James Ruppert
Often, the more unusual the car brand, the better the deal
Perodua Myvi, anyone? Anyone?
Because the brand is obscure, it will be temptingly cheap
Well, this is interesting – Dyson now does cars. Or at least it will in 2020. Apparently, it will have a whole range of premium-priced plug-in consumer durables. Oddly, Mr Dyson does have some form when it comes to practical transportation devices. Around 1980, you could buy something called a Ballbarrow. As the name suggests, it was a wheelbarrow but with a ball. It was great. ASL Airflow was the company selling it and my family was an early adopter. The ball later popped up as a crucial part of the Dyson vacuum.
Years later, being an early adopter of the world’s most expensive washing machine didn’t go so well. It cost a grand and spent a lot of time in bits. Not exactly a consumer durable, which makes me less inclined to join the queue for a Dyson car.
This did, though, get me thinking about obscure automotive brands that might just do a used-car turn. Because the brand is odd, unknown or obscure, it will have the added advantage of being temptingly cheap. Let’s get hoovering.
Aixam is a maker of what are effectively four-wheeled mopeds. We might think that they are silly but actually the drivers, who might be only 16, have a bike licence and enjoy around 100mpg. Aixams are wildly overpriced and a 14,000-mile 2010 Crossline 500cc GTR Super Luxe with a CVT gearbox is £3790. It is no more complicated than a hairdryer, but the core market loves them and will pay the price – something Dyson will be banking on. Actually, if you only want to make a tiny footprint, the better option might be the equally French Microcar. There are more around and they start cheaper, so a 2009 MC1 with a Prestige Pack no less starts at £1495.
From some proper oddities to a deserved rarity: a Perodua Myvi is almost like a real car, because it is based on one – a Daihatsu. It is just a tiny pocket-sized hatch that should cost buttons. Around £500 buys a 1.0 EZI in purple. Even that sounds a lot but it won’t break down or use much petrol. It’s perfect for the station run and there seem to be a lot of automatics around and EX-OAP owners are usually a good thing.
If we wanted to fly the flag, like Dyson intends, then we’d have to go back in time and tolerate a Reliant. You can still buy Robins, at least those that have not yet been wiped out by TV programmes having a laugh. This is another motorbike-licence special, with a rot-free body and comical roadholding. Not all are promotional vehicles, and with an MOT and marginal glassfibre crazing, a Robin is priced at a very solid £1500-plus.
One thing is sure: these nominally ethical obscurities are all going to cost rather less than a Dyson.