JJ0063 Posted January 15, 2022 Share Posted January 15, 2022 A wanted thread has appeared and it’s just reminded me of a courtesy car I had years ago. This then got me wondering.. what’s the strangest courtesy car you’ve been given? My most surprising two I can recall are an L reg 3dr turquoise Frontera convertible like this back in around 2010 so even back then it felt very old! IIRC had quite fancy pattern cloth interior too.. And then up to recent times about 2 years ago I had to take some staff to an event at work (I work in the insurance industry so we have good relationships within hire car companies) and asked for a 9 seater. Normally we’d get a VW transporter or something.. to my shock a Tourneo ProCab turned up.. that was a fun day driving to Birmingham and back fully branded! Wack, Dan_ZTT, Jack D and 1 other 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robthedonkey Posted January 15, 2022 Share Posted January 15, 2022 When my bx needed a couple of plates welding in I dropped it off at my local shite friendly mot tester garage... He has a few old rovers classic jags all sorts...He assured me I could borrow a runner to get to workHe gave me the most mental courtesy car I've ever knownA Ford ka with puma 1.7 engine... No rear interior... Ignition barrel was broke and had a doorbell for starter... Door lock was broken and replaced with a. Hasp and padlock.... 5 inch bean can exhaust.... Nato green roller Ed paint... A roof rack bolt dthrough roof skin. Turned out was the apprentices car and he was on holidaySent from my VOG-L09 using Tapatalk SmokinWaffle, Aston Martin, horriblemercedes and 41 others 14 30 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wack Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 Not wierd as such but a weird experience My wife's car had been damaged so we got a courtesy car She isn't a confident driver This is how it went Lad brings a brand new delivery miles scenic round which he's quite proud to do He gives her a piece of plastic What's this The key How is that a key , what do I do with it Put it in this slot Views slot with suspicion How do I start it Press this button Views button with suspicion How do I stop it Press the same button Look of dispair Sits in it Where's the handbrake You press this bu Right that's it , take this stupid car away and bring me one with a key and a handbrake He looks at her like she's mad but comes back with an astra Asimo, face, HarmonicCheeseburger and 22 others 12 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunglebus Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 I was given a K10 Micra 1.3 auto as as courtesy car for an insurance repair in about 1999 or 2000, was quite old even then. Fun though, did good handbrake turns. Apparently. AnnoyingPentium and LT84 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twosmoke300 Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 @stilo_active 😂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barefoot Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 A Renault Traffic with two go karts in the back, or possibly a 1957 VW pickup? Tickman and bunglebus 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catsinthewelder Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 The last time I put the Focus in the local garage I was given a choice of; Big Red, a late 90s Discovery which is also their tow truck. The world's fastest Corsa, a nicely worn in Corsa C 1.4 TD which I chose and enjoyed. It's still at the garage but seems to have a few front end parts missing at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlo Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 Quite a few years back the local garage in Devon let me use a 1984 Cavalier 1.8CDi they had lying around, even then it must have been 20 years old. I remember thinking what a cracking engine it had, really strong and quick. Can't say much for the rest of the car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavieW Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 A 15 year old VW Polo from my local VW main dealer. Turns out it wasn't meant to be given out to customers - it was the collection and delivery driver's "dump" car. Same dealer gave me a brand new, taxed while I was waiting, Golf as the salesman had sold the courtesy over the weekend. 2cvspecial 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eifion Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 I got this delightfully clean* Peugeot 205 from my local garage when my last XM went in for some work. The XM never got fixed and I ended up buying the 205. It's a lot cleaner now. GrumpiusMaximus, LightBulbFun, Tickman and 3 others 4 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan the van Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 Long time ago but I dropped off my then bosses SL55 Kompressor to the far side of London for some warranty work.I got given an ancient diesel Primera with 285000 on the clock.It was so hateful I really would have rather used the train.😳 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anonymous user Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 3 hours ago, catsinthewelder said: The last time I put the Focus in the local garage I was given a choice of; Big Red, a late 90s Discovery which is also their tow truck. The world's fastest Corsa, a nicely worn in Corsa C 1.4 TD which I chose and enjoyed. It's still at the garage but seems to have a few front end parts missing at the moment. Sounds like a place I have used. Their Corsa lacked a working speedo but had an old Sat nav blu-tacked on the panel. Unfortunately it ran out of electricity. I charged it up at home and got it back to them. It ran out of electricity again just as I was getting in their yard, the steering went funny as it lost the assistance, there was not enough left to put the window up. I then got loaned their Land Rover 110 Station Wagon, which was used as a breakdown. It was very damp inside, but I was grateful for the transport. A colleague was not impressed, I gave her a lift in it. She looked in the centre console and found an old pair of pants. I had some very nice VWs loaned to me when I had a continually ill Polo, although on one occasion the only thing they had available was an LT van, again better than walking. Dan_ZTT, timolloyd, bunglebus and 3 others 2 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollywobbler Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 ProgRocker, louiepj, catsinthewelder and 9 others 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inspector Morose Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 This was the courtesy car from Kelvin when he took my Wartburg 311 in for a bit of driveline work. This was 1998. anonymous user, LightBulbFun, Dyslexic Viking and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunglebus Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 They make a joke of it, but I'd be quite impressed if I was given "The Loaner" from The Mask RichardK and GrumpiusMaximus 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TataBobu Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 A 25 years old Daewoo Tico when I left my Cielo for a cambelt change. Didn't take it, though, as the garage was 400 meters from the office, and the work was done during office hours so had no need for one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
privatewire Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 I’ve had a Daihatsu YRV from a body shop in Bridge of Weir, a Suzuki Splash from another body shop in Ayr. ( Both cars dreadful) The best courtesy vehicle was a Peugeot Partner I got from BT Fleet, when they discovered that our new Vauxhall Combis could randomly burst into flames, because the Pug had no ladder rack, it meant I didn’t have to climb a pole for about 6 weeks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuvvum Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 I took my old Saab 99 to a local Saab specialist for some brake work, maybe 15 years ago. The only car he had available for me to go home in was a 1953 Austin Somerset. adw1977, catsinthewelder, timolloyd and 4 others 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil_lihp Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 Back in about 2005, a local used car dealer, now long gone, who'd taken my Fiesta back in for repair loaned me the only thing they had spare, a very shabby Peugeot 309 GTi which I guess had been taken as a trade-in and at that time, a worthless old nail. It was very saggy, had a blown exhaust, didn't want to start or idle when cold, the passenger door dropped when opened and it was a bastard to drive smoothly in traffic. Hilarious fun though, still fast and I was a little sad to hand it back - looking back, knowing now that garage's reputation, entirely possible it didn't have an MOT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuboy Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 not wierd but a modified nova on twin carbs, roll cage and 4 point harness with sparco seats... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macscrooge Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 A bright, really bright, green Fiat Panda in about 1993. (Standing in for my Peugeot 309) Triumph Acclaim in c1990. It cut out under anything more than gentle throttle pressure. (Rover R8 214) Daihatsu Copen. I’m 6foot2 and the only way I fitted in was with the roof down. I own shoes bigger than that car. (Volvo 945!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missy Charm Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 Nothing memorable, personally, a Clio, I think, and an old Peugeot 206. The 206 was a local BMW specialist's courtesy car and was given whilst my far superior*(1) 3 Series coupe was in for something or other. I remember getting about a mile or so in the Peugeot and experiencing the magical state of ecstasy known as 'not driving a BMW'. I sold the BMW shortly after for a pittance*(2), and felt a lot happier. It was the right car on paper in so many ways, but I just didn't like it. Hard to explain why. *(1) it wasn't *(2) it was a black 318is two door coupe on an 'M' reg, it had a manual gearbox, no modifications and was about as clean as such a car in daily use could be. The damn thing, nowadays, would be worth a fortune. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardK Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 Took my XM to East End Garage in Chirnside for new spheres and LHM change Loaned me a 289000 mile CX Pallas auto I went to St, Abbs but was so chilled out and listening to classical music that I drove to Tranent. Bought it off them and then got addicted to DIRAVI. Crackers and Dan the van 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balford Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 Not unusual, but slightly unexpected. In 2007 I traded my ol' faithful 406 for a 407, which thanked me by having an ABS sensor shit itself (a theme that would become familiar). Luckily it did this one day after pickup so the garage had no issue with covering it under warranty. The courtesy car was my old 406 Talbot, mat_the_cat, AnnoyingPentium and 5 others 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardK Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 6 minutes ago, balford said: Not unusual, but slightly unexpected. In 2007 I traded my ol' faithful 406 for a 407, which thanked me by having an ABS sensor shit itself (a theme that would become familiar). Luckily it did this one day after pickup so the garage had no issue with covering it under warranty. The courtesy car was my old 406 That's happened to me before... Also when my Fiat Marea had problems, Croall Bryson in Duns reminded me that I'd left them my XM to sell... balford 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alusilber Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 Not weird as such, but last year, SWMBO took her Pug to the local Pug franchise for the Puretech disintegrating wet cambelt recall. The dealer also had a Suzuki franchise, and her courtesy car was a new Vitara, plastered in larger stickers advertising Motability, even on the rear side windows. Lovely 😬. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Six-cylinder Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 In the late 2000s I used a Mercedes specialist and they would give me a 20 year old C reg 190E Auto loan car. In solid mid green with green checked interior he apologised that a C class was not available. I learnt to love that car and one day they gave me a C class and I asked if the 190 was available, when he established I was not joking he explained others customers did not like it and it was gone. He then said he would have given it to me if he had know I liked it that much. balford 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loserone Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 2.0 petrol manual. Sadly now weighed in. MaxFsa, Stanky, bunglebus and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayB Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 I used to get my Volvo V70 serviced at a Volvo independent in the middle of the Fens. The very first time, they apologised that they didn't have any of the normal courtesy cars left but did I mind having an old 1992 940 Turbo? It was so much fun that on subsequent services I used to ask for it every time. I even remember getting it a little bit sideways on that awful little roundabout that used to link the M6 and A14. Crackers 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJ0063 Posted January 16, 2022 Author Share Posted January 16, 2022 Another I’ve just remembered was my late father used to have a Rover 400 saloon company car and when it went in for servicing, Rover always used to give him weird and wonderful courtesy cars.. MG F, this must have been circa 98 when they were still newish. Another one, I can’t remember if it was a 200 or a ZR but a hearing aid beige one fully liveried in some sort of rally decals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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