[glenmz]

BMW UK Sells a car used by Jeremy clarkson in Top Gear. Buyer finds out after facing mechanical issues with the car. Apparently the dealer replaces the car.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...used-Gear.html

A father who bought a faulty BMW was shocked to see the car had been put through a ferocious test drive by Jeremy Clarkson on Top Gear.
Rob Willis, from Dartford, Kent, splashed £50,000 on the sky blue BMW M3 earlier this year but found it had a number of mechanical problems.
He was later stunned to see the car had been driven around the track of the BBC motoring show before he bought it and believes Clarkson's driving may have caused the faults
......................
After Mr Willis complained about the car, he says the dealership gave him a replacement.

[vinjosep]

"Too sour to swallow and too sweet to spit" situation

Btw how could he have come to know that its the same? Do they display the VIN numbers on the show? Number plates, AFAIK, are personalized.

[libranof1987]

Ok, this turned to be a little different that what I'd imagined it to be.

I had a feeling the owner would consider the car as a novelty item; probably would even have, had it not had those problems.

Looks like this isn't the first incident of cars used on Top Gear that have been sold and had problems reported.

That brings me to this:
- who provides cars to Top Gear (manufacturer/dealer/owners)
- what happens to them after they've been on the show

The dealer would be legally obliged to tell the buyer the history of the car, right? Not in India, but elsewhere perhaps.

MODS: what happens to the cars you TD? You've mentioned those are pre-production ones but surely, manufacturers do something with them.

[wild child]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

MODS: what happens to the cars you TD? You've mentioned those are pre-production ones but surely, manufacturers do something with them.

Hey Libran.

Let me take the liberty to answer that question.

As soon as the pre-production cars complete their duty, they are either are auctioned or brutally scrapped in such a way that no part can be salvaged.

[mayankk]

Well, JC did say this was the car to buy. The man just went a step ahead and bought the exact same car...

Also, the mods may help here, arent the cars that are shown on shows - or used by the press - specifically from a fleet of press cars? Are all of them scrapped as mentioned by wildchild?
In India as well?

[ajmat]

Press cars are sold like any other car. I heard that in the UK, manufacturers lend cars to Top Gear last of all due to the state that they will be returned in.

Having seen what happens, press cars are the last cars I would buy, even after dealer demonstrators.

[IshaanIan]

Shouldn't an M3 be designed to handle a bit of hooning around on a track and then function normally the rest of the year?

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Shouldn't an M3 be designed to handle a bit of hooning around on a track and then function normally the rest of the year?

its meant for driving fast around a track, not for drifting etc. Consider that for every scene, there would have been 5-6 takes to get the right scene. They would also be trying things over the limit. God knows how many times the car would have spun off!

[glenmz]

Well, I for one had the idea that press cars would be used a test drive cars at the dealers. Seems I am wrong.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

MODS: what happens to the cars you TD? You've mentioned those are pre-production ones but surely, manufacturers do something with them.

Originally Posted by mayankk

Also, the mods may help here, arent the cars that are shown on shows - or used by the press - specifically from a fleet of press cars? Are all of them scrapped as mentioned by wildchild?
In India as well?

No, they aren't scrapped as Wild Child said. They are either:

- Kept in the press fleet for a long time (for future comparo tests etc.).

- Given as a long-term test car to a journalist (basically, an indirect gift that ensures coverage ever so often).

- Given to a company employee for use.

- Given to a dealership.

- Sold off / auctioned as a used car. Trust me, you never want to buy an ex-media car, even if it has only 5,000 kms on the odometer. Those will be the worst 5,000 kms any car can be put through.

[ajmat]

Ever been for a Mercedes Star Drive where Sunny Sidhu transfers all of 180 PS into the poor cars transaxle and brakes in the name of customer demo. Or the BMW Experience Drive where us ordinary punters are encouraged to spin the cars in the dirt or cloock fast timings on mud tracks.

These are either the manufacturer fleet cars plus a few borrowed from the local dealer