Piston Slap: The Unfortunate, Teachable Moment (Part II)

Mati writes:

Hello Sajeev!

Just finished reading your Piston Slap entry regarding the 2010 Audi A4, and I want to see what you think about my situation. Recently I relocated to the UK for work/travel and will be here for at least two years. I want to try something not available in the U.S. market and take advantage of the open roads here in the outskirts. I don’t live in a big town so no congestion/pollution tax to worry about.My budget is £5,000 purchasing price, and my search for an euro hot hatch gave me only one Japanese branded product , some Fords, and a lot of interesting European models. But all around the 10 year mark give or take. In my situation would it be any better to go with an European 10-year-old hot-hatch then, say, a UK-Built Honda or a Ford?A search on local classified and Bookface nets me a few nice results :
  • 2008 Honda Civic Coupe Type R
  • 2009 Ford Focus ST
  • 2007 RENAULTSPORT CLIO 197 F1 TEAM R27 LY 2.0
  • 2010 Citroen DS3
  • 2010 Peugeot RCZ
  • 2009 VW Scirocco
Looking forward to your reply! Cheers!

Read more
  • Lou_BC Nah. Tis but a scratch. It's not as if they canceled a pickup model or SUV. Does anyone really care about one less Chevy car?
  • ToolGuy If by "sedan" we mean a long (enough) wheelbase, roomy first and second row, the right H point, prodigious torqueages, the correct balance of ride/handling for long-distance touring, large useable trunk, lush enveloping sound system, excellent seat comfort, thoughtful interior storage etc. etc. then yes we need 'more' sedans, not a lot more, just a few really nice ones.If by "sedan" we mean the twisted interpretation by the youts from ArtCenter who apparently want to sit on the pavement in a cramped F16 cockpit and punish any rear seat occupants, then no, we don't need that, very few people want that (outside of the 3 people who 'designed' it) which is why they didn't sell and got canceled.Refer to 2019 Avalon for a case study in how to kill a sedan by listening to the 'stylists' and prioritizing the wrong things.
  • Lou_BC Just build 4 sizes of pickups. Anyone who doesn't want one can buy a pickup based SUV ;)
  • Jor65756038 If GM doesn't sell a sedan, I'll buy elswhere. Not everybody likes SUV's or crossovers or is willing to buy one no matter what.
  • ToolGuy One thing is for sure: Automakers have never gone wrong following the half-baked product planning advice of automotive journalists. LOL.I wonder: Does the executive team at GM get their financial information from the Manager of Product and Consumer Insights at AutoPacific? Or do they have another source? Hmm...