The Tesla Model Y is an electric SUV that can carry a lot of people and cargo. It's known for being high-tech and having a long battery life, making it popular among drivers who want an eco-friendly vehicle.
The Citroën Saxo is a small car that was made in the late 1990s and early 2000s. It's known for being light and fun to drive, which is why some people like it.
Suspension is the part of a car that helps it ride smoothly over bumps. It keeps the wheels in contact with the ground, making the ride more comfortable.
Car
Eagle Quest
The Eagle Quest is a small family vehicle made by the Eagle brand, which was part of Chrysler. It's designed to be practical for carrying people and things.
Car
Ecto-1
Ecto-1 is the car used by the Ghostbusters in the movies. It's a modified Cadillac that has special gear on it to catch ghosts.
The Honda E is a small electric car that looks a bit like classic cars but has modern technology. It's great for city driving and is eco-friendly because it runs on electricity.
The Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio is a fast and stylish version of the Giulia car. It's known for having a strong engine and great driving experience, making it popular among car enthusiasts.
The BMW M3 is a special version of the BMW 3 Series that is made for people who love fast cars. It has a stronger engine and better handling, making it more fun to drive than regular models.
The Daihatsu Applause is a small car made by the Japanese company Daihatsu. It was popular in the 1990s and is known for being budget-friendly and practical.
Car
Mini
The Mini is a small, classic car that was very popular in the past. It is known for its unique shape and fun driving style, and today, many old Minis are seen at car shows.
Car
Austin Mini
The Austin Mini is a small, classic car that was very popular in the UK. It’s known for its cute, compact shape and was a common sight on the roads for many years.
Car
Rover Mini
The Rover Mini is another version of the classic Mini car, made by a different company. It looks similar but has some updates and changes.
The Volkswagen GTI is a sporty version of the regular Golf car. It's known for being fun to drive and has a powerful engine, making it a favorite among car lovers.
The supercharging network is a system of charging stations where Tesla cars can quickly recharge their batteries, making it easier to travel long distances.
A public charging network is a group of places where you can charge your electric car when you're away from home. It's like gas stations but for electric vehicles.
The Tesla Model S is a high-end electric car that can drive long distances on a single charge. It's known for being fast and having lots of cool technology inside.
Semi-automatic sequential shifters let you change gears in a car without using a clutch pedal. You just push a lever or button to go to the next gear, making it faster and easier, especially in racing.
The Kia EV9 is a new electric SUV from Kia. It's designed to be spacious and has a lot of modern features, making it a good option for families or anyone looking for an electric vehicle.
The Lancia Thema is a car that was made by the Italian company Lancia. It was popular in the 1980s and 1990s and was known for being comfortable and stylish.
Deep-dish wheels are wheels that have a deep, curved edge that makes them look like a bowl. They are popular for giving cars a sporty and stylish appearance.
Alpine wheels are a type of wheel that has a unique design with three slots. They are often used on sporty cars and are known for looking good and being lightweight.
The Chevrolet Monte Carlo is a stylish car that was made from 1970 to 2007, and it's known for being fun to drive. It was popular in racing, especially in snowy events like the Monte Carlo Rally, which is why people talk about how it handles in those conditions.
The Porsche Cayenne is a fancy SUV that drives like a sports car. It was first made in 2002 and helped Porsche sell more cars by attracting buyers who wanted something bigger but still sporty. Some of the older models with V8 engines are talked about because they have special features.
The Pontiac GTO is a powerful car that was first made in 1964 and is famous for being one of the first muscle cars. It has a strong engine and a cool design, making it a favorite among car lovers. People often talk about it because it represents a fun time in American car history.
The Porsche Boxster is a small, sporty car that you can drive with the top down. It was first made in 1996 and is loved for how fun it is to drive. The older 986 model is often talked about because it's a good deal for a Porsche.
Car
Peugeot E-208
The Peugeot E-208 is a small electric car that's great for driving around the city without polluting. It's easy to park and has all the latest tech features.
LIVE
I'm Richard Porter, I'm Johnny Smith, and this is On the Other Side of Things, the Smith and Sniff spin-off in which we answer your questions.
Hello. Hi. Hey. Guys.
Hi. Hey. It's another Otisot for a Friday. We're answering your questions.
I might start with this one from a listener called Sebastian, who's in Denmark.
And I can't remember the last time we had a listener email him from Denmark, but he starts with a test.
It's a Danish two-word phrase, I think. I don't know if he's got lines through the O's.
I'm looking at it right now.
Hello. Helloza. It's not going to be funny. Helloza. I can't... I'm so sorry.
That'll be...
But in a way, this is your fault.
It'll be a breathy thing.
He said, good luck translating that one. I assume it means you flutes or something, but we'll come back to that.
Helloza. Good luck.
Listen, Sebastian.
It's good breathiness.
It's really lovely to hear from Danish friends. Gosh, I love Denmark.
Now, Sebastian's been a bit greedy because he's actually asked three questions.
Okay.
So, I'm going to...
We could do them all quick.
All right, go on then. Let's wrap up.
I mean, he's travelled a long way to deliver this letter to us.
Yes. All across the North Sea, that electric message has come.
So, he says, you recently discussed how to inform fellow drivers using hand signals.
Well, how do I hand signal, get an alignment twat to another driver?
As a person with severe mechanical sympathy, it frustrates me more than it should
when I see a car going down the road sideways.
Wow, sideways.
The second question is, you recently talked about cars you wouldn't mind seeing,
current cars, that is.
Got me thinking, is there a car on the market today which you would like to preserve?
Because you'd like to buy it in 10 to 15 years' time.
Besides the supercars, I don't see many current cars which enthusiasts will lust for in the future.
And thirdly, can we get a long-term review on your Tesla Model Y, Richard,
if you were to trade it in now?
What would you get instead?
So, from the top...
Once, twice, three times a good question.
The thing about alignment is that if you...
I know what Sebastian means, I don't feel to see it at all for a lot.
I quite like following an old Saxo because I think they have a natural crab stance
because of their suspension.
Yes.
I think what it is these days, modern suspension, it probably hides the fact
and the width of tyres as well.
It hides a car that's woefully out of alignment until you realise that in 300 miles
you can go from a box rush to a canvas which I have had before on certain vehicles.
We actually had the alignment done on the Eagle Quest not that long ago.
So, I think it had maybe knocked into a curb or something,
not when we were owning it prior owner and just was towing out a little.
But I thought about this question, I think I've got an answer.
Because hand signals don't work and you can't mouth things
because it will always look aggressive for a start
and you won't really get your information across.
Yeah.
So, do you remember, I think it was Ghostbusters 2
when they'd upgraded the Ecto1 to have more equipment on it
and they had a big scrolling screen on the side of the roof rack,
which said we're back.
Okay, yeah.
And back in the 80s or I think it was 89 that film came out,
scrolling LED screens were so expensive and advanced
and I realised the other day that you can buy quite a small scrolling screen
with a cigarette lighter attachment for something like 12 quid.
And I thought you could just, you can programme it in.
So you could just have that in the back window.
If someone is like driving in the middle lane, for example,
and it's making everybody annoyed,
you could just pull in front of them and just go get out of the middle lane
or move over or so you could just type in your car's broker.
The problem I foresee with Sebastian's aspiration here
is that if somebody's car is so wildly out of alignment that you can see it,
they're probably the kind of person who doesn't know what alignment is.
So no signal or written message is really going to hit the spot.
You probably need some kind of laminated leaflet
that you can leave behind their wipers that explains in detail
what they need to have done,
but otherwise I feel like that may just be a hiding to nothing
and well, you just got to leave them to it.
His next question was cars you'd like to preserve
to be sort of in good nick in 10 to 15 years time.
I have a feeling I know what you're going to say.
What am I going to say?
Honda E.
Well, that was one of them actually.
The first two that sprang to mind
and there's probably going to be a few more as you talk
or as we answer the questions.
The Honda E is just so good
and I drove it again the other week on a late break show video
to remind myself of what it was like
and it was just so thrilling
and beautifully put together
and Honda obsession at its best,
albeit with flaws.
The other car is a Alfa Giulia Quadrifoglio.
Ah, yes.
Because I can't stop admiring them when I see them.
They're just so damn handsome
and they sit just right,
they sound good,
they feel exotic
and I feel like in a decade's time
if I haven't bought one, I'll be pissed right off.
And I'd like to just drive one around
with a sticker in the back
or maybe a scrolling LED screen saying
BMW M3 drivers, here's what you could have bought.
I mean, I would say yes
and I'd also, obviously I'd like chuck in the Alpine A110
but I sort of feel that's the kind of car that
will naturally
second the third car so they're not overstressed,
people look after them,
people who care about cars have them.
So there'll be relatively plenty around
as in the attrition rate will be low
so we probably don't need to worry about those.
I don't know what else.
I mean, cars sort of last longer generally, don't they?
In different ways.
Bodily they do anyway for the most part.
Yes, bodily they do and interiors
and stuff like that I would have thought.
It's a strange one.
Yeah, I don't know.
It's perverse but stuff becomes appealing
when it's suddenly not around.
The delight of Festival of the Unexceptional
is seeing something like a Daihatsu applause
and there were sort of three parked on your street
because it was still on sale in the 90s.
You wouldn't look.
You wouldn't give a toss about it
but when it looks like you've seen
the only surviving one in captivity,
it suddenly takes on this sort of strange appeal
which I often question myself about.
Do you really?
Would you want it?
Would you want that car?
You go, no.
But I'm glad that somebody else has it.
It's sort of like you need to keep one of everything.
Yeah.
Not necessarily any more than that.
So it's hard to say in 10 or 15 years time
stuff that's around loads at the moment.
You know, suddenly I feel like all the Marquan Igos
will start to disappear.
I mean, they seem to be pretty hardy cars.
Yeah, but they're popular first cars, aren't they?
Popular first cars.
Yeah.
They do rot.
They do.
And they will become so worthless
that it's not worth getting them repaired
if they do have some kind of engine fault.
And they'll just suddenly go.
The way that, you know, old Minis
were sort of all over the place
and they stopped making them
and then suddenly it's like,
they've become a car show thing only.
It's weird, isn't it?
Minis were so common
and I tried to explain this to the kids
because when old one went by the other day
and they went, oh, it's an old Mini.
It was like a red one.
And I said, when I was at school and college
they were like one in 10 cars
was probably an Austin Mini or a Rover Mini.
Yeah.
They were just street furniture.
Yeah, they really were.
They were in the UK anyway.
Probably not in Denmark, but maybe they were.
I don't know.
I wouldn't want to go through a Danish winter
with an A-Series engine and heating system,
but that's just me.
So, yeah, I'll think of some other cars,
but I think that, oh, up GTI,
the car that you and I both regret not buying you.
That's a good one.
And finally, just really quickly,
long-term review on my Tesla Y.
It's surprisingly good, like better
than I probably expected.
It's a functional car, you know,
to Sebastian's other point about
the enthusiasts would want to lust for.
No, not that, but for what we need from it,
which is a spacious, cheap to run, reliable,
supposedly quite safe, well-equipped family car,
it's hitting the spot
and it's not perfect far from it, whether to drive.
Actually, in so many other ways,
it is sort of as good as modern cars get.
It's very unannoying.
Yeah.
There's nothing that pisses me off about it,
whereas I, you know,
I borrow the modern cars and get annoyed
with various badly thought-through functions,
particularly where tech is concerned and touch screens.
And although I would prefer some hard buttons
in the Tesla, I do think that their implementation
of the touchscreen is about as good as it gets in general.
So, no, it is, I'm happier than I thought I would be
with that car.
I just wish that the man who runs the company
wasn't such a massive prick.
And that being so, it does give me severe
thoughts to not get another one.
It's on the lease and it goes back.
We've got a year and a bit still with it.
Yeah, you could get a Renault Fluence,
I was thinking, to replace it with.
I've already started thinking about it
because, you know, we're car people
and this is what we do.
And I was like, what do I get?
I would stay electric.
We've been very happy with that.
But I have been reminded the other thing about the Tesla
and not to sound like a bloody ad,
is that that supercharging network is just second to none.
There is no public charging network
that is as good and as fuss-free in my experience
over the last two years with our family car.
And having recently, I was going somewhere
long-distance-ish and something else electric
and it was all right, but public charges
are still a bit of a crapshoot in a number of ways.
And I've never had a sort of failed charger
or anything like a sort of journey-delaying experience
on a Tesla charger.
So, it's going to be a hard one to think
what to replace it with.
And I know you can now charge other EVs on Tesla chargers.
That might be the answer.
Yeah.
You must do that.
You must do that.
Yeah, because it's really annoying as well
that the owner of the company is an absolute asshole
because the updated Model Y seems to have addressed
a couple of my criticisms of it,
which is the steering is too quick
and the ride is too hard.
And apparently they've stressed both of those annoyingly.
So, we'll see.
I don't know.
Hopefully he gets ousted before I need to think about
what he needs as a family car
because all of the things being equal,
I think I would have another one.
It is a functional tool.
It's not sexy or exciting particularly,
but sometimes you don't need that.
You just need a car that does the job.
And it does that.
Yeah.
Well, I'm doing an update on my Model S
soon, my 5-gram Model S,
because people love a bit of bangernomics, Richard.
They do.
By the way, Sebastian's opening was
Hello Meat Flutes in Danish.
Oh, it's meat.
Yes, a code floater is meat flute, apparently.
So, you learned something new.
Okay.
All right.
So, I'm going to do a question from Jackson Knowles.
Jackson, hi.
It says, oh, now then, Chaps, hope you've had a good week.
That's just a decidedly sensible,
polite, really nice way to start the conversation.
Taking a back by that.
Yeah, I am.
Jackson, that's lovely.
He's put, after the big toe on my left foot,
recently decided to perform toe sapuku,
also known as an ingrown toenail.
I decided to book an appointment with a podiatrist.
Long story short,
I could only email to book the appointment.
And whilst writing out my boo-boo,
I referred to my left-hand big toe as my nearside big toe.
Luckily, I spotted and amended it before pressing send.
My question to you guys is,
have you ever used car terms
when referring to normal everyday stuff to a layman?
Cheers for the past, present and future entertainment
across your platforms is Sarnara Jackson.
I do it a lot.
I probably do it on a weekly basis,
which makes me either very shallow
or obsessed or whatever.
But I do do it, yeah.
My brother regularly refers to people
who, you know, slightly pigeon-toed.
Yeah.
He regularly refers to that woman over there
who's tracking it out.
And referring to the,
because there's a bit of a toe-in going on on the left one.
He'll regularly do that,
and it always makes me giggle a bit.
Yeah, I've got loads.
I'm just trying to think of the type that I do.
I mean, like, I think you and I,
when we talk to each other,
we're forever doing it,
because we know it'll be understood.
Yeah.
Just using words like,
kick down when you just mean
that your voice went up a bit or something.
But it's when, I suppose, like Jackson,
when they slip out into the real world.
I think I've sort of said,
I've used make and model to refer to both dogs
and babies, possibly with people
who didn't quite appreciate the reference,
even if they understood it.
So we go, oh, yeah, I've just had a baby.
I really want to make a model.
And what I mean is, you know,
is it a boy or a girl,
and how heavy was it,
and all that sort of stuff.
But it's just, yeah, it's a car-y shorthand.
I've definitely done that before.
Definitely.
And I've gone to,
I booked an appointment with the doctors
and just said, yeah, I'm going in for it.
It's a big service, you know, like a big one.
Probably, you know, cambell and brake fluid.
Yeah.
The ones you don't do as much.
I've referred to going for an annual check
about the dentist as an MOT,
and then I have almost used that
when trying to book one for my children
standing at the reception desk in the dentist.
Because in my head, I was going,
oh, just my MOT.
Oh, I better make sure the kids get their MOT.
And that would have been,
I think that would have been one of those
where they'd have gone, I'm sorry, what?
And you'd have felt like a bit of a...
That's great.
...sleeve.
Do you get advisory slips?
Do you get a failure sheet or a advisory sheet?
Well, you do, don't you, sometimes.
Yeah.
Yeah, that's the thing.
I feel like my old dentist was much more
of one of those stern MOT testers that could go,
oh, I need headlights.
It's just a tiny bit milky.
Whereas this new guy,
he's just one of those ones.
I'm not saying he's one of those MOT testers
who suspiciously issues a certificate
before they've looked at the car,
but he definitely just goes, yeah, you're good.
Nice one.
It never gives me any advisories on my teeth,
which I find surprising because I have terrible teeth.
I've just thought of another one that I do.
I refer to my ability to think about long-term plans
as the inability to kind of have full beam on.
So I always describe myself as...
I'm a bit of a dipped beam guy.
I look at what's directly in front of me,
no more than, say, a week, perhaps two weeks.
Whereas I need to be more full beam thinking,
apparently, if I'm running away in business,
because I've got to think about what you're doing in six months
and what's going to be the scale of the operation in a year.
And I've got to focus on being more full beam.
Or adaptive headlights, you know, auto-dipping, I guess.
I got one from TV's Tiffany Dell that I use quite a bit,
but it's not cars, it's a boating term.
He always said that he liked to know that he had
sort of two months worth of work ahead of him as a freelancer.
As long as he had that two months,
he didn't sort of think too far beyond that,
but he called it his bow wave.
I suppose it's an off-roading term as well, isn't it?
So actually, that does still check out.
But yeah, he'd always go,
I've got to have my bow wave.
And I've used that.
Because he's from a boat racing background, isn't he?
That's where he started.
Yes, hence the orange helmet, I think.
Isn't that the story? That's a boaty thing.
Yeah, it is a boaty thing.
You can be found if you fall out or whatever happens in boats.
If you get ragged old out of a power boat doing 95 miles an hour,
that's what it is.
Yes, as happened to a chap that I know
who used to be the PR man at TVR,
and one day this eccentric customer,
I think, wanted one of TVR's V8s fitted to a power boat.
Oh, gosh.
I don't know if it was a racing one.
I don't think it was. I think it had some kind of open deck.
So they did this.
It must have been some, you know,
valued customer or mate at Peter Weales or something.
So they did this.
And because they're based in Blackpool,
basically it was finished one day,
and a bunch of people at the factory just went,
well, the sea's over there.
Should we go and try it out?
And so...
No.
And this guy James, who's the PR at the time,
went, I'll come.
And so they load them just piled on the back of this boat.
They got it in the water.
They piled in.
And then off they set.
And whoever was driving it just absolutely pinned it open,
you know, to make sure it's okay.
But then out in the cruel and very grey and cold Irish sea,
whacked it into a turn,
James was sitting on the side about to light a cigarette,
and he just went overboard.
Oh, shit.
And he went overboard.
And he said he popped up in the very, very cold sea.
He realised, first of all, he still got a very damp cigarette
in his mouth.
So he got rid of that.
And he looked and he's like,
I'm not sure anyone spotted me going over there.
And the boat is like a speck heading somewhere towards...
Oh, no way.
Islands.
And he's a bit like,
and he looked so they can see the coast of Blackpool
is worryingly far away.
And he's a bit like,
I think I'm a goner here.
And thankfully, they realised what had happened.
And then they're coming back and he's like,
Oh, no, now they're going to run me over.
I really am a goner because it is very hard to see
a person in the water from a boat.
And hence the orange helmet is a safety thing.
I'd be more fearful of that.
I'd be more fearful of getting run over by somebody
than falling out of somewhere and just having to fend for myself.
Yeah.
I think you're right.
He was okay.
They realised and they didn't run him over and they picked him up.
It was all okay.
Oh, that's good.
That's good.
Can I do a quick question from a listener called Vince?
He says, I was easily looking.
Actually, I'll do the rude intro.
Why not?
He says, hi, you sweet sweet semi-automatic sequential shifters.
So not a rude intro.
Oh, that's a good one.
It's a nice one.
No, that's not crude.
I like it.
Yeah.
He says, I was ideally looking at a Kia EV9 in the supermarket
the other day and couldn't help noticing the alloys
looked remarkably similar to the blades
in the bottom of a blender.
My question is,
what are the car wheels slash design features
bear an uncanny resemblance to something else?
And my attention was drawn to this question
because the answer for me popped straight into my head,
which is from years ago.
Do you remember the Lancia Thema?
Yes.
In just about...
I think it's...
When they facelifted it,
they gave it a set of alloys.
I think they also used to put on the DEDRA.
And they looked to me exactly like the design
of the big reel-to-reel tapes
that they put on old-fashioned tape machines.
Oh, I know the things you mean.
Yeah.
And that's it.
And I just went,
well, they've obviously just copied reel-to-reel tapes.
There's probably one who's doing computer data
at the Lancia R&D center.
And they went,
that's a good idea.
We'll do that.
But yeah, those wheels, I just couldn't...
I mean, they're quite attractive wheels.
Yeah, they are.
They are reel-to-reel tape wheels.
I think flatter alloys are coming back.
Yeah, I'd say.
I know the EV Aero thing is already in full swing.
But I think people have forgotten
how to do cool, deep-dish wheels.
So they've just got to let's just do some flat stuff.
Speaking of which, actually,
the other one that always looks to me
like an old tape reel of a different design,
are those famous three-slot Alpine wheels.
Oh, they're great.
They do look like the bottom.
They're the carrot grating part
of the Magi-Mix, aren't they?
Yeah.
There's...
Peter Stevens was involved in designing those.
In fact, may have been entirely responsible.
Yeah, it was sort of early job.
And he told me that the reason
those very smooth but three-slot Alpine wheels
came about is because of the rally cars.
Because when the wheels were more spoky
and interesting on snow rallies
like the Monte Carlo,
snow and ice would get packed into the slots
and things on the wheels of more intricate designs.
And it would get so heavy
it could break the suspension or damage it.
And so they wanted a smooth wheel
that snow and ice wouldn't stick to.
But obviously they didn't want it to look
totally flat and smooth.
So, yeah, Peter came up with a smooth design.
Then he put...
I think he put four slots in it
and it didn't look right.
So he did three and it just looked great.
And that was it.
That became that design.
I think it was all done
for a very practical reason
but are not copied off real-to-real tape machines.
That's very, very cool.
So, thanks for that, Vince.
I've got a question.
Well, I haven't.
A chap called Simon has.
Guys, hey, guys, now, guys, look.
I work as a window cleaner
in an affluent part of the world
surrounded by people wearing flamboyant-colored trousers.
Whilst working away
on one of the many fancy heises
in my very black trousers,
I will often hear a V8 burst into life.
Filled with excitement,
I'll head around the front of the house to see,
is it an Aston Martin?
Maybe it's a McLaren.
Possibly one of those brave souls
that has a Quattroporte.
But no.
It's always one of those purple trouser pricks
in a G63 or a Range Rover.
Don't shoot the messenger, please.
So, my question for you, gents is,
which car's start-up made you think
it was going to be a riot,
but it was actually more beige
than a British Leyland paint chart?
CMTMB, Simon.
That's a really good question.
That is a really good question.
I don't know about start-up,
but I know that for drive-by excitement,
it's not an unexciting car,
but those are Bath 500s,
particularly later ones.
They do some very gargly,
they're very gargly, oily exhaust notes
on some of them,
and it can lead you to go,
what's that?
And then you go,
oh, it's just a little fit of 500 on steroids,
but the other one for me
is a little closer to what Simon's experienced,
is certain early models of Porsche Cayenne,
the V8 ones.
Oh, yeah.
You have a real, sort of,
almost muscle car-y,
basic rumble to them.
Yeah.
And then you turn around
to see what's driving by,
and you go, oh, it's just a bloody Cayenne.
You're hoping it was something a bit more interesting.
So let down the excitement,
it's immediately washed away.
It's usually SUVs, isn't it?
They're just, you just go.
No.
It's funny, because I wrote a column
for the intercooler just recently
about something similar to this,
about the first time I ever went to America,
which I was in my early 20s,
and I pretty much didn't get any sleep
the first night as in my hotel,
because I slept with the window open,
and I could hear it,
V8 after V8 after V8 after V8,
and some of them coming into the hotel car park
and turning around.
And I just kept jumping up, going,
oh, I wonder what it is,
thinking it's going to be a Pontiac GTO judge.
But it was actually a UPS fan.
Or, you know, some kidnappy Chevy Astro.
And you're like,
hang on, they've all got petrol V8s.
What the hell's going on?
And even a really ghetto-looking pickup truck
had a fantastic exhaust note.
So you're like, oh, bloody hell.
You almost get oversaturated with it.
Yeah.
But I remember that was my first impression of the States,
just that all cars sounded cool, pretty much.
Yes.
I mean, even like airport shuttle buses and things,
and you're going, oh, wow, it must be a GT,
and no, it's not, it's just that.
Yeah, America is in fact the land where,
but I suppose for Americans it's not,
because the V8 is just,
that's the sound of a street, isn't it?
Or certainly if you're an older generation,
it's probably less so now.
But yeah, if you're R-age or older,
that sort of wet, lumpy idol of traffic lights
is in fact just the sound of a car.
So good.
Certainly if you're a childhood.
So there's just one more quick question
from a listener called Rob,
who says, hi, you pair of chorizo oboes.
Hi, I'm chorizo oboes.
Hi, I'm chorizo oboes.
Rob says, I currently have a not so bargain 986 Boxster
long story, but I spent the same I paid for it
on repairs in the first 18 months of ownership.
And an E-208 for commuting to work
while the Boxster is inevitably off the road being fixed.
When I got the E-208.
That's a nice two car garage.
I like that.
Yeah, Rob says, when I got the E-208,
I wasn't able to find much of a saving
down the multi-car insurance route,
but is that just because I only have two cars?
How do you both ensure your vast and growing fleets of cars?
For Johnny, I'm assuming it's our buzzardness policy.
However, does Richard have a rotation plan?
So only a few are insured at any one time.
CMTMB, Rob.
Rob, that's a good...
My answer is actually quite boring
because people ask me this a lot.
Now, nobody's sponsoring us from an insured's point of view,
but we obviously choose who we want to insure with.
But I haven't yet found anyone
that can do a group insurance on my modern and classic cars,
but the cars have an agreed value
because I will not insure classic cars with that
and agreed value because I just disagree with it.
I want my car to be valued as my car,
not the other guy who has a similar car.
That's not mine.
I don't care about those.
And so I ultimately insure every single one of my cars
with a separate policy.
So I get, in January, 13 renewal letters through the post.
Oh, God.
It's one of my least favourite parts at times of the year
because it's very paperwork heavy,
but it's also just after Christmas.
So, yeah, I insure them like that.
And my brother thinks I'm a complete meat whistle.
So there we go.
Yeah, I'm afraid I don't have any particular trick.
In some ways, my situation is both better and worse
than Johnny's, better in that mine don't all arrive at once.
It's just after Christmas,
but worse in that they're scattered across the year
and I have to try and keep on top of that
and remember when the letters come through
or whatever the emails.
And of course, then you got, you know, the road tax
and all that blar as well.
But no, the only thing I've done is that
because my beat is, can be considered a classic,
that is on a classic policy.
But classic insurance is a new one for me
and an eye-opener because it's a lot less expensive
than other car insurances.
Tell me.
Oh my gosh, tell me about it.
My box does hardly any money.
Is it not?
Amazing.
That's hardly any.
Is that considered a classic then?
Yeah, it is.
Yeah, it is because it's over 20.
The funny thing is that one of the things they told me is,
because I went, I'm getting some storage.
So, you know, will that help that the cars will be locked away?
And they went, well, they'd be locked away all the time.
And I was like, well, no, because if I take them home,
they'll just be on my driveway at home.
They went, well, we have to insure based on that.
Really?
Yeah.
So it was just fine.
It was still extremely reasonable.
I couldn't complain.
I don't think it would have made that much difference.
But then, yeah, and then other cars,
I mean, I don't know why I'm a defender.
I should probably think about that.
That's just like with direct line or someone,
it's nothing special.
And then, yeah, family cars with somebody I can't even remember.
So there is no secret.
Sorry.
I wish we could sort of give some trick of the trade here.
Well, maybe we do have friends in the insurance world.
I would personally love to be able to insure all my cars
under one big umbrella.
And each one has an absolute rock solid agreed value
that they know is correct.
Then I'll sleep better at night on that side of things.
But yeah, it's a good question.
And I know everyone's got their own little methods, haven't they?
But yeah.
Well, maybe.
I mean, I see car insurance is just so, so cheap.
I love it.
If people have found any sort of brilliant solutions to this
or ways that just make your life easier,
then do get in such hello at smithandsniff.com.
And the same goes if you have a question for us.
That's the same email address.
Just put autosod in the subject line if it's a question.
It helps us to find it.
We'll be back next Friday answering some more.
Until then, goodbye.
Bye, guys.
About this episode
Listeners' questions take center stage as Richard and Johnny tackle a variety of quirky automotive topics. From hand signals for misaligned cars to which modern vehicles might become future classics, the duo shares their insights and humorous anecdotes. They also discuss the practicality of the Tesla Model Y and the challenges of insuring multiple cars. With engaging stories and a light-hearted tone, this episode offers a delightful mix of automotive wisdom and banter.
This week Jonny and Richard answer listeners’ questions about the international symbol for your tracking being out, modern cars you want to preserve, living with a Model Y, cars parts that remind you of other things, misleading engine noises, and how to insure a load of cars.
