Cars that sound cooler than they are!
Discussion
Just moved to Canada and considering buying a new Chevrolet Cruze. Are they any good? Are they based on an Astra or an Insignia or neither? I was hoping when I left England selling my very tidy 2004 Impreza WRX for a paltry 3000 pounds that I would be able to afford something quite tasty over here! However, used cars seem very expensive and you also have to pay tax on them. Also, insurance is expensive as there is only one insurance company (so no competition). Some of the cars that I have considered thus far are a 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee (5000 pounds), a 2001 BMW 325i (7000 pounds) and a 2006 Chrysler 300 V6 (8000 pounds). None of these cars come with any warranty. The Chrysler appears the best value (although my wife is not convinced she likes it), the BMW the worst value and the Jeep perhaps the most sensible buy in terms of space for the family and 4WD for the long Canadian winter but 5000 pounds hardly seems cheap for a 12 year old car with 90,000 miles. New cars seem better value. I can get a new Chevrolet Cruze for just under 10000 pounds with a warranty but will I die a little inside!
Anyway, rant over and back on topic. Before they came to the UK, Chevrolets (or Chevys) sounded impossibly cool and for me conjured up images of V8 Corvettes, Camaros and El Caminos but the reality is rather different (think Matiz, Spark, Aveo and whatever the TG reasonably priced car used to be)! The American manufacturers seem to be the stars at this. For example, the Chrysler Voyager (although it’s called the Dodge Grand Caravan here which is a more apt description) and the Pontiac Grand Am (a rather poor Focus/Jetta rival). Fiesta (Ford) is a great name and to be fair not a bad car but at the end of the day it’s just a supermini! So what cars have cool names that the car itself can’t live up to?
Anyway, rant over and back on topic. Before they came to the UK, Chevrolets (or Chevys) sounded impossibly cool and for me conjured up images of V8 Corvettes, Camaros and El Caminos but the reality is rather different (think Matiz, Spark, Aveo and whatever the TG reasonably priced car used to be)! The American manufacturers seem to be the stars at this. For example, the Chrysler Voyager (although it’s called the Dodge Grand Caravan here which is a more apt description) and the Pontiac Grand Am (a rather poor Focus/Jetta rival). Fiesta (Ford) is a great name and to be fair not a bad car but at the end of the day it’s just a supermini! So what cars have cool names that the car itself can’t live up to?
Don1 said:
More a description....
It's red. Quad exhausts. Italian.
Diesel.
Alfa Brera. I mean I'm sure it's a good car, but please. Alfa - know your limits!
Yes, it doesn't seem right and I'm not sure where I stand on diesel-powered coupes and sports cars but because European customers are taxed on emissions, Alfa need to fit diesel engines to try and compete. Not experienced it first hand but if I had to have a diesel, an Alfa diesel would be one of the more interesting, characterful options out there (especially the 5-pot 2.4). No more V6 petrol Alfas though ):.It's red. Quad exhausts. Italian.
Diesel.
Alfa Brera. I mean I'm sure it's a good car, but please. Alfa - know your limits!
No such problems here in Canada, where 30mpg is considered to be good, a V6 is the restrained option and diesel is a dirty word! Not sure why though because places are much further apart!
Edited by white_goodman on Tuesday 9th April 21:24
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