OK: Ssanyong? Any good? Not exciting, fast, luxurious, just good?

Hmm well it wasn't a Mercedes engine, it was a Mercedes design built by Koreans without much experience of assembling that particular engine.

I've considered a Kandoo for the farm, it would make some sort of sense there. However it's going to be s**te on road, and the interiors do wear really badly. The dash is recycled chocolate box liners, the carpet is made from the hairs scraped out of plugholes and the interior controls are made by Chad Valley.

No I haven't. But I've seen some vids of them being driven. I've seen a few photos which show the interior to be at least as modern as the interior of the Skoda. I've read some good reviews, and some critical but fair ones which came as reserved positive. I never saw or travelled in my Brothers. But I'm sure someone here had one and wanted to know how they held longer term and in more detail than a few lines in a review.

But not it's shit because it's shit because it's but only because it is shit.

That is as much help as not bothering to reply.

Well, that looks *nothing* like an M-class. The M-class-alike is the Rexton. Which kind of looks half decent, rather than being the bastard child of a Vitara and Willys Jeep.

Shame all of 'em have Jacob's cracker box interiors with over-glossy stick on 'wood'.

Anyway, a Rexton appears to start at £7k plus on the used market - so you won't be buying one of them.

It's not a licensed Mercedes at all - stop kidding yourself.

As much as yours of the Boxster?

I've been passengered in a few. I had to move the hairdryer and curling tongues first. They are made in a tractor factory.

So you have seen inside one with some miles on. Excellent. Not what I wanted to hear, but advice from some one who has actually looked/played with them is better than what I have been hearing.

I didn't just want to hear good things. I wanted to hear honest things from someone who actually might have been within a suggestion of buying one, even if the test drive changed their mind. Thanks.

Nope. Didn't want a Rexton. Too bland looking on the outside. Maybe I'm=20 thinking more melted G-Wagon then.

Definatley has the look of a proper offroader about it instead of=20 something from Fisher Price. Even if the materials used are from Fisher=20 Price.

--=20 Carl Robson Audio stream:

Playing at home:Schelmish-Scotch tune

But it just reflects what all the press and most on here have told you about them.

We had a Musso for about 5 years. It was big and comfy. Quick for a 4x4 I blew away my mates Patrol with it in a bit of traffic light grand prix. The interiors have electric everything and fall apart. Ok if you are into plastic wood grain. Ours was ok in reliability, the computer shit itself which was fixed under warranty, we did the exhaust and the water pump went. Other than that it was reliable. It was thirsty compared to a car but not too bad for a

4x4. And it was shit off road. But really comfortable on the road. And they are comedy cheap second hand. Forgot to mention we had the 3.2 petrol. Never drove the diesel.

Fraser

Not hanker after thinking practical. The Octavia seats aren't that comfy. I need comfy. If I'm going to wallow like a jelly on skates anyway, I might as well get something that at least feels comfy when it is soft.

And for what I reckon I could shift the Octavia on for, I can get a less miles Korando, or similar miles Musso. And if I can do that get similar MPG, get comfort when I wobble instead discomfort despite the wobbles why not.

Just because they aren't a Disco/X5/M Class and therefore unlikely to be seen in Chelsea doesn't make them a crap second hand buy. When a 15grand car with full history is £1500, then is the time to buy.

They are cheaper than Landcruisers and Bighorns and Shogun/Pajeros. But is that because they are crap, or because they aren't fashionable?

You want a proper G-Wagon then, or a Defender TD5.

None then. Gotcha.

I looked round one for my parents when I was in Lincoln I think. Equally it might have been a Kia though, or Proton or some shit - it's hard to tell. I didn't like any part of it. And the engine management light stayed on when I started the engine, and at this point the salesmen telling me about it (who kept suggesting it was a diesel when clearly, it wasn't, and tried to tell me the ECU light was meant to be on...) pissed me off so much I left.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Our Musso didn't wear that badly inside. We had the velour interior.

Fraser

It should be extremely easy to tell... Kia and Proton are bland shit, the Musso is just plain weird shit :)

Not really, most of the press has been good, because they still want to get flown somewhere expensive, gotten pissed and get to write nice things about the newer version next year, and most on here have said bad "just because".

So if I take the average between "it's a belter especially used" from the press, and "I wouldn't touch it with yours" then it would turn out to be a reasonable family vehicle with real offroad ability but zero remaining depreciation because it raced the Alfa 166 to rock bottom.

Erm, which bits of the press have given it good coverage? 'Shite Korean Car Monthly'? - 'cos all the reviews I've seen (where they can actually be arsed to review such an irrelevant car) have rated it as 'cheap, but you can get better for your money'.

There's one post saying they're a good used buy (but that's because they're dirt cheap, not because they're actually any good) and dozens of posts telling you they're a heap of s**te. The average of that is that they're a very cheap heap of s**te.

Seriously, no-one can be so desperate to buy a car that they'll consider some shoddily built Korean off-roader.

Their NCAP ratings make a Cinqeucento look like the safest car on the market, too.

I think most things are available from Andrew paige (or whatever they're called) on the Causeway trading estate, and for the more esoterically-skoda bits, VW on Milner street can sort you out.

I don't think they went bust, they just dropped Milner street and stayed in Wigan. And anyway, it was TVR and Brabus, none of this tacky AMG s**te. Tut, nowt but cars f'commoners, them.