Given you’re reading one of the more obscure pages in a specialist motoring magazine, I think it’s fair to assume that you have a certain idea of what you’re looking for when it comes to buying a car.
That you’ll understand, more than most, the pitfalls and benefits of choosing one model over another.
But imagine you don’t. Imagine, for a moment, that you need to buy something you’ll use fairly often, perhaps for an hour or more a day, but about which you’re not armed with any expertise whatsoever. You could, quite by chance and with absolutely no intent, buy the wrong thing.
It’s a situation I’ve found myself in twice in the past couple of weeks. Once, because my dentist has recommended I buy a water flosser (don’t ask); the other, because I’m looking to buy a steering wheel and a set of pedals to use with PlayStation driving games.
One of these things I will use once or perhaps twice a day, and its performance will have a marked impact on my oral health. If I choose wrongly, every six months or so my dental hygienist will attack me with tools I would prefer she didn’t and, nice though she is, I really don’t look forward to seeing her. It could prolong the time I spend with my own gnashers, and delay the point where I have to eat soup more often than I care to.
The other thing I will use once in a blue moon, and the worst that will happen if I get it wrong is that it’ll cost me a tenth of a second in a braking manoeuvre against a mate I’m racing over the internet.
You can obviously tell, then, which one I bought after 45 minutes of internet browsing and review reading, and which one I’m still agonising over more than a month after having the idea in the first place.
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Yes! Feels good to admit it...
And that's why your non car mates really dont give a monkeys what they drive. ALL modern cars are good enough really, and the motoring press are in denial to some extent.
I have a friend who just bought a 'nearly new' Vauxhall Astra Estate. No its not the absolute best car he could have bought in its class, but as a result he got a deal many thousands of pounds cheaper than the motoring press darlings, and he's chuffed. As he should be. Its smart, comfortable, drives perfectly nicely and wont bankrupt him.
Another friend is perfectly chuffed with his low mileage single owner fully loaded Vauxhall Antara which, as it should, cost him pennies. Who am I to judge?
Real world price is far too often overlooked in comparison tests. I myself have a Citroen Berlingo for family duties. Why? Because, once ever so slightly secondhand, there is literally nothing on the market within double the price that is as practical for lugging stuff, and yet perfectly acceptable to drive, pretty rugged and still well within warranty.
I've been using the
Force feedback of the wheel has been extremely good, depending on the game (I only have a ps4). Generally for games like GTSport and Project cars, FFB has been pretty much flawless. But for some reason Dirt Rally and Dirt 4 have felt extremely weak... Even on maximum FFB settings.
When the FFB is set to high on Project cars, it's powerful enough to hurt your arms, or actually cause damage to your hand muscles.
And that BIG alcantara wheel looks and feels beautiful. Honestly, this kit is pure quality... I'd buy it again if I had to!
Teamed up with the Playseat evolution, it's been a good substitute for my Go-karting days. Only for a fraction of the price. :-)
@405
@405 probably thinks that Rolls' is owned by VAG... Thanks for the inspiration for water flossing though. Any recommendations so I can avoid the chair of pain?