Is buying a car now just the same as buying a toaster?

[JoeNorton]

Bit of a theme emerged this morning on FB and I thought I'd translate it to the forum:

"Life was so much more interesting back then (the 1980s). Now the choice is basically a silver BMW with a grey interior, a silver Mercedes with a grey interior, a silver Audi with a grey interior, a silver Vauxhall with a grey interior, or a silver VW with a grey interior"
- Alan Wesson, Fan of 1980s Cars

What are your thoughts on the state of the new car market?

More choice than ever or no different to choosing a toaster from Argos?

[Devil2575]

I think he's wrong. Plenty of choice although if you don't want a black or Silver car then you are going to struggle a bit unless you buy new.

[IanCress]

Look at all those saloons. These days you could choose a 5 Series GT, or a Merc CLS, or an Audi Q5, or even a 4x4 Porsche diesel if you wanted. We've never had so much choice as we do now.

As for grey interiors, most manufacturers will offer a range of interior options. However, as most of these cars are bought / leased as company cars, they stick with safe colour schemes which are guaranteed to be worth money when it comes to sell them on.

[Rubin215]

My last toaster cost £25.

I wish my car was as cheap...

[Monty Python]

The choice is there - IRC there are half a million different combinations of extras/colours on the Fiat 500 alone. I have to admit that the range of colours appears to have shrunk (unless you go for the "Individual" colours which are ridiculously expensive).

[Butter Face]

Monty Python said:

The choice is there - IRC there are half a million different combinations of extras/colours on the Fiat 500 alone. I have to admit that the range of colours appears to have shrunk (unless you go for the "Individual" colours which are ridiculously expensive).

As above.

There are many cars out there that allow personalisation, it comes at a cost but they're out there.

[V8forweekends]

I wish my car was as durable and easy to repair as my toaster.

[Superhoop]

To some people, buying a car has always just been like buying a toaster

[Bullett]

My dad said the same to me in the 80's. They all look the same now.

And that photo proves it. The Jag and the Citroen are the only two that stand out but I admit they are all going to look pretty similar from the side when discussing a 3 box saloon.

[Matt UK]

I think the choices are still there, maybe more than ever. But people are less willing to explore alternatives outside of the default.

Also doesn't help that on some PCP/company car schemes, a default BMW/Audi is cheaper to run than many alternatives. You can't argue with the fact that the product is decently competitive vs the alternatives and costs less. A 'no-brainer' to most people.

[Butter Face]

But actually buying a toaster is pretty complicated, there's a lot of choices and colours available of those too.

[kambites]

Buying a car has always been like buying a toaster to most people.

[robinessex]

The days when cars had identities are gone. Once upon a time, you didn’t need to be told ‘that’s the new Jaguar’, you could tell instantly. Now, they’re all ugly blobs, I really can’t think of one that looks good. So much so, I’m seriously think of buying something from the long distance past, and totally re-building it, putting in some more modern features along the way.

How about these ?



And one for the weekend

[simonej]

Most 1980s cars I've been in have been grey upholstery, beige velour or, if you're really lucky, that shiny, hard, light grey leather. Even base model Corsas are now reasonably pleasant places to sit, if not to drive. And besidesy, if you chose a red car in the 80s it ended up pink in a few years anyway.

There are plenty of things to dislike about modern cars but interior and exterior colour options are some of their better points.

[gizlaroc]

He's talking crap and that picture doesn't really back up his case either!


Far more choice now, and choice is good, as it gives people on this forum to have a heart attack over and moan about if it is different to what they would choose.

[JoeNorton]

Some really valid comments here, I especially like the one about cars having no character, modern cars just seem so flat, sure they're reliable and economical and all that but, yawn, it's boring.

A BMW 320d is a great car but how many do you see? And although there's a billion different combinations for a Fiat 500, they're all the same, if you get my drift.

[Devil2575]

I think that there's a severe case of "Rose tinted glasses" going on here.

[robinessex]

This is fab............!!



After this, BMW went to pot..............

[IanCress]

JoeNorton said:

although there's a billion different combinations for a Fiat 500, they're all the same, if you get my drift.

Must admit that despite the 500k combinations, they're all base spec and in white!

[Devil2575]

kambites said:

Buying a car has always been like buying a toaster to most people.

Yes. My dad is a perfect example. He goes to the local Vauxhall dealership knowing how much he wants to spend and the salesman pretty much picks the car for him. He doesn't haggle and he has zero interest in handling and spec. He does notice if a car is a bit underpowered but I suspect his idea of underpowered and most petrol head's is very different. Also, something like that wouldn't make him change his car before it was time, i.e. when the garage that maintains it tells him that it's get close to the point of not being economical to repair. He generaly buys them at a few years old and runs them for 6+ years till they have well over 100k on the clock. To him a car is very much a functional item and his real passion is steam trains.