Episode Two (2)

Jo: Hey there! Are we all alright today? It’s that motoring show again, Sim Gear. Oh for god’s sake why am I talking like this? If you don’t know what Sim Gear is, turn over. You obviously don’t like cars. But most of you should know what Sim Gear is by now. Anyway, hello. Now, I want to talk to you about buying cheap. If you want to buy a car, but you don’t know where to get the best car for your money, let us show you. As for the first time, Sim Gear’s giving you consumer advice. Me, Eddie and Nathan were each given §1,000, told to each buy a certain car that was in the best condition we could find this car in, and then drive the car to the test track for some check-ups.



Jo: Right then. Me, Eddie and Nathan have obviously been given §1,000 each. The car the production team has told us to try and buy with that budget is the Lambda “27” Sebron. This was in fact, my first car in 1989 when I just passed my driving test. I owned it for two years before selling it at a car auction, which I then bought my BNB Singrid… anyway – Each of us have been given three different ways of purchasing this car and the first one is buying from a magazine or a newspaper.



Jo: So that means looking in the classifieds section. Right, I only have a budget of §1,000, so I’ll have to look in the ‘under §1,000’ cars. Right there’s one. A 1976 Lambda “27” Sebron.



Jo: It’s done 52,000 miles. Not bad… it’s orange, and it’s had two previous owners, tax and MOT seems to be up to date and it says it’s in good condition. Right, well there’s no other Sebron’s so I guess this is mine. Righto then.



Jo: I’ve got the telephone number, let’s dial that number and see whether I’ve got it. I bloody well hope I have. I’m not popping down to the local shop again just to get a car mag or something.



Jo: three… seven… right ok. It’s calling.



Jo: They still haven’t answered. Pick up man! Oh hello! Yes I’m a married man from Stillhon, I’m interested in your car you put in the Stillhon Star, the 1976 Lambda “27” Sebron, is it still available for me to buy? Oh great! Where do you live? Oh I know that street, it’s just around the corner! Can I pick it up today if that’s alright? Great! Thank you very much! I’ll meet you in about an hour if that’s ok? Great. I’ll see you then. Bye!



Eddie: Now the second way to buying a car is buying online. You’ve got great sites like ZooBuy, OnlineStore and Plumbobz. We’re going to use the most popular out of the three and the one we think will offer the best Lambda “27” Sebron for under §1,000 is ZooBuy, home to millions of products worldwide.



Eddie: Alright then. Let’s log on and get started.



Eddie: Oh my god! They’ve got the old Dover Marin for less than §5 on here. It’s only got 7 minutes left on it, too. Right we’ll need to look for a Sebron with not long left till it’s over or a SimBuy it now. There’s a SimBuy it now there for under §1,000! You’re mine baby!



Nathan: Now the third, but fussiest way of buying, is auction. Yep, that’s right. I’ve brought myself to one of Sondon’s greatest auction houses today, in search of my Sebron. Ok so it’s started. Here comes the first car. I hope I’m lucky.



Auctioneer: Ok we’ve got a Smoogo Azam who’s gonna start me of here at 500 ok 500 there sir come on people we’ve got a 510 there 520, 530, 540 now! 550 sir! 560 anybody? 560 there sir!


Nathan: Urgh. A Smoogo Azam? Horrible car.
Auctioneer: 570 there! Who’s gonna go 580? 580 there ok we’ve got a 590. 600 man in the white jacket. 610 over there! 620, 630, 640 now, somebody else? Going once, going twice. Oh and a 650 over there! Come on people oh and we’ve got a 660 over there, and 670. 680 anywhere?
Nathan: Oh god! The guy’s giving me a headache! He must practice very well to talk so fast and not make mistakes…
Auctioneer: Sold to the woman in the red dress for §670, thank you!
Nathan: I must say though, I’m actually enjoying this.



Auctioneer: Ok now we’ve got a 1977 Lambda “27” Sebron. Who’s gonna start me off here? Starting at 700!



Auctioneer: Thank you over there for 710. 720 anybody? 720 over there! 730, 740, 750 and a 760 there. 770 and a 780 thank you oh and 790, 800 and §810 over there!



Nathan: I bidded! I can’t believe it! I’m gonna go again!
Auctioneer: 820… 830 over there the man in the black jacket.
Nathan: Yes!
Auctioneer: 840, 850, 860!
Nathan: And again.
Auctioneer: 870 over there!
Nathan: Yep.
Auctioneer: 880 again sir, 890 anybody? 890 over there. A 900? Ok. We’re gonna go up in 20’s now! 920 there! 940 anyone? 940? Come on…!
Nathan: Oh it’s getting closer to my budget! Go on then!
Auctioneer: 940 over there!
Nathan: Yes!
Auctioneer: Are you going to bid? Come on you know you want to… and yes he has, that’s 960 there.
Nathan: This is going to be my final bid.
Auctioneer: 980 there sir? Yes it is. 990 anybody?



Nathan: Please! Nobody bid! Come on she’s mine!
Auctioneer: Nobody else? Going once at 980, going twice…



Auctioneer: Sold! Congratulations to the man over there in the black jacket, well done. §980 for you sir.



Nathan: What? Oh my god, oh my god! I’ve done it! I’ve got it! Just under my budget by the skin of the teeth. §980 out of pocket and that’s Sebron’s mine!



Jo: Right then. This must be her. She’s quite nice is this old Sebron. Let’s see if we can catch the seller. They must live here.



Jo: Hello! You must be Grace? The seller of this Sebron?
Grace: Yes, that’s me.
Jo: Right then.
Grace: Here are the keys.
Jo: Ok. Let me just get the money out…

The next day…



Nathan: Hey. This is my Sebron then, which I bought at auction. The first challenge our three Sebron’s faced were seeing if we could drive all the way from a meeting point in Stillhon down to the test track where we are today and points would be awarded for not breaking down once. Once we had all got our cars, we set to work. And I got here fine. I didn’t break down once. This gives me one point.


Jo: I made it here perfectly fine as well. This also gives me a point.



Eddie: Yeah. And here’s my Sebron that I got from a guy called Arthur in Siverpool. And I disappointingly broke down once because my Sebron was leaking. Not good. Anyway, the second test we’ve been given is to look in each other’s cars to see what parts are missing, broken or loose. All the cars must be in good condition. We’ll start with Nathan’s. Points will be deducted for faults.



Eddie: Ok so you’re Sebron, Nathan. Let’s poke around at stuff to see if it’s broken.
Nathan: Yeah well just be careful that you don’t actually break them, gently feel the interior and around us. Jo’s gonna check around the car for parts.
Eddie: Well it seems perfectly fine. It’s in great condition, Nathan.
Nathan: I know. Isn’t it just? Jo, is there anything?
Jo: Hm, no. Not at all.
Eddie: Oh alright then. Great!
Nathan: Ah yes but we’re forgetting… the car did actually have some faults while driving here today.
Eddie: Well, like what?
Nathan: The speedo didn’t work, and the car clunked and made awful noises every time when I changed gear.
Eddie: Oh ok. That’s minus two points there, which leaves you on a total of minus one point, Nathan.



Jo: Ok my car.
Nathan: Before we start, did you notice anything on the way here today?
Jo: No. Ran in perfect condition.
Nathan: Right. Well the car seems to be alright.
Jo: Except for one thing…
Nathan: What?
Jo: The gear knob comes off.
Nathan: Haha!
Jo: If you pull the gear lever to hard, it falls off.
Nathan: Haha…! Well other than that, the car seems pretty good. Oh wait.
Jo: What?
Nathan: The rear view mirror’s loose. I’m surprised it hasn’t fallen off with it dangling there… Eddie, anything?
Eddie: No!
Nathan: That’s minus two points then, which leaves you equal with me, on minus one point. Let’s see what Eddie’s Sebron has to bring… shall we?
Jo: Certainly.



Eddie: Alright folks. This is my ride I got off the internet. And I can tell you when I tried to turn the radio on this morning on the way here, it wouldn’t work. So that’s one point off. Other than that, it’s fine. As far as I know…
Nathan: Jo, anything you can spot?
Jo: Nope.
Nathan: Well everything seems to be fine in here, nothing in the back either. You lose one point, Eddie. Now that puts us all equal on minus one point. It’s really hotting up now, guys!



Nathan: So the final thing we have to decide on is how much our car’s cost. Now as viewers know at home, I got my car for a dismal §980. And one point is given for every §50 you are under our budget of §1,000. So I get no points there. Eddie?
Eddie: Well, I actually got mine online for §950 so I get a point!
Nathan: Yes you do. So you’re on no points then. Haha! Jo?
Jo: §775.
Eddie: No way! You lying!
Jo: I’m not!
Eddie: You are!
Jo: I’m not!
Eddie: You are!!
Nathan: Lads! Settle.
Jo: Look it even says §775 on my receipt look Eddie!
Eddie: Oh fine…you win!
Nathan: So Jo, you’re a massive §225 under budget which gives you four points?
Jo: Yep, that’s right.
Nathan: So not that Eddie or I can win now, there was the mileage. Mine had already done 45,000.
Eddie: Mine did 55,000.
Jo: And mine did – 52,000.
Nathan: So I did the least, which brings the final scores to…the Newspaper Sebron to three points, and second was me and Eddie on no points.



Eddie: Haha!
Jo: Well congratulate me for finding the cheapest car!
Nathan: So there you are then! Sim Gear is fantastic with consumer advice! As we have proved, motor trading magazines and newspapers are the best, because with auctions and buying online, there are always lots of hidden downsides and you’re paying more money. And buying in newspapers and magazine’s doesn’t always get you the most reliable car, but it should get you the cheapest deal.



Eddie: Anyway, that’s right. Nathan is correct that if you want to buy used, use a magazine or a newspaper. Anyway, earlier this week, Nathan arrived at the test track for something. I don’t know why. Anyhow… here he is.



Nathan: There’s a car manufacturer. A great car manufacturer. By far, one of the best. And that’s Yomoshoto. They’ve had a past of ups and downs.



Nathan: Basically, they started off with SOIW owning the company, which lead to a great success, with the best car during that era being the Yomoshoto Musashi Mk.2. A great car, in all ways. Although soon enough, they got into a financial struggle by spending too much money on Yomoshoto, which made them go bust in the 60’s.



Nathan: Then, shortly after that, the Sarean government took charge, and that didn’t go well either, as they brought out the next generation of the Musashi, the Mk.3. That was an awful car, nobody even thought about buying one, and it was horrible. Basically, total crap. Then in 1977, a Marvegan private equity fund – Youthful&Smith, took over from the brand. They had high hopes of getting Yomoshoto back to what it was when it was owned by SOIW, by introducing a brand new line-up and plans to replace the Musashi Mk.3 with something better. They couldn’t manage it, and soon enough, Yomoshoto was out of business again. A company called Sayori Corporation then bought it. And also gave money to help the poorly car brand.



Nathan: But then, disaster struck. Sayori Corporation’s president – Shigeru Nakamura, was arrested after money put into Yomoshoto was sourced by a company called Yakuza. It was involved in Sayori Corporation’s business which lead to them using Yomoshoto to cover their illegal operations. Sayori Corporation went into receivership and it was bought by the Marvegan consumer electronic and electrical company Moneywell, becoming Moneywell Sarean, and the company was bought again by its former owner: the Yomoshoto family. A Kagura's relative, Shimichi Yomoshoto, bought the company and under his ownership, Yomoshoto finally knew a period of stability and expansion that continues still today, which under his ownership developed the highly successful Yomoshoto Evasion and today if it wasn’t for him, the merge with them and Landwhale – just wouldn’t be real.



Nathan: And that gives me the greatest pleasure to reveal the new phase into Yomoshoto’s history with this – the Yomoshoto Starlight. The first car Yomoshoto have produced with Landwhale. It looks very much like the Landwhale Zenith, as it’s made on the same chassis. It has it’s unique looks though with the horseshoe shaped grille, as with the Yakuza Mk.2 and Evasion Mk.2.



Nathan: At the back, we have the big rear tail lights with the chromed strip in between there. As this car is very similar to the Zenith now that YLG exists, we’re going to give the two rivals a drag race.



Nathan: Now we’ve gone for both top models of each car to really see which the best is. Here we’ve got the Yomoshoto Starlight Excellent with a 2.4 litre petrol engine. Yomoshoto have aimed higher with this car, hoping to make it better than the Zenith. Now the top speed is limited to 155 miles per hour and it’s got a massive 272 brake horse power. Take the limiter off, and you’ll be hitting about 163 miles per hour. It’s looking good for the Starlight. 0-60 miles per hour for the Starlight is a rather long 6.8 seconds, though. The Zenith will do it in 6.2. This is going to be good.



Nathan: And we are away! I was expecting that. The Zenith get’s off the line the quickest.



Nathan: And here we are – we’re closing in on the Zenith. Come on! More power Starlight!!



Nathan: Ouch! How close. The Zenith wins by the shortest distance you could imagine. That’s just amazing.



Nathan: Well. I suppose the Zenith’s going to beat this anytime in a drag race. The car’s just got the quickest acceleration.



Nathan: So then, which would you choose? The luxurious Zenith, or the speedy Starlight? Luxury or speed? Well let’s compare some more facts, the Zenith only costs §6,250, with the Starlight costing from just under §7,000. Now which would you rather go for? We’ve tested the Zenith last series, and I adored it. It’s the best car that I’ve not only driven on this show, but the best car I’ve driven ever. With the Starlight very similar to it, it’s extremely good as well. But is it better?



Nathan: Well, the Zenith took every corner of the old track at the old studio with ease, and this surely does as well on the new track. It’s smooth and fast. I love it! Obviously I had traction control on though. Let’s take it off.



Nathan: Oh my god! That was awesome! It’s still easily controllable with oversteer, anyway, let’s take the limiter off now. Woah! Aaah! This is astonishing! It’s a rocket ride!



Nathan: This car is fabulous. It’s so good. I would absolutely love to see more cars like this. I really would! You can’t describe it! It’s amazing.



Nathan: If you’re looking for an ultimate thrill ride, go for the Starlight. But if you want luxury, comfort and you’re on a tighter budget, go for the Zenith. But the car I would choose would have to be the Zenith. It’s in a world of it’s own. But both cars – the Zenith and the Starlight – they’re bloody amazing…



Nathan: That was just about the best road test I have ever done on Sim Gear – seriously. The Zenith is everything I said in that film – bloody astonishing. As well is the Starlight. And so next week, to celebrate Landwhale and Yomoshoto’s partnership, we’re going to be gathering some of their best cars next week, to go head to head with each other. YLG, I think – is going to be fantastic for both car brands in years to come. Also, Rhys returns with his first guest. Don’t miss it – we’ll see you then. Goodbye.