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Rear View : Car buyers steer clear of cliches [Scotsman, The (Scotland)]
[August 29, 2014]

Rear View : Car buyers steer clear of cliches [Scotsman, The (Scotland)]


(Scotsman, The (Scotland) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) CAR BUYERS are being turned off by cliched adverts and the phrase "one careful lady owner" has been named top of the flops in a survey.Second in the list of least liked phrases is "baby forces sale", while third goes to "genuine reason for sale".Research by vehicle data checker HPI found that other key phrases used by car sellers that can turn away buyers include "first to see will buy", "mint condition" and "priced to sell". The rest of the top ten is completed by "lovely runner", "best for the money", "drives beautifully" and "full service history".HPI says today's car buyers are more knowledgeable than before because they can research their next car online. This means car buyers are much less likely to be taken in clichs.HPI's Shane Teskey said: "It's clear from our survey that the tried and tested advertising phrases may be getting a bit tired and are more likely to put buyers off than rousing their interest."We advise sellers to stick to the facts and be honest about the price and the status of their vehicle."X-Perience more outdoors in Seat's 4x4 Leon EstateSEAT'S Leon X-Perience estate comes with permanent four-wheel-drive and chunky off-roader and will cost from GBP24,385 when it hits the showroom this December.With more ground clearance than the standard Leon estate, the X-Perience is said to be capable in all road situations and poor weather conditions. Inside and out, it retains the Leon ST's versatility, including its a 587 litre boot, which rises to 1,470 litres with the rear seats folded.The range-topping estate should prove recognisable thanks to its protection mouldings on the door sills and wheel arches, to give it a robust look, plus aluminium look touches for the rear bumper and lower front spoiler. Underneath the high-rise Leon ST is an all-wheel-drive system that fires power to the wheels with the most grip.Available to order from 1 September, the car comes in two trim levels, SE and SE Technology and one diesel motor in two states of tune.E's the oneTHE ICONIC Jaguar E-Type has topped a poll of classic cars we'd most like to have in our garages.Its curvaceous lines and the sound of its exhaust when driving on a country road helped the E-Type win favour in a survey of UK motorists.Some also said they would just keep the E-Type in the garage to look at rather than drive. Second place in the survey, commissioned by ISI Secure, went the Aston Martin DB5, as used by James Bond. In third place was the original Mini, with a red Cooper S the most sought after.Jim retires with an "AA" for effortTHE AA's longest-serving patrolman is retiring after 1.4 million miles and almost 50 years on the road.Jim Haggart joined the AA in Glasgow in August 1966 as a 16-year-old cadet. The 64-year-old has since helped an estimated 87,000 motorists with car trouble around the west of Scotland, even rescuing babies that have been accidentally locked in vehicles.Perhaps surprisingly, he admits he knew nothing about cars at first and he had to pass his driving test while on the job. He said: "I took my test privately the first time and failed spectacularly."The second time, I went out with my old superintendent, who was also an examiner - there was some pressure having the boss sitting next to me."Jim started his final shift with a wheel change in the south side of Glasgow.Testbench : Giving gadgets a good going overTomTom GO 60GBP179.99 www.tomtom.comA satnav! Where are we going? To any one of 45 European countries. They're all loaded into the GO 60's memory banks. Just say "Hey TomTom" to activate voice control and tell it where you want to be.France. I want to go to France. You can pay for the petrol and the peage. The GO 60 knows where the service stations and tollbooths are, so you'll get lots of warning when it's time to hand over your euros. The route's rendered on a six-inch touchscreen, and city- centre landmarks are shown in 3D.What else is in the box? A press- and-twist windscreen sucker that's quick and secure. A USB cable supplies power, and there's a 12-volt socket adapter.What if French farmers have blockaded the roads? We'll outsmart 'em! By pairing the GO 60 to your smartphone via Bluetooth, it keeps itself and you aware of traffic snarl-ups and speed cameras, and will suggest alternatives. TomTom says the GO 60 shouldn't chew through more than 7MB of data a month. You also get at least four free map updates a year for the life of the device.It sounds like someone from Neighbours is telling me where to go. That's James. He's one of the GO 60's inbuilt voices. He has a neat line in Aussie quips, although his advice about "grabbing those sunglasses" during a stop-off at Breich in remotest Lanarkshire makes me think nobody from TomTom has ever visited Breich.Any niggles? Voice control was a bit iffy. A requestfor directions to Lanark returned three options on mainland Europe. Maybe it's my accent, or maybe it's because the inside of my car is noisier than the Space Shuttle.



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