I going to admit to something that I don't really feel terribly proud about. I like Top Gear.

Not like a bit, not like as a casual viewer, but like as in "once spent an entire weekend watching repeats of shows on Dave I'd already seen 10 times previously." And by once I mean many, many times. You can see why it's not exactly something I tend to shout about. But whilst I don't share the political view of the hosts, or even own a car (living just outside Central London, there is really no need), I'm already looking forward to the inevitable Christmas "Epic Journey" Special.

If you've not seen the UK show (or the local variants that exist in the US, Australia, and Germany), one of the regular features is to set a timed lap in a vehicle as part of a review. Same track, same(ish) driver, and therefore a reasonable comparison on performance.

There are some lessons here for technology buyers.

DIY vs Systems Integrator

Look towards the top of the leader board and amongst the Lamborghinis, Koenigseggs, and McLarens you'll see something quite unusual: a Caterham. A £40k car amongst the half-million pound super cars, lapping the track around half a second quicker than an über-expensive Bugatti Veyron. In terms of performance per pound spent, the Caterham seems like amazing value.

Sure, it's a single scenario: how fast can you drive around a set racing circuit. As a technology buyer, you'll likely need to fulfill a broader range of test cases, but bear with me on this because unlike any of those famous motoring brands, Caterham is a bit different. Caterham sells their cars as self-assembly kits.

You have options. You can buy a complete kit with range of different standard components or even a "starter kit" which is incomplete, but allows you purchase the other essential parts either from Caterham themselves or elsewhere in the market. Whichever you choose, you'll end up with a garage-full of parts that you carefully put together to produce you supercar-slaying vehicle.

If that's not to your fancy, but you still want the car, you can pay extra for Caterham to build it for you. It's the professional services (or systems integrator) option if you like. You still get the joy of knowing you're driving a self-assembly car, but that it's been put together by people familiar with the task. Given my level of automotive skills, you'd certainly not want to take a journey in something I'd built without proper adult guidance.

Even if I was blessed with the skills to build the vehicle properly, you'd not want to take a ride in this current winter weather as there isn't a roof. Or a heater. Or a windscreen. If there's more than two of you, you'll need to take turns as it only has two (probably cold, wet) seats.

The right tool for the right job

Now reading this, you might think I have a downer on the Caterham. That I dislike it. But I don't. I'd love to own one (probably a Classic, with the windscreen and optional heater), which I could drive on dry days, on dry roads, and most likely only ever on the weekend. For those scenarios, it's perfect. For most other vehicular tasks, it's not recommended unless you like the feeling of freezing limbs and the knowledge that unless you are a highly skilled driver you always remain just seconds away from sliding off the road and into a ditch.

What the Top Gear "Power Board" teaches us is that comparative measurement is a useful tool. Just not the only useful too in the selection of something a technically complex as a fast car. Additionally, that finding a flaw is not the same as disliking a product in its entirety -- just recognizing its lack of suitability for a specific task.

If you take what you already know about buying a car and apply it to buying a technology, you'll already be heading in the right direction.