IN all walks of life things change, and buying a used car is no exception. You will probably have seen the ads on TV promoting companies like Cinch and Cazoo, who claim to take all the hassle out of buying a used car. One company even provides a 225-point pre-delivery check and delivers the car to your door. But is it all a bit too good to be true?
Cinch has come under fire recently and was featured on the BBC consumer advice programme Rip Off Britain where the online dealer was blasted for selling a health care worker two cars with problems. Presenter Gloria Hunniford originally, from County Armagh, recalled how buying a second-hand car used to involve looking through ads, traipsing through showrooms and being subjected to the very slick patter of used car salesmen. But now, thanks to the meteoric rise of online companies, you can avoid all that hassle, with the biggest names in the industry saying that your peace of mind is their top priority and that they want to rid the used car market of its less than glowing reputation.
Unfortunately, for some people – including paramedic Lee – that was not the case. Lee bought an £18,000 VW Golf from Cinch, but when it was delivered it had battery problems. Recovery services were called and they told Lee that the battery was faulty and had been swapped for one from an older car; they also told him that the car had been involved in an accident and had been poorly repaired. After Lee complained Cinch took the car back and Lee paid an additional £4,000 to upgrade to another car.
But when it was delivered, it had warning lights illuminated in the dash. Lee referred to the 225-point check list supplied with the car. He found no mention of the warning lights, but the report did mention a tow bar and soft top, neither of which his car had. A customer of another online used car retailer, which was not named in the show, experienced issues with three cars they bought.
The complaints about Cinch come just over six months after rivals Cazoo faced bad publicity on BBC’s Watchdog programme. I think the old adage “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is” fits the online car-buying business. You can of course find a car with problems if you buy private from a car dealer, but at least you would have had the opportunity to see and drive the car and assess for yourself whether it was fit for purpose.
No matter how you buy, if you don’t know about cars, take someone with you who does – you’ll be glad you did.
Ogier takes his first win and Verstappen overcomes USA the boo-boys
WINNER: Max Verstappen triumphed in Austin, Texas
SEBASTIEN Ogier clinched his first World Rally Championship win in 2022 as he helped Toyota secure the manufacturers’ title at Rally Spain.
Ogier managed to stave off a challenge from Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville on Sunday to seal victory by 16.4 seconds. The eight-time world champion who competes only on a few selected rounds, took the rally lead from new world champion team-mate Kalle Rovanpera on a rain-affected Friday morning. Neuville managed to nibble six seconds out of Ogier’s advantage on Sunday morning, before Ogier claimed a seventh stage win to put the victory out of reach, wrapping it all up by winning the power stage.
Newly-crowned world champion Rovanpera led the rally on Friday morning but was unable to match Ogier on Saturday and the gap grew following a technical issue for Kalle on Stage 14. The Finn slipped behind Neuville into third after suffering a front left puncture caused by a protruding drain on Stage 17. That third-place finish helped Toyota record a sixth WRC manufacturers’ crown.
Hyundai’s Ott Tanak battled hybrid issues on Friday to finish fourth. After losing time to a puncture on Friday, local hero Dani Sordo ended the rally with two stage wins to claim fifth. Toyota’s Elfyn Evans struggled throughout the rally and a puncture on Friday cut the Welshman adrift of the lead group, before a second puncture caused by that loosened drain cover on Stage 17 ended any hopes of a win. Takamoto Katsuta brought the fourth Toyota GR Yaris home in seventh after the Japanese benefited from Irishman Craig Breen’s puncture, one of three caused by the drain on Stage 17. Breen struggled to find a rhythm in his Ford Puma on Friday and Saturday before the puncture on Sunday dropped him from seventh to ninth in his final WRC event alongside retiring Killarney co-driver Paul Nagle who started his career with the Belfast rally team Group Motors Rallying.
I’ve never had much time for American sports fans, too many of them are rude and arrogant, their behaviour at many Ryder Cup events being a classic example. At a fan event before the Austin, Texas F1 race, Americans heckled world champion Max Verstappen, chanting “Cheater!” and “USA, USA!” There is no place in motorsport for people like that. The boo boys had to bite their tongues. however, when an incredible Max Verstappen won a thrilling race, an outcome that was in doubt when a disastrous pit stop from the lead brought him out in sixth place. That win equalled Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel’s record of 13 wins in one season.
When Verstappen emerged from that terrible pitstop, he hunted down and passed everyone in front, including a marvellous Lewis Hamilton, who came so close to his first win of the season but finished second. Verstappen’s win and Sergio Pérez’s fourth means that Red Bull are now constructors’ champions, the day after Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz passed away at the age of 78. A wonderful tribute to an incredible man. Leclerc was third, Russell fifth, Norris sixth; Alonso was seventh after his car went airborne, almost flipping over backwards in an incident which left him plum last. A battling Vettel was eighth with Magnussen and Tsunoda ninth and tenth. The next round of the championship is next week in Mexico where Perez will be hoping for a home win.
In World Superbikes Alvaro Bautista has one hand on the trophy after two wins and a second in Argentina. Larne’s Jonathan Rea had a second and two thirds, pushing him further behind the superb Alvaro Bautista and second man Toprak Razgatlioglu. Bautista now leads the championship with 507 points, Razgatlioglu has 425 with Rea on 409. Next time out is in Indonesia from November 11 to 13.
