Le 182 Bunker

[cardealer]

Known locally amongst trade friends as 'Le 182 Bunker', I now have a unit to store cars available, cleaned and ready to go. As you may be aware, I don't just sell Clio Trophies, but really enjoy driving Trophy and Cup models - hence the bias towards them. e.g "Don't buy a Cooper S Works until you have driven a.....etc" (btw. JCW is half a mile away from Le Bunker and given quite a few years of contacts I do get offered an awful lot of quick and niche Renaults, so I can pick and choose colour, spec, condition and mileage.
I am hoping the extra storage space will enable me to sell more cars direct to the end user and take more part exchanges etc. So if any of your friends love your Trophy and want one too or cannot quite stretch and want something virtually as good, point them in my direction (do it yourself so I know who you are) and I'll forward a 'drink' as a thank-you. From my Sales Manager days I am known for my motto 'We can pick the bones out of it' so will always try and accomdate deals whenever possible. I enjoy buying cars but I need to sell them too! Cheers, Steve.

 

[felix]

hi, steve.

it's nice to see someone making a living out of something they appear to enjoy...

what i would like to know is- what car do you personally own that you've bought with your own money?

thanks, felix

 

[cardealer]

I’ve been lucky enough to have had company cars since 1991, so my wife (and now my daughter) are the only ones requiring wheels which are bought and paid for. I was self-employed for a while in the late eighties and had the following cars that merit mention they were all new or nearly new when I had them.

Nissan Silvia Turbo, huge amounts of over steer at the slightest encouragement, fabulous to put your foot down in after coming off a motorway etc. You’ve just reminded me that I drove my wife to the maternity ward in that one, not the most comfortable of cars!

Renault 5 GT Turbo. Black and later 1990 shape, enough said – great car to use everyday.

Mercedes 190 2.3 16 Cosworth, I took it in part exchange and couldn’t bring myself to sell it. I can still remember cranking down the seat to lowest setting, adjusting up the steering wheel (I drive everything like a kart!) was full leather and hi-spec car. I won’t admit how fast it went as there may be retrospective laws, but they were quick in their day – sounded great too on full chad. It had a right ‘bunch of bananas’ exhaust manifold which was a work of art. My own DTM experience from between Croydon and Littlehampton everyday

Early days I owned quick Minis and both a R5 Gordini and R17 Gordini, rare car that, with early Bosch L Jet fuel injection. I used to stay with Capri 3.0s until the last few mph, and none of them had any idea what the car was

Otherwise company car wise, all Clio Williams from 1 to 3, Renault Clio 16v & 19 16v. Megane 225 etc and many more that have come and gone.

Nowadays I drive cars with tax on, as all car dealers, but given the budget would buy an M3 CSL or even a Porsche GT3, and since I don’t have to due to stocking them, a Clio Trophy!

 

[felix]

thanks for reply.

i owned a 205 gti 1.9 for over 8 yrs. then one of my brothers bought a 182, his first new car, in april '04. i was totally surprised a modern car could be so good. july '04 saw me buying my first new car- a 182. 13 months later i traded the 182 for a trophy.

so how do the trophy and 205 compare...

the 205 was a more challenging and rewarding car to drive... i span it the first time i drove it in the wet! and over the yrs it gave me many more heart in the mouth moments when the rear went light in slippery conditions...
it had a superb driving position and the gear change had quite a long throw but was soo fast.

the trophy is a very grippy car encuraging you to push hard and throw it about. its easier to drive quickly than the peugeot.
however with the 205, as i bacame older, i became increasingly aware of the lack of crash protection...


i've never driven any of my own cars on track but i have done so called driving experiences at silverstone and thruxton. cars driven include; viper. twin turbo espirit, 996 c2, fezza 355b & 360 spyder f1, formula renault.
996 c2 put a smile on my face every time the rear squirmed under power exiting corners. espirit made fantastic noise. 360 easiest to just jump in and drive as no clutch/gearbox....
plan to do at least one experience this year- different cars and circuit this time.


felix

 

[cardealer]

It's fair to say that my driving with my hair alight days are long gone, I now know why insurance is cheaper :lol: Funny about your 205 GTi comparison. One of my recent Trophy buyers had a 1.9 GTi and once the deal was done and we had to run down to the bank for a deposit I had a go in it. The experience of driving these came back to me, engine noise, gearchange and ambience. Of course a 1988 car feels more like 1898 when compared to a new car but still good for a reminisce. I used to lease 206GTi's in the late eighties on what is now described as a PCP - it was like a cobbled together consumer Lease Purchase plan and way ahead of Ford Options etc. We used to sell shed loads of hot hatches to people who had no original intention of buying one, on our scheme they could afford them and all hell let loose delivering 206 GTi, R5GTT, Golf GTi & 16V, RS Turbos etc. (forgot to mention RS Turbo earlier) all over southern England. Happy days before Gatsos etc.
Great that you have driven all those supercars on track days, I ought to do something like that myself sometime.