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

J

JoeNorton

New Member
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?
 
If its anything post 1980 I dont really give a stuff!
But have to agree they all look the same!
When friends etc see me in my daily driver P6 or another one of my classics,they know its me!
They may flash me,but I dont have a clue who they are,so I just wave!
I never spot them as I wouldnt recognise them in whatever they drive,unless its a pre 1980 classic that is!
 
yes. some toasters are better than others but toasters. There is the occasional special car....
 
I actually disagree completely. I'm not a modern car fan but the main manufacturers now have more flexible platforms and there has never been more variety and niche models in car designs, crossovers, SUVs etc.. Also colour palettes are now wider than they've ever been, colours and finishes that would not have been even possible "in the day". We often joke about Mexico brown and Tobacco. Well take a look at what VW/Audi and citroen are offering now. Shades of brown.... How many variations of trim can you get with a Fiat 500? tens of thousands?

I think you are falling into the trap of viewing your hobby in the same light as your choice of transport. The mass market of "grey porridge" from the 60s and 70s is now dead and buried mostly but people bought Vauxhall Vivas on price, utility and servicing costs like we buy hatchbacks do today. My father's company ran Hillman Avenger estates or Talbot Alpines which were dull as dull can be. Did someone mention Morris Marinas? Look at the sales charts of the time. I think there are far more affordable "with the heart" cars like the 500 than ever there were before, the beetle (yuk), the 500 or Vauxhall Adam.

I really notice a cortina or sierra on the roads now. Back then they were every bit as anonymous as a Toyota wotsit or Hyundai thingummy.

So I think a degree of retrospect. The P6 spent most of its (really overly) long production life obsolete remember it was a "with the heart car" because of the exotic engineering and to a degree its iconic status in Britain because something like the first Ford Granada which competed in the same market from 1972 was light years ahead in packaging. You might even get 5 people and their luggage in it for a start.
 
I think I agree with Peter on this one :?

(many of you will be surprised to see me commenting on here today given what's going on up here :wink: )

If I was buying a method of transport I might not be too fussed about colour, styling, features etc. The fact that I'm a motoring enthusiast means that I am fussed, even if I were to look for a modern. Likewise if I'm buying a toaster I want something that is value for money, reliable and ...well...toasts bread effectively.

Dave
 
I'm not convinced by your argument Peter. Oh sure you can tick umpteen different boxes when choosing your new car, but do they really make any difference? I pulled up behind a white car this morning that I assumed was a Seat because it looked identical to a line of them normally found in the car park next to my workplace. Blow me if it wasn't badged as a Mercedes A-something.
The variety and niche models you mention might amount to a dozen or two different shapes, but those shapes are indistinguishable from one maker to the next and probably share the same platform anyway. If you're immune to advertising and ignore history, could you honestly choose a Vauxhall over a Kia, VW over Toyota, Renault over Hotpoint, etc?
 
Well designed , economical , safe , ergonomic . New cars are all of this , but they have no character or soul . The women over the road came home with a new Civic a couple of years ago and the whole family were out looking it over . I get a side view of it from my drive . I have to wonder if She's driven or backed it in , it looks no different either way from the side , no doubt totally airodynamic though . Oh and it's silver !
 
PeterZRH said:
Might be your age too.... I bet the vehicles you love are from when you were a kid.....
Click to expand...
Doesn't that apply to everyone?

Mind you, when I was a kid most boys were able to identify every model of car on the road. I doubt if that's still the case today.
 
Hi, I am not at all interested in modern cars because they have become just a commodity.
I think cars nowadays are purchased for what ever deal people can get. In the 70s there was
still a lot of brand loyalty, " I have always bought (insert marque here) and will again". In the
following decades with the influence of the company car market people wanted better and
better equipped cars. Even to the present day the UK has arguably the best optioned cars globally.

I can offer 2 observations. Back in I think, the 90s Jeremy Clarkson and Top Gear took a lot
of stick for saying that Toyota,s were like washing machines!! Despite what some think of him
he was right, You bought them for having the the bells and whistles you wanted, and Toyota
saying that they would not let Top Gear have any of their cars again was for me an admission
he was right.

The other observation, is again in the early 90s a fellow motor trader Used to always have a
selection of 5 or 6 year old cars and a favourite trick while they were around the workshop being
tidied up was to either debadge them or change the badges around from car to car and see if
anyone noticed, people rarely did, even other traders!

Colin
 
yup - our toyota is a washing machine... down to the electric motor... it has every feature and box ticked and has an A+ energy rating just like a washing machine :D
 
My every day car certainly isn't a toaster. I'm currently driving a Jaguar XF that is now almost six years old, and has almost 140,000 miles on the clock.

It's generic grey in colour, not perfect as it has a few dings (being an every day car), but it's comfortable beyond belief, has 275BHP under the hood and is great to drive.

It's not a generic Audi or BMW or Merc or Seat.. or even a copycat Hyundai.

I'd certainly buy another modern Jaguar as it ticks most of the boxes that I want in a car.
 
I to have no interest in modern cars. When i buy a new car i dont bother which make it is. I go to the same garage tell them what the car needs to be able to do. Then i collect it .
Job done.
Marcus
 
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