Stupid things non petrolheads say....

Stupid things non petrolheads say....

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Big Pants

505 posts

140 months

Tuesday 16th October 2012
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First job I ever had, another salesman chap always referred to his car as "my MG".

Typically in phrases such as "I won't be in today, my MG's broken down."

It was an MG Montego, so perhaps unsurprising.

Forza_Roma

75 posts

200 months

Tuesday 16th October 2012
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"what's it like upgrading to a proper car?"
"can you handle the extra speed?"

...and many other similar comments. My beloved Panda 100hp is for sale and I'm getting a company A3 1.6 diesel rolleyes

PHmember

2,487 posts

170 months

Tuesday 16th October 2012
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Tell them that you're concerned about the acceleration ripping your face off.

Ferg

15,242 posts

256 months

Tuesday 16th October 2012
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Big Pants said:
First job I ever had, another salesman chap always referred to his car as "my MG".

Typically in phrases such as "I won't be in today, my MG's broken down."

It was an MG Montego, so perhaps unsurprising.
Interesting. Our Montego was one of the most reliable cars I owned!

xRIEx

8,180 posts

147 months

Tuesday 16th October 2012
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blueg33 said:
Thats the point, it is a brand and a brand is a marketing tool. Even if you are buying a M5 you are not buying a race car, you are just buying the top sporty model of the brand.
It is not merely a marketing tool, in Wiki's words: "Brand is the personality that identifies a product, service or company (name, term, sign, symbol, or design, or combination of them) and how it relates to key constituencies: customers, staff, partners, investors etc." amongst other concepts of brand.

A brand has values and if you dilute those values you dilute and weaken the brand. E.g. a brand renowned for their reliability will suffer if they farm out production to the cheapest labour market to save money, if reliability then suffers; a brand is reputation.

No one is suggesting you're buying a race car from ///M, but as a skunkworks (same going for AMG, quattro et al) you expect something above the norm: higher quality; better handling; a big fk-off engine; whatever. Those brands are diluted and undermined when people associate a lower level product with a higher level image. I'm sure overall it will (or has) improve BMW's sales, with the result that the M brand holding less sway than it used to.

A brand's history and tradition is important - Alfa bring out 1750 engines because of their history: "1750 is an engine size which has its roots in Alfa Romeo's history, with 1.75 L engines being used to power some of Alfa Romeo's first cars." Who remembers any of those? Still, its heritage is obviously important to the current owners/directors of Alfa.

blueg33 said:
Aston Martin produce an AM Aygo smile
And look at the st they took for that. A quick look at howmanyleft suggests they've sold under 250 in the last two years, compared to circa 4K DB9s in the last year; I don't think it's been a success. Luckily for AM it's unlikely to weaken their brand, if only because no one has seen one and no one will remember it.


blueg33 said:
The Ford name has as much if not more motorsport history than AM so that could be a poor example smile
Motorsport has got nothing to do with it, it is about brand values, perception of the product. Fact is, Aston Martin has a reputation as a luxury car manufacturer; Ford does not. If you start calling cloth-interior shopping cars 'Aston Martins', then within half a generation their luxury grand tourers will be forgotten (in terms of perception of brand).

blueg33 said:
I am not sure that M-sport cars dilute the brand, the nomenclature for m-sport cars and M cars is different.
To the majority of PH members, definitely; however PHers don't make up the majority of the public. Nor do they make up the majority of sales, which is why manufacturers are happy (and successful) to diminish the brand values, because the majority of consumers won't know any different.


blueg33 said:
I am afraid, I still don't get the fuss, if you are a petrolhead, choose your car because its a good car that does what you want regardless of whether its called a Ford or a Ferrari. If you are not a petrolhead then it really doesnt matter
Did you mean, "If you are a petrolhead..."? If so, I absolutely agree with you there.

telecat

8,528 posts

240 months

Wednesday 17th October 2012
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Sigh..... The Cygnet is based on the Toyota IQ, NOT the Aygo. What is this thread called?????

NotDave

20,951 posts

156 months

Wednesday 17th October 2012
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Ferg said:
nteresting. Our Montego was one of the most reliable cars I owned!
MG ZR takes that crown for me. 3.5 years, 90k miles... 1x starter motor was all that ever let it down

Benbay001

5,794 posts

156 months

Wednesday 17th October 2012
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Blown2CV said:
what was his car?
His car is an S Type. Silly "friend".

DickyC

49,539 posts

197 months

Wednesday 17th October 2012
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Step daughter #2. Again.

Ring, ring.

Me: Hello.
SD#2: Can I ask you a question?
Me: Of course.
SD#2: Are Mercedes better made than, say, Ford or Vauxhall?
Me: Well, yes, I suppose you could say that.
SD#2: So, they are less likely to break down and more likely to hold their value.
Me: Yes. Ish. Depends a bit on the model. They will still break down occasionally and go rusty at some point.
SD#2: But the Mercedes is better made.
Me: Okay, yes. Why?
SD#2: There's enough in the budget for a C-Class Coupe. They're so pretty and, after what you've just told me, a better bet than a Mondeo or a Vectra.

There's enough in the budget for a Mercedes? She couldn't afford to run an MGF and can't afford to run the Fiesta I bought her to replace it. Those poor cars. But - hey! - good news. She can afford to buy and run a ten year old Merc.

Benbay001

5,794 posts

156 months

Wednesday 17th October 2012
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DickyC said:
Step daughter #2. Again.

Ring, ring.

Me: Hello.
SD#2: Can I ask you a question?
Me: Of course.
SD#2: Are Mercedes better made than, say, Ford or Vauxhall?
Me: Well, yes, I suppose you could say that.
SD#2: So, they are less likely to break down and more likely to hold their value.
Me: Yes. Ish. Depends a bit on the model. They will still break down occasionally and go rusty at some point.
SD#2: But the Mercedes is better made.
Me: Okay, yes. Why?
SD#2: There's enough in the budget for a C-Class Coupe. They're so pretty and, after what you've just told me, a better bet than a Mondeo or a Vectra.

There's enough in the budget for a Mercedes? She couldn't afford to run an MGF and can't afford to run the Fiesta I bought her to replace it. Those poor cars. But - hey! - good news. She can afford to buy and run a ten year old Merc.
I would say she was doing man maths, and thats something to be encouraged!

DickyC

49,539 posts

197 months

Wednesday 17th October 2012
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Benbay001 said:
I would say she was doing man maths, and thats something to be encouraged!
You're cheerfully overlooking the man who will be expected to make up the shortfall in the maintenance budget or, experience tells me, lack of budget.

mat205125

17,790 posts

212 months

Wednesday 17th October 2012
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DickyC said:
SD#2: Are Mercedes better made than, say, Ford or Vauxhall?
Me: Well, yes, I suppose you could say that.
Really??

Dracoro

8,660 posts

244 months

Wednesday 17th October 2012
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mat205125 said:
DickyC said:
SD#2: Are Mercedes better made than, say, Ford or Vauxhall?
Me: Well, yes, I suppose you could say that.
Really??
Of course.

You do have to exclude most Mercs from 1997-2004 though biggrin

DickyC

49,539 posts

197 months

Wednesday 17th October 2012
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mat205125 said:
Really??
In principle. She was feeding me leading questions and, to begin with, I didn't have a clue where she was going.

Her mum has a 98 SLK which leads a very sheltered life and is in lovely condition and this has helped form her opinion of the car to end all her vehicular ills. This will last right up until it needs fixng, of course.

Blown2CV

28,695 posts

202 months

Wednesday 17th October 2012
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mat205125 said:
DickyC said:
SD#2: Are Mercedes better made than, say, Ford or Vauxhall?
Me: Well, yes, I suppose you could say that.
Really??
well not strictly true... the owners of mercs are better people than the owners of fords and vauxhalls smile

T S Magnum

487 posts

201 months

Wednesday 17th October 2012
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Blown2CV said:
Lots of non petrolheads think they look like a Bentley, and consequently it is a big thing in the world of the 300C owner because they love that passers by might think they drive a car which is worth £100k rather than £5k. There is even an option known colloquially as the "bentley grille". Every 300C I have seen is being driven by what would appear to be a complete with wraparound shades and reddened sunbedded face. Goes with the territory.
Ah ha! I started a thread about a wedding related experience of this a while back. Didn't realise it was a common thing.

So lame.

Blown2CV

28,695 posts

202 months

Wednesday 17th October 2012
quotequote all
T S Magnum said:
Blown2CV said:
Lots of non petrolheads think they look like a Bentley, and consequently it is a big thing in the world of the 300C owner because they love that passers by might think they drive a car which is worth £100k rather than £5k. There is even an option known colloquially as the "bentley grille". Every 300C I have seen is being driven by what would appear to be a complete with wraparound shades and reddened sunbedded face. Goes with the territory.
Ah ha! I started a thread about a wedding related experience of this a while back. Didn't realise it was a common thing.

So lame.
i just googled for "bentley 300c" and the results made me laugh. It's the new "custom PT cruiser"

ryanMIL

180 posts

138 months

Wednesday 17th October 2012
quotequote all
Forza_Roma said:
"what's it like upgrading to a proper car?"
"can you handle the extra speed?"

...and many other similar comments. My beloved Panda 100hp is for sale and I'm getting a company A3 1.6 diesel rolleyes
I feel your pain....I've just sold my 100hp for just £2,900 - hardly seems worth it.

What's it being replaced with?

Skoda Superb Greenline (Company car also) *sob*

I'm already thinking about cheap weekend toys to stop me from hanging myself

ArtVandelay

6,689 posts

183 months

Wednesday 17th October 2012
quotequote all
DickyC said:
Step daughter #2. Again.

Ring, ring.

Me: Hello.
SD#2: Can I ask you a question?
Me: Of course.
SD#2: Are Mercedes better made than, say, Ford or Vauxhall?
Me: Well, yes, I suppose you could say that.
SD#2: So, they are less likely to break down and more likely to hold their value.
Me: Yes. Ish. Depends a bit on the model. They will still break down occasionally and go rusty at some point.
SD#2: But the Mercedes is better made.
Me: Okay, yes. Why?
SD#2: There's enough in the budget for a C-Class Coupe. They're so pretty and, after what you've just told me, a better bet than a Mondeo or a Vectra.

There's enough in the budget for a Mercedes? She couldn't afford to run an MGF and can't afford to run the Fiesta I bought her to replace it. Those poor cars. But - hey! - good news. She can afford to buy and run a ten year old Merc.
She should get this

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C339349

Just to stop me looking at it hehe

lowdrag

12,868 posts

212 months

Wednesday 17th October 2012
quotequote all
Nice car, but hmmmm. aircon "needs regas". Or perhaps a load of work to convert it from the old R12 system.
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