Out of the three who do you think was the worst at choosing used cars
Posted by standarsh1965@reddit | thegrandtour | View on Reddit | 85 comments
Posted by standarsh1965@reddit | thegrandtour | View on Reddit | 85 comments
Plodil@reddit
They picked cars for comedy/entertainment value. It was never about just picking the best cars
OcelotInevitable5631@reddit
I was too late for this one, but this DEFINITELY tracks.
JBNothingWrong@reddit
May consistently choosing underpowered vehicles definitely cost him
kodex184@reddit
With no working air conditioning in hot countries.
OcelotInevitable5631@reddit
lol
I remember this well, thinking,"People might not think this to be an important scoring-point, but it makes sense in the midst of a Top Gear challenge abroad.", at the time. I didn't understand so much as a youngster, but now, it seems to make all the more sense.
SirDigbyChknCaesar@reddit
lol the one time he chooses the Aston Martin track car with no AC and he's practically naked, baking inside.
KamakaziDemiGod@reddit
iirc he actually chose a normal road car version, and the producers made him get the race version which he agreed to before he knew just how stripped out it was
Alice_600@reddit
And thus began the lusting for James May...Our weird crush.
kodex184@reddit
Yeah I respect that he tried to think outside the box, but it didn't ever really work out.
TJ_Blues18@reddit
Never ceases to be funny.
InfiniteSun6892@reddit
That actually got a bit tiring for me, especially in Eurocrash. He should’ve just skipped the special if he was going to be that slow and miss pretty much everything aside from the museum
Mozintarfen@reddit
I absolutely loved the boat he got for the Seamen special though, would absolutely choose it out of the 3 lol
grubas@reddit
May had some choices but normally he was entertaining.
Hammond bought a few dogs.
But my word May upped the ante in Euro Crasj
mokacincy@reddit
I think in many cases his conservative choices helped him because his car just worked, instead of reaching for something sporty but unreliable (like with the cheap Porsches and the Austin Princess). But when he chose wrong boy did it go wrong.
HoveringPorridge@reddit
Agreed. When he bought powerful vehicles (XJS, Esprit etc) he usually won.
Sock-Enough@reddit
I’m always amazed at how good that Lotus was. Not a single problem and it bailed out the other cars at points.
SirDigbyChknCaesar@reddit
I'll never forgive him for wrecking that yellow Evo. That whole stunt was idiotic. Glad he didn't get killed though.
bigdukesix@reddit
But May always did it properly?
standarsh1965@reddit (OP)
As you would expect
ItsDaFaz@reddit
The Crosley was the only car that actively pissed me off out of all the 'poor' choices. Even if James chose the slower car, it would still be competent enough for the three to be together for most scenes. This POS had no redeeming qualities whatsoever (okay maybe Crosley is a cool name). I suppose it upset me a lot because it was the 3rd last episode of the trio
JCD_007@reddit
Wilman discusses the Crosley in his book and implies that they were unaware of how bad it would be.
cwx149@reddit
Same issue in seaman tbh
hatlad43@reddit
Given that they buy those cars specifically because they want them to break down on the show to make good entertainment, I guess Hammond. He often get the most reliable car.
But then balance it out by crashing into things.
MissionLet7301@reddit
I think they all very purposefully played into their tropes.
Clarkson almost always bought a car that had way too much power.
Hammond almost always bought a car that was just slightly inconvenient.
And May almost always got the 'correct' choice that didn't actually work at all for the trip.
Coopsolex@reddit
And as expected, i've done this properly
Benji_4@reddit
First car that comes to mind is that poor Fiat Panda 4x4.
HerrMatthew@reddit
I'd say his cars "weren't supposed to work but somehow did". The Suzuki in Bolivia, Volvo in the Africa special, Fiat in Colombia, his wooden coffin in TGT Vietnam special, Caterham in Madagascar... They all got to the end fair and square, but usually out of the 3, his choices always seemed to be the least likely to do so.
Benji_4@reddit
In the back of my mind I know that Richard and May can fix their cars, given James will take 10x longer polishing his spanners. I think that plays a part into choosing something more interesting.
I was actually kind of impressed when Jeremy fixed the MFB, although he was playing it extremely safe in TGT with the Jeep and Nissan.
FrozenUruguayBallbac@reddit
Hammond had the right idea with most of his cars like the FJ land cruiser and the 2500 HD 7.4 silverado. Both are very good reliable offroaders, yet he managed to find the ONLY shitbox FJ cruiser is the world and got a shitty 7.4 V8 which are known for being bulletproof.
flying_porygon@reddit
Wait what episode did Hammond have a FJ Cruiser? I can’t find that episode anywhere. Top Gear America had an episode with it, but I can’t find it ever happening with the trio?
FrozenUruguayBallbac@reddit
I meant FJ40 land cruiser in bolivia lol
flying_porygon@reddit
Ah, I’m an idiot. Thank you, I was going crazy for a minute there lol
ab_2404@reddit
Hammond picked the best car of the whole show for the Africa special with the subaru.
ShaunM33@reddit
Would be interesting if you went over all the episodes and gave the best car 2 points and the second best car 1 point, how many would they actually get. I think Clarkson would win it quite comfortably.
Invincie@reddit
The producers chose.
spatial_explorer@reddit
Idk but Hammond always had the most interesting choices. I’ll always remember Oliver, the mini in India, the Subaru in Africa. I don’t think I could tell you what the others were driving.
More-Masterpiece-561@reddit
Don't forget, the fiat that he bought in middle east has been the only car all presenters agreed was the best car in a special
Josephk_5690@reddit
It has to be Clarkson. It all stops at the Mitsuoka Le-Seyde!
LuceroImpact9@reddit
In his defense, the car worked as intended. Only for the lack of a spare tyre.
OverturnKelo@reddit
May literally started picking bad cars as a bit, lol.
Erlend05@reddit
In general i dont think so but the crosley alone is enough to give it to may
bigbob25a@reddit
{cough}{cough} Lambo tractor
InfiniteSun6892@reddit
May was usually the worst. I think one of the only times he was better than the other two was with the Fiat Panda in the Colombia special.
Suitedbadge401@reddit
Lotus Espirit
cev2002@reddit
The funny thing about that is that it was a completely unexpected, un-James choice
Suitedbadge401@reddit
The funny thing is the “fuck it, I’ll buy an Espirit because I want one” gamble paid off massively.
When he doesn’t think about it too hard about it and just buys what he wants it seems to go well.
brigadier_tc@reddit
"Oh but he thinks he's Bond"
HoveringPorridge@reddit
The Esprit, XJS, Princess and (arguably) the Silver Shadow. Were the best/winners in their respective appearances.
AaKkisa@reddit
You say that, but his BMW 325i back in Series 16 was the best of the three, so he has had some winners.
mokacincy@reddit
Oh forgot about that. The thing is when he picked bad, it was completely catastrophicly bad. Way worse than the others
Alpha_Apeiron@reddit
Hammond's could be a bit ridiculous, but May'a were always complete shit. I found it particularly funny when he admitted his lorry was crap. Clarkson almost always picked best.
brigadier_tc@reddit
Hammond broke down in almost every special, in fact I can't remember one where he didn't, even Oliver nearly died
cwx149@reddit
His fiat in the middle eastern special didn't break down did it?
The SUV he gets in bolivia works pretty good until he crashes
cev2002@reddit
There's not many cars that wouldn't die if you drove them straight into 5ft of water.
brigadier_tc@reddit
"OLIVVEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR"
"Do you hear that Fezzik? That is the sound of ultimate suffering"
GreenHeel97@reddit
The Nile. He had that Subaru Impreza WRX. Jeremy was the problem child on that trip.
ThomasTheTrain25@reddit
Correct me if I’m wrong, and I don’t think it really counts, but I don’t think he broke down on the motorcycle in feed the world.
L4I55Z-FAIR3@reddit
The bike survived but not his dignity
Major-Impact9901@reddit
Or any … ANY of his fish. lol
Major-Impact9901@reddit
In the spirit of your comment.
His choice of conveyance was so diametrically unfit for the purpose that it could be counted as absent. lol thus a poor choice.
ThomasTheTrain25@reddit
Agreed.
L4I55Z-FAIR3@reddit
May arrived to challenges on the back of and AA truck, in a car that could only do 45mph, in some of the most unreliable cars in the world and then he would look at the other 2 and call them muppets.
cwx149@reddit
My understanding is that the Lambo was actually fine and they made up a lot of the issues with it although I've only ever seen that said on this sub so idk if it's true or not
StormWalker137@reddit
Hammond because of the land cruiser in Bolivia and the Mustang in Argentina. Made for great television.
BrotherKurtABurton@reddit
Based on the Crosley (sp?) alone, has to be May.
_Captain_Dinosaur_@reddit
Just watched "A Massive Hunt" and "Euro Crash" back to back and good goddamn almighty did May pick incredibly wrong on both occasions.
grubas@reddit
Euro Crash/The Crosley was Mays Magnum Opus. His Masterpiece.
It was such a terrible slow choice even Captain Slow couldn't stand it.
But holy shit the production crew should have gotten him like 8 more horsepower.
LunarLeopard67@reddit
NGGGGGGGGHHHHH 39
Terrible_Truth@reddit
I don’t think May’s pick for “Massive Hunt” was bad. Yeah he was covered in feces and 12 different waterborne bacteria, but the car itself could handle the terrain. Hammond’s car was a terrible choice, those tracks just didn’t work.
May’s boat in “Seamen” was bad IMO. It was significantly underpowered so he was not in most of the special, similar to Eurocrash.
_Captain_Dinosaur_@reddit
You right, I forgot about that antique he was puttering around in during "Seaman". To quote some orangutan it was "Completely inappropriate."
But, while the Caterham in "Hunt" preformed like a champ, this dude got pounded, pummeled, soaked, laughed at, caked in human shit, and, at one point, left hanging from a tree.
I will confess that's better than Hampster, who quote "Uninvented the wheel."
E3doleopard@reddit
How is may winning this? He practically is a used car.
ItsTimetoLANK@reddit
May would pick something boring and nerdy all the time.
O_Canada_eh@reddit
Over the course of all series, May has the worst track record for picking the wrong car. Yes, he's had a good choice here and there but overall, he picked theoretically good cars that never quite panned out practically. One wonders if the drone for his drone delivery service is going to pan out. Nevertheless, TV gold the lot of it.
some-scottish-person@reddit
“He’ll have bought a Volvo”
wretcheddawn@reddit
May but I also don't think each presenter had sole discretion over thier choices but rather were chosen for the spectacle they would create for the show.
Comfortable-Writer-9@reddit
They did say that "Richard Hammond, who spends his money on used cars, is useless at buying used cars"
Wash_zoe_mal@reddit
May on the show but Clarkson talked about buying terrible cars and selling them for a loss, only for them to become valuable classics later.
mokacincy@reddit
May has to take this one solely for the crosley. A car so bad it ruined the rhythm of the entire show. All on its own it completely outweighs any credit for the lotus espirit, Cadillac Brougham, Alfa GTV, Botswana Mercedes, TVR S2, Austin Princess, TVR stag, Fiat Panda 4×4, and Suzuki 4×4. Plus the Volvo 850r, BMW convertible, crane lorry, Honda motorcycle, Ford xr3, Cadillac Deville, Ford Capris, Lamborghini Euraco, and all his maseratis, were all either completely broken or just uninteresting.
Spiddy771@reddit
May chose the worst cars, but gave the most laughs
techtornado@reddit
Captain Slow definitely didn’t win many speed records
Jeremy would just get anything that asked him to buy it
Hammond was the wild card as he’s American on the inside
Eldridou@reddit
Clarckson usually pushed the limits of what they could choose or just cheated. So he usually had the best cars but not the best for the spirit of the challenges I think
Chairmanwowsaywhat@reddit
May apart from the one time he chose the 850R. Maybe not the best for Africa butbeasily my favourite of all the specials' cars
Major-Impact9901@reddit
It’s a 3-way tie.
May: Always chose econo-box garbage
Hammond: Always chose cars that he’d crash and total
Clarkson: Always chose cars that would crash into everyone else. He has Mustang tendencies.
No_Doubt_About_That@reddit
Depends if they bought them while they were drunk
Car55inatruck@reddit
You were.