Or words to that effect. how many times have you heard other car owners boasting about the amazing MPG they are getting from their car. Their car, (which is the same as a million others of the same models), is somehow special which has been blessed with special powers like a super hero.
What is it with so many owners, is it one up-manship, self delusion, a macho thing. You can't argue with them even if you present them with road test specs, it make no difference, they won't have it.
I'm sure you are all mature enough to see the folly of these people and never assign special powers to your pride and joy.
Maybe if so many motorist didn't kid themselves about the wonders of their motor we might get really fuel efficient cars at last.
Edited by pullgees on 16/11/2008 at 11:49
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In fairness, two people could drive identical cars with a variance in fuel consumption by being simply better drivers - I could squeeze around 40mpg (brim tested) by driving like clucking mimser in my 535 (i.e. by accelerating smoothly and avoiding using the brakes) I could get it down to around 25mpg on good days.
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It does rather depend on where and how they are used. A car which spends a high percentage of its life with its engine warm and on open roads will generally fare much better than an identical model mainly used for short traffic infested runs.
By the way PU I do hope you never have the misfortune to mouth "clucking mimser" at an accomplished lipreader..........
;-)))
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I am going to take your sentiment as a whole rather than the single point about fuel efficiency. It is just not British to praise or be happy for another person and their car, so we have to get in their with these wonderfully creative statements.
I jest but as HJ and many other have written, this is turning into a bit of a nasty place at times and unfortunately it comes from the top down in the form of the government and councils. Unfortunately they do see themselves as being in power and not serving the nation.
I walked passed someone the other day in a car park as he was getting out of his new RR drophead. I proceeded to tell him how much I admired his car and what great taste I thought he had.
He looked at me like I was just out of the local mental institute.
I thought how sad this world is that you cannot do this.
Now here is a generalisation - I am a Southerner that has moved to the North Midlands.
Maybe twice a year I go back down to the London area and I cannot believe how ignorant and arrogant people are. This is particularly true of their driving. Middle and Outside lanes full with next to nothing in the 1st lane - all tailgating on the M1 from the M25 to just south of Leicester. North of this point and all of a sudden driving discipline improves 10 fold, it's not perfect but allot less stressful. My point is that if we were all treated a bit more fairly and did the same to each other and heaped praise & credit where it is due, the country would be a much happier place.
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Pullgees
I couldnt agree with you more ...
Im sure that some may overestimate their mileage..
-Maybe its to assuage themselves that they have bought the right car ,despite it being taken to the workshop every other day and spending half its life under repair.
-Maybe its to console themselves that they have made a right decision atleast in relation to the car unlike their choice of partner/wife/mistress/dog/house?!
-Maybe its just to make themselves feel better..
-Maybe its just to disguise the fact that they may have a slower and less powerful car!
-Maybe they secretly envy your car and if there isnt anything positive to highlight in theirs, then this is something that cant be easily proven(unless you were to follow them for the next few weeks until they run out of gas after a full tank refill)
Or maybe its because its true!!
Click on
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=42707&...e
(Any other reasons for mileage overestimation that Backroomers can think of?)
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In my case their car is very likely to be more economical than mine but fuel is only one part of the motoring equation. Whats the point of a 50mpg diesel that costs more to buy than a petrol and needs expensive maintainance..........not that you can't pay out on petrol cars either. I find it funny that my 2.2 diesel cost me £380 to insure ans my 3.2 petrol costs £236!
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>What's the point of a 50mpg diesel that costs more to buy than a petrol
It may seem a waste of time to explain this, but put another way, we can easily print more money (and I expect we soon shall), but we can't make more fuel. It really is time vehicle users accounted for more than just the money they use.
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It may seem a waste of time to explain this but put another way we can easily print more money (and I expect we soon shall) but we can't make more fuel.
We can't make more fossil fuel, but we certainly can make more fuel. Ideas for alternative fuels are out there. They're all mad ideas at the moment but that's how research works. All the mad ideas are put on the table. The most mad are then filtered out and the slightly less mad taken forward. The process repeats until eventually you have a product.
It may take some time, and it may be painful for a while, but human ingenuity being what it is we'll work it out. I do not expect to see the day when humans can only get from A to B using their own muscle power. Transportation, including personal transportation, won't go away.
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Reading that thread, I think I have missed out on economy cars all my life, yet I've owned about fifteen.
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Yes, those Notting Hill and Islington dinners parties full of Meedja types and Grundian readers talking of their disgust at the destruction of the planet, and boasting of their lower CO2 higher MPG new diesel car, whilst their child lies awake upstairs coughing his or her guts up due to diesel-induced asthma!
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The latest off-the-peg heavyweight Chevrolet Corvette is the most impressively economical car I have seen reviewed recently. Docile and biddable at legal speeds and capable of returning 24mpg, although I suppose flat out and pushing 200mph it might drink a bit more. Cheap too at only about £50k. Makes me regret being a pauper.
Notting Hill Grundian readers and meedja types indeed... Tchah!
Edited by Lud on 16/11/2008 at 16:32
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With me its more like
"Your piston rings are more warn than mine, your plugs are more rusty than mine, your car uses more oil than mine but your spare wheel is in a lot better condition ':D"
MPG at the end of the day is more more important that the top speed.
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And in a year or two.......
"Only paid £2.99 for my Land Amazon HiLux Rover. Believe you paid £5.99 for yours ? "
Edited by Humph Backbridge on 16/11/2008 at 18:06
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Just read the CAR test on the facelifted MK5 330d - this beast can average 49mpg - bags I test it.
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Just ask the "cat in the hat"
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>>My car is more economical than your car
To that statement I'd reply that it almost certainly is and you've made the mistake of assuming that I give a damn.
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I remember boring my other half rigid with the comment "Look dear, the needles hardly moved!!" at every verse end. That was a Saxo diesel. It was like, the more I drove it, the more I saved. That was a car I bought after having a 420i petrol that was quite thirsty.
Being a Yorkshireman, thrift is quite high up on my agenda and it was really self congratulation if I'm honest as in, "look what a wise canny person I am!"
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"and never assign special powers to your pride and joy."
Mine can accelerate past road side hot-dog stalls on a closed throttle, beat that!
;)
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>>My car is more economical than your car To that statement I'd reply that it almost certainly is and you've made the mistake of assuming that I give a damn.
>>
Or in the words of Catherine Tate, "Am I boverred"
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