What a nice sunny day it was today. An ideal time to say, test drive an Audi TT.
I nipped to town to buy a spice mill today (for masala grinding) and saw so many cars on trade plates, presumably on test drives. I'd left my car on the road, and it was baking when I got back in, so I popped the windows down (still not used to AC!) Heading back home I pulled up at lights besides a TT on trade plates with a mid life crisis style guy in the driving seat (ie, a bit older and more balding than me) and a guy in a cheap suit in the passender seat. This particular set of lights is on a straight which is part of a dual carriageway, which oddly has another set of lights a bit further down the road, after which you get the usual roundabouts etc instead.
As it happens, my CD had just changed tracks, and the next track had a very quiet intro, allowing me to hear the conversation. The salesman is giving it large, and I thought he was quoting directly from True Lies or the Swiss Tony handbook:
(sic) "Of course, it's not just about the image and luxury, this car has huge amounts of power too. When the lights change, why don't you show this chavved up Clio what a real car can do."
I take mild exception to this, as my Clio is entirely original. Little Ruby at this point is warmed up, with a nicely run in engine and only me, 1/8 tank of petrol, a coffee mill and a phone in it. The TT is two up, probably fairly cold and with a fairly tight engine.
I go not pay any attention, but give it the beans when the lights change, up to the limiter in first, limiter second, casually change up to fifth and cruise along at 70. Of course, the TT is a dot, but does try hard to catch up. Possibly because it's Sunday, and the timing has changed, the lights ahead change to red. I stop quite easily, but the TT driver seems to have second thoughts, brakes late, have ABS kick in and end up a couple of feet over the white line.
At this point, I nudge up level and call over:
"Yeah, the ABS kicks in too soon, and it suffers from brake fade, especially on the track. I'd buy an S2000 if I were you. Of course, if you don't want a rag top, you could get one of these, it cost me twelve and a half new. Enjoy the test drive anyway."
Mysteriously, they decided to turn off when the lights changed.
Do you think the salesman managed to close him?
I nipped to town to buy a spice mill today (for masala grinding) and saw so many cars on trade plates, presumably on test drives. I'd left my car on the road, and it was baking when I got back in, so I popped the windows down (still not used to AC!) Heading back home I pulled up at lights besides a TT on trade plates with a mid life crisis style guy in the driving seat (ie, a bit older and more balding than me) and a guy in a cheap suit in the passender seat. This particular set of lights is on a straight which is part of a dual carriageway, which oddly has another set of lights a bit further down the road, after which you get the usual roundabouts etc instead.
As it happens, my CD had just changed tracks, and the next track had a very quiet intro, allowing me to hear the conversation. The salesman is giving it large, and I thought he was quoting directly from True Lies or the Swiss Tony handbook:
(sic) "Of course, it's not just about the image and luxury, this car has huge amounts of power too. When the lights change, why don't you show this chavved up Clio what a real car can do."
I take mild exception to this, as my Clio is entirely original. Little Ruby at this point is warmed up, with a nicely run in engine and only me, 1/8 tank of petrol, a coffee mill and a phone in it. The TT is two up, probably fairly cold and with a fairly tight engine.
I go not pay any attention, but give it the beans when the lights change, up to the limiter in first, limiter second, casually change up to fifth and cruise along at 70. Of course, the TT is a dot, but does try hard to catch up. Possibly because it's Sunday, and the timing has changed, the lights ahead change to red. I stop quite easily, but the TT driver seems to have second thoughts, brakes late, have ABS kick in and end up a couple of feet over the white line.
At this point, I nudge up level and call over:
"Yeah, the ABS kicks in too soon, and it suffers from brake fade, especially on the track. I'd buy an S2000 if I were you. Of course, if you don't want a rag top, you could get one of these, it cost me twelve and a half new. Enjoy the test drive anyway."
Mysteriously, they decided to turn off when the lights changed.
Do you think the salesman managed to close him?
