Fabia/Ibiza/Polo share underpinnings as far as I'm aware. Golf/Leon/A3/Octavia share platforms too. They're probably quite different cars though. It's not just a bagde thing.
In reply to the first post, people's choices are up to them. Some people's choices show they've put a lot of thought in. Others show that they know nothing about cars. Others will be motivated by badge snobbery, that's true. But everyone has a right to choose whatever car they want for whatever reason. Even SUVs.
----
Life is complex; it has real and imaginary parts.
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They may look like the same car underneath, but do they all get the same level of quality control before being passed out of the factory?
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Even if the innards are the same the actual "touch" parts of the car may be quite different eg materials, alignment, feel of seating/airiness etc.
Britain is known as the most snobbish car market in Europe...Alot is driven by the high % of company car purchases and the car park snobbery therein regarding the pecking order/perceived rank...
I always wonder what the UK car market would look like if Company cars were maybe only 10% of the market.
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One must have the right badge on one's car. What a load of tosh. Mine is diamond shaped...
Don't forget that all those nice new compnay cars get defleeted quite regularly, leading to a nice supply of second hand motors for private people to buy.
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we would all be duffing our caps to oxen mate as the squire went by in his phaeton
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If I were in the fortunate position of being able to choose between a VW Golf Mark 5 and the new Seat Leon, cars that are mechanically identical with similar floorpans but different bodies, I'd go for the Golf. Why? Because its' better looking.
Likewise I'd choose the VW Touran over the Seat Altea.
However, the choice between a Golf Mark 4 and the previous generation Seat Leon would be more difficult for me.
I've never even considered buying an Audi A3 - not that there's anything wrong with them. And the Skoda Octavia looks quite good except I would rather have a hatch than a saloon.
As for Peugeot / Citroen preferences, I think all the Peugeot cars, though not particularly beautiful, are better looking than their Citroen equivalents. It's as though PSA's thinking is: make the Peugeots look good and then make the Citroens look different!
Cheers, Sofa Spud
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Our Furby is a great car - it always amuses me that there is so much shared kit in the VW group. The Audi TT has the same cruise control stalk and indicators as the Fabia, sat in the Seat Galaxy thing last week and it had the same wing mirrors as our car.
That's just the stuff we can see, I'm sure there's a lot more in common under the skin that we can't - for example, the TDi PD engine.
Good luck to everyone who wants to pay extra to avoid the stigma of a Skoda or Seat badge - and especially anyone walking into an Audi showroom. You do get a "quality" badge, but it's on a car very similar to those cars without "rubbish" badges.
This argument falls down with the C4 though. OK, it's basically a 307 but we much preferred the look of the C4 - not sure if the equivalent Pug would have been cheaper/more expensive but we would have still bought the Citroen either way.
--Lee .. sorry, the card says Moops.
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~ And the Skoda Octavia looks quite good except I would rather have a hatch than a saloon.
I *think* it´s a hatch disguised as a saloon. Nice as an estate - I´d have the PD 4x4 diesel please, old shape.
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>>it always amuses me that there is so much shared kit in the VW group. >>
Why?
It not only cuts down unnecessary costs, but has also raised the name of the game dramatically for Skoda and Seat's fortunes.
The most popular car in my town with taxi drivers (and in many other areas as far as I'm aware) is the Skoda Octavia, which is looked as as virtually bullet proof for reliability and keen running costs.
They love 'em and many actually travel around 200 miles to Glasgow to buy them at special discount rates for taxi operators.
They also love 'em even though there's no Skoda dealer these days in my town and they have to travel about 20 miles for service and maintenance, although to be fair they could be serviced by any VW Group outlet or independent once out of warranty.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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I wrote
>>it always amuses me that there is so much shared kit in the VW group.
Stuartli wroteWhy?
Because people are willing to pay more for exactly the same thing, under the illusion that because it comes in a box with four circles on it it'll somehow be better than the one in a box with a Skoda badge on it.
--Lee .. sorry, the card says Moops.
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Not always the case, I have a Golf GT TDI purely because (company liease wise) it was more cost effective due to higher residuals than a lesser equipped Octavia/Seat etc which were c£4k less expensive but more expensively in terms of monthly contributions. I agree that badger snobbery contributes to higher residuals with certain marques..if it was my own money it would be a different story.
MM
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how Do you position the berlingo partner then !
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we would all be duffing our caps to oxen mate as the squire went by in his phaeton
And rightly so. I firmly believe that a lot of the problems in this country are caused by people not knowing their place.
--
L\'escargot.
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Ignoring the comment above (I assume you were lucky enough to be born into a rich family and think that that somehow makes you "better"! : ) Apologies if your tongue is in your cheek!) does the other chap really mean Phaeton?! Phantom yes.. but not Phaeton?
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does the other chap really mean Phaeton?! Phantom yes.. but not Phaeton?
A phaeton was originally a type of horse-drawn carriage; a sporty posh one not an old cart for the masses. Car makers then used the name for cars in the early 20th century, as a type of body style.
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Ignoring the comment above (I assume you were lucky enough to be born into a rich family and think that that somehow makes you "better"! : ) Apologies if your tongue is in your cheek!) does the other chap really mean Phaeton?! Phantom yes.. but not Phaeton?
I presume he means doffing,but what has an oxens mate got to do with anything?
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Basically, it down to two things (a) What you can afford (b) Sheer eye candy factor - always in the eye of the beholder. With only a very few going for dynamics.
Me ? If I was in the market for a VAG car I'd go for a Skoda over anything else in their range, don't ask me why they appeal to me but they do.
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When I drove a Skoda I revelled in inverted snobbery which although it appealed to me, is just as bad as normal snobbery
I would have another Skoda in a minute compared to say a VW or Ford
Also is VW really a premium brand ?
Is that not Audi's role ?
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My mother has had a Y plated Fabia from new, much abused it has served her very well, a spurious warning light apart nothing has broken on it. Cracking drive as well for a FWD (does that make me a snob I wonder)
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Sorry, don't get me wrong, the main reason I liked my Octavia estate was that you didn't need to think when packing it, it absorbed all my work kit and it also covered 97k miles in 2 years with only the cup holder getting broken
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It is all rather strange but then so are people.
True story. A fiend of mine wanted a new car and after much search decided on a new Octavia vRS. He talked about it at work.
At the time he was one of three finance managers but the finance director slot was coming up. One of the other directors pulled him to one side and said if he bought the Skoda the MD would regard him as a pleb and he would not get the job, what he needed to do was buy a Jag like the MD's but lesser spec. He did as told and bought one second hand. He got the job. Whether he would have or not if he had bought the Skoda I do not know.
Crazy but people are people not robots.
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Crazy but people are people not robots.
Indeed, it sounds like they are idiots if this is the basis on which people are promoted.
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Badge snobbery is just a reflection of our egos. There seems to be a whole load of folks (including me) who are aspiring to be wealthy. So we apply for Platinum cards, take loans to buy fancy cars, holiday in fancy destinations, and we love labels (including personalised number plates).
What's interesting is that the millionares I know drive quite old, run of the mill cars with no private number plate, and usually have a plain vanilla VISA card.
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Chicken and egg. Many of them are wealthy because they don't waste their money.
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There are lots of little "extras" in my Audi, which aren't available on a VW, let alone a Skoda or Seat.
Example, Electric rear window blind, side window blinds, illumiated centre armrest (as opposed to the non illuminated one in VW/Seat/Skoda), illuminated footwells, More advanced fuel computer (with more info than you get on the Skoda/VW/Seat), Much better quality dashboard, higher quality seats and carpets, more safety equipment, more sound proofing... the list goes on.
Sure, some of the common components are the same, but there is still a big difference between an Audi and it's equivalent VW/Seat/Skoda.
Also the depreciation on an Audi are far lower than on a Skoda or a Seat, because they are a much more desirable second hand buy. When I bought the car I did some sums, and the difference in COST OF OWNERSHIP (i.e. purchase price minus trade-in price) is actually pretty marginal.
So in summary, I drive a car with a far better image than a Skoda/Seat, which has lots of features that aren't available on a Skoda or a Seat, and it doesn't cost me much more than a Skoda.
What's more, when people see me driving my Audi, they don't think I'm on a shoe-string budget, which is what I think whenever I see a Skoda driver ;-) (wind 'em up and watch 'em go!)
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You forgot to mention the bespoke TV channel you get that keeps me captivated for hours
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illumiated centre armrest (as opposed to the non illuminated one in VW/Seat/Skoda),
I think my life would not be worth living without an illuminated centre armrest ... ;)
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I think my life would not be worth living without an illuminated centre armrest ... ;)
Tell me about it. The number of times I've been driving along at night and I've suddenly thought "Where in the name of all that's holy is my centre arm-rest?" - if only it was illuminated I'd not have to worry. Next time I buy an Audi.
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I know - pointless but you all know you'd be showing it off to your passengers every time you gave them a lift.
Go on - admit it!
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>>Example, Electric rear window blind, side window blinds, illumiated centre armrest (as opposed to the non illuminated one in VW/Seat/Skoda), 8< snip 8< the list goes on.
All frippery. The gubbins that makes it go and stop and the chassis on which it lives is the same.
{bites} Whenever I see someone in an Audi I think they're a rep...with such insecurity that a set of four rings makes feel them a better person... only kidding, don't want to be trolling so near Festivus.
Come to the Airing of Grievances.... ;-)
Lee
--Lee .. Get out the Aluminum pole-Happy Festivus!
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Not to mention the 3.0 Tdi available in the A4, but not VW, Skoda or Seat.
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Sierraman
Nothing at all. If it was the mate of an ox, it would be an oxen's mate. In this case a comma after the word oxen, rather than an aspostrophe within it, that was missing if I understand the intention correctly.
Sorry, couldn't resist it........apologies in advance!
JS
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I think having a car with a prestige badge makes it easier to sell at resale time as well as generally suffering less depreciation.
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'Indeed, it sounds like they are idiots if this is the basis on which people are promoted'
Aprilia, although now self employed I spent most of my career in Big Oil. I cannot recall of a single instance where the best man (or woman) at the job got the job. Promotion was almost always on the basis of some factor other than work performance, normally who could brown nose the best.
Sad but true.
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we would all be duffing our caps to oxen mate as the squire went by in his phaeton
Thats a better example even than the Skoda thing, as I belive the Phaeton is more or less the same as a Bentley Continental !
In fact I'm about to dash out and look for one myself now I've started thinking !!
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Bentley Flying Spur or Phaeton W12?!?!?
If I had the money Bentley for me, which is why I have the Audi over the Skoda because I can afford to.
If I could afford a Breitling/Rolex etc watch I'd have one of those too, but because I have an Audi I have to make do with a Sekonda I got free with a mobile phone!!!!
You have your cash you takes your choice.
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>>which is why I have the Audi over the Skoda because I can afford to
A fool and his money....
....gotta......stop......trolling
--Lee .. Get out the Aluminum pole-Happy Festivus!
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You have your cash you takes your choice.
Correct!
Funny how people buy the sony tv when the tesco budget buy has about the same spec?
Me i buy the sony stupid or not!!!!
And yes it does make a differance when people see what car you drive whether we fool ourselves or not?
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There seems to be some confusion between quality (as in it works properly) and high specification.
From experience a Skoda has a short option list (you may be lucky and be offered two seat colours) but Audi/BMW are capable of more customisation and with a Rolls you can have vrtually anything you want.
That is one of the things you are paying for.
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We are all unfortunately tools of the marketing men.
The electronics example is a good one. My understanding is they are all the same made from the same components produced in the same third party manufacturers factories but Sony is twice the price of say LG, which is itself a premium brand in some markets.
I have a SEAT Toledo. I bought it for peanuts because everybody hates them. Had it been a Golf which it pretty much is except for the bodyshell it would have been three times the price. Crazy. The SEAT garage services the pretty much same car with the same tools as the VAG garage but charges less. Crazy.
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>>And yes it does make a differance when people see what car you drive whether we fool ourselves or not?
Wouldn't argue with you that people make judgements based on the car you drive. I think the "bling" culture opitimises that - "lives with his mum but rides on 27s"....
But people who make judgements based on the badge of the car you drive are not really the sort of people I'd want to be associated with or whose opinion would matter.
--Lee .. Get out the Aluminum pole-Happy Festivus!
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"we are all tools of the marketing men.."
"But people who make judgements based on the badge of the car you drive are not really the sort of people I'd want to be associated with or whose opinion would matter."
Warren Buffet drives around in a 12 year old sedan.
And if you don't know who he is, read tinyurl.com/c7k7
I drive a small car cos I don't need a big one, don't want a flash one and don't give a fig about eyecandy or bling.
If you like a flash car , fine..it's your money.
Companies which provide flash cars for employees are imo wasting the shareholders money.
As for judging people by their car badges..my national poet.. penned:
"The rank is but the guinea's stamp,
The Man's the gowd for a' that. "
tinyurl.com/8zprf
madf
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