Everybody has an opinion. Everybody’s opinions are different. Some people believe in God. Some don’t. It is the same with car manufacturers. Each manufacturer is in competition with the other. The result is a very level standard. This is the reality, but if you believe in God or Mercedes it becomes an opinion. So in 2016 poor quality makes have gone bust and the remainder are on the same level.

How can I say a Mercedes is on a level with a Skoda, you ask. I say the Skoda was built in Eastern Europe and the Merc built in South Africa. In any Merc with 100,000 miles on it the maintenance costs will probably be four times more than the lowly Skoda. For example, a routine timing chain needed on a Merc costs €2200 compared to €280 for the Skoda yet they have both travelled 100,000 miles. After a few years the cost of maintaining the Merc exceeds its value as the depreciation is staggering whereas the Skoda remains economical. At the end of the day the Merc is not mechanically better than a Skoda or a Peugeot and probably the reverse is true. The Skoda is more likely to out last the Merc.

Personally, I would like to own a Merc but even as a mechanic I can’t afford the mechanical maintenance costs. The point I am trying to make is that VW is no better than Citroen in terms of reliability but you can buy two used Citroens for the price of a used VW. This is because people mistakenly think a VW is better than a Citroen. The reality is VW are no better mechanically than Citroen and really the only thing going for them is the belief that they are better than other makes. If this was actually true all the other makes would go bust.