OB10: Was the 90s the BEST era for cars? And did Kitch get stitched? In a Citroen Xantia Activa
Tales from the coal face of the car sales world, in this episode, as Kitch recounts the story of his brief stint trying to sell Rovers to old people, which culminated in him getting fired. (He did sell one car, at least...)Our podcast studio this week is a Citroen Xantia Activa, and that leads us to talk about the 90s. Cool Britannia, Three Lions, Britpop - we mention literally none of these things, and instead focus on why the 90s was the best era for cars. Well come on - what did you expect from us?
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58:28
OB9: Buying a Saab, scrapping a Ford, and are Chinese cars any good? In an Omoda 5
We're back after a two-week break, and this week we're in an Omoda 5, one of a glut of new Chinese cars that are now starting to arrive on Britain's shores. They're temptingly cheap - but should you take the plunge? Scrof and Kitch discuss.Closer to home, A sad fate has befallen Kitch's Ford S-Max while we've been away, so he's has been out test-driving a replacement. Meanwhile, he's sold another car, and is thinking about selling another. Scrof, meanwhile, has bought one. Which then immediately broke. Cars, eh?
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1:05:23
OB8: Why touchscreens suck, bring back Volkswagen, and a Mini adventure, in a VW ID.Buzz
This week, we’re in Scrof’s new long-term test car, which Kitch wants to love but… well, you can guess the rest. It’s a Volkswagen ID.Buzz, and it gives us the perfect reason to ask: what’s happened to VW? Or more specifically, why have the company’s current cars lost the sense of quality and usability that used to be such a hallmark - and will they get it back again?As part of this discussion we explain just why touchscreens and touchpads are such a step backwards. But we also discover Rich has been driving a modern car - and liked it. Which one? Well, you’ll have to listen to find out… (or, y’know, just look at the podcast title. Ahem.)
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55:28
OB7. Dashboard fish, the best estate ever, and why small cars make small money, in a Daihatsu Sirion
Kitch is back! Hooray! And this week, he's telling Scrof about the cars he's owned, but never really loved. Which, it turns out, is most of them.One he did love, though, is a legendary estate he got for free from a bloke in Sheffield, and which turned out to be virtually unkillable. No prizes for guessing which French marque it came from.We're also sitting in a small car this week, to talk about small cars, and why the industry is having trouble making them. Can it really be that hard? The answer, as it turns out, is 'yes'. Scrof explains why. All this, plus: why one day you may need to go back to your dealer to get your dashboard fish reset.
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1:00:22
OB6. So you want to be a motoring journalist? And more of your questions answered
Scrof's flying solo this week, and from his podcast studio (well, his immobile hunk of old Citroen - you have to have one to be on Overbore) he's answering some reader questions.For example, can we run press cars on the dyno? Do EV batteries really fit in saloon cars? And why does anyone buy a new car these days?Scrof will also be talking about how to become a motoring journalist (and indeed, whether you should), and he'll tell you a little more about Audrey, his 1970 Citroen DS. See, he can call it that, because Kitch isn't about...
Alex Robbins is a motoring writer who tests the latest new cars for a living. Richard Kitchen is an automotive engineer who spends most of his time bringing crumbling classics back to life.
Together, they spend a lot of time drinking tea and talking rubbish about cars. So they thought they may as well do it with a microphone in front of them.
On Overbore, Alex tries to convince Rich of the merits of the modern automobile - while Rich tries to help Alex learn more about running his classic. And along the way, they hope to help lovers of cars of all ages and types to broaden their horizons.
UK