Which cars are classy these days?

[diluculophile]

I think the difficulty with cars and image, is that anything that is thought of as 'classy' will then be seen as something to obtain by people who may lack that very attribute.

The classy cars of old - Range Rover, Mercedes, Rolls Royce, Bentley - all now prime targets for 22" alloys, blacked out windows and a matt black wrap.

I think finding a new car that can be thought of as classy is going to be a tough one - Maybe a Tesla? A Maserati Quattroporte?

Much easier to find class in an older car, one that no one in their right minds would attempt to 'improve'.

How about a Bristol?

For the rest of us who can't afford such things, old BMWs and Mercedes, maybe a Saab.

I like an E34, E39, W124...



I know some landed gentry, proper old money, with an estate worth millions. They drive an old Peugeot 306 SW, and a Daihatsu FourTrak. Proper class is not caring what people think of your vehicles.

Edited by diluculophile on Wednesday 1st March 12:01

[MaxSo]

diluculophile said:

I think the difficulty with cars and image, is that anything that is thought of as 'classy' will then be seen as something to obtain by people who may lack that very attribute.

The classy cars of old - Range Rover, Mercedes, Rolls Royce, Bentley - all now prime targets for 22" alloys, blacked out windows and a matt black wrap.

I think finding a new car that can be thought of as classy is going to be a tough one - Maybe a Tesla? A Maserati Quattroporte?

Much easier to find class in an older car, one that no one in their right minds would attempt to 'improve'.

How about a Bristol?

For the rest of us who can't afford such things, old BMWs and Mercedes, maybe a Saab.

I like an E34, E39, W124...



I know some landed gentry, proper old money, with an estate worth millions. They drive an old Peugeot 306 SW, and a Daihatsu FourTrak. Proper class is not caring what people think of your vehicles.

Edited by diluculophile on Wednesday 1st March 12:01

Exactly. The new cars I've suggested are those that arent fashionable but are extremely competent, without being so ubiquitous that it is impossible for most to form a generalised perception of a stereotypical owner profile. Some may have been bought on the basis that they are "classless", but I'd suggest most are bought because they are competent and because the purchaser is not as concerned with image.

Whereas there is a clear stereotype that says people with "white Audis with blingy bits" probably think the badge and blingy bits enhance their cachet. Which it might do, amongst people of a similar mindset.

Edited by MaxSo on Thursday 2nd March 10:43

[bedonde]

diluculophile said:

I think the difficulty with cars and image, is that anything that is thought of as 'classy' will then be seen as something to obtain by people who may lack that very attribute.

The classy cars of old - Range Rover, Mercedes, Rolls Royce, Bentley - all now prime targets for 22" alloys, blacked out windows and a matt black wrap.

I think finding a new car that can be thought of as classy is going to be a tough one - Maybe a Tesla? A Maserati Quattroporte?

Much easier to find class in an older car, one that no one in their right minds would attempt to 'improve'.

How about a Bristol?

For the rest of us who can't afford such things, old BMWs and Mercedes, maybe a Saab.

I like an E34, E39, W124...



I know some landed gentry, proper old money, with an estate worth millions. They drive an old Peugeot 306 SW, and a Daihatsu FourTrak. Proper class is not caring what people think of your vehicles.

Edited by diluculophile on Wednesday 1st March 12:01

Could just be asset-rich, cash poor. Or as you say, probably don't give a stuff as to what others think.

[neil1jnr]

Any large German saloon, Jaguar, Bentley or Rolls Royce that has a large petrol engine and looks the equivalent of BMW's 'SE' spec and is not white. The sporty looking models are not 'classy' in my eyes.

[Shanemrb]

I don't care what anyone says about the looks but there is no denying that a Lexus SC430 is a classy car.

[Raudus42]

diluculophile said:

I think the difficulty with cars and image, is that anything that is thought of as 'classy' will then be seen as something to obtain by people who may lack that very attribute.

The classy cars of old - Range Rover, Mercedes, Rolls Royce, Bentley - all now prime targets for 22" alloys, blacked out windows and a matt black wrap.

I think finding a new car that can be thought of as classy is going to be a tough one - Maybe a Tesla? A Maserati Quattroporte?

Much easier to find class in an older car, one that no one in their right minds would attempt to 'improve'.

How about a Bristol?

For the rest of us who can't afford such things, old BMWs and Mercedes, maybe a Saab.

I like an E34, E39, W124...



I know some landed gentry, proper old money, with an estate worth millions. They drive an old Peugeot 306 SW, and a Daihatsu FourTrak. Proper class is not caring what people think of your vehicles.

Edited by diluculophile on Wednesday 1st March 12:01

Being from old money but driving a PoS doesn't necessarily confer classiness...neither does it discount it.

[BFleming]

Pereldh said:

I feel pretty classy in my Fiat

Agreed! Facelift Argenta with the 5-bar grille. Lovely.

[diluculophile]

bedonde said:

Could just be asset-rich, cash poor. Or as you say, probably don't give a stuff as to what others think.

Bit of both, but I've seen £120,000+ of shotguns loaded into the FourTrak for a day of pheasant execution.

[lucido grigio]

Pereldh said:

I feel pretty classy in my Fiat

The black car "on" your bonnet is classy too and just noticed a second one to your left.

[white_goodman]

[Robert-nszl1]

diluculophile said:

Bit of both, but I've seen £120,000+ of shotguns loaded into the FourTrak for a day of pheasant execution.

Do people just take one gun shooting these days?

[DoubleD]

Shanemrb said:

I don't care what anyone says about the looks but there is no denying that a Lexus SC430 is a classy car.

Yeah very classy

[kainedog]

A mint standard dark coloured p38 Range Rover looks classy

[Shoegrip]

I struggled to think of any new car to mention in this thread and then I remembered the Alpine A110.

[Hobgoblin74]

A Jimny. Modest to buy, to run and manufacture. Highly versatile, very capable and just as comfortable on the front drive of the estate as it is stalking deer in the woods.

[Pereldh]

Hahaha

DoubleD said:

Yeah very classy

[Pereldh]

white_goodman said:

Oh yes.

[Zigster]

akirk said:

And I think that sums up classy
It is classy to not need to try / to not have to prove anything / to just buy a car because it does what you want it to do / to not need to pretend you are something you are not...
Classless = classy
It is why traditionally upper and lower classes have got on so well - they don't care what anyone thinks
it is only those who lack confidence as to who they are who feel a need to make statements through their cars...

therefore, by definition - the person defines the car, not the other way around

I was going to say something similar. I don't think any cars are classy - they are tools to do a job and so the more nondescript the car the better from a "classy" point of view. The more you are trying to be classy by the car you drive, the less classy you become.

That's not so say that someone in a BMW X6 (for example) couldn't be classy, but they would be classy despite the car they drive not because of it.

[cptsideways]

More people buy these with real money as opposed to the never never, way more than any other manufacturers offerings. It's then Mazda & Hyundai in terms of outright purchasing.


These are becoming the MB E Class for the TwentyTeens

[Jex]

Nothing new is classy?