This Guy Bought A Problematic BMW M3, Then Saw His Car Had Been Abused By Top Gear

After buying a BMW M3, 27-year-old Rob Willis had nothing but trouble with his car. Then, one day while watching a Top Gear rerun, he realised his car had been abused on the Top Gear test track
This Guy Bought A Problematic BMW M3, Then Saw His Car Had Been Abused By Top Gear

No matter how careful you are when checking a used car’s history, it’s impossible to know exactly how difficult its life has been. For example, just because your car has been regularly serviced, it doesn’t mean it was never drifted around an airfield by a bloke who had literally no interest in being careful since he got to give the keys back at the end of the day. At least, that would be impossible to know, unless, say, it was drifted around an airfield by the bloke who hosts the world’s most watched television show.

Rob Willis, 27, encountered exactly this problem recently, after buying himself a lovely looking Yas Marina Blue BMW M3. The IT operations manager told The Sun:

“When I bought it, I was told it was an ex-demo which one of the managers had been driving. The brakes were constantly squeaking and the steering wheel made a clunking noise every time I came off the motorway.”

Then, about a month after picking up the car, Rob was watching an old episode of Top Gear, when his girlfriend spotted that the M3 being hooned by Clarkson was wearing the same number plate as the car he’d just bought. Obviously unimpressed by the fact he’d been sold a car that had been abused in such a way without disclosure of that fact, Willis took his M3 back to his local dealership: “The dealers told me it was a mistake and the car should never have been sold as it was unfit for the road.”

This Guy Bought A Problematic BMW M3, Then Saw His Car Had Been Abused By Top Gear

The life of a press car is a rough one. The cars are handed around from publication to publication, and driven by people who grow no sense of attachment to the car. Most of us are careful to treat cars properly, but there will always be those who use and abuse their privilege. Furthermore, making cool content often involves driving these cars hard, repeatedly for the camera; no matter how careful you are, that’ll take its toll - and occasionally these cars come with delivery mileage, and we simply don’t have time to get the engines run in before enjoying them. So when these cars exit service and are sold off, it’s no surprise that occasionally they might seem a little rough around the edges.

Fortunately the cars are looked after and serviced by dedicated teams, so there’s very little chance of people encountering an issue like Rob has. Still, I’m not entirely sure I’d want to drop big money on a car the likes of Chris Harris or Jeremy Clarkson have had on camera, no matter how carefully it’s been serviced in the meantime.

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Comments

RedlineAllTheGears

This is exactly why I would never buy a used M3. Well, this and because no money bro

12/10/2015 - 16:25 |
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One Lap Kings

Why give the car back when you have some super rare Stig and Jeremy Clarkson butt sweat on your seat. It should make him the best boxing race car driver ever.

12/10/2015 - 16:34 |
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Anonymous

What they should have done is stick a disclaimer on the windscreen in the dealeership. “The last M3 shown by Top Gear - in the world.” with a “approved by” squiggle made by Jeremy Clarkson on the dash.

12/10/2015 - 16:36 |
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Trent Donovan

“Abused”

12/10/2015 - 16:49 |
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Allegra

The fact that the cars from Top Gear could potentially be sold, or try and be sold, is a little worrying. They are not worthy for the road after they were done with them xD

12/10/2015 - 16:49 |
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Tiggr

You see? This is proof, I ain’t buying cars from any of you guys. You guys RUIN cars! I mean, thrashing about your cars whenever you can and not looking after it, letting your mates hoon about with it all day without a thought about the next chap buying it. You car enthusiasts make me sick . . .

Just a joke! I was not serious

I for one think he didn’t have the car properly looked at before buying it, which is something I even told my sister to do before she bought her BMW. She also had problems with her car after she bought it and Clarkson didn’t even drive her car so ya…

12/10/2015 - 16:54 |
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Danny Fallas

Could have sold it as a M3 that clarckson used. Americans have been paying for ** like that for years

12/10/2015 - 16:57 |
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Anonymous

…I’d have eBay’d the hell out of it.

12/10/2015 - 17:29 |
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Jordiemotive

I’d pay extra for the car if I knew Clarkson had been behind the wheel!

12/10/2015 - 17:53 |
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