Cars and owner stereotypes

[nlogax]

Maestro man really wasn't living the dream was he? I like the way he tried to convince himself that it would have been Ok had it not been a diesel Clubman, but really it was never going to be anything but total misery. A new Maestro in 1993.... I think I'd have resigned!

Indeed I like to think he was promised an an MG Montego but someone sent a budget cut his way at the last moment...wonder how long he lasted in his job once the show aired?

Lots of hate for BMW and Audi drivers on this thread. They're ten a penny on the road compared to a generation ago when these stereotypes rang true. Anyone admit to owning one? I'll start..

 

[Bald Rick]

Lots of hate for BMW and Audi drivers on this thread. They're ten a penny on the road compared to a generation ago when these stereotypes rang true. Anyone admit to owning one? I'll start..

*raises hand*

Multiple models, for over 2 decades.

 

[nlogax]

*raises hand*

Multiple models, for over 2 decades.

Same. And just like me I'm willing to bet you know exactly where your indicators are and you use them as required.

 

[ChrisC]

Same. And just like me I'm willing to bet you know exactly where your indicators are and you use them as required.

Same here. After owning a number of VW Golfs over the years I downsized slightly to an Audi A1 a couple of years ago and love it. I certainly don’t see myself as the average Audi driver described here. I definitely do use my indicators more than most, and have been getting increasingly annoyed by the general trend in recent years of many drivers to not use indicators. Why do people no longer seem to indicate these days when turning left at traffic lights or when overtaking a cyclist just as two examples.

 

[MotCO]

When I drove back from Portree in tricky conditions, virtually every vehicle that had become a cropper on the icy corners was a SUV or 4x4. I could be wrong but I doubt they had given the icy conditions a single second thought. No doubt they overate themselves in general and have not quite grasped the concept of decisions equal consequences.

Maybe some of the 4x4s are not 4 wheel drive - they maybe 2 wheel drive versions which the owner thinks is immortal.

SUV drivers are likely to be:

Insecure and vein

Frequently insecure in their marriages and uncomfortable about parenthood

Lack confidence in their driving skills

Above all self-cantered and self-absorbed with little interest in their neighbours or communities


That's not my view but rather the outcome of Chrysle's market research in the 1990’s


It's also worth noting that SUV’s are no safer than normal cars, people are as likely to die in SUV’s as any other cars they just die in different ways. In part as they are more likely to roll and take longer to stop.

I'm above average height, so need an SUV for the internal headroom / ease of access etc. I'd like to think I do not meet the criteria above

 

[DustyBin]

Lots of hate for BMW and Audi drivers on this thread. They're ten a penny on the road compared to a generation ago when these stereotypes rang true. Anyone admit to owning one? I'll start..

The only German car I’ve actually owned was an E300 Coupe, but I’ve had A4s, A6s and a 5 Series as company cars. I don’t “get” Audi to be honest; given a choice between the two I’m more of a BMW man.

You’re right though, these are very common cars now. Due to the finance (and lease) options available they can actually be “owned” fairly cheaply. When I look at some of the offers available I struggle to see how they can be making any money!

 

[Bald Rick]

Same. And just like me I'm willing to bet you know exactly where your indicators are and you use them as required.

Absolutely.

I did flirt with buying a Beamer (5 series) a couple of times, but they (genuinely) did have a funny thing with the way their indicators worked which I struggled with on test drives and that put me off. I wonder if that is the source of the indicator ‘legend’

There is a sub brand of Audi drivers, typically youngish lads in A3s with DSG gearboxes, thrashing about round here. Give the rest of us a bad name.

 

[A0]

Lots of hate for BMW and Audi drivers on this thread. They're ten a penny on the road compared to a generation ago when these stereotypes rang true. Anyone admit to owning one? I'll start..

Because in the case of the former, their driving standards seem not to have improved and in the case of the latter they seem to have attracted some of the people who previously drove BMWs.

I did own an Audi over 20 years ago when I was in my 20s - it was an Audi 80, back in the days when Audi's were a bit different, very well made and a slightly left-field choice.

Would never own a BMW - I have a fundamental issue with the morals of that company. Many German companies used slave labour for example during WW2 - but post war most of them admitted to such things and took steps to acknowledge it was wrong and address that. BMW didn't - they denied it flatly, they even denied it when it was the subject of a German TV documentary in the 1980s which provided evidence of BMW's involvement. It was only in the early 2010s - just ahead of their centenary did BMW finally admit their involvement - utterly, utterly shameful.

Their asset stripping of Rover Group was another shameful episode - when Ford took over Land Rover they found dilapidations on the buildings which dated back throughout the BMW ownership of Land Rover - they'd basically not spent any money on it and asset stripped it of the 4x4 technology they wanted for their own range of cars.

Anyone who can turn a blind eye to such business practises and buy their cars should take a long, hard look at themselves.

 

[greyman42]

I did flirt with buying a Beamer (5 series) a couple of times, but they (genuinely) did have a funny thing with the way their indicators worked which I struggled with on test drives and that put me off. I wonder if that is the source of the indicator ‘legend’

How are the indicators different to other cars?

 

[bramling]

Absolutely.

I did flirt with buying a Beamer (5 series) a couple of times, but they (genuinely) did have a funny thing with the way their indicators worked which I struggled with on test drives and that put me off. I wonder if that is the source of the indicator ‘legend’

It took me a little while to get used to that when I got my newer one. The old one is pretty conventional in that (like almost things on the car) it requires a very positive action. On the newer one it just wants a gentle tap, indeed treat it like one would the older car and it would probably snap off. I’ve got used to it now and it’s not really an issue. I still maintain that the 2000 model drives better than the 2016 one, but there’s little wrong with the 5 series IMO. Indeed my 2000 one is now pushing on 200,000 miles yet is still essentially good as new.

There is a sub brand of Audi drivers, typically youngish lads in A3s with DSG gearboxes, thrashing about round here. Give the rest of us a bad name.

We have someone at work who remarked “for my family it’s Audi all the way”. Knowing the individual concerned that’s kind of enough to put me off Audi for life!

 

[Iskra]

I‘m guessing stereotypes have regional variations. The one above is Range Rover Sport territory round here.

Meanwhile Audi drivers tend to be pretty good, and certainly more aware of what is going on around them. I can’t remember the last time I shouted* at an Audi driver for dithering, being indecisive, not paying attention, or doing something stupid.

*from the safety of inside my own car, obviously.

I've always thought you to be a top poster @Bald Rick

To be fair, it's quite hard to drive a modern Audi badly these days as they nanny you into indicating (the most common complaint I hear), keep you on the road via sensors and correct you if you're veering, stop you from hitting the back of anything in front in queuing traffic by applying the brake, tell you to take a break if it somehow senses you're tired and bleeps at you if you're too relaxed on the steering wheel. Good cars in my opinion. Those complaining about tailgating are probably not keeping left on the motorway without good reason, or don't appreciate that they have much better braking capability than the average car.

The worst drivers for me are drivers of pick-up trucks, who seem to be oblivious to the world around them and don't care about hitting things as they reckon they will come off better. If we're stereotyping, they can often be seen pulling a caravan... One of the worst cultural imports from America by far.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

To be fair, it's quite hard to drive a modern Audi badly these days...

Reckon you'll be quite easily surprised then!

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

As a pedestrian and cyclist, I rather hoped that SUVs were a passing fad, but they seem to be ever more present. They are pig ugly, over-sized, over-weight, gas-guzzling - and that's just the owners. As for pick-up trucks, just how many groceries are you going to collect from Sainsbury's? Seriously, conventional cars are designed to throw pedestrians and cyclists clear in a collision but the rules do not apply to SUVs nor does the heavy mass help. I think the new VED tax regime should be based on vehicle weight (which would bring in electric vehicles) - to compensate for the road wear and tear and damage.

 

[GS250]

The only German car I’ve actually owned was an E300 Coupe, but I’ve had A4s, A6s and a 5 Series as company cars. I don’t “get” Audi to be honest; given a choice between the two I’m more of a BMW man.

You’re right though, these are very common cars now. Due to the finance (and lease) options available they can actually be “owned” fairly cheaply. When I look at some of the offers available I struggle to see how they can be making any money!

Guilty too!!!

Had a 2009 E60 525i (5 series). Was actually a lovely car in many respects. Black with tan interior. Drove well and was the most comfy car I've ever owned. Ergonomically it edged my current Lexus GS. However, some of the engineering was absolutely shocking for a prestige car. Failed boot wiring loom, failed window motors, failed rocker cover, constant lumpy running issues which were never resolved.

The infamous 'Bimmerforum' which has a reputation for being full of fanboys unable to criticise the brand is actually nowhere near as bad as expected. Most owners were actually pragmatic and accepted the perils of large German car ownership. They all admitted coming from Lexus/Toyota/Honda to BMW can come as a real shock when it comes to cost of running.

 

[Bald Rick]

How are the indicators different to other cars?

I can’t remember exactly, but I think it was having to cancel the indicator when changing lanes, whereas in most cars a simple tap without going over the ‘stopper’ just indicates for three flashes (which is usually enough) or you can hold it short of the stopper then it switches off when released.

To be fair, it's quite hard to drive a modern Audi badly these days as they nanny you into indicating (the most common complaint I hear), keep you on the road via sensors and correct you if you're veering, stop you from hitting the back of anything in front in queuing traffic by applying the brake, tell you to take a break if it somehow senses you're tired and bleeps at you if you're too relaxed on the steering wheel.

mines old enough not to worry about that . Even better, my first one (which would be 30 next year) did tell me to take a break every 2 hrs. My current one doesn’t do that, which is just as well as the journey I do most often tends to take 2h10!

 

[bramling]

Guilty too!!!

Had a 2009 E60 525i (5 series). Was actually a lovely car in many respects. Black with tan interior. Drove well and was the most comfy car I've ever owned. Ergonomically it edged my current Lexus GS. However, some of the engineering was absolutely shocking for a prestige car. Failed boot wiring loom, failed window motors, failed rocker cover, constant lumpy running issues which were never resolved.

The infamous 'Bimmerforum' which has a reputation for being full of fanboys unable to criticise the brand is actually nowhere near as bad as expected. Most owners were actually pragmatic and accepted the perils of large German car ownership. They all admitted coming from Lexus/Toyota/Honda to BMW can come as a real shock when it comes to cost of running.

BMWs are certainly not cheap to maintain. Subject to being properly maintained they are pretty reliable though. In 23 years and 200,000 miles my E39 has had to be recovered three times - one for failed water pump, once for failed alternator, and once for a defective bearing on the prop shaft. Of those, the third could have been driven back from Wales but I chose not to, and the second gave the relevant warning to allow the car to be limped forwards to a safe stopping place. I was fortunate with the pump failure that I was able to find somewhere to stop pretty quickly.

 

[Domh245]

I can’t remember exactly, but I think it was having to cancel the indicator when changing lanes, whereas in most cars a simple tap without going over the ‘stopper’ just indicates for three flashes (which is usually enough) or you can hold it short of the stopper then it switches off when released.

If it was anything like the system in my (BMW) Mini and my memory isn't playing tricks on me, the stalks are fully floating - so a light push will do the three flashes and a full push will flash until the steering wheel passes the cancellation point but it won't latch down, it just returns to centre. This does mean that both activating the short-change and then cancelling the full-indication you've just initiated does take a bit of getting used to

 

[matacaster]

The stereotype for Juke drivers is that they are poor drivers. The Juke is a horrific car, glacial acceleration, turning circle if the proverbial oil tanker, poor driving position, there’s nothing good about it. If you choose to buy a Juke, then there’s question marks about your judgement in motoring matters.

(I may or may not have been stuck behind a Juke today for 5 miles in a 60 limit with them doing 35, in good conditions, but no overtaking opportunity.)

It's familiar name is the Nissan Joke.

 

[dgl]

Talking about the Fiat 500, for what is a car that you'd think would be designed for the smaller person and given the average Woman is probably shorter than the average man, they aren't that great for short people. My sister would have loved one but luckily she's too short to reach the pedals properly whereas in the Micra her seat isn't quite fully forward, I say luckily as I wanted her to have a reliable car, not a Fiat!

Also my name for the Juke is the "Puke", as it's so ugly it makes you want to throw up.

 

[33117]

Discovery sport/Evoque/Audi Q5/BMW X3 tend to be for the yummy mummy brigade

Fiat 500 - Love Island viewers

BMW 3/5 series - tailgating on the motorway

Remarkable that a high proprotion of Audi S3 and RS3 hatchbacks seem to be driven by drug dealers (not all obvs). The Mercedes A35 and A45 as well

Not necessarily all Q5s are for the yummy mummy brigade. My mam is 61 & drives a Q5.

Main reason is she just likes having a big car but is selling hers in favour of either an electric or a hybrid.

 

[nlogax]

If it was anything like the system in my (BMW) Mini and my memory isn't playing tricks on me, the stalks are fully floating - so a light push will do the three flashes and a full push will flash until the steering wheel passes the cancellation point but it won't latch down, it just returns to centre. This does mean that both activating the short-change and then cancelling the full-indication you've just initiated does take a bit of getting used to

Yes, I experienced these exact same tendencies in a 2 Series and then in my previous car which was a Cooper S. Can't say I've noticed it in my current 3 Series but this may just be me finally comfortable with BMW's quirks and features (with apologies to Doug DeMuro).

Another classic in the same From A to B series, this one focuses on young people with their first cars. I guess this is where stereotypes started.

 

[Oleks1992]

Fiat 500 - usually owned/driven by women

And men who own them, usually say its their girlfriend's

 

[Gloster]

As a follow up to my earlier comment (#19) I will add that I have read in (in James Hamilton-Paterson’s What We Have Lost) that the Allegro had better aerodynamics going backwards than forwards. No wonder it was popular with slow drivers.

 

[Bald Rick]

As a follow up to my earlier comment (#19) I will add that I have read in (in James Hamilton-Paterson’s What We Have Lost) that the Allegro had better aerodynamics going backwards than forwards. No wonder it was popular with slow drivers.

Allegros weren’t driven slowly because of their drivers….

Meanwhile I found today that BMW X3 drivers don’t have to stop at Zebra crossings when someone is about to cross. I mean I must have been hard to see, being 6’ 4” in hi viz orange.

 

[Russel]

Any BMW/Audi/Merc with black alloys and heavily tinted windows - Drug dealer.

 

[Bald Rick]

Any BMW/Audi/Merc with black alloys and heavily tinted windows - Drug dealer.

ah. I can offer you some Strepsils.

 

[LOL The Irony]

ah. I can offer you some Strepsils.

You must drive a newer model or be an exception to the rule. The drug dealer stereotype definitely fits the older models that have been modified since leaving the showroom.

 

[Bald Rick]

You must drive a newer model or be an exception to the rule. The drug dealer stereotype definitely fits the older models that have been modified since leaving the showroom.

2007… unmodified…

 

[Russel]

ah. I can offer you some Strepsils.

Sorry, it's Lemsip or nothing thanks.

 

[33117]

Mitsubishi L200 warrior pickups, solely seem to be driven by builders.

Quite a few private taxi drivers prefer the skoda superb in saloon or estate form.

The toyota aygo seems to be very popular with grannies I've noticed as does the peugeot 108 & other small city cars.