sales lot asked me to move it because one of their customers had seen it and gone to the toyota dealership. I turned my good ear to the wall

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...