Why don't we buy American cars?
Discussion
Gazboy said:
Cars in bold are in with a shout/quicker.
cars that you've had a ride in or your aunt's boyfriends ex wife's son has owned do not count.
My point exactly - he said "all" of them, not "some" of them - there are clearly posters on this thread alone that have quicker motors. Hence my "bold statement" assertation.
viperdave said:
I was chatting to a guy at the Brighton Speed Trials last year who was running a RHD Viper. He said it was an Australian import and a factory job not an aftermarket conversion. Can't corroborate that. Any comments?
CanAm
I think the Australian conversion is factory approved rather then factor built although it just about costs as much as the car in the first place.
Was that the yellow with blue stripe as it was stolen shortly after being brought over and was torched after tearing the tires to shreds and smashing the suspension
Sorry for slow reply. Yes, I think that was the one, Sad to hear of its demise.
yes the Viper and Mustang are available officially from their respective manufacturers here in Australia, but this just means that they are converted by a certified third party to RHD since they are mega expensive and there is only a small market for those cars here. Mustang is over a $100K AUD IIRC, a Falcon XR8 with the 5.4L more powerful version of the same engine and probably better handling is about half the price. In most of the local road tests that I read the mustang was generally summed up as great engine, shite chassis.
You can also get Corvettes and other US imports here in RHD because we aren't really allowed to have LHD cars so there are quite a few companies that specialise in these types of conversions, some will buy the car to your specs import it and convert it so as good as buying new. Holden has been thinking about selling corvettes officially here for a long time (so the rumour goes) but it would be rather pricey and since most people who really want one can get one anyway they would barely sell enough to make it worthwhile.
You can also get Corvettes and other US imports here in RHD because we aren't really allowed to have LHD cars so there are quite a few companies that specialise in these types of conversions, some will buy the car to your specs import it and convert it so as good as buying new. Holden has been thinking about selling corvettes officially here for a long time (so the rumour goes) but it would be rather pricey and since most people who really want one can get one anyway they would barely sell enough to make it worthwhile.
[quote=ScoobyZoom]In the grand sceme of things the English market is tiny... We are smaller than most states.
quote]
I thought we werre a State of the USA!
Anyway, if they did the Vette or Mustang RHD it would be a serious contender to TVR, long service intervals, durable, reliable, lazy V8 engines.
ps I had a Chimaera for two and a half years and that was reliable too, before anyone says owt!
quote]
I thought we werre a State of the USA!
Anyway, if they did the Vette or Mustang RHD it would be a serious contender to TVR, long service intervals, durable, reliable, lazy V8 engines.
ps I had a Chimaera for two and a half years and that was reliable too, before anyone says owt!
As a Corvette owner in North Yorkshire, I thought I'd dispel a few myths put about so far in this post!
1) LHD
This is no problem at all, just needs a bit of getting used to, and great when you go to the continent for some real driving. Overtaking just means you drop back a little further, and look ahead... And 300hp+ gets you past things pretty quickly in any case.
2) Leaf Springs?
Hmmmm: shall I let you all into a little secret? The Corvette (barring the ZR1) don't even have overhead cams!! 2 valves per cylinder!! But don't worry: the Z06 went round the 'Ring in under 8 minutes, with this archaic suspension and engine...
3) Thirsty
Right, here's another myth - the thirst. Of course the American formula of "no replacement for displacement" gives big engines, but consider this. There is a federal tax - the "gas guzzler" tax - which the Corvette, as example, has never fell foul on... here is a table as well:
2004 corvette Z06 = 19/28 mpg (5.7L V8)
1995 corvette ZR1 = 17/25 mpg (5.7L V8)
2003 Ford Mustang Cobra = 17/25 mpg (SC 4.6L V8)
2004 BMW m3 = 16/24 mpg (3.2L Inline-6)
Audi 1.8 TT = 20/28 mpg (1.8L TT I4)
Aston Martin Vanquish = 11/18mpg (5.9L V12)
Honda S2000 = 20/28mpg (2L I4)
Jaguar XKR = 16/22mpg (4.0L V8)
porsche 911 Turbo = 15/22 mpg (3.6L TT F6)
Lexus SC430 = 18/23 mpg (4.3L V8)
Subaru WRX STi = 18/24 mpg (2.5L TT I4)
Subaru WRX = 20/27 mpg (2.0L TT I4)
Toyota Supra Turbo = 18/23 mpg (3.0L TT I6)
Nissan 350Z = 19/26 mpg (auto) 20/26 mpg (manual) (3.5L V6)
Mazda RX-8 = 18/25 mpg (manual) 18/24 mpg (auto) (1.3L Rotary *Twin Rotar Renesis 13B*)
All of this is US mpg, so x1.2 for UK, and is City/Highway I believe.... so the 405hp Corvette Z06 gets the same highway mileage as a 1.8L Audi TT and S2000, and better than all the rest in this list... and in city driving, better than an M3, Porsche 911 Turbo, XKR etc... all of which have smaller engines!!!
4) Fibre Glass / Plastic Bumpers
It doesn't rust and that bit of give useful for backing-into-things-mistakes... These car do pass federal crash tests of course!!
5) Price
We are getting a bit ripped-off in the UK at £40K, say, for a new 'vette, since they're about $50K stateside... but still at £40K, it's a competitive price...
6) They're rare in the UK (somebody wrote that!)
Herd mentality?? I think the Enzo Ferrari is rare too, so that must be dissed also...
OK, answering a few of the points...
It's not that I'm prejudiced, although I do drive a Corvette and Cadillac daily. Just it seems that a number on this thread alone have decided that, like Jeremy Clarkson, they let their opinions get in the way of the facts...
1) LHD
This is no problem at all, just needs a bit of getting used to, and great when you go to the continent for some real driving. Overtaking just means you drop back a little further, and look ahead... And 300hp+ gets you past things pretty quickly in any case.
2) Leaf Springs?
Hmmmm: shall I let you all into a little secret? The Corvette (barring the ZR1) don't even have overhead cams!! 2 valves per cylinder!! But don't worry: the Z06 went round the 'Ring in under 8 minutes, with this archaic suspension and engine...
3) Thirsty
Right, here's another myth - the thirst. Of course the American formula of "no replacement for displacement" gives big engines, but consider this. There is a federal tax - the "gas guzzler" tax - which the Corvette, as example, has never fell foul on... here is a table as well:
2004 corvette Z06 = 19/28 mpg (5.7L V8)
1995 corvette ZR1 = 17/25 mpg (5.7L V8)
2003 Ford Mustang Cobra = 17/25 mpg (SC 4.6L V8)
2004 BMW m3 = 16/24 mpg (3.2L Inline-6)
Audi 1.8 TT = 20/28 mpg (1.8L TT I4)
Aston Martin Vanquish = 11/18mpg (5.9L V12)
Honda S2000 = 20/28mpg (2L I4)
Jaguar XKR = 16/22mpg (4.0L V8)
porsche 911 Turbo = 15/22 mpg (3.6L TT F6)
Lexus SC430 = 18/23 mpg (4.3L V8)
Subaru WRX STi = 18/24 mpg (2.5L TT I4)
Subaru WRX = 20/27 mpg (2.0L TT I4)
Toyota Supra Turbo = 18/23 mpg (3.0L TT I6)
Nissan 350Z = 19/26 mpg (auto) 20/26 mpg (manual) (3.5L V6)
Mazda RX-8 = 18/25 mpg (manual) 18/24 mpg (auto) (1.3L Rotary *Twin Rotar Renesis 13B*)
All of this is US mpg, so x1.2 for UK, and is City/Highway I believe.... so the 405hp Corvette Z06 gets the same highway mileage as a 1.8L Audi TT and S2000, and better than all the rest in this list... and in city driving, better than an M3, Porsche 911 Turbo, XKR etc... all of which have smaller engines!!!
4) Fibre Glass / Plastic Bumpers
It doesn't rust and that bit of give useful for backing-into-things-mistakes... These car do pass federal crash tests of course!!
5) Price
We are getting a bit ripped-off in the UK at £40K, say, for a new 'vette, since they're about $50K stateside... but still at £40K, it's a competitive price...
6) They're rare in the UK (somebody wrote that!)
Herd mentality?? I think the Enzo Ferrari is rare too, so that must be dissed also...
OK, answering a few of the points...
It's not that I'm prejudiced, although I do drive a Corvette and Cadillac daily. Just it seems that a number on this thread alone have decided that, like Jeremy Clarkson, they let their opinions get in the way of the facts...
Its reckoned the LHD/RHD split is 60/40 in the world. UK, South Africa, Australia, Japan, India(When they can be bothered)etc are all RHD. Hence if enough of those markets want them they will be produced in RHD.
Explanation(one of many!) Here.
www.amphicars.com/acleft.htm
Explanation(one of many!) Here.
www.amphicars.com/acleft.htm
Gazboy said:
shoebag said:
all your cars
ALL of them? That's a bold statement...
Ok, posters on THIS Thread + their cars:
CanAm = Ultima Can Am
Cars in bold are in with a shout/quicker.
Before I get a reputation as another Dokic, I should make it clear that my username comes from my passion for the racing series of the same name from 1966-70 and sadly not from ownership of an Ultima.
CanAm.
RichB said:
Imagine, for instance, how much BMW would lose if it pulled out of the UK market....
Humm didn't seem to worry them enough not to bother turning up for the UK's Motor Show.
That's because they knew it wouldn't make a blind bit of difference to the average BMW buyer.
Got to say, I cant stand American cars. IMHO they look awful generally and dont (generally) have the dynamic abilities of their European or Japanese competitors. Of course your going to have suprises, but it doesnt suddenly mean that the production lines in the US have overnight discovered plastics over 1mm thick or that they have built a car where you strggled to walk through panel gaps :-). I'll stick with my Euro cars thanks.
rich1231 said:
Got to say, I cant stand American cars. IMHO they look awful generally and dont (generally) have the dynamic abilities of their European or Japanese competitors. Of course your going to have suprises, but it doesnt suddenly mean that the production lines in the US have overnight discovered plastics over 1mm thick or that they have built a car where you strggled to walk through panel gaps :-). I'll stick with my Euro cars thanks.
And japanese cars too.!
Don't know about anyone else, but other than things like Vipers and Corvettes, most American cars (Tauruses, Monte Carlos and suchlike) send me into a coma. They're just so utterly bland. Granted, bland cars isn't solely the preserve of the USA (Korea springs to mind), but even so....there doesn't seem to be any imagination at all.
hornet said:
Don't know about anyone else, but other than things like Vipers and Corvettes, most American cars (Tauruses, Monte Carlos and suchlike) send me into a coma. They're just so utterly bland. Granted, bland cars isn't solely the preserve of the USA (Korea springs to mind), but even so....there doesn't seem to be any imagination at all.
Just like Euroboxes and Jap cars then....
Gazboy said:
Thread title:
Why don't we by American cars?
Because they aren't available here, yes you can get one imported, but it's an arseache and apart from Vette's 'Stangs and Vipers, would you notice if they were all canned by their relative makers?
You can't waltz down to a Cheverolet dealer in Maidenhead and perchase whatever tickles your fancy, mainly because there isn't a dealership.
In the past you would be able to buy a Chevvy or a Cadillac in this country. They have tried. But we rejected them, and so they stopped trying.
The main reason why American cars do not sell is simple. They just are'nt very good.
telecat said:
Its reckoned the LHD/RHD split is 60/40 in the world. UK, South Africa, Australia, Japan, India(When they can be bothered)etc are all RHD. Hence if enough of those markets want them they will be produced in RHD.
Explanation(one of many!) Here.
www.amphicars.com/acleft.htm
The latest count shows 44% of the worlds countries drive on the left. So that's not a bad guestimate.
Dave
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