Been reading forum for a few weeks now and enjoying the banter twixt various contributors ! I wonder if anyone else is mildly bemused by car fashion ? Why do certain brands or even sub brands appeal more than others ? It is not always evident that function has won out over form ! I have had something over 35 cars in my driving life. Some of which were so called premium brands. While there is no denying that some of them were very nice, I think I finally realised a couple of years ago that you don't actually have to buy a premium brand to get a good car. I currently have a Mondeo Estate which seems to do pretty much everything I want it to and sometimes ponder on why people get so locked into having to have the "right" badge. S'pose it depends on what "floats your boat ! " and long live freedom of choice I guess.
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A neighbour insisted on putting his redudndancy into a new 'three-pointed-star'.
He opted for a coupe, with larger diameter alloys.
He now has a problem getting down into it, and finds the ride too hard for comfort.
He has a problem affording the servicing costs.
It's started throwing up intermittent warning lights, and he's found some serious corrosion - out of warranty.
He's about to collect his pension, guess what he's thinking of spending his lump sum on?
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A neighbour insisted on putting his redudndancy into a new 'three-pointed-star'.
... he's found some serious corrosion - out of warranty.
Unlikely - corrosion warranty is 30years on Mercedes.
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>>... he's found some serious corrosion - out of warranty.
>>Unlikely - corrosion warranty is 30years on Mercedes.
Only when serviced by MB
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Only when serviced by MB
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Not necessarily - there are plenty of reports on the MB forums of goodwill repairs being done on cars that don't have complete MB service history.
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I guarantee your post will meet with universal approval here. Not only praising the 'Hall of Fame' champion - the Mondeo, but tipping your cap to premium brands too & acknowledgeing freedom of choice as a wholesome good. It almost verges on an attempt to love-bomb the BR ;)
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Just so you get real HJ kudos, make sure you buy the cheapest Chinese/North Korean tyres. Fill it only with supermarket fuel and use the cheapest oil you can find.
Sorry, I'm only joking!
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For me car is a necessity which should take me from A to B without any problem and while doing so it should be economic and should be somewhat comfortable.
Most of the Japanese cars do for me because they fit these criteria and right now Mazda 323 diesel is serving me happily ;-)
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Hi MazMan - Interested that you have some views on Japanese cars, I guess I have recently stuck to Fords because of my good experience with them over huge mileages. However, if I were to show a bit of imagination next time is there anything you would recommend to replace my Mondy diesel estate ? I normally spend around 8k on a 3 year old including any pitiful value my normally 200k milers fetch. I need that sort of loadspace/economy/reliability so wondered if you or anyone else had a view on the Mazda 6 estate or indeed any other suggestions ?
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No creeping intented I promise ! I guess a lot of people who like cars and driving in general go through a stage of being concious of the image they beleive their car portrays. ( I certainly did ) Gradually however, it came to me that I didn't particularly care what anyone else chose to drive so why should anyone care what I do ? I mean when bowling down the M6 for example I really can't ever remember thinking " wonder who he/she is" in that Porsche/Jag/Bmw etc . Just maybe thinking "that's a good looking car". All I'm really getting at is that it seems to me that you get quite a good feeling knowing you are driving something useful and affordable rather than something of limited functionality which may be costing you more than you would like.
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Just maybe thinking "that's a good looking car". All I'm really getting at is that it seems to me that you get quite a good feeling knowing you are driving something useful and affordable rather than something of limited functionality which may be costing you more than you would like.
Long live freedom of choice then 'cos it does nothing for me, I spend far more than I need to on my car(s) each month, I run a V6 Mondeo to drive myself to work and back as well as having a summer fun toy that doesn't really make much economic sense! Heart rules head I'm afraid! :-)
Blue
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Hi Blue - Yeah , I know what you mean. Until recently I also used to have a Westfield which satisfied the nonsense side of my brain. Only reason it went was the usual domestic pressure of insufficient space for child seats etc ! One day..........!
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The practical question as so often is longevity and costs. Does it make more sense to but a 2 year old Mondeo Ghia or a 5 year old BMW [assuming the extras/bits equate]. Do they both 'die' aged 12 [ie. in 10 and 5 years time respectively] or the Mondeo aged 12 and the BMW aged 15?
I've always thought that a high depreciator [is that a word?] a better bet apart from for the first buyer, but this assumes both 'die' together.
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Quite agree Ed - It was this dilemma you describe which led me to my choice in the first place. ( Ford Mondeo Estate 2.0 Ghia X diesel ) I know it's not the only possible solution but I judged it to be my best option at the time. My needs are quite specific - loadspace, economy of service, repair and running costs with a degree of comfort are my main criteria. Depreciation tends to be less of a worry in that I usually take the "washing machine" view with cars, ie use it 'till it eventually breaks and buy a new one ! I am self-employed and therefore my motoring is self-financed. I have to cover 40k mls + every year and carry a lot of work related kit. the eventual choice was to buy a three year old and run it for as long as it would continue to go. So far so good as it has now got 130k on and has had no problems at all. For an additional piece of trivia a good friend has the same model with 215k racked up to date and is still on original clutch, exhaust etc. only normal wear and tear bits EG brake pads and the like have been replaced as necessary. I am quite sure that something born in Bavaria would be at least as good if not better but I am looking to get a business solution to doing 200K mls + at a sensible cost with some comfort and some driving pleasure. My cars do not need to be fashion accessories, just a sort of slightly posh works van ! :-)
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Response I heard on TV from someone who had recently bought something very expensive (can't rememebr if it was an expensive motor or a yacht):
"I wanted it, I could afford it, so I bought it"
Pretty much sums up my attitude to buying and running a car.
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" I wanted it, I could afford it, so I bought it" - I have no problem with that view at all. As I stated in my opening remarks " long live freedom of choice" and "whatever floats your boat " What does make me bemused is the individual who spends more than they can afford on a car purely to achieve a so called image they wish to portray to the outside world. I think the joke is firmly on them 'cos nobody else really cares what anyone else drives do they ?! :-)
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Following my retirement after having company cars for 20 years the thought of car ownership frightened me to death. On a budget and from reading car mags I bought a Hyundai Getz. Five years waranty and if I put it in a skip at the end of that time its cost me £5995 plus 5 years servicing. Groans from family and friends but its never let me down and hasn't cost (more than) the usual car. Moral - think outside the box and think whole life in cash terms. 40% depreciation on a £20k BMW in 3 years is more than I can ever lose in the Getz.
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Culture dictates for a lot of people, some would not be seen dead in anything less than a badge...there is a psychological background which points towards consummerist attitudes cultivated by capitalism (even marketing graduates are taught psychology!) but its a bit too much to be getting into here.
You only have to look at the Mini for a good example. Not the greatest car to purchase in terms of even build quality (despite coming from BMW) nor drive but it has a fashion appeal to it.
And example 2 : MichaelR roaming these forums often crushing any other car than a 5 series 6-cylinder BMW , always amuses me how wrapped up some people are with their image!
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Image takes many forms though. I saw a chap recently driving a mint, unmodified 306 GTI-6's for example. It wouldn't have been chosen for fashion, running costs, reliability or even straightline performance. Neither is it cheap enough to buy or run to be a proper budget motor. No, the only reason I could think he would be driving it is because he understands, appreciates, and has the skill to exploit the utterly wonderful chassis dynamics this car has, and knows that you just can't get the same thing from any new equivalent. That makes me respect him a whole lot more than if he'd put £30k to put into a new Mercedes or BMW.
But then conventional things have never impressed me, and silly unconventional things often have. SWMBO says I'm "sad". And she's probably right. :-)
Cheers
DP
--
04 Grand Scenic 1.9 dCi Dynamique
00 Mondeo 1.8TD LX
Edited by DP on 22/11/2007 at 15:35
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my motto has been as new as possible, as few miles as possible, as cheap as possible,as comfortable and rommy as possible and easy to mend/insure/sell.
Yes I buy Ford Mondy.
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I bought a 6 month old Audi A3 about 1 year ago. I could afford it, and wanted it. I bought it because it looked very nice (IMO of course!) and because although it still is a mass produced car, it is a lot more exclusive than your astra or focus. The badge helps yes, i have to admit, I can't explain it, by choosing the A3 I feel that the image I portray is that I do like cars, I want to be more individual and I don't mind paying more for all this. I believe it's very important to feel good about the car you bought if you spend quite a lot of time in it, and after all you're going to keep it for at least 3 years.
I don't tend to explain things very well, but what I mean is that I don't mind spending a little more on a 6 month old A3 that getting a boring brand new focus. Yes, the focus is probably near enough just as good as the A3, but hey you only live once and it's my choice.
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I find myself wholeheartedly agreeing with all the comments so far on this thread. Perhaps there's an analogy here with the clothes we wear. Like cars, some are top of the range, stylish, well maintained, clean and "appropriate" and others not.
Another question: why do some cars acquire huge levels of affection and owner loyalty? At the extreme end of the scale, France's de Gaulle (Citroen DS) and Spain's Aznar (Audi) remained fiercely loyal to cars in which they had survived assassination attempts; but HJ reports high loyalty among owners of Vauxhall Carltons and Montego estates, among others.
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This is a really good post actually and I have to also agree with nearly all the comments. The more you read about the current mondeo the more you think why would anyone bother with anything else - including a 3 series. Ford are also getting their reliability act together and have been producing fairly reliable cars for along time. If they got the dealers sorted in the same way surley they must be home and dry ?
On the subject of car fashion, you must have all noticed how the whites and browns are coming back into fashion, it remindes me of some of the colours on life on mars.
I think I'll let my side burns start growing and get the flares out so I would look really good in a brown mondeo.
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