Bessey, Boomzilla, and Love Machine! Really?
Those are some of the top pet names that British drivers gave their cars in a recently survey by HPI Limited.
When you read the press release (below) you can't help but wonder if our British cousins have been hitting the milk and tea just a little too much.
Granted, after the recent meltdown of our own auto industry, drivers might be tempted to nickname their GM or Chrysler cars with such pet names as:
Crapo
Bonkrupto
Lemona
But at least they'd be making a funny statement about how they feel about the once might big three Detroit auto giants.
But to call your car "Lucky" or "Love Machine" seems to say more about your own libido than about the true nature of your car.
PRESS RELEASE:
Love
Machine, Bessey and Muscles – these are just some of the nicknames
drivers choose for their cars, reveals a survey from HPI, the leading
independent vehicle information provider. 50% of those surveyed admit
to giving their car a pet name, but HPI warns used car buyers to avoid
ending up with a vehicle worthy of a name like Old Banger, Terminator
and The Wreck.
A
similar survey by HPI back in 2003 revealed that celebrity names were
top favourites for drivers to give their cars. However, the likes of
Kylie and Charlie have had to move over for Buster, Moocher and
Boomzilla in 2008, as drivers get more creative with names. In fact,
the only name to reappear in the 2009 listing is Bessey – which is top
of the charts. 40% of respondents say their car is female, while 27%
refer to it as a male, showing just how attached we can get to our
cars. Whether it's a Casper or a Beauty, HPI urges consumers to be
aware of the potential threat from dodgy vendors looking to sell on a
vehicle with more to hide than just its name.
Nick
Lindsay, Director of HPI says, "It's easy to get emotionally attached
to the car you are looking to buy, but every day HPI identifies nearly
30 stolen vehicles and many of these will be sold as 'bargains' to
unsuspecting buyers. And with more and more people today facing
financial challenges, we are seeing the number cars being sold with
outstanding finance remaining against them on the rise. We used to say
don't get taken in by shiny paintwork and a rock bottom price because
if a car looks to good to be true, it usually is. However with used car
prices at an all time low, offering some fantastic bargains, buyers
need to be even more wary of opportunistic criminals. Fraudulent
paperwork and hidden faults means it's hard to spot a vehicle with a
shady past.
"We
advise buyers not to get too fond of their intended and name their car
until they have conducted an HPI Check and are sure about what they are
buying. Only then will they know whether their potential purchase
should be called Heaven Sent or Hell Bent."
HPI
Checks are available at www.hpicheck.com from just £19.99. With more
vehicle information than anybody else, HPI provides instant
confirmation as to whether a vehicle has been stolen, written-off,
clocked, or has outstanding finance. The HPI Check also includes a
mileage check, valuation, and a stolen V5C check as standard.
