Shite Group Test *Charmant, Stellar & Solara Content!*

[trigger]

One for Pog! From 1984.

 

 

 

 

 

[michiel]

I think you've made all Autoshite members faint... wow1

[155V6]

And to think that people say modern cars all look the same

[pogweasel]

Solara!!!89bhp of throbbing muscle. Get in.

[trigger]

And to think that people say modern cars all look the same

lol, I was thinking that as well, Can't tell the differents between the Talbot and the Stellar!

[Spottedlaurel]

I love these old What Car? tests, they're so utterly real world in terms of the cars they choose. You're doing a great job with your scanning Trigger, I ought to do a few of mine - one day...

[AnthonyG]

Hey Hirst, according to that Charmants are pants - better upgrade to a Solara right away!P.S How much was a Cavalier 1.6 litre saloon at the time? - these prices don't seem particularly bargainous at all!

[Guest]

That's WhatCar for you, the Autocar review gave the Charmant pretty glowing praise to be honest.Have to say I don't understand the bit about the Charmant being around for a long time by the standards of most Japanese cars, the MK2 only came out in 1981 and we didn't get the first one until 1982 - the roadtest was only in 1984! What are they banging on about eh?

[Spottedlaurel]

Old group tests usually favour the UK/European cars over Japanese. Oddly, the simplicity they overlook/deride is their trump card over the years and they become the better long-term ownership proposition.Must admit, the one blob awarded to living with the Charmant seems a touch harsh! They don't give it a lot of praise in that summary caption bit do they?

[VWPowered]

yay shitty solara comes first

[r.welfare]

Mmm, Solara. Perhaps with an underbonnet soundproofing kit they could have ruled the world...

[Station]

They couldn't even bothered with a side on line-drawing for these!I also remember seeing that old Hyundai badge but not knowing what the hell it was.

[trigger]

P.S How much was a Cavalier 1.6 litre saloon at the time? - these prices don't seem particularly bargainous at all!

According to the same magazine, in December 1984 the 4-Door Chavailer 1.6L was £6240, A Sierra 1.6L was £6457 and an Montego 1.6L would of been £6394.I know would I'd sooner buy!

[Spottedlaurel]

Thinking about it, as the Charmant is in reality a Corolla in new clothes, it's competing here with cars slightly above its position in life.RWD Carina was on its last legs by 1984, but if the FWD Carina II was out by this time it might have done OK. Ditto an Accord. Both about 63,000 times more refined than a Solara I'd imagine.Edit: Wondered how long these test cars lasted. Stellar made it to 12/92, couldn't find anything on the Charmant, but the Solara surprised me by making it as far as 4/98.

[Dukestar25]

P.S How much was a Cavalier 1.6 litre saloon at the time? - these prices don't seem particularly bargainous at all!

According to the same magazine, in December 1984 the 4-Door Chavailer 1.6L was £6240, A Sierra 1.6L was £6457 and an Montego 1.6L would of been £6394.I know would I'd sooner buy!

The Montego, naturally!! I think the Stellar just made it's way onto my 'wanted' list...

[Guest]

One for Pog! From 1984.

 

 

 

 

 

Fantastic stuff!

 

How long did they last?

Stellar - Nov 1992

Solara - April 1998

Charmant - Not found! (re-registered possibly?)

[Mr_Bo11ox]

An A-reg stellar in non-metallic paint, what a weapon! Just imagine if that came up on ebay now, i would OMG myself vigorously for a number of hours.

[Guest]

Thinking about it, as the Charmant is in reality a Corolla in new clothes, it's competing here with cars slightly above its position in life.

Maybe they just presumed it was a bigger car or something, it can look quite substantial in pictures due to its boxyness and big headlights, but if you check it on the spec table it's a good few inches smaller in both length and width. Can't figure out why they didn't mention the upholstery though, that's easily the nicest thing about the Charmant "LE" and more than makes up for the crappy dashboard.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

I'd have the Sierra 1.6 in either Cardinal red or Rio brown, but I'd forgo the lavish decadence of the L model and go for the 5 door Sierra base with the matt black grille.Bollocks to your nasty Jap/Korean/Ryton crap, man and machine in perfect harmony for me thanks. revvy 1600 Pinto on a VV, slick 4 speed, very good handling, iffy in crosswinds and cardboard door trims.£5929.

[trigger]

£5929.

Spot on with the price there! So you wouldn't pay the extra £170 for the 5 speeder then?! Mind you the 1.3 Sierra most of been a beast!

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

£5929.

Spot on with the price there! So you wouldn't pay the extra £170 for the 5 speeder then?!

 

Yeah, Sod it. 5 ratios and hang the cost. Chuck a P21 push button in the slot as well whilst you're there.

 

[MrRegieRitmo]

Edit: Wondered how long these test cars lasted. Stellar made it to 12/92, couldn't find anything on the Charmant, but the Solara surprised me by making it as far as 4/98.

To be honest I'm not all that surprised, I'd say a Solara is the one you'd be most likely to spot on the road even now...(apart from in Malta in which there was an abundance of Charmants & Stellars, especially the latter!)

[Spottedlaurel]

Edit: Wondered how long these test cars lasted. Stellar made it to 12/92, couldn't find anything on the Charmant, but the Solara surprised me by making it as far as 4/98.

To be honest I'm not all that surprised, I'd say a Solara is the one you'd be most likely to spot on the road even now...

I'm not sure if that's due to longevity though, or just the fact that more of them were sold new. After all, it was a 'British' car and probably scored more fleet sales.Charmant admittedly rather scarce now, but I reckon I've seen more Stellars than Solaras in recent years.

[AnthonyG]

You wouldn't really see any of them on the road now, except perhaps the odd Sierra, but I saw a lot more Stellars than Solaras around in the 1990s. £300 more for the Cavalier does make the Solara look pretty crap value, but I bet they actually sold in the Peugeot/Turbot dealers for much, much less - these guys had pretty much given up on the Talbot range by 1984, they would steer you towards a 205 or 305 and its higher profit margin as they were actually desirable .

[Volksy]

I dunno, I had a Solara 1.6 GL for a while, and I grew quite fond of it. Yes it was rather noisy, but it was very comfy, and had quite spirited performance.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

£300 more for the Cavalier does make the Solara look pretty crap value, but I bet they actually sold in the Peugeot/Turbot dealers for much, much less

You don't recall the Talbot 'Summertime Special' then, a 1984/5 TV ad campaign to shift these rattly turds.The ditty went 'Come on down to the the Summertime Special' interspersed with various beige blokes saying 'It's got a lot of room'.Yeah, that'll teach you for firing a Pup up the wife Mate. A life of Solara Minxes when you could have had an MR2 or a '3i.