Motoring: My Worst Car: Neil Fox's Volvo 340 and Range Rover
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.EVER SINCE I was 21, I've made a point of changing my cars every two years or so. However, there have been a couple of cars which I would have wanted to get rid of within hours.
My first company car was truly terrible. I had just got a job with a packaging company as a graduate trainee selling and marketing. The free car made me very excited.
I seriously believed that my budget would get me something sexy, which at the time amounted to a Ford Fiesta XR2i, but it wasn't to be. My boss said "there's your car" and pointed to something beige in the car park. I couldn't have been more disappointed. It was a Volvo 340 DL.
Now, if I had been about to retire, it might have been a nice little run-around, but for a young bloke who only wanted to look cool, it was credibility-free. The upholstery was a horrid oatmeal fleck and the dashboard was brown plastic. I tried to justify it to my mates by saying that it was free. But they would quite rightly say: "But it's beige and it's a Volvo."
The ultimate indignity occurred when I picked up my then girlfriend from the airport after a holiday. She hadn't seen the car and as I walked towards the Volvo she said, "That's your car, isn't it?" and then broke into hysterical laughter.
Not surprisingly I could not wait to get shot of what was a very reliable little car. When I became a penniless DJ, I bought a white Fiat Panda for a few quid and that had more street cred than any part of that nasty little Volvo.
The next worst car was a Range Rover. I had always wanted a black one and thought it was very cool. I bought it from a dealer I'd pass on the way to school, thinking that one day I'd buy a car there.
Well, that wish came true. But the used Range Rover was a disaster. It had electrical problems, wouldn't start and always broke down. It was also the only car in which I could hear the engine suck fuel. The gauge would move as I accelerated. I told the dealer to buy it back and on the way, it broke down. I got a minicab to the showroom, tossed the keys down and said: "Your Range Rover is somewhere on the A3."
Neil Fox presents `The Pepsi Chart' on Channel 5 every Thursday at 7pm and Saturdays at 11am. He was speaking to James Ruppert
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments