#BrownCarGuy – News, Views & Reviews!
Did you buy a used car in 2024? If so, you were far from alone! In fact, a staggering 7.6 million second-hand cars changed hands across the UK last year, marking a 5.5% increase over 2023. That’s over 400,000 more transactions—or nearly half a million extra cars moving from one driveway to another.
Tesla, once the rockstar of the electric vehicle (EV) world, is now facing a spectacular nosedive in sales. From being the cool kid that made EVs sexy, to becoming the awkward uncle at the family barbecue who won’t stop ranting about MAGA — January 2025 has been a brutal wake-up call. In just a month, Tesla has gone from the top two spots of the UK sales charts in December 2024 to completely vanishing from the top ten in January. The question: is this a natural shift towards better alternatives, or has Elon Musk’s twitchy Twitter fingers tanked his own empire?
BCG BMW SOLD! The End of an Era for My Classic E30.
8 February 2025 – Well, here we are. The BrownCarGuy BMW E30 325i SE – the BCG BMW – has officially moved on. The keys have been handed over, the last revs have echoed through the streets of Brent, and the car park suddenly feels a little too empty.
Not long ago, I posted a video and article about Honda and Nissan’s proposed merger, a deal that could have created Japan’s second-largest car manufacturer. The idea made sense – combining forces to compete against Tesla, BYD, and the growing dominance of Chinese EV manufacturers. It would have allowed both brands to share technology, cut production costs, and accelerate their transition to electric vehicles.
For nearly three weeks, I’ve been trying to write about Donald Trump’s return to the White House and what it means for the car industry. But every time I sit down to put my thoughts together, bam! – another policy shift, another executive order, another round of economic chaos. Trying to keep up with this has been like watching Final Destination – one unexpected turn after another, except instead of people dodging fate, it’s automakers dodging tariffs.
So, what’s going on? How will this affect the cost of cars, the future of electric vehicles, and – most importantly – your next car purchase? Let’s break it all down.
Continue reading “Trump’s Auto Tariffs Explained”
Mazda want to do it all. They want a big new flagship luxury SUV. That’s also hugely practical and a versatile seven-seater. Plus, thrifty economy and the ability to emit slightly tanked-up butterflies at most. It also needs to be relatively punchy when it comes to performance and can prove a tasty steer despite it breadth and width. Meet the new 2025 Mazda CX-80, the brand’s new top dog three-row SUV for Europe. This isn’t just Mazda’s largest and most spacious SUV – it’s a bold statement aimed at premium rivals like the BMW X5, Audi Q7 and Land Rover Discovery. But does it have what it takes to challenge the establishment?
If you’re looking for a crisp and smart-looking hybrid SUV packed with clever tech and features, I might have just the thing for you. Meet the Renault Symbioz E-Tech Hybrid – the name “Symbioz” is taken from the Greek word Symbiosis, meaning ‘living together’. You can’t quite live in this thing, despite its spacious interior. Still, it’s an interesting name and put me in mind of the word Symbiont, which reminded me of Jadzia Dax, the Trill Symbiont on Star Trek Deep Space 9, which was a gratifying thought, so the price of entry is worth it for that alone. We’re talking from £29,295 for the base spec, to £31,295 for the Esprit Alpine trim, and £33,295 for the range-topping Iconic Esprit Alpine edition as tested here (plus another £650 for the Oyster Grey finish on this car).
Racism – I tell you what it is, how it’s done and where you can get some. Plus how to install it in your car. Actually none of that is true…. well most of it’s not true. But there will be a bit of race in this discourse, and I don’t mean on the track… or the road for that matter.
Some places surprise you. Pakistan, for instance, isn’t exactly the first country you’d think of when it comes to classic cars, right? But let me tell you – you’d be wrong. This past Sunday, the majestic grounds of Frere Hall in Karachi played host to the annual Antique Car Museum Show, and it was nothing short of spectacular. Think of it as a treasure chest of automotive history, polished and primed for all to see. And yes, there were Aston Martins, Camaros, and rare Rolls-Royces – but that’s just scratching the surface.
Things just got weird. I’m not talking about Trump being back in the White House – although that’s certainly part of it – nor am I referring to the world’s richest man doing a Nazi salute on stage and seemingly modelling himself on Moonraker villain Hugo Drax (because let’s face it, that’s exactly who he’s emulating, isn’t he?). No, I’m talking about the phrase “never the twain shall meet” being exposed as a complete falsehood. The twain are meeting, intertwining, and connecting on multiple levels. Let’s take a look at the generational gap that’s apparently no gap at all. Shockingly, the young and old are sharing surprisingly similar frustrations about the politics of the day.
Continue reading “The Curious Case of Britain’s Lost Faith in Democracy”