Car trends that you hope die

[cg360]

[quote=RumRunner]Sense of history...Mr Williamp

Yes Alfa were red with Nouvlari at the wheel before Enzo was building his own.Red typically stands for sacrifice, danger and courage what early motorsport was about. Blood stands out a lot on white when crashed which shows weakness.

British cars green...BRG was mainly a BMC colour and alot of run of the mill stuff was black / grey. Yes many U.K teams ran greem BRM Vanwall Lotus (early day before red and gold and then black and gold)...but it was not mass colour for road cars.

Again white with stripes only on 60'sFord sport models..Model T Black...with many Golds and Browns through the 70'.. I don't think you will find many Duesenbergs or V16 Caddies in white.

White for Germans...can't see it apart from the SSk100....Then is changed to the silver arrows.....black beatles and Miltary Green. Audi was Autounion and they were also silver.
BMW used white as said like a sheet of paper to then plaster there cars with the M sport colours on 2002 and 3.0CSL. As you would do with a competition car.Blank canvas for marketing. However silver is really what they used most from motorsport marketing history.

You could also say the French do light blue because of Bugattis and 2CVs and renault Apline but that is long time ago

Actually, Bugatti do blue because they are French, not the other way round - and it's the same for Ferrari, BRG etc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_international...

[anonymous-user]

RumRunner said:

The need to fit into a certain box you quote:-

" car that blends in so she can turn up to work at a school and not attract attention."

In this case that's exactly what's required. A while ago I started a thread explaining that at the school she works in as a Deputy Head the caretaker (who is on the spectrum if you see what I mean) has put nails in the tyres of her previous car and on another occassion when she had a brand new, box fresh Polo as a loan car from the VW garage, he wrote something unintelligible on the windscreen, thinking she'd gone out and bought a brand new car.

It was in wood glue and we genuinely couldn't read what it said. After the first instances of sabotage, she contacted the police who installed a hidden camera overlooking the carpark. Only she, the head and the caretaker where made aware. The car-molesting stopped. A few months later when the camera was removed, it started again. He's got a problem with her being younger than him and in a position of authority and see's her car as a valid target for his frustration. Ignoring the fact that her previous car and the Audi are both 2007 models and cost a lot less than some of the newer but duller cars other members of staff drive; he can't see that fact.

Being not-quite-the-full-ticket, he's let slip to her that he's been up to something. Even the head, who has in the last couple of months bought a brand new Skoda-something estate was making sarky comments when she said she'd sold her Jetta and bought an Audi. Some people just can't see past the badge and refuse to see what it really is; in this case a 9 year old, 3rd hand car.

The A4 sits annonimously in the car park, costing a fraction of ost of the other cars in there but is the best equipped, best handling, faster and more capable car than anything else around it. It's either drive that or she takes our other car in – a 4.4 Range Rover VSE. The caretaker would probably have an annuerism.

RumRunner said:

Yet they all want to put there own stamp on the Kitchen !!!

I genuinely don't know what this means.

RumRunner said:

So why blend in is good to be different or think outside the box. Good job people have in the past or we would all still be in mud huts....

See above as to why blending in is ideal in this instance. If my wife didn't have to contend with loony caretaker and snipey heads, I'd happily have an Integrale or Alfa Romeo SZ on the drive instead and one day I will. Is that outside the box enough?

RumRunner said:

When I was lad my mates dad had Capri 2.0laser...my mate was seen to be cool as his old man had something a bit different amongst the cortinas and marinas and other wonders if the late 70 and 80's.

I'm happy for him.

RumRunner said:

Classic example of friend who could only have the VW version of the Seat and Ford Galaxy to fit in and ended you paying to much for a car with high mileage and loads of issues where there were many better examples of the same thing for less or similar....brand marketing BS

Not an example of someone buying a beaten up high mileage Audi. An example of someone buying a particularly ropey example of a recognised ropey model range. Ford also implicated by association I would suggest.

[vsonix]

Limpet said:

I drive an Audi, and I know a lot of people who drive them (and BMWs and Mercedes). I can't think of a single one that is owned outright. They are, without exception, company cars, leased, or on PCPs, where their higher residual values make them cheaper than an equivalent Ford, Vauxhall, Renault, Peugeot, Volvo etc.

They are popular because they are nice places to be, generally pleasant (if not always exciting) to drive, and are very cost effective to own/buy/lease beyond the initial purchase price.

That's your social circle, personally none of my immediate circle of friends rent or lease cars, we all own them outright, tend not to drive anything older than a 53 plate and our fixed costs are all servicing and MOT. We mostly work in professions where driving around in 20 year old cars that look mint inside and out is a badge of honour, or else don't care about cars beyond conveyance form A-B of course.

[gizlaroc]

vsonix said:

...........or else don't care about cars beyond conveyance form A-B of course.

You do realise this is a forum for people who like cars?

vsonix said:

That's your social circle, personally none of my immediate circle of friends rent or lease cars, we all own them outright, tend not to drive anything older than a 53 plate and our fixed costs are all servicing and MOT. We mostly work in professions where driving around in 20 year old cars that look mint inside and out is a badge of honour...

Cornwall?

[mybrainhurts]

AW111 said:

mybrainhurts said:

Ask an engine designer.

Read this

http://totalcarmagazine.com/tech/2014/04/11/this_i...

Some of what the article says makes sense, but

1. Nowhere does it state that he is an engine designer.

Pesky language complications again.

I'll rephrase it...

(1)..Ask an engine designer.

(2)..Here's more fodder for you, not written by an engine designer..

http://totalcarmagazine.com/tech/2014/04/11/this_i...

Better now..?

Moving on...

If you think obstacles to the free flow of gasses and redirecting exhaust crap back into the induction is not going to adversely affect an engine, you surprise me.

Going back to engine designers, I read the words of one last year. Sadly, I can't remember his name or where I read it, but he was clearly of the opinion that emissions regulations will soon kill the internal combustion engine.

[Willy Nilly]

mybrainhurts said:

The onward march of stricter emission controls that are killing engines.

My car is from the same manufacturer as the one it replaced. The engine is a little smaller, yet develops 11% more power and is consistently more economical to the point where I dare not drive it hard enough to get the fuel consumption down to it's predecessor for fear of a lengthy ban.

[Bhuvsta]

1Addicted said:

In fact, "prestige" diesel cars altogether in any form. Why? You buy a diesel car for economy, therefore why are you paying out of your rear for a badge when there are perfectly good, CHEAPER alternatives. To keep up with the Jones', of course.

I've always wondered why someone would spend £70k on an S-Class and choose a diesel engine to save a few quid on the fuel bill.

[Jimmy Recard]

Bhuvsta said:

I've always wondered why someone would spend £70k on an S-Class and choose a diesel engine to save a few quid on the fuel bill.

If you were using an S-Class in its element (long distance cruising), that extra range would be a real benefit just due to stopping less.

If you're pottering around about 5000 miles a year then there's no point.

[gizlaroc]

Jimmy Recard said:

If you were using an S-Class in its element (long distance cruising), that extra range would be a real benefit just due to stopping less.

If you're pottering around about 5000 miles a year then there's no point.

Not really, the S350cdi and S350 are about 10% different economy wise.

Same with the E350cdi and E350 petrol.

Plus that 3.5 litre V6 is so much more refined compared with the diesel.

I used to get around 500-600 miles from my E350cdi estate, the E350 petrol I get between 470-550 from it.

[Jimmy Recard]

gizlaroc said:

Not really, the S350cdi and S350 are about 10% different economy wise.

Same with the E350cdi and E350 petrol.

Plus that 3.5 litre V6 is so much more refined compared with the diesel.

I used to get around 500-600 miles from my E350cdi estate, the E350 petrol I get between 470-550 from it.

That could be substantial difference. On a 1500 mile journey you could save a fuel stop.

I was thinking of a journey with friends we used to do a few times a year to the south of Spain. Originally we went in an S500 and then an S320 CDI. We seemed to stop quite a bit less when he got the diesel one.

[gizlaroc]

Jimmy Recard said:

That could be substantial difference. On a 1500 mile journey you could save a fuel stop.

I was thinking of a journey with friends we used to do a few times a year to the south of Spain. Originally we went in an S500 and then an S320 CDI. We seemed to stop quite a bit less when he got the diesel one.

I can drive down to the South of France from Norwich and both cars need filling up half way. 1500 miles would take 3 stops in both as well.

As I said, the difference just isn't enough imho to justify the diesel. If was 30mpg vs 40mpg it may make sense, but it is more like 33/34 vs 36/38mpg on them.

Now comparing a 265bhp 3 litres 6cyl diesel with a 435hp V8 petrol of course you will see a difference, but again, many say they are seeing close to 30mpg on a run on the 4.7 V8 turbo. But you have got to compare apples with apples, I think the S350 vs the S350cdi is a fair comparison, and I see no sensible reason why anyone would buy the diesel new to be honest, other than ignorance.

[RumRunner]

Overpriced Defenders...

A new LWB Shogun with a design build of 90's basically over built with 3.2 and 200hp and almost 40mpg will set you back from 26 to 34k depending on spec.
A proper vehicle.
Or vehicle that turns orange on underside and bumpers before you buy...limited comfort and safety gear. Also weezy 2.2 diesel...oh and elctrolysis bilsters.

A decent Disco 2 is half the vehicle again if you can find a tidy base model and half the money.

And are still likely to be on your dive in the morning

Edited by RumRunner on Wednesday 11th May 20:45

[Paul O]

TR4man said:

Those stupid single fog lights that come on as the car turns - appears to be mainly VAG models.

What on earth is the purpose of them?

I noticed the other night that my wife's car does is. It is the most over-engineered idea in the history of 'must keep my job somehow in the design department'.

I hate ste like this, it's a solution to a problem that doesn't exist.

[irocfan]

gizlaroc said:

I can drive down to the South of France from Norwich and both cars need filling up half way. 1500 miles would take 3 stops in both as well.

As I said, the difference just isn't enough imho to justify the diesel. If was 30mpg vs 40mpg it may make sense, but it is more like 33/34 vs 36/38mpg on them.

Now comparing a 265bhp 3 litres 6cyl diesel with a 435hp V8 petrol of course you will see a difference, but again, many say they are seeing close to 30mpg on a run on the 4.7 V8 turbo. But you have got to compare apples with apples, I think the S350 vs the S350cdi is a fair comparison, and I see no sensible reason why anyone would buy the diesel new to be honest, other than ignorance.

is the diesel maybe a more relaxed drive, lower revs on the motorway, the 'feeling' of (if not the reality) oompf?

[gizlaroc]

irocfan said:

is the diesel maybe a more relaxed drive, lower revs on the motorway, the 'feeling' of (if not the reality) oompf?

No completely the opposite, the thing with the petrol is it will cruise at 1800rpm at around 80mph, and it also is extremely smooth in throttle response between 900rpm and 3000rpm (it changes up at 2500rpm in standard mode too) where as the diesel is like an on/off switch in comparison, the petrol is a complete waft machine round and on the motorway, but f you want to play you keep it between 3000rpm and 7500rpm and it becomes a different car.

I can see why on a test drive many go for the diesel, but live with them both for a few weeks and there is no comparison.

I still have the 3 litre diesel and the 7 speed 'box in the C320cdi as well, I like them both, but the petrol is in a different league and as I said, less than 10% difference economy wise, for me doing 15,000 miles a year it is about £6 a week difference. Well worth it.

[garyjpaterson]

RumRunner said:

A new LWB Shogun with a design build of 90's basically over built with 3.2 and 200hp and almost 40mpg will set you back from 26 to 34k depending on spec.
A proper vehicle.
Or vehicle that turns orange on underside and bumpers before you buy...limited comfort and safety gear. Also weezy 2.2 diesel...

Edited by RumRunner on Wednesday 11th May 20:45

Have you driven a 2.2 Puma Defender back to back with a 3.2 Shogun? The engine in the Landy is far better, bit noisier (though much of that is the lack of insulation). The Shogun engine to me seems incredibly lethargic and lazy, can't cope with low revs and obviously doesn't rev high either. The Puma engine feels far more modern, pull far better from low revs, and mpg in both are as bad as each other in my experience.

I agree the Defenders are too expensive, but people are more than happy to pay for it.

[skyrover]

Better off with a petrol V8 in a Defender. Transforms the car.

[JockySteer]

skyrover said:

Better off with a petrol V8 in a Defender. Transforms the car.

Particularly one from a Corvette..

[1Addicted]

Bhuvsta said:

I've always wondered why someone would spend £70k on an S-Class and choose a diesel engine to save a few quid on the fuel bill.

I saw my first S-Class coupe yesterday, it looked good IMO but I instantly assumed it would be some kind of Bluetec Diesel. It shouldn't be like that, it should be a brute, or at least something V6. In this case it was, an S500, so I slept well last night.

[drdino]

Paul O said:

I noticed the other night that my wife's car does is. It is the most over-engineered idea in the history of 'must keep my job somehow in the design department'.

I hate ste like this, it's a solution to a problem that doesn't exist.

"Cornering lights".