Left-field choices for young drivers

He’s still asking. Had his first drive of anything on Sunday — a white B180 on the Brooklands baby track. Turns 17 on Friday, after which...

I bet a Sandero would be fine then, as it's based on an old Clio platform.

Odd isn't it how certain cars reflect the zeitgeist. I remember when the Mk1 Panda first appeared and despite being incredibly utilitarian and cheap, it instantly became the chosen wheels of the young and trendy. The current Panda conversely seems to have a somewhat older and gender specific appeal.

The Sandero ought to be the go to car for the new driver in the modern world, inexpensive, very practical and cheap to run and insure. But, for some reason it seems to appeal more to the apparently downtrodden. Shame really.

Who cares, Humph? I mean, who cares? It's a car. It's not "for" anyone, I'd buy one if it was suitable for my needs and the right price, I wouldn't consider for a second what somebody might think about who the model is supposed to be "for". It's utterly meaningless.

Why the insistence to be seen as "on trend" all the time? And even if it mattered, where's the data backing up these assertions about who a Sandero or a Panda is for? I don't think I've ever seen anyone who appears downtrodden driving a Dacia. I see plenty of youngsters in modern Pandas. Where do you get these daft notions? I think you've been brainwashed by your industry...

Seems to me they're caring about things which don't exist. I suppose that explains Brexit and a whole host of other ills.

It's all about people being different, isn't it. I'm with you on this, Al: we have two Audis because they suit our needs and hold their value, not because of any image they might carry. Having had, and been very fond of, three Skodas, I can't be accused of over-dependence on image.

Humph, on the other hand, makes a living selling smart, upmarket goods to people many of whom do see image as important (he'll correct me if I'm wrong about that). Nothing wrong with that - just their choice of how they live their lives. I wonder how many of his customers drive expensive German cars, or perhaps Range Rovers or Italian supercars.

Or - if you see this, Humph - are there still people around, as there were many in my father's generation, who bought good pairs of shoes, not for reasons of image but because they would last for most of their lifetime?

You're right - it is entirely subjective. Looking at my neighbour's 20-year-old Toyota: it was never glamorous (and his wife won't drive it); it was never sold on image.... yet it's never missed a beat and is running as well as ever. That has to be a form of 'quality'. Hw himself is a semi-retired carpenter and joiner, and one of the finest craftsmen I've met. His work is also 'quality'.

Maybe it's a word that we're better not to try to define too closely. We all have 'qualities' that we want from the products (and services) that we buy: hopefully, Humph, your customers aren't the sort who drive and keep 20-year-old Toyotas.