My First Q&A of 2022

Been with you from the start, it’s actually quite emotional seeing how well you’ve done, all power to you buddy, television 📺 gig coming your way

Loved the shameless plugging of the High Peak Autos mugs. 🤣
A lot of insight for me as I'm going to get my first new(ish) car in over 10yrs. Love the honesty and no nonsense reviews, easy on the merch plugging! 😉

I’m approaching mandatory retirement from a government career in the U.S. and you have made me considering following in your footsteps. Thanks for the insight and positive feedback 👍🙏🏻

Thank you Matt for being your relaxed, good company self. I've dreamt of doing up an older luxury car like you and enjoying it for a few years. But after getting immersed in your channel i feel like I've had the experience now so I can move on. Thanks for all the cash and emotional pain you've saved me. 😀

Love these videos mate, the reviews, your Q&As, honest, upfront and down to earth with you reviewing all the cars a petrol head would be into. Keep it up mate, love this channel

Thanks Matt your an inspiration buddy I’ve been in the motor trade and known of the motortrade stuff for years was suffering from anxiety and depression or should say I do but looking to get back in to it so thanks for the videos

Thanks Matt. Honesty, hard work and knowledge gets you a long way when starting any business. High Peak is a great example.
Like the previous Q&A this was a great watch, please keep doing them from time to time. 👍👍👍

Another great video, which I thoroughly enjoyed. You give good, honest advice & you truly deserve to do well!

You're pleasing a lot of people doing these questions & answers forums..best channel on you tubefor good honest & 'experienced reviews.

Thanks for responding to my question Matt. Always enjoy your Q&A's, the insight into the motor trade, the car market and the world of cars in general. Interested in your views on EV's, feels like the Government and the motoring press are trying to push us down the electric car route but I'm not convinced and sounds like you aren't either 👍 Have you thought of doing a video on "A day in the life of a Motor Trader"? Think a lot of us subscribers might enjoy it!

Really great Q & A Matt.
U r always extremely pragmatic and spot on with what u say, and your advice.
I was surprised regarding your attitude to diesel.
Petrol engines have improved in many ways in the last ten years, but, IMO, if u r keeping a vehicle long term, whether it be a small car, or a large SUV, that a diesel makes a lot of sense.
Great economy and if u service / maintain the vehicle, the diesel motor will keep on chugging along forever.
The economy factor becomes even more relevant, the larger and heavier that the vehicle is.
Something like a Skoda Superb wagon offers up so much breadth of capability, and with a diesel motor it will last forever, if u look after it.
Diesel motors from before DPF became very active with regeneration cycles are particularly good.
Anyway
Love the channel.
Sincerely hope that 2022 is a great year for you, in all facets of your life. 👍👍

Thanks, Matt! That's what I've got, a 9.3 convertible. It's a classic. More so, it's smashing fun to drive! At 6'1", I (with an extra Covid stone or two) just fit comfortably. In harmony with your previous advice about the Land Rover, I did my research ahead of time and put aside a budget for the first couple of years to do some repairs (clean the oil sieve and replace the cs bearings, add a crankcase ventilation kit, 5th gear was shot -- replaced that, new cassette, a seal here a valve there, replace all fluids, etc.), I love it. I find myself constantly in desperate need of dried african quavas or a tin of tomatoes and just have to run to the market with the top down. And the market in the next village, over the hill and through the valley, is a much better, much cheaper market. So I have to go there. The fact that the drive is beautiful with the top down has absolutely nothing to do with it! Or, knowing the importance of recycling I've got the get those two glass bottles to the glass collection. Last week, big puffs of white smoke on a cold morning start. Yes, head gasket. But I don't care. It's in the budget, not unexpected for a 200K kilometer plus car, and despite the problems, NEVER leaves me stranded. It always give a gentle warning. Last summer, a 3000K trip with boat trailer behind in mid-August heat provoked NO problems at all. Even after a 17-hour drive, no back aches! It's love. But as mentioned in another comment, real love, based on knowledge, not illusion. Just like life. Great videos. Greetings to the beautiful Peak District! Congratulations on your success! Well done!

Always a pleasure to watch your videos Matt 🙌 just hurry up and and get making more…I’ve ran out 🤣🤣
Insightful and informative this one, and a little different to the usual 😊 laughing my head off at the “useful these mugs” and the stare at the camera..almost had me reaching for my wallet 😉 but I’m saving my money for the next raffle lol

Love your work 👍
I agree 100% with your views. I have 2 ‘collectable’ cars. A 1954 MG TF in MG Red and a 2011 Porsche Boxster in Meteor Grey. They are both going up in value but more importantly, they are fun to drive. The MG is a slug but makes people smile. The Porsche is greased lightning, handles like it’s on rails and makes me smile. Looking to add an LS430 because it’s one of the best cars ever made.

Class presentation, thank you! For the upcoming round of Q&A, can I ask: what are your ambitionss for the High Peak Autos TheXvid channel this season?
Thinking of perhaps a joint car review with a fellow TheXvidr or fellow trader, a video where you do something new for HPA, as in a trackday or EV Top Ten.
Thank you very much, all greatly appreciated.

Love the videos, the more successful you get please don't stray from this great format.

Great content again Matt. Can't wait for your late L322 review - I'm sure it'll just re-enforce why I've kept mine!

I've got a RX400h for the school run. I know the CVT gets a bad rep but I love the power delivery in that car. It just feels effortless.
It's not a great looking car so I've got a Jag XF to balance things out a bit.
I just needed to win that Defender to complete my "fleet".
I'll buy another ticket if it's going up for raffle again.

See this is what I missed out on when I was thinking of buying my first car - a reliable chap whose knowledge of the motor trade was invaluable and thinking back on that year we had 7 different cars, all of German manufacture. I could have saved a fortune had you been around in the 1994 era.
But that is all water under the bridge and now I'm debating either keeping my Fiesta Active 1 ltr or going down the EV route and its hard.

Agree with Focus ST and mine was a “dark blue one” but a word of warning for the running costs you may as well buy a 996.
23mpg is a target.
Literally everything is a grand to fix or thereabouts. They eat front tyres, eat drive shafts, fiddly electrical faults ie dash etc cambelt change is quite expensive... loved mine when it worked but for the running costs buy a 911!🤣

E39 has always been my favourite generation of the 5 series so love the m5 e39 which has by far the best sounding v8 for any m5

Hi Matt, the 2007 Signum I bought from you about 10 months ago has just passed its MOT with no advisories whatsoever! Not bad for a 15 year old car. The car is a statement for those of us that service a car and fix whatever need fixing when it crops up. Thanks again, great sale for you and happy motoring for me. Keep up the good work and don't let it get you down, you are very successful at what you do, keep going and aim to retire at 45!

As always a balanced and great q&a. Particularly like your no nonsense perspective on Mr Righteous trading a £5k Tiguan expecting the dealer to scrap it! Of course dealers are charities! There are so many of these snow flakes out there.

I wish I had a bit more knowledge when I've purchased my previous cars. I've been really stupid over the years and just through incompetence have bought cars with no logic behind. Friends and family have a go at me for changing cars all the time, but I love trying them all out. TheXvid and channels like yours have really helped me develop a basic understanding of cars and which ones are good, which ones are bad and which ones I'll never be able to afford! So, thanks for videos like this, Matt. Whilst the understanding of how they work will go right over my head, I do sadly enjoy hearing about upholstery quality and dashboard materials of a 2009 Saab...
For future reference, where do we send our questions for you, please? Keep up these sorts of videos. Cheers.

Hey Matt, Modern classics are brill, I drive a 21 year old Golf and it is brill, not a huge amount to go wrong, a good 4 wheel drive system and strong V6, easy to serviced look after myself. But still has A/C which is all I want in a car really. But I love the fact it dose not have blue tooth so when I drive it no one can get hold of me.

Always informative sprinkled with rye humour, keep up the good work. 👍

I learned to drive in an Aygo back in 2010. When I eventually passed that year, I thought logically it'd be great to buy an Aygo as my first car. Not only did I regret it a year later but that year my insurance crippled me by paying £270 a month 😂😭

My dad's retirement job in small town NZ was helping at the used car division of the local ford dealership. One of the big deciders with trade INS was how big a leadfoot was the former owner. The vicars car went straight in the lot the local hoons, farmers or anyone who towed big trailers got flicked to a dealer in a nearby city.

Hi Matt..great videos.as ever..I keep looking at the RR L405..just very apprehensive. about buying one..which is better buy..low mileage oldish one..or high mileage newer version

Just on the question of everyday classics my mechanic told me 1996 onwards is a key year because that was when they stanardised OBDII engine fault code readers and problems became a lot easier to diagnose

Hi Matt just a video request following on from your one owner video last week. When buying say a 10 year old car how much should we rely on the MOT history when deciding to purchase. Does the history paint a fair picture of the cars previous owners and is it necessarily better to buy a car that has passed all MOTs without advisories. I always find that a long list of issues (that could have been fixed )will put me off, but should it?

I think the battery chemistry and battery management in EVs is a bit more advanced than a phone or laptop. Many come with around an 8 year battery and drivetrain warranty. In my case 8 years or 120,000 miles. A used one might well still be a really good buy

Quality video, your channel is a true gem for all petrolheads out there!

Hi Matt, Great Q&A session, i am searching for a BMW 3 series GT, opted for a GT as being 6ft 5 tall need extra space offered, i have decicded on a 330d as this seems the best compromise, would you agree, thinking that 320d would be a bit underpowered

I can't wait for the L322 feature, I bought a 2 year old Westminster 4.4 Diesel in 2014 with 14000 miles on the clock; apart from only averaging only 28 mpg the running costs for the next 85000 were absolutely minimal.

Hi mate, great videos. I wanted to put forward about you doing a video on the risks of buying from a dealer and what customer rights/steps they should take if they have been sold a dud car.
I got sold a 2014 audi q7 from a fairly large dealer, had it a month and broke down on the motorway car just wouldn't start. Now of course the dealers email and telelphone seem to of just stopped working lol
It's difficult to know a good or bad car but you must a have few pointers on how you can prepare yourself before the purchase and how to approach the situation if they've sold you a dodgy motor. Do I just return the car to the dealer? Can I pause the finance plan? Does the finance company have anything to do with this? Or should I just get on with it and fix the car myself 🤷

Enjoyable half hour! Interested in why you rate the RX400H over the RX450H? Is it a question of value?

Hi Matt, take your point regarding first time buyers, but I'm a late bloomer on the driving front at 38 and quite fancy a 5 series as a first car in the next couple of months. Is this ridiculous, or would you say as long as you can afford to run a car and are a responsible driver at 482 years of age, go ahead and do it? I just can't get excited about driving a Polo at 38. Any feedback much appreciated!

Hi Matt, have you had any interest in Rover 75s. This is one for the best x 2 cars M47R powertrain I've own beautiful inside and out. Yeah apart for the contemporary SE and MG ZT versions they do have the image of pipe n slippers job, but that has never bothered me. Still to this day when I pass one in my Kia Sorento 2.2 2017 I just think they look timeless and better looking than anything current on the road today.
Keep the vids coming .

Thanks for answering my question first lol. Didnt expect that :) watching your channel ages and have asked this question for ages and now its been answered thank you

Thanks for the 7 seater family car answer. I was quite set on the XC90 but now you’ve confirmed it.

Brilliant. Love this channel. Have a great year ahead mate.

Good one as always, Matt. May I ask you a coupe of questions, please? Range Rover Vogue or a BMW X5 petrol or diesel? I don't do many miles a year, 10,000 max, probably. Second question, Mercedes Benz W220 or W221, petrol or diesel as I don't do many miles. I am looking to go for any of these but need an expert, trusted opinion first, and which you would choose from the bunch. Thanks.

With you on the focus st, out of all the cars I've had, my blue 2007 ST is the one I'd have back. Last I could trace it, it was in Norfolk somewhere

Enjoyed this, agree about your comments on electric cars, to me they are not that green, I worry about the horrendous mining taking place for the batteries and how on earth do we dispose of all the dead batteries? I’m hoping hydrogen becomes viable.

to the rx400 recommendation, my sister had it for years now, it's reliable, but where we are located the roads are terrible, leaking shocks every year, but it started to rust quite a bit, exhaust leak, and the interior dash crumbled away, dried out. Other than that, engine/gearbox mechanically no problems

One of the best Q&As I've seen - thanks for your insights. Interesting framing. BTW have a 1994 Camry 143K miles (owned since 2005), less than 5000 miles each year, service history, new timing belt last year. Time for a change. Interested? Anyone :)

Great video as always. Please buy back the LS430 it would be great to have some more videos with it. I wasn't really aware of the car before your videos but I have really started to like it.

I can’t agree with you more regarding electric cars. Be careful, you will be spoken to as a successful TheXvid car guy and be forced to rescind your opinion. Stay strong. Love your videos.

Really good questions and answers. Thoroughly enjoyed.

"What do you think of the future of petrol or diesel cars today"
That had me in stitches, 😂😂😂

Love the content I own an old Merc V 8 but my wife loves her hrv but wants a mini hybrid. Any good?

Good advice always present your car clean when you go to trade it in. I also clean it before a MOT seems to help

Matt . What happened to the S type Jag? I came to look at it and it was in V good condition especially the wheels which was money well spent. Decided I couldn't live with 16 MPG though.

You mentioned E46 coupe as a daily . Have had one for 5 and a half years , done 30k and apart from tyres and brakes then all is good . Cheap to fix . Stunning good looks , sounds glorious but wife won't drive it . So it's days may be numbered .

So glad you said that about electric cars, I thought I was the only one that thought like that.

Matt, what do you consider to be involved in a regular/annual service for a modern petrol car/SUV? Every mechanic seems to have a different opinion on what maintenance is required on a regular basis.. Thanks!

Thanks for the videos - good entertainment plenty of good advice. Think I might be asking the world here, or more of your 'spare time' at least , but what about popping up a picture of the each of the cars you are talking about. Just an idea.

opinions on toyota prius/yaris, imo one of the best daily drivers, lexus would be a more fun option. fairly cheap ( to run and to fix, it’s reliable anyway so not much fixing! ) very good mpg, small so easy to park/drive and decent connectivity

ooh I see you have an Aston Martin Rapide S in stock now. Hope theres a review coming of that one!
I've just finished watching your entire back catalogue of vids over the past few weeks and gotta say great work! I was only looking for a review of the Scirocco originally haha

Really enjoyed the video Matt, by all means shamelessly plug the merch! 👍😂

I do wish I still had my 9-3 convertible. I really like my new e92 320d, but I'm loathed to keep it because not only does it feel slow to me, but also I don't particularly want a silver car. But considering I got it for £1600, I'm not going to get anything better as a mile muncher for that price..... hmm

Thanks making this Q and A session, it was interesting.

Hi Matt, just wondered if you've had much experience with 2010 BMW 750I 4.4 V8 Petrol , N63 F01 I believe it's called.
Only I'm about to purchase one , it has 112k 3 owners , looks great in grey with cream leather and got the best multispoke alloys .
The owner says it's 443 hp ,so should it have had the all important CCP recall with new parts fitted to the engine.
The car is £8k !
Thanks

Matt, passed this evening by someone driving your latest Mercedes, on my push bike near Regent Street by BBC. Was in silver.....wow a fantastic sound track, not yobby...the rear is a work of art...the side excellent but front..is good.. .but oddly not as good as rear. Just my take on it, hey beats my carbon fibre 🚲😀

I'm gonna order one of those mugs because I bloody love your videos and want to support you! I

An e 36 is a great daily I had one on 60k drove it to 160k it was so reliable the largest bill was 300 quid for a clutch

Ive decided im going to travel from london to manchester just to buy a range rover sport from you, as i know it will be a good example with the passion you have for them, please let me know when you get one around the £13k mark! Your sense of humour really makes me binge your videos chuckling to myself.

Really enjoyed the video - even the product placement!

Great channel!
You’ve convinced me I need a Skoda Superb/Octavia L & K model, the search begins!

My fave chuckle moment was "too ASBO" .Really enjoy the vids. I had an MGZS and a Rover 45 . 2L V6. Luckily, I got over that ex pat Brit phase! Maybe some interest from viewers to see you review one.

"I don't like those people and I try to avoid those people at all costs".
I love it - these Mattspeak comments.
Delicious! (for Christo Aivalis veiwers)
I should collect them into a book.

Don't forget the S204 C class estate for a cheap estate. Those were probably the best C classes ever built.

Change the head unit in the SL, you can keep the original and reinstall it when you want to move the car on if you ever wish to do so! Have a chat chat with fellow TheXvidr CAS TV who also owns Car Audio & Security, loads of knowledge, lots of options for new, old and classic cars and he’s also got an amazing collection of cars to boot, you’ll get on like a house on fire, you both come across as sound people

My bro just got a 14 plate kia rio for a first car - I was well impressed and I've had a lot of decent cars, good solid wee car that's good to drive - I'd recommend them for people looking for something reasonably cheap and nice

Great video as always matt 👍

I'm an avid reader of Autocar magazine, they had a brief story about person trying to sell a green Mini convertible.
They were offered a very low sum, £1000.
After taking it to a detailer & spending £300 on it, the next offer was more than double the original.
Just shows what a good clean can do.

Hey Matt.. so I’ll be moving to the UK from Malaysia this coming summer 2022 for good.. been binge watching your reviews since the lockdown because like usual, we wanna find the right car, especially for UK weather, since Malaysia weather spanking hot, or wet heavy rain.. wanted to know your thought about the 2030 all EV cars selling.. and also.. wanna hear your thought about EV can and other typical models in general too.. cheers Matt! Thank you in advance

Love this answer and question have been thinking of wanting to run a car with classic car status to use for commuting thinking of a stag with a rover conversion to go from south London to West end daily. Due to ULEZ and congestion charge car has to be older than 1979

Hi Matt ,
wondering if u Have you driven the Mercedes GL 350 or the GL 63 I'm looking to potentially buy one of them but would like some advice if you can give anything regarding these two vehicles? Ideally a 2015 or 16 model with approximately 100 K.
my price range is between 22k-26k.

Good selection of viewers questions answered.. thanks Matt.

I wouldn’t recommend any diesel for town use. If it has a DPF it will clog up, if it’s modern but not with a DPF you’ll still have things clogging up like inlet manifolds and EGR valves.

That “Wolfrace Alloys” reference had me! We all know the ones 🤣

Around 7 minutes in, someone asked "What should a first car owner be doing to maintain the car?" or something like that.
I'd say to learn to do your own basic maintenance (oil changes, tire changes, changing spark plugs and ignition coils etc). Better to mess up a job on a cheaper car like a '99 Honda rather than a more expensive one like a BMW

Interesting video I got a Fiat 126 bis has my daily driver for the last 15 years and it’s still going strong 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

A car between 1995 and 2000 I think will go classic is the Jaguar X308 XJ. They’re a lot rarer than the Mercedes S-Class’ from that time and they were never (or hardly ever) used as taxis. Also they’re only V8’s, which is what petrolheads miss most in the current generation. No six cylinders or diesels.

You realy know your stuff mate and i do agree with the small engines in bigger cars is a disaster realy and as for electric cars im 53now and im hoping that il be able just get the last diesel or petrol cars before they stop making them.

Great video (nothing to do with my question being read out and answered!) I hope you can still interact with us once your subs hit 250K and your are fighting off females trying to jump into your GT!

Rather than spend $60=$70k on a new or newer car, I have collected four " special interest cars " which I rotate as daily drivers. A '93 Mercedes W124 300e 2.8 gets the most use, followed by a 1998 E36 BMW 318ti M Sport 5 speed manual. For more weekend use, I have a 1990 W126 Mercedes 420SEL and a 1994 E31 BMW 840ci. Costs to run are pretty much prevention upkeep, but occasionally one breaks down simply from age of the component. Mercedes and BMW's from this period (1986-1993) are very well made. It's the items that would wear out on any car between 75 and 100k miles that you usually deal with like water pumps, alternators, radiators, thermostats, a/c compressors, belts and plastic fittings. Insurance is a fraction as well.

Matt , whats your opinion on a low mileage 65 plate BMW 320d Luxury Tourer ? Car i'm looking at has £4300 of factory options. Last owner has had it for 5 years with full main dealer history.

Disagree re the 7 seater. In terms of practicality and space when you actually have 3 or 4 kids a proper people carrier beats a 4x4 with a couple of extra seats any day

Wow, you answered my question! Im famous now lol! Anyway, nice to get your insight on the matter. I agree with you completely.

Matt, what do you think about cat s/n cars? If have been repaired properly, would you buy one?

The condition of an EVs battery with 100,000 miles is highly effected by the original battery capacity, an EV with a range of 50 miles would've been cycled ~2,000 times, one with a 250 mile range would've been cycled ~400 times.

Too bad you don't have a dealership in Australia. I'd definitely buy a car from you.

Hi a very nice Q&A some useful information, cheers Phil

What car would you recommend for a budget between 9-11k? I have kids a dog and I will use it for fishing, it needs to be an auto as I'm lazy, I've been thinking 3 or 5 series touring, do you have any better recommendations?
Cheers!

Have had a 1.0 ecoboost Focus for circa 4 years now (2015 model) and not a single issue with it. I think its the SUV Quashqai types they struggle more in

Nice video. one small question, what do you think about Renault Megane Expression (100) 1.6L petrol manual. I would like to buy it, is it good or not?

I'm curious about the diesel hate, why? I have two diesel cars that average over 70mpg (motorway and 50-60 town) and are incredibly reliable. Doesn't it make sense that they are superior? I'm genuinely interested so if someone can please let me know.