Enjoyed this and want more?! Tales of Modern Motoring: 1. Company Cars ua-cam.com/video/3I8KDYcDa8g/v-deo.html 2. She Likes it Hot ua-cam.com/video/FJhpGHeBbHs/v-deo.html 3. Looking at him ua-cam.com/video/5Xv-rTFPHs0/v-deo.html 4. It gets you out the house ua-cam.com/video/LTyaIiyn64o/v-deo.html
I had a cable tv Astra Van 1300 s Y reg fastest car on the road 1984/5 off the lights to 60 mph select 2nd, hold flat , dump clutch , goodbye 3.5 Rover bulletproof CV joints come to think of it the boss said" 9 tyres in less than 12 months ". I blamed the building sites I went on. I did have one puncture and only 2 new rears and Perrellis all round and handled it well because it was a vn and an S. We beat a 900 kawasaki through Cheddar Gorge then they gave . The new C reg van was soft as Crap so bad I went back to Australia I'm serious.
Makes me wonder if anyone would try to buy a 20-year-old Royce for their wage and put it on a private plate. The beauty of cars being in production for decades at a time.
@@dcarbs2979 Someone I knew did exactly that. He sold insurance so it looked impressive to clients. It had been well maintained and he just ran it into the ground over a few years. It had a gas conversion so the fuel costs were affordable too.
Deliberate reduction in infrastructure spending, and deliberate introduction of schemes to extract more value from those who actually have a productive job.
In the Main most of the Roads were new. Massive Building of Motorways in the 70's and 80's. Not so much these days obviuosly just nbusy trying to keep them going.
It's not real but the script writer was brilliant because he knew the difference between on the badges and what they had on the cars. Colour coded bumpers and headlight washers, he was the man. Love the way he complains that diesels are not environmentally sound, he should be alive now to realise he was right, or at least the government was wrong...
Back when you where a child with no responsibilities who didn't drive or have a mortgage. Interesting lack of females let's hope we NEVER return to this age again.
The few rich, entitled, privileged and privately educated Tories have sold England to foreign companies. There's only the crown jewels and the English channel left for the Tories to sell off, the next time they're elected into government (their right-wing media are already doing their utmost to brainwash the gullible by tarnishing the reputation of the new government). The Tories have damaged the UK beyond repair and left it in such a catastrophic state, there's no future for the younger generation. On a brighter note, isn't the little Suzuki Swift Sport a joyful little car?
It’s all about what it looks like. 😱. I started my company and have had a lot of nice cars, Jags, Mercs, BMWs, Saab turbo and at bad times some proper bangers, at no time did I consider anything other than the mechanical merits of the model. It never bothered or occurred to me what anybody thought. Pure Snobbery! No time for it!
Ah yes, I miss the days of seeing proper old saloon cars on the road. Now it's just a sea of bland crossover EV's. Me and my mate were saying just yesterday how all the new cars these days are so dull and all looks the same.
I did a sales job in 94 and was given a cavalier SRi two litre. It did an indicated 138mph on a motorway in the Netherlands at 10pm, totally empty road, sea wall on one side, flat land on the other. No average cameras. No mobile speed traps. The 90s were the last decade of freedom on the roads.
We still have little bit of that - at least on the road - in Germany. Fuel is expensive but okay compared to the other countries, no road tolls, no outrageous luxury / CO2 tax but only VAT on cars, an individualized license plate is 20€, yearly car taxes 0-1.000€ (150€ is average) and insurance full cover 200-2.000€ for an average car, no road tax in the cities, no special requirements for learners such as a GPS tracker… and, of course, no speed limit for long stretches. It’s not perfect but it seems like I should appreciate it more.
Renault Megane, Overtaking a National Express coach can be a long and drawn out affair, it bloody was in Megane 1.4e slowest heap ever driven it was embarrassing 😂
@@monishbiswas1966is it satire or real though? I can imagine reps thinking like this😂it's like they're actors repeating whatever reps have said in interviews... Still intriguing! I remember too, it's all in the i's for sure
@@niallwhitesidenothing destroys a region more than the kind of migratory insanity we are seeing today. Nothing destroys the local culture faster and more efficiently, neither economic nor natural disasters. Hiroshima and Nagasaki still retain their indigenous culture despite what was dropped upon them, London on the other hand...
It's great to see this again. The roads were so much quieter. There are just too many cars on the roads now. The standard of driving now is shocking too. Thanks Geoff for the upload.
That was absolutely hilarious Geoff! I liked the Merc driver who said people move over for you when they see a more expensive car! Bit different today and, in a way, simpler less aggressive times. Keep them coming.
I proper loved watching this. How those , mostly sales men's lives revolved around their cars. That dude, when he put the radio on, and some hardcore rave music was playing! Made me laugh and took me right back to better times 😊 Thanks for sharing 👍
Ahhhh better times, not a sign of woke, roads that worked with not a roadwork in sight, and Little Chefs still hanging in. But dear God weren't sales reps the biggest nobs on the planet
Yup... ^EXACTLY THIS^ I tried repping for 2 months back in the 90s and decided I'd rather not allow myself to become a Sales Twat like these clowns... But I don't have any problem at all with salespeople (in fact some of my best friends are very successful salespeople), just as long as they aren't trying to frikkin sell me anything... 🙄
@@GeoffBuysCars When I saw it pop up again, I thought it would be something like that. Thanks for replying, made me read the Description and saw the other links 🤪. Awesome, cheers Geoff! 👌
@@patricklangan5670 if you look at car park spaces now they are smaller too… the local retail park has just been re lined , more parking spaces now available, yet it is clear that they are narrower than before as the old lines are just visible.
@@philipmacdonald9449 But people do get company cars anyway, nowadays. And I'm from Barcelona, and there people do get company cars as well. I know a family from my local cultural association, since more than 10 years, that were complaining some months ago on how uncomfortable was the brand new BMW X3 company car of the family man, in comparison with the brand new Volvo XC60 that the man had as company car before the BMW. Also, I live in Stuttgart, and here there are lots and lots of brand new Porsche Taycans, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, and Audi A6s, that seem company cars that workers get. Also, I do think in the UK people get company cars as well, so I don't see where the problem is.
Sad thing to consider: probably every single vehicle you can see in this video no longer exists, probably without exception, every single one has been scrapped.
Probably for pennies too. I get why they did it, but it's just a huge waste. Fuel conversion to something better (100% ethanol comes to mind) would have been a good compromise, of anyone in government actually gave a toss about anything other than amassing power ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@@harrisonhealey1679 Q: Who cares what car you drive? A: The government. They say no more cars for us! Q: When? A: It’s been going on in the last twenty years. It’s in its final stages now.
@@ComeJesusChristWon't they miss the tax money that the whole motoring industry brings in? Is the likes of BlackRock paying Ford etc to make these EV'S that nobody wants? What happens when they do go bust, will BlackRock still send money their way? It seems crazy to me that the bosses of these companies are going along with this financial suicide,... what answer do you have?
Very little has changed there I'm affraid. Why do you think so many people pay a massive premium to drive an Audi A3 (mechanically identical to a Seat/Skoda) or Mercedes A-class (with a Renault sourced diesel engine)...? And its not just men either. And all those middle class mums in their Range Rover Evoques (terrible, terrible car!) thinking they look the business.... Cringe. I'd argue we are even MORE vain and image obsessed with cars than we were in 1993.
I really felt I had ‘made it’ when 20 years ago I got a VW Passat Highline as my company car. I was 28 and felt like a king. Doing something like 35,000 miles a year which seems crazy now looking back. Over the years cost cutting and tax policy pushed us into cheaper cars, hybrids and the like. I drive a lot less for work now and definitely care less about what I drive but I occasionally miss the anticipation of getting a new car every 3 years. I once worked for a company where we got either a VW or Audi. We recruited a new account manager but between him being hired and actually starting we switched supplier to Skoda. He turned up on his first day to find he wasn’t getting an A4 but a Skoda Octavia. He told them this was a deal breaker and went back to his old job. So to some people it was a huge deal if you got a perceived ‘lesser’ car.
@@gingerbeargames But people do get company cars anyway, nowadays. And I'm from Barcelona, and there people do get company cars as well. I know a family from my local cultural association, since more than 10 years, that were complaining some months ago on how uncomfortable was the brand new BMW X3 company car of the family man, in comparison with the brand new Volvo XC60 that the man had as company car before the BMW. Also, I live in Stuttgart, and here there are lots and lots of brand new Porsche Taycans, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, and Audi A6s, that seem company cars that workers get. Also, I do think in the UK people get company cars as well, so I don't see where the problem is.
Im only in my late 30s but.....DAMN, THIS is making me feel OLD, because I remember every single one of those cars, had rides in almost all of them, and even owned a few of them (E36 BMWs on J and N plates respectively). Recognise quite a few of these locations too! (M25 Dartford crossing... M1 Tinsley Viaduct... Humber Bridge...Ferrybridge Services). All looking MUCH quieter on the roads than they do today of course! I am also noticing the absence of speed cameras everywhere, and the fact that not one person mentioned the issue of potholes and damaged road surface. I'm not saying EVERYTHING was better back then but, for the average motorist, clearly it was a LOT less stressful than today! But of course thats entirely intentional.
20 million less people around and smaller cars the roads back then are no different than they are now despite the massive increase in population and cars being twice as heavy. The roads have had the load placed on them doubled so it's no wonder they're falling apart.
What a blast from the past....wonderful video...we had top mark Vauxhalls in the 80s and 90s...including a Carlton, a metallic Gold Cavalier CDX and even a Belmont - remember those?...hubby collected it brand new at midnight from the dealership when it was the exciting thing to do.....my father in law only ever had the Royale...a rust bucket but a beautiful car....those days have truly gone.
Oh the nostalgia. I've never had a company car, but this brings back memories of my 1991 Cavalier GSI. What a car! Both brilliant and sh*t, all at the same time.
I only got my first company car January this year. It's a skoda enyaq EV I love having a company car. Couldn't possibly afford one of these otherwise and all the running costs are taken care of.
In a couple of years aspiration, ambition and hope will be totally crushed out of us. So as untasteful as this video is I know what era I prefer to live in.
I have worked for jaguar, landrover then JLR on and off since the early 90s. In the start the junior managers had maybe an escort diesel or sierra. None of the regular staff had anything newer than a 3yr old hatchback. Now all the 30 yr old junior managers and lead engineers have £70k defenders on lease deals. How times have changed.
Probably just stay living with parents then a £70k lease is perfectly fine. Otherwise how would a £70k lease even fit in with owning a house at 30. Can't imagine a junior manager could afford a house anyway.
This was 30 years ago! It is absolutely a different world to now. The telly was really good back in the day. The cars, not so much. Buy by the late 90s I think they were nailing it. Good times were ahead.
This is Motoring Gold! Thanks for sharing Geoff. Those who have left your channel dont know what they have missed out on and the relevance of why you shared this. Motoring at it's peak in the 90s (and early naughties) without all the tech that has ruined cars since.
@@Binit_777 it’s an an amusing watch - I remember the program from the first time around. However I wouldn’t say it’s about the cars, rather it’s about the people.
I’ve seen this documentary before, it’s great, but I have to say that it’s a well known fact, with viewers of it at the time, that it was actors portraying written memoirs that company car drivers sent in on a survey, it’s still brilliantly accurate of the time and life then, but just wanted to mention that 👍 and as the son of a very successful sales rep of the70s and 80s I vouch for its tongue in cheek accuracy, still remember my dads greatest triumph in late 1988, he had one of the very first mk3 cavaliers in the country ( the showrooms still had last of the line LX mk2 in the window at the time) no one even knew what it was at first and it had a car phone 😅
I thought they were all very cringey. I’ve met old boys like this though who still talk like their company car 1.8 GLSi Cavalier from the 90s was the fastest thing around and the best thing since sliced bread. 😂
Hysterical!! Proper alan partridge. "After 120,000 miles I finally got my colour television with Shell points. The relief to finally be able to use other brands" Wow.
1:18 the pre-bundled fax paper, rolex shirt buttons and fancy household vacuum blenders i've bought from this guy down the years ..... oi! i want my money back!
I remember those days, when cars moed from carb to injection. Everyone was trying to out do each other. My parents drove mercs and range rovers in those days, when you couldn't just go buy those badges.
But you COULD 😄 🤣 😂 Walk up the stairs and ask nicely in the parts department 🏬 👌, My mates 'Escort 1.3 L' got turned into a the RS Turbo, well, it looked like one, and had the badges 😅😅😅, whereas I always got the Gti, Turbo or whatever performance version was, and IMMEDIATELY de-badged it because 'Q-cars' are more fun at the lights..... 🚦🏁 🚘 🚘 😅
I've seen this before, I was born latest 70s and I remember cars like this and my dad's Sierra's etc, nothing now modern excites me in the same way, I like driving cars from the late 90s to the mid to late 2000s ideally because for me thats almost as good as cars got before it all got silly, nothing from that period has been anything other than reliable if not boring transport for me.
I had one of the first Belmonts as a company car; C reg, early 1986, 1.6 carburettor engine. It went like the clappers! It would cruse comfortably at 90+ mph and on a trip in Germany had over 120mph on the speedometer. Did 75,600 miles in 18 months, the only issues were that the mechanical fuel pump needed to be replaced every 18,000 miles and it chewed through front tyres.
PS One of the great things about it was the huge boot and the boot opening coming down to the level of the rear bumper so no need to lift things over the boot lip - as a field service tech. one appreciates these things!
I was a service engineer mid 80's(Astra diesel van,Montego then a Sierra 1.8 Ghia.) . Brings back great memories. In the early 80's,most of our reps used the same tailor and barber. They wanted to change their cars from cavaliers to bluebirds(better metallic paint and superior trim).
They’re like ironic caricatures of eighties reps. It felt like a Not the nine o’clock news or Monty P parody. Of course, I am considerably richer than thou! They really did loose sleep over such things. Such wonderfully fragile egos. Wonderful delicious stuff.❤
What a great video - Njoyed every second of it ! It was great to see the cars - I've had loads of Mk3 Cavaliers and they were brilliant ! That poor fella in the Maestro Diesel !
It's amazing how excited you can get about a '1.6'. Beginning just 10 years later, I was buying double that engine for Geoff money to learn in! 2.8i Capris, 3.0S Capri, Granada Limousine, 3.2 X300 Jag, all for a combined price under £5000 for all 4! Those 2.8 Capris were the smallest engines I'd had in any car in 20 years of driving, and still haven't gone down to 4 cylinders.
It’s strange how in the 90’s Image was so important when it came to a car for business. After starting my breakdown recovery business in 1990 I wanted to upgrade my company image so back in 1994/95 I bought a 5 year old Range Rover . And although it looked great and I loved it customers didn’t . Even though I used it for work and did breakdowns from it no one would let you out of a junction. People would call you a posh snob and it didn’t go down well with customers. So I went back to an old Toyota Hiace van which everyone loved customers included and kept the Range Rover for personal use. Today mums are using Range Rovers to take the kids to school and no one bats an eye lid. That’s if they aren’t broken down in a new one that is lol.
They're in their 60s now so probably the same silvertops holding me up in my Volvo 940 CD LPT Turbo Intercooler, with black leather interior and SIPS sticker!! 💅
Wow, as a van driver, engineer, I never entered the shallow world of sales or management … Harrods hangers 😂, badge envy 😂 Retired at 53 with a proper pension at 60 ….
Excellent! Thank you! I'm from The Netherlands, worked a lot in the UK and the company car scene back then was very similar in both countries. I was a young rep back then, moving up the company ladder. In '93 I was in my early 40s and to us cars were important. We all longed for a Beemer or a Merc, Audi was not in the same bracket yet. Happy to say I got there in the end, driven both Beemers and Mercs as company cars. To the current generation of people in their 30s and 40s cars are in general not that important. My daughter being an exception, she probably got that from me. My son in law cannot care less. No problem to me, times change. The guy in the Merc could have ordered it without the badge. That's what I did 🙂. Cars are no longer that important to me, moved back to motorbikes. The car world is no longer fun in my eyes... Interestingly I have seen this as a documentary (I guess) on TV. I remember the guy in the Maestro. My sympathy is with him!
In the early 90's part of my job was the 50+ compny cars, sorting out the deals, deliveries etc. One day we had a visit from the rather daffy woman who was our agent, and she looked a bit more flustered than usual. She had been to a company earlier in the day to deliver 2 Vauxhall Carltons to 2 of the dorectors at a customer, but when the cats arrived (from different starting points) it became apparent that one had a slight difference, possibly colour coded bumpers, possibly mirrors or front spotlights). In any event the relevant secretaries were told the cars had arrived, followed by both directors sprinting downstairs to try to get the "posher " cars keys first. A physical fight ensued which was only ended by the arrival of the Managing Director, who sacked both of them on the spot. Over nothing
Fascinating stuff Geoff, that was a rare find! The i factor is important. I once dated a girl whose son rushed out to admire my car. He says: “wow, an XR31” “No son, that is an i”
I remember this programme and the guy in his XR2i. It's amazing how much of a status symbol company cars were in the nineties and how much travelling everyone did. That injection 'i' badge really did mean everything. My dad had a Sierra GLS for a while and it was a great feeling.
Remember watching this on BBC2, the one who saved up enough tokens for a colour TV , and the guy who was disappointed his Nissan did not have a I, on the boot lid , always stuck with me ., watching it now just made me laugh
I don't know where you found this ,.but Geoff , MORE please ! Informative , very interesting and eye opening . "Thier" reliance on pushing their 'agendas' pays dividends on the fact , people forget . We are after all , human .😊 Chairman Mau said something along the lines of "make the people destroy and forget all the past and we can mould the future to *our* way now" !
Reminded me of a " Two Ronnie's " episode, 3 men at different levels of society , 1st man " I look down on him " peering at a man to his left, 2nd man " I look down on him " peering at the man to his left, and the 3rd man was Ronnie Corbett who said " I know my place " and looked content with his lot and didn't give a PHUK about the other 2 , 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
That show was called 'that was the week that was'. These days were the last knockings of the class system. What young prople wont understand was that working men generally wouldnt go to university, you didnt have to to get a job. Now everyone has a meaningless degree. The chap with the story about the cricket club was telling us about his class, obviously went to university.
I remember seeing this film when originally shown and I witnessed the company car "status" attitude in various companies I worked for. In one they wanted to downsize so offered all the sales team Skoda Estelle's.... 75% resigned the same day ! I worked for a Volvo dealers for a while, my company car was a 240GLT and when off to a Head office meeting the Dealer manager insisted I take a 760Turbo to look more senior. 🙂
@@monishbiswas1966 The GLT was called the flying brick at the dealership - I got my first points in one, doing 38 southbound on Park Lane when it was a 30 limit! Still miss that car and tempted to get a "classic" for my retirement.
I thought this was satire at the time and now I see how these actors are talking to the camera I'm convinced of it. Channel 4 and BBC2 showed a lot of weird sneering looks at life type programmes around that time.
@@therogers4432 it was already done by the ade edmonson crowd. possibly comic strip presents or another similar at the time. but years before day today
I recently inherited a large sum of moola. All of my friends are asking me when I am going to get a new truck to replace my POS 03 GMC. I told them I had no plans to get a new truck. 330K and 21 YO, the old ugly truck purrs like a kitten. The idea of cars as a status symbol makes middle class people into poor people. Buy cars like you would buy a washing machine. - If you are one of those people who is proud of your washing machine, you do not have my permission to read this comment.
Sorry read the comment and then your last remark. I love my washing nachine. It is a huge American Admiral top loader and I got it when my 5th child was born 29.5 years ago. You can fit anything in it and it is still going strong.
I got my first company car in 1987 as a branch manager in recruitment. A 316i BMW saloon in Alpine White - E826 TTH. No air con or sunroof, but it did have the then dealer-fitted optional radio casette. That was considered quite a status symbol back then. After my second 316i in brilliant red (with a manual sunroof), I liked the product so much that in 1991, I took a job in fleet sales at Sytner BMW in Nottingham and rode a wave of success through the 90's, earning £40-£50k a year (close to £100k in today's money). I sold thousands of BMWs to aspirational company car drivers like these. It was an amazing time to be doing that job. All long gone now.
I was a rep for many yrs and this brings back memories. The company car is very much a symbol, cost a bloody fortune in tax. I had a Vectra 1.7D, Primera, Vectra 2.0, Vectra SRi (loved that one), Accord S, Vectra SRi, BMW120 and Scirocco. Gave up sales then and bought an old MR2 and the relief of just driving your own car was was wonderful.
Some proper bell ends on this. Imagine getting frothed up over an Astra/Belmont?! The Merc guy was next level cockwomble, XR2i boy wasn’t far behind. Same for blue Cavalier knob.
Wow this is amazing. I started company car driving around this time so recognise all the services and the attitudes so well... I was lucky enough to get my managers cast off Cavalier with 90k miles on the clock. I took it to 220k miles over the next few years before it went on as a pool car 😊
You’re not wrong. Seriously, the most ruthless customer was the rep. If a car aimed at them was lacking, it would suffer. Immediate feedback. And vice versa. Through the 1990s, Vauxhall made superb mass market vehicles. Total cost of Cavalier ownership was low, because they didn’t break down. They were easy to service, and nicer to drive than Sierra of the day. I’ve heard many people say that it appears that car designers have given up. Technicians find many modern cars irritating because they have so many computers that they have sacrificed basic reliability. Car companies, recognizing that their cars are unlikely to be as durable as their cars made 30 years ago, don’t make them with a 20-30 year life in mind. Self fulfilling.
Yeh, I sort of agree but you never hear cars cranking over until the battery's dead on a winters morning these days as well as cars littering the hard shoulder. Most of the issues these days seem to be electrical problems. Things were simpler back then though including life itself.
Lol 😂😂😂. All these adults talking about why they got the car they got. No CDi badge on the back, electric windows, L spec versus GL. I was making these decisions for my dad from 11 years old. He couldn't care what company car he had but I'd get all the brochures, compare specs etc and plead with my dad to get this or get that. I always got him to get the car I wanted. We had cortinas, sierras, rovers, granadas and then went to BMWs and Audis. I was so pleased when we got the car I wanted - and hearing adults do what I did as a child really made me laugh. And I still remember the number plates of every car he had... even the ones I chose for him when he was based in France.
Love this episode, I remember first seeing it a few years ago and showing it to my dad who had company cars from the late 80s to mid 00’s and he confirmed it was pretty much spot on. Back when I was a toddler he had a 92/93 Cavalier GSi and I can just imagine that Cavalier guy having to pull over and eat humble pie to let the GSi pass.😂 I also remember his first BMW, a ‘98 530d Touring, back then it was a big deal to have a BMW, they really were a car that people strived for and were above and beyond in build quality, plus the dealerships really did have very high levels of customer service………..I blame the 1 series for the start of the downfall😂
This is very much an 80s insight. Not long after this the Mondeo was out. Next level comfort and 3 figure quick. Which explains having a tour of a local Magistrates one time. 😂 Soreee guv won't do it again.... 😉
It's clearly filmed with actors and clearly made with a satirical eye. I was 15 in 1993 so do remember these times. Love it though, a great bit of filming and production.
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Tales of Modern Motoring:
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I had a cable tv Astra Van 1300 s Y reg fastest car on the road 1984/5 off the lights to 60 mph select 2nd, hold flat , dump clutch , goodbye 3.5 Rover bulletproof CV joints come to think of it the boss said" 9 tyres in less than 12 months ". I blamed the building sites I went on. I did have one puncture and only 2 new rears and Perrellis all round and handled it well because it was a vn and an S. We beat a 900 kawasaki through Cheddar Gorge then they gave . The new C reg van was soft as Crap so bad I went back to Australia I'm serious.
Not having a leather gear knob must have been hell LOL
Missed this one ,did u get the stickers of you’re ch I saw in Edinburgh ,😂
@@Tel-f7w What got me is having no 'I' badge on the tail.... ! .... Imagine.
@@Crosshatch1212what Geoff buys cars sticker .get it up Geoff show the people how it’s done .lez 😂😂
Reps get the 1.6L and the sales manager gets the 1.6GL
The British class system at work, and it actually matters to him.
Spot on
Makes me wonder if anyone would try to buy a 20-year-old Royce for their wage and put it on a private plate. The beauty of cars being in production for decades at a time.
@@dcarbs2979 Maintenance costs. These cars are NOT really intended as a "daily drive" unless you've got VERY deep pockets.
@@dcarbs2979 Someone I knew did exactly that. He sold insurance so it looked impressive to clients.
It had been well maintained and he just ran it into the ground over a few years.
It had a gas conversion so the fuel costs were affordable too.
Not having a leather gear knob must have been hell LOL
The worst thing about how life has gone downhill since then is that its not because of bad decisions or blunders, it's all intentional.
it's not incompetence it's malice
intentional and international...
@@ambivalentonion2620 agenda...
Deliberate reduction in infrastructure spending, and deliberate introduction of schemes to extract more value from those who actually have a productive job.
It's an agenda, not blunders.
Anyone else notice how better the roads were.
cant afford roads now, got free stuff seekers to pay for
In the Main most of the Roads were new. Massive Building of Motorways in the 70's and 80's.
Not so much these days obviuosly just nbusy trying to keep them going.
Very few cars
@@jsnsk101gimmegrants
Definitely was quieter. Plus did you notice trucks could actually overtake each other without struggling.
The sky looks strange.. Quite blue with some white fluffy things in it.
What video u watching? The skies are grey throughout
yeah, before the white haze and constant drizzle...
Definitely no Chem trails,just reali weather.
move along citizen, the skies have always been silver grey. Trust BBC verify.
😄😄 Incredible but true. What a shit hole the UK has become
I miss how life used to be, everything is gone to crap these days from cars to society in general.
I'm 44 but often wish I was born maybe 10 years earlier than I was 😊
You aren't alone, mate
me too
@peakseamus I'm thirty years older and I say the same.
Same @@peakseamus
" At 120 thousand, I finally got my colour television on Shell points "
Classic, great find Geoff 😂
When did Pink Stamps stop?
My lorry had a two 450 ltr tanks got lots of stuff but never the speed boat 🚤 lol 😊
@@richardhall6034 Youre thinking of Bullseye 😆
This comedy gold. The guy with merc, I nearly hurt myself laughing.
Yeah he's a proper knob.
@@paulie-Gualtieri. big belly on him. More, more, more is all he wants
Pulling himself up and showing his dominance with his 200E 😂
Everyone looks at him. 😂😂😂
The characteristics are interesting, the self importance is breathtaking.
Best real life video I've maybe ever seen...Real people...Real cars in real Britain a must for all older petrol heads 👌🔥👏
It's not real but the script writer was brilliant because he knew the difference between on the badges and what they had on the cars. Colour coded bumpers and headlight washers, he was the man.
Love the way he complains that diesels are not environmentally sound, he should be alive now to realise he was right, or at least the government was wrong...
And real coat hangers!
The poor sod in the blue Austin Maestro diesel given to him as punishment by his company.
We actually had a "Punishment Van" where I used to work, a Shirpa
I remember this, it was hilarious!
I wonder what he did to get that car? 😂
...lad who went from 405, Sierra's and cavaliers to a "new shape" Astra 😅
It's the British way.
The England I remember as a kid.... it was beautiful 😍
when the only friction was over a plastic letter on the back of your free car, brilliant times.
Back when England was full of English people...
Back when you where a child with no responsibilities who didn't drive or have a mortgage. Interesting lack of females let's hope we NEVER return to this age again.
The few rich, entitled, privileged and privately educated Tories have sold England to foreign companies. There's only the crown jewels and the English channel left for the Tories to sell off, the next time they're elected into government (their right-wing media are already doing their utmost to brainwash the gullible by tarnishing the reputation of the new government). The Tories have damaged the UK beyond repair and left it in such a catastrophic state, there's no future for the younger generation.
On a brighter note, isn't the little Suzuki Swift Sport a joyful little car?
It’s all about what it looks like. 😱. I started my company and have had a lot of nice cars, Jags, Mercs, BMWs, Saab turbo and at bad times some proper bangers, at no time did I consider anything other than the mechanical merits of the model. It never bothered or occurred to me what anybody thought. Pure Snobbery! No time for it!
Ah yes, I miss the days of seeing proper old saloon cars on the road. Now it's just a sea of bland crossover EV's. Me and my mate were saying just yesterday how all the new cars these days are so dull and all looks the same.
Hence the current lack of interest in cars among young people. Pity.
@@aaronhughes4562 I thought the joke of the programme was that most of the repmobiles they were obsessed with were the same shape boxy saloons.
These cars all look the same as well.
I did a sales job in 94 and was given a cavalier SRi two litre. It did an indicated 138mph on a motorway in the Netherlands at 10pm, totally empty road, sea wall on one side, flat land on the other. No average cameras. No mobile speed traps. The 90s were the last decade of freedom on the roads.
Amazing. I was always loved those SRi Vauxhalls. The steering wheel design, upolstry and little bits of red trim meant business.
We still have little bit of that - at least on the road - in Germany. Fuel is expensive but okay compared to the other countries, no road tolls, no outrageous luxury / CO2 tax but only VAT on cars, an individualized license plate is 20€, yearly car taxes 0-1.000€ (150€ is average) and insurance full cover 200-2.000€ for an average car, no road tax in the cities, no special requirements for learners such as a GPS tracker… and, of course, no speed limit for long stretches. It’s not perfect but it seems like I should appreciate it more.
As you say, "an indicated 138mph" unless it was a V6 more like 108MPH
@@chrislloydguitarist1.8 Sri was a fun car, a friends dad and one when I was 17, and seemed v fast in those days
@@SpacedOdyssey You would be surprised about the 2.0 injection cavalier's.
Thus is the most Alan Partridge thing I have ever seen!
Renault Megane, Overtaking a National Express coach can be a long and drawn out affair, it bloody was in Megane 1.4e slowest heap ever driven it was embarrassing 😂
Innit?! This can't be real surely?! Feels a bit scripted to me. Interesting all the same 😊
@@RossTalloI remember this when it came out originally- I think the reps looked just as ridiculous then…
@@monishbiswas1966is it satire or real though? I can imagine reps thinking like this😂it's like they're actors repeating whatever reps have said in interviews... Still intriguing! I remember too, it's all in the i's for sure
@@RossTallo As obsessed with car badges as the UK is, this is 100% a parody
The suit jacket on the back seat montage 😍 😂😂😂
Yep, it really was like that.... I was one of them 😮
and the filofax with a pager clipped to it. Classic.
I have to say this, back from a time when Britain was British.
What a moron
When Britain was white, as it should be! I am saying this and I am not even British! The whole Europe needs a big reset from we know who...
And it wasn't that long ago. The government has stabbed us all in the back
By this particular stage the irreversible social and economic damage was already completed after a decade of Thatcher.
@@niallwhitesidenothing destroys a region more than the kind of migratory insanity we are seeing today. Nothing destroys the local culture faster and more efficiently, neither economic nor natural disasters. Hiroshima and Nagasaki still retain their indigenous culture despite what was dropped upon them, London on the other hand...
That guy with the XR2i only wanted it cos he was going raving at the weekends 😂
And good on him. You're only young once! haha
Bet he was banned for totting up at some point in his life.
The choice of music definitely checks out ✅
Raving in his crumpled suit 😂
Empty roads!
I was just thinking that myself, used to be pleasure driving then, not so much today.
@@kevbridges3387 if you had a day off work the roads were clear you could drive everywhere with no traffic. Now it's like every day is the weekend.
How England used to be before the millions came here
@@chrishart8548Is that because everyone is working from home?
@@HarrisonFlanagan-c2c it's only 15 million
It's great to see this again. The roads were so much quieter. There are just too many cars on the roads now. The standard of driving now is shocking too. Thanks Geoff for the upload.
Disagree, virtually no cars on the road today it’s all overpriced, oversized, overrated Stupid Useless Vehicles.
That was absolutely hilarious Geoff! I liked the Merc driver who said people move over for you when they see a more expensive car! Bit different today and, in a way, simpler less aggressive times. Keep them coming.
I hope the guy in the merc watches the video, he was hilarious, proper Alan Partridge comedy
I bet in later life he put an AMG badge on the back of his C180 classic.
Lynn im not driving a mini metro, classic comedy
@@Tel-f7wIt's a Rover 100
@markotango54 they're just re badged it Lynn! I'm not driving a mini metro I'm not driving a mini metro I'm not driving a mini metro!
@@rogerdodger1790 Well if you want a Rover 200 you're going to have to sack EVERYONE at Peartree productions!
That’s where Ricky Gervais got his scene from in the office 😂😂😂😂😂
I came on to make that point
😂10 years later I was buying the same cars for under £150 down Wisbech auction 😂👍✌️
😂
and now the same cars are being sold for over a grand at Lynn auction 😂
You’ll pay £4000 plus now for a decent Sierra or cavalier
I proper loved watching this. How those , mostly sales men's lives revolved around their cars. That dude, when he put the radio on, and some hardcore rave music was playing! Made me laugh and took me right back to better times 😊
Thanks for sharing 👍
Ahhhh better times, not a sign of woke, roads that worked with not a roadwork in sight, and Little Chefs still hanging in. But dear God weren't sales reps the biggest nobs on the planet
Yup... ^EXACTLY THIS^
I tried repping for 2 months back in the 90s and decided I'd rather not allow myself to become a Sales Twat like these clowns...
But I don't have any problem at all with salespeople (in fact some of my best friends are very successful salespeople), just as long as they aren't trying to frikkin sell me anything... 🙄
Back when we had a population of managable size.
Reps yep still are
Yes but we just laughed about it and no one got offended!
Dream on always road works
Managed to see this first time round before it was pulled. Glad you reuploaded it. Brilliant 👍
copyright issues but it was worth the messing around to get it online! I just feel my subscribers will love these 4 videos
I saw it first time round too - broadcast TV!
Me too, and I still remember it to this day, great upload@@dcarbs2979
@@GeoffBuysCars When I saw it pop up again, I thought it would be something like that. Thanks for replying, made me read the Description and saw the other links 🤪. Awesome, cheers Geoff! 👌
@@dcarbs2979 ideal. To be honest I was probably in the pub at that time in my life 😂
The room between parked cars is voluminous 😂
Just what I was thinking.
Cars were a lot smaller in those days.
@@patricklangan5670 if you look at car park spaces now they are smaller too… the local retail park has just been re lined , more parking spaces now available, yet it is clear that they are narrower than before as the old lines are just visible.
A new 500e weighs as much as a v8 s class from this period. Cars are to big and heavy now.
@@thistimeimhereAnd thankfully far far safer.
"Out of my way plebs, I HAVE PHOTOCOPIERS TO SELL!".
Rhymes with bankers. My dad was a rep in that world. Much more down to earth than those tuppney bits.😂😂😂 how clear were those roads though
Absolutely love this video...Of bygone Britain with real life cars and situations and people...A must watch for all older petrol heads ❤️👌🔥
@@philipmacdonald9449 But people do get company cars anyway, nowadays. And I'm from Barcelona, and there people do get company cars as well. I know a family from my local cultural association, since more than 10 years, that were complaining some months ago on how uncomfortable was the brand new BMW X3 company car of the family man, in comparison with the brand new Volvo XC60 that the man had as company car before the BMW. Also, I live in Stuttgart, and here there are lots and lots of brand new Porsche Taycans, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, and Audi A6s, that seem company cars that workers get. Also, I do think in the UK people get company cars as well, so I don't see where the problem is.
The Merc driver with his belly almost touching the steering wheel!! "I'm a SENIOR person." Loving this!
Sad thing to consider: probably every single vehicle you can see in this video no longer exists, probably without exception, every single one has been scrapped.
And probably every person in it retired or dead.
Any Ford seen in the video didn’t get scrapped, it just rotted away from the wheels up.
Dagenham dustbin 😂
Probably for pennies too. I get why they did it, but it's just a huge waste. Fuel conversion to something better (100% ethanol comes to mind) would have been a good compromise, of anyone in government actually gave a toss about anything other than amassing power ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@@FolkinghamRobActually dustbins are very durable.
Given that this is 30 years old and cars have a planned life expectancy of 10 years that is hardly surprising!
They cared too much about what other people thought! Who cares what car you drive 😂
No they didn't, they cared about what they thought other people thought.
Most of thought they were complete knobs.
@@harrisonhealey1679
Q: Who cares what car you drive?
A: The government. They say no more cars for us!
Q: When?
A: It’s been going on in the last twenty years. It’s in its final stages now.
Not having a leather gear knob must have been hell LOL
@@ComeJesusChristWon't they miss the tax money that the whole motoring industry brings in?
Is the likes of BlackRock paying Ford etc to make these EV'S that nobody wants? What happens when they do go bust, will BlackRock still send money their way? It seems crazy to me that the bosses of these companies are going along with this financial suicide,... what answer do you have?
Very little has changed there I'm affraid. Why do you think so many people pay a massive premium to drive an Audi A3 (mechanically identical to a Seat/Skoda) or Mercedes A-class (with a Renault sourced diesel engine)...? And its not just men either. And all those middle class mums in their Range Rover Evoques (terrible, terrible car!) thinking they look the business.... Cringe. I'd argue we are even MORE vain and image obsessed with cars than we were in 1993.
I really felt I had ‘made it’ when 20 years ago I got a VW Passat Highline as my company car. I was 28 and felt like a king. Doing something like 35,000 miles a year which seems crazy now looking back. Over the years cost cutting and tax policy pushed us into cheaper cars, hybrids and the like. I drive a lot less for work now and definitely care less about what I drive but I occasionally miss the anticipation of getting a new car every 3 years. I once worked for a company where we got either a VW or Audi. We recruited a new account manager but between him being hired and actually starting we switched supplier to Skoda. He turned up on his first day to find he wasn’t getting an A4 but a Skoda Octavia. He told them this was a deal breaker and went back to his old job. So to some people it was a huge deal if you got a perceived ‘lesser’ car.
My word, takes me back when I was a company car driver in the 90's. Great video Geoff, a gem!
A pure gem. A delight...
this feels like a completely different world from modern britain
THAT was Modern Britain.
Then it went Postmodern.
Now it's Woke!
NEW Britain est. 1997
@@gavinjames1145 Woke, and broke. The UK is just a mess on so many levels now.
@@gingerbeargames But people do get company cars anyway, nowadays. And I'm from Barcelona, and there people do get company cars as well. I know a family from my local cultural association, since more than 10 years, that were complaining some months ago on how uncomfortable was the brand new BMW X3 company car of the family man, in comparison with the brand new Volvo XC60 that the man had as company car before the BMW. Also, I live in Stuttgart, and here there are lots and lots of brand new Porsche Taycans, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, and Audi A6s, that seem company cars that workers get. Also, I do think in the UK people get company cars as well, so I don't see where the problem is.
Im only in my late 30s but.....DAMN, THIS is making me feel OLD, because I remember every single one of those cars, had rides in almost all of them, and even owned a few of them (E36 BMWs on J and N plates respectively). Recognise quite a few of these locations too! (M25 Dartford crossing... M1 Tinsley Viaduct... Humber Bridge...Ferrybridge Services). All looking MUCH quieter on the roads than they do today of course!
I am also noticing the absence of speed cameras everywhere, and the fact that not one person mentioned the issue of potholes and damaged road surface.
I'm not saying EVERYTHING was better back then but, for the average motorist, clearly it was a LOT less stressful than today! But of course thats entirely intentional.
20 million less people around and smaller cars the roads back then are no different than they are now despite the massive increase in population and cars being twice as heavy. The roads have had the load placed on them doubled so it's no wonder they're falling apart.
@@gravemind6536 And spending on maintenence cut too. I guess the outcome is..... the complete mess we have now!
Oh yeah you could write a book on things that have been done to ruin the road network.
What a blast from the past....wonderful video...we had top mark Vauxhalls in the 80s and 90s...including a Carlton, a metallic Gold Cavalier CDX and even a Belmont - remember those?...hubby collected it brand new at midnight from the dealership when it was the exciting thing to do.....my father in law only ever had the Royale...a rust bucket but a beautiful car....those days have truly gone.
Cavalier and Carlton CDXs or Diplomats they were great cars.
Iconic Gold
I love the boot badged snobbery of it all !!!
It was easy to change the boot badge on Escorts in 1983.
"I said with pride it`s not a Honda it`s a Nissan Primera" That is a brilliant line.
That must be early 90s? Take me back to the 80s... PLEASE!
Oh the nostalgia. I've never had a company car, but this brings back memories of my 1991 Cavalier GSI. What a car! Both brilliant and sh*t, all at the same time.
Cavaliers where always the company car in the 70's & 80's
I only got my first company car January this year. It's a skoda enyaq EV I love having a company car. Couldn't possibly afford one of these otherwise and all the running costs are taken care of.
@@chrishart8548 enjoy
In a couple of years aspiration, ambition and hope will be totally crushed out of us. So as untasteful as this video is I know what era I prefer to live in.
'We Physically cried' has got to be the best quote I have ever heard. What a great, great video.
I'd love me a Maestro diesel!
I have worked for jaguar, landrover then JLR on and off since the early 90s. In the start the junior managers had maybe an escort diesel or sierra. None of the regular staff had anything newer than a 3yr old hatchback. Now all the 30 yr old junior managers and lead engineers have £70k defenders on lease deals. How times have changed.
Probably just stay living with parents then a £70k lease is perfectly fine. Otherwise how would a £70k lease even fit in with owning a house at 30. Can't imagine a junior manager could afford a house anyway.
And they all believe that loosing their pensions for an “aspirational vehicle” was a good deal.
Yeap...
This was 30 years ago! It is absolutely a different world to now. The telly was really good back in the day. The cars, not so much. Buy by the late 90s I think they were nailing it. Good times were ahead.
Then 911 and all turned to shìt thereafter
A mk3 astra in a good spec wasn't a bad car really. Cars were probably good enough by the 90's. After 2000 everything got way to complicated.
This is Motoring Gold! Thanks for sharing Geoff. Those who have left your channel dont know what they have missed out on and the relevance of why you shared this. Motoring at it's peak in the 90s (and early naughties) without all the tech that has ruined cars since.
@@Binit_777 it’s an an amusing watch - I remember the program from the first time around. However I wouldn’t say it’s about the cars, rather it’s about the people.
I’ve seen this documentary before, it’s great, but I have to say that it’s a well known fact, with viewers of it at the time, that it was actors portraying written memoirs that company car drivers sent in on a survey, it’s still brilliantly accurate of the time and life then, but just wanted to mention that 👍 and as the son of a very successful sales rep of the70s and 80s I vouch for its tongue in cheek accuracy, still remember my dads greatest triumph in late 1988, he had one of the very first mk3 cavaliers in the country ( the showrooms still had last of the line LX mk2 in the window at the time) no one even knew what it was at first and it had a car phone 😅
I remember it first time around but did not realise it was actors - I guess it explains why the delivery was so good
I thought they were all very cringey. I’ve met old boys like this though who still talk like their company car 1.8 GLSi Cavalier from the 90s was the fastest thing around and the best thing since sliced bread. 😂
@ It’s meant to cringy/tongue in cheek 😂
I remember watching this when broadcast. The poor guy and his Maestro, I've never forgotten about him.
Me too. Something about the blue paint imprinted in my mind.
Same for me
Hysterical!! Proper alan partridge. "After 120,000 miles I finally got my colour television with Shell points. The relief to finally be able to use other brands" Wow.
1:18 the pre-bundled fax paper, rolex shirt buttons and fancy household vacuum blenders i've bought from this guy down the years ..... oi! i want my money back!
I remember those days, when cars moed from carb to injection. Everyone was trying to out do each other. My parents drove mercs and range rovers in those days, when you couldn't just go buy those badges.
But you COULD 😄 🤣 😂
Walk up the stairs and ask nicely in the parts department 🏬 👌,
My mates 'Escort 1.3 L' got turned into a the RS Turbo, well, it looked like one, and had the badges 😅😅😅, whereas I always got the Gti, Turbo or whatever performance version was, and IMMEDIATELY de-badged it because 'Q-cars' are more fun at the lights.....
🚦🏁 🚘 🚘 😅
@@Craig-wp3pz I remember the whale tail escorts, especially xr3i body kitted. They were great days.
I'm old enough to remember those days
My mate had a 1.3 escort as his company car, literally nothing other than a steering wheel 🤣
Luxury! He were lucky to have a steering wheel! 😂
I remember all these cars.. my mates dad had a Peugeot 405 mi16. It looked amazing when your about 10. Great stuff Geoff.
My mates dad had an XR4i in white Which my mate spun on the Owd Betts road and set on fire and left a big mark on the road where it melted. Beat that.
I've seen this before, I was born latest 70s and I remember cars like this and my dad's Sierra's etc, nothing now modern excites me in the same way, I like driving cars from the late 90s to the mid to late 2000s ideally because for me thats almost as good as cars got before it all got silly, nothing from that period has been anything other than reliable if not boring transport for me.
I had one of the first Belmonts as a company car; C reg, early 1986, 1.6 carburettor engine.
It went like the clappers! It would cruse comfortably at 90+ mph and on a trip in Germany had over 120mph on the speedometer. Did 75,600 miles in 18 months, the only issues were that the mechanical fuel pump needed to be replaced every 18,000 miles and it chewed through front tyres.
PS One of the great things about it was the huge boot and the boot opening coming down to the level of the rear bumper so no need to lift things over the boot lip - as a field service tech. one appreciates these things!
I had one regularly did 110 on the M80 from Glasgow to Perth on a Saturday.
Look how quiet the roads are by comparison lol
I was a service engineer mid 80's(Astra diesel van,Montego then a Sierra 1.8 Ghia.) .
Brings back great memories.
In the early 80's,most of our reps used the same tailor and barber.
They wanted to change their cars from cavaliers to bluebirds(better metallic paint and superior trim).
Great video!
It shows the materialistic madness.... that somehow still exists!
But it did take me back to my childhood.
They’re like ironic caricatures of eighties reps. It felt like a Not the nine o’clock news or Monty P parody. Of course, I am considerably richer than thou!
They really did loose sleep over such things. Such wonderfully fragile egos. Wonderful delicious stuff.❤
Wasn't "I'm considerably richer than you..." a Harry Enfield character?
@@angelamarynicz7865 you could be right!
Fragile egos indeed. Seems a few of them have popped up in these comments!
What a great video - Njoyed every second of it ! It was great to see the cars - I've had loads of Mk3 Cavaliers and they were brilliant ! That poor fella in the Maestro Diesel !
It's amazing how excited you can get about a '1.6'. Beginning just 10 years later, I was buying double that engine for Geoff money to learn in! 2.8i Capris, 3.0S Capri, Granada Limousine, 3.2 X300 Jag, all for a combined price under £5000 for all 4! Those 2.8 Capris were the smallest engines I'd had in any car in 20 years of driving, and still haven't gone down to 4 cylinders.
It’s strange how in the 90’s Image was so important when it came to a car for business. After starting my breakdown recovery business in 1990 I wanted to upgrade my company image so back in 1994/95 I bought a 5 year old Range Rover . And although it looked great and I loved it customers didn’t . Even though I used it for work and did breakdowns from it no one would let you out of a junction. People would call you a posh snob and it didn’t go down well with customers. So I went back to an old Toyota Hiace van which everyone loved customers included and kept the Range Rover for personal use. Today mums are using Range Rovers to take the kids to school and no one bats an eye lid. That’s if they aren’t broken down in a new one that is lol.
Brilliant video Geoff apart from the guy in the merc what a biff the sort of guy you would knock out down the pub 😂
Oh he was the highlight- mr ‘I often get hotel rooms’ 😅
The poor guy with the Maestro made me cry with laughter! Is's amazing how obsessed they all were with their cars.
My God, I was never aware the type of coat hanger carried a stateus also!
😂 after he got enough points to get a tele he could finally go to a different petrol station love it.
Nice to track down some of these drivers and see what their driving now😊😊😊😅😅
would be great to see them now
@@dannyjonze probably dead
They're in their 60s now so probably the same silvertops holding me up in my Volvo 940 CD LPT Turbo Intercooler, with black leather interior and SIPS sticker!! 💅
They're actors,this is not a documentary. It's based on a written testimonies from the surveys.
Wow, as a van driver, engineer, I never entered the shallow world of sales or management …
Harrods hangers 😂, badge envy 😂
Retired at 53 with a proper pension at 60 ….
"I never entered the shallow world of sales or management", bet you were never so glad till you watched this 😂😂
Excellent! Thank you! I'm from The Netherlands, worked a lot in the UK and the company car scene back then was very similar in both countries. I was a young rep back then, moving up the company ladder. In '93 I was in my early 40s and to us cars were important. We all longed for a Beemer or a Merc, Audi was not in the same bracket yet. Happy to say I got there in the end, driven both Beemers and Mercs as company cars. To the current generation of people in their 30s and 40s cars are in general not that important. My daughter being an exception, she probably got that from me. My son in law cannot care less. No problem to me, times change. The guy in the Merc could have ordered it without the badge. That's what I did 🙂. Cars are no longer that important to me, moved back to motorbikes. The car world is no longer fun in my eyes... Interestingly I have seen this as a documentary (I guess) on TV. I remember the guy in the Maestro. My sympathy is with him!
Incredible 😂and I was out there driving the UK at the time, blissfully unaware of the i wars 😀
In the early 90's part of my job was the 50+ compny cars, sorting out the deals, deliveries etc. One day we had a visit from the rather daffy woman who was our agent, and she looked a bit more flustered than usual. She had been to a company earlier in the day to deliver 2 Vauxhall Carltons to 2 of the dorectors at a customer, but when the cats arrived (from different starting points) it became apparent that one had a slight difference, possibly colour coded bumpers, possibly mirrors or front spotlights). In any event the relevant secretaries were told the cars had arrived, followed by both directors sprinting downstairs to try to get the "posher " cars keys first. A physical fight ensued which was only ended by the arrival of the Managing Director, who sacked both of them on the spot. Over nothing
Fascinating stuff Geoff, that was a rare find! The i factor is important. I once dated a girl whose son rushed out to admire my car. He says: “wow, an XR31” “No son, that is an i”
I remember this programme and the guy in his XR2i. It's amazing how much of a status symbol company cars were in the nineties and how much travelling everyone did. That injection 'i' badge really did mean everything. My dad had a Sierra GLS for a while and it was a great feeling.
Remember watching this on BBC2, the one who saved up enough tokens for a colour TV , and the guy who was disappointed his Nissan did not have a I, on the boot lid , always stuck with me ., watching it now just made me laugh
I don't know where you found this ,.but Geoff , MORE please !
Informative , very interesting and eye opening .
"Thier" reliance on pushing their 'agendas' pays dividends on the fact , people forget . We are after all , human .😊
Chairman Mau said something along the lines of "make the people destroy and forget all the past and we can mould the future to *our* way now" !
Look how clean everywhere is and the fact no pot holes and no traffic i want to go back and live in the 90s
that 3 door beemer is a beaut, even now.
But it doesn't exist.
@@andrewwaller5913it might do. Have you checked it?
Reminded me of a " Two Ronnie's " episode, 3 men at different levels of society , 1st man " I look down on him " peering at a man to his left, 2nd man " I look down on him " peering at the man to his left, and the 3rd man was Ronnie Corbett who said " I know my place " and looked content with his lot and didn't give a PHUK about the other 2 , 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
That show was called 'that was the week that was'. These days were the last knockings of the class system. What young prople wont understand was that working men generally wouldnt go to university, you didnt have to to get a job. Now everyone has a meaningless degree. The chap with the story about the cricket club was telling us about his class, obviously went to university.
watched this about 2 months ago Geoff, shared it as well, Excellent old archive.
I remember seeing this film when originally shown and I witnessed the company car "status" attitude in various companies I worked for. In one they wanted to downsize so offered all the sales team Skoda Estelle's.... 75% resigned the same day ! I worked for a Volvo dealers for a while, my company car was a 240GLT and when off to a Head office meeting the Dealer manager insisted I take a 760Turbo to look more senior. 🙂
Ah the Volvo 240 - the brick on wheels
@@monishbiswas1966 The GLT was called the flying brick at the dealership - I got my first points in one, doing 38 southbound on Park Lane when it was a 30 limit! Still miss that car and tempted to get a "classic" for my retirement.
I thought this was satire at the time and now I see how these actors are talking to the camera I'm convinced of it. Channel 4 and BBC2 showed a lot of weird sneering looks at life type programmes around that time.
It could almost be from an episode of The Day Today...
The director had wannabe actors write in their stories and would edit & dramatise them for another pseudo documentary he made.
@@therogers4432 it was already done by the ade edmonson crowd. possibly comic strip presents or another similar at the time. but years before day today
I recently inherited a large sum of moola. All of my friends are asking me when I am going to get a new truck to replace my POS 03 GMC. I told them I had no plans to get a new truck. 330K and 21 YO, the old ugly truck purrs like a kitten. The idea of cars as a status symbol makes middle class people into poor people. Buy cars like you would buy a washing machine.
- If you are one of those people who is proud of your washing machine, you do not have my permission to read this comment.
There is a big 4-core radiator in my future. I will probably show that off to a few people who get it.
Sorry read the comment and then your last remark. I love my washing nachine. It is a huge American Admiral top loader and I got it when my 5th child was born 29.5 years ago. You can fit anything in it and it is still going strong.
I got my first company car in 1987 as a branch manager in recruitment. A 316i BMW saloon in Alpine White - E826 TTH. No air con or sunroof, but it did have the then dealer-fitted optional radio casette. That was considered quite a status symbol back then.
After my second 316i in brilliant red (with a manual sunroof), I liked the product so much that in 1991, I took a job in fleet sales at Sytner BMW in Nottingham and rode a wave of success through the 90's, earning £40-£50k a year (close to £100k in today's money). I sold thousands of BMWs to aspirational company car drivers like these. It was an amazing time to be doing that job. All long gone now.
I can see where Ricky Gervais got his inspiration for David Brent!
gotta love Ricky Gervais ❤
I was a rep for many yrs and this brings back memories. The company car is very much a symbol, cost a bloody fortune in tax. I had a Vectra 1.7D, Primera, Vectra 2.0, Vectra SRi (loved that one), Accord S, Vectra SRi, BMW120 and Scirocco. Gave up sales then and bought an old MR2 and the relief of just driving your own car was was wonderful.
laugh, I nearly chocked on my cornflakes. What a load of snobs.
Amazing how much the little things mattered like the "i" badge or the model, and great to see all the old cars new
Most new cars don't even have badges for the spec or engine size anymore.
It was a complete status hierarchy the company car. Same thing happened to my colleague being allocated a diesel Peugeot. We all took the piss 😂
Ive watched these a few times over the years. The guy who gets stitched up with the Maestro poverty spec cracks me up.
This is among the funniest things I've seen in at least a year!
It's like seeing a down scaled "American Psycho" rebranded to "British Salesrep"
😅😂😂😂
All about Image, What a bunch of GiTs !!!! 🤣🤣
Fantastic! A Little Chef, a pager and a filofax all in one scene, followed by a Mercedes steering wheel and a beer gut...😂
Some proper bell ends on this. Imagine getting frothed up over an Astra/Belmont?! The Merc guy was next level cockwomble, XR2i boy wasn’t far behind. Same for blue Cavalier knob.
Blue cavalier ones the biggest wanker for me.
Wow this is amazing. I started company car driving around this time so recognise all the services and the attitudes so well... I was lucky enough to get my managers cast off Cavalier with 90k miles on the clock. I took it to 220k miles over the next few years before it went on as a pool car 😊
When cars were reliable - even the crappy ones were more reliable than today's junk thats churned out !
You’re not wrong. Seriously, the most ruthless customer was the rep. If a car aimed at them was lacking, it would suffer. Immediate feedback. And vice versa. Through the 1990s, Vauxhall made superb mass market vehicles. Total cost of Cavalier ownership was low, because they didn’t break down. They were easy to service, and nicer to drive than Sierra of the day.
I’ve heard many people say that it appears that car designers have given up.
Technicians find many modern cars irritating because they have so many computers that they have sacrificed basic reliability. Car companies, recognizing that their cars are unlikely to be as durable as their cars made 30 years ago, don’t make them with a 20-30 year life in mind. Self fulfilling.
Yeh, I sort of agree but you never hear cars cranking over until the battery's dead on a winters morning these days as well as cars littering the hard shoulder. Most of the issues these days seem to be electrical problems. Things were simpler back then though including life itself.
Guy In the jag making sure he's seen with his state of the art corded car phone. Big manager energy. 😂😂
Lol 😂😂😂. All these adults talking about why they got the car they got. No CDi badge on the back, electric windows, L spec versus GL. I was making these decisions for my dad from 11 years old. He couldn't care what company car he had but I'd get all the brochures, compare specs etc and plead with my dad to get this or get that. I always got him to get the car I wanted. We had cortinas, sierras, rovers, granadas and then went to BMWs and Audis. I was so pleased when we got the car I wanted - and hearing adults do what I did as a child really made me laugh. And I still remember the number plates of every car he had... even the ones I chose for him when he was based in France.
Top Trumps!
Love this episode, I remember first seeing it a few years ago and showing it to my dad who had company cars from the late 80s to mid 00’s and he confirmed it was pretty much spot on.
Back when I was a toddler he had a 92/93 Cavalier GSi and I can just imagine that Cavalier guy having to pull over and eat humble pie to let the GSi pass.😂
I also remember his first BMW, a ‘98 530d Touring, back then it was a big deal to have a BMW, they really were a car that people strived for and were above and beyond in build quality, plus the dealerships really did have very high levels of customer service………..I blame the 1 series for the start of the downfall😂
This is very much an 80s insight. Not long after this the Mondeo was out. Next level comfort and 3 figure quick. Which explains having a tour of a local Magistrates one time. 😂 Soreee guv won't do it again.... 😉
It's clearly filmed with actors and clearly made with a satirical eye. I was 15 in 1993 so do remember these times. Love it though, a great bit of filming and production.