Should we be getting behind Brexit by boycotting German cars

Should we be getting behind Brexit by boycotting German cars

Author
Discussion

LuS1fer

Original Poster:

41,085 posts

244 months

Tuesday 17th October 2017
quotequote all
Have to say that German cars have never appealed to me.
I've had a few but I was never a fanboy.
It strikes me that if everybody suddenly cancelled their German car orders, Europe might suddenly start to wonder who will buy them.

OK, you might not like the other options but....

Allaloneatron

3,123 posts

239 months

Tuesday 17th October 2017
quotequote all
Wow.. are you a typical Brexiteer? That would explain a lot.

G321

574 posts

203 months

Tuesday 17th October 2017
quotequote all
Yes, we should all drive round in second hand Rover 400's. That'll teach them

SantaBarbara

3,244 posts

107 months

Tuesday 17th October 2017
quotequote all
I much prefer Volvo and Vauxhall.

Hungrymc

6,642 posts

136 months

Tuesday 17th October 2017
quotequote all
German cars? Or cars from anywhere in the EU or EEC?

Brexit will either drift out into something so soft that we may as well have stayed in (all the costs, most the benefits, no rebate / veto / influence). Or it will be a hard Brexit with no trade deal and all of the associated import duties and exchange rate chaos (which will make EU cars very unattractive anyway).

I'm personally very confused as to how we should act as I'm actually a passionate remainer, who happens to have three British cars.


Axionknight

8,505 posts

134 months

Tuesday 17th October 2017
quotequote all
rofl

berlintaxi

8,535 posts

172 months

Tuesday 17th October 2017
quotequote all
Nurse, he hasn't taken his tablets again.

Alex

9,975 posts

283 months

Tuesday 17th October 2017
quotequote all
It would probably work better to buy MORE German cars so the manufacturers put pressure on Merkel to give the UK a good trade deal.

Zod

35,295 posts

257 months

Tuesday 17th October 2017
quotequote all
SantaBarbara said:
I much prefer Volvo and Vauxhall.
Was Sesame Street brought to you this morning by the letter V?

Wartburg tomorrow?

hyphen

26,262 posts

89 months

Tuesday 17th October 2017
quotequote all
I think that if Hard Brexit occurs and if the EU are perceived as having been needlessly unreasonable which led to no deal, then whether or not a product is EU or Non-EU will be a factor for many when comparing products for purchase.

I don't think that for majority, it will be the ultimate decider, and the best product will win, but it will be a consideration when 2 items are of relatively equal quality.

Edited by hyphen on Tuesday 17th October 16:05

Hungrymc

6,642 posts

136 months

Tuesday 17th October 2017
quotequote all
SantaBarbara said:
I much prefer Volvo and Vauxhall.
Volvo mainly made in the EU, so under the OP's thinking we maybe shouldn't buy them (Even though they are under Chinese ownership). And Vauxhall now owned by Peugeot and therefore partly owned by French government.

But, I suspect I'm due a whoosh..... I'll fetch my coat.


RobM77

35,349 posts

233 months

Tuesday 17th October 2017
quotequote all
LuS1fer said:
Have to say that German cars have never appealed to me.
I've had a few but I was never a fanboy
Why have you owned a few if they've never appealed to you?

anonymous-user

53 months

Tuesday 17th October 2017
quotequote all
McLarens or Astons for everyone - I like the sound of that smile

Leins

9,416 posts

147 months

Tuesday 17th October 2017
quotequote all
It's already started in other areas, due to the £-€ exchange rate changes post-Brexit vote. For example, Britain has curtailed its buying of mushrooms from Ireland, meaning there is many a farmer here now in dire straits (selling to rest of Europe not really an option due to transport issues)

IMO there aren't too many wins coming out of Brexit. Although hopefully for the OPs sake he'll be delighted to see fewer new German cars on his street. Perhaps a decent trade deal with S. Korea will mean it'll be full of Kias & Hyundais instead

TwigtheWonderkid

43,248 posts

149 months

Tuesday 17th October 2017
quotequote all
LuS1fer said:
It strikes me that if everybody suddenly cancelled their German car orders, Europe might suddenly start to wonder who will buy them.
rofl

Yeah, like BMW/Merc etc don't sell every car they build, with ease. If we don't take them, someone else will. We'll probably be doing them a favour, as they will be able to cut down on their RHD production.

You've bought in to the whole "they need us more than we need them" lie. Believe me, they really don't.

theboss

6,878 posts

218 months

Tuesday 17th October 2017
quotequote all
I’ll buy whatever I think is best for the money. If that means another German car taking into account 10% import duty and higher prices owing to a weaker pound then so be it. I certainly wouldn’t let the country of manufacture steer my decision on any sort of ideological grounds. I voted Leave.

Hungrymc

6,642 posts

136 months

Tuesday 17th October 2017
quotequote all
hyphen said:
I think that if Hard Brexit occurs and if the EU are perceived as having been needlessly unreasonable which led to no deal, then whether or not a product is EU or Non-EU will be a factor for many when comparing products for purchase.

I don't think that for majority, it will be the ultimate decider, and the best product will win, but it will be a consideration when 2 items are of relatively equal quality.

Edited by hyphen on Tuesday 17th October 16:05
I think with no trade deal we will see some major exchange rate fluctuations and some significant import duties.... It may make cars from the EU very expensive..... We'll be driving cars from Asia?

Or maybe some manufacturers will set up small assy plants in the UK to try and circumnavigate complex import legislation.

SantaBarbara

3,244 posts

107 months

Tuesday 17th October 2017
quotequote all
LuS1fer said:
Have to say that German cars have never appealed to me.
I've had a few but I was never a fanboy.
It strikes me that if everybody suddenly cancelled their German car orders, Europe might suddenly start to wonder who will buy them.

OK, you might not like the other options but....
Do you mean the cars manufactured in Germany only?

Hungrymc

6,642 posts

136 months

Tuesday 17th October 2017
quotequote all
TwigtheWonderkid said:
You've bought in to the whole "they need us more than we need them" lie. Believe me, they really don't.
I agree with you in the main. It will certainly hurt us plenty, but I think it will also hurt these EU OEMs. I think UK accounts for around 10% of their sales. Far from the end of the world, but these businesses thrive on volume.

ETA: This shows the quality of thinking and politics between Juncker and Cameron to have created this situation where both sides will be impacted negatively. Amazing really.

Edited by Hungrymc on Tuesday 17th October 16:22

LuS1fer

Original Poster:

41,085 posts

244 months

Tuesday 17th October 2017
quotequote all
RobM77 said:
LuS1fer said:
Have to say that German cars have never appealed to me.
I've had a few but I was never a fanboy
Why have you owned a few if they've never appealed to you?
I had a 1984 Scirocco GTI which was quite nice and a 1988 Scirocco GTX that was a soft and pale imitation of it.
Other than that, a knackered old Golf GTI 8v which was slow and very rusty.

Had about 30 cars that weren't German.

I said German as they do seem to be the major country in the EU and have the biggest car industry, I imagine.

In terms of purchasing, I am thinking in terms of supporting those manufacturers who produce cars and engines in the UK - if we don't, I imagine some will ship out Jag, LR, Toyota, Honda etc.

As for the "they can sell all they make", about 1 in 7 cars sold in the UK is German and the UK is their main export market.
So, in 2014, a fifth of their production went to the UK and about 820,000 vehicles were exported to the UK.
More recently "Germany sells about 14% of all the passenger cars it makes domestically to the UK, a little over one in seven. (That makes up about 18% of the passenger cars it exports, a little under one in five)".

So yes, if the small matter of 820,000 cars can be sold elsewhere, rock on.