Cars and owner stereotypes

[Russel]

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

I've just part exchanged a 107 and it was the best car I've owned, I'm only 31!

Full of character, reliable and economical. In 5 years, I put over 80k miles on it, the only repair it ever needed was a new clutch, though I do suspect it wasn't far off needing a new water pump when I got rid of it.

The Hyundai I20 I have now is so boring in comparison, but I needed something bigger.

 

[william.martin]

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

I use the similar L200 Barbarian (the highest spec of L200, the level up from the warrior) for camping and basically as a family wagon if anybody else needs anything large moving.
Sadly, you can not put anything large and square in the boot as an amount is taken up by the wheel arches.
Excuse my dodgy job of using the standard editor for Google photos to cover up the number plate.

 

[Eyersey468]

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.

I'd never buy a BMW either, I'm not a particular fan of them anyway and completely agree about the morals of them

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.

That is true though that applies to any car that has a radiator grill

 

[bramling]

I'd never buy a BMW either, I'm not a particular fan of them anyway and completely agree about the morals of them

I can understand this view, however there is likely to be an element of cutting nose to spite face here - dubious morals or otherwise, BMW do make high quality cars which are good to drive. I liked my older one sufficiently much that I bought the same model again, *and* keep the old one going for nostalgic value.

All said and done there aren’t too many cars which will do 185,000 miles on the factory clutch, and they’re not motorway miles either.

Whilst the newer one isn’t quite as nice as the old one, based on having had it nearly 4 years now I’d probably buy another.

 

[DustyBin]

I can understand this view, however there is likely to be an element of cutting nose to spite face here - dubious morals or otherwise, BMW do make high quality cars which are good to drive. I liked my older one sufficiently much that I bought the same model again, *and* keep the old one going for nostalgic value.

All said and done there aren’t too many cars which will do 185,000 miles on the factory clutch, and they’re not motorway miles either.

Whilst the newer one isn’t quite as nice as the old one, based on having had it nearly 4 years now I’d probably buy another.

Ford and BMW are my manufacturers of choice, in that order. They’re both very driver focused which appeals to me, and I’ve never had an issue with either. I did once have a 520d that went in for more than it’s fair share of warranty work, but it was a company car so I didn’t lose any sleep over it.

 

[Eyersey468]

I can understand this view, however there is likely to be an element of cutting nose to spite face here - dubious morals or otherwise, BMW do make high quality cars which are good to drive. I liked my older one sufficiently much that I bought the same model again, *and* keep the old one going for nostalgic value.

All said and done there aren’t too many cars which will do 185,000 miles on the factory clutch, and they’re not motorway miles either.

Whilst the newer one isn’t quite as nice as the old one, based on having had it nearly 4 years now I’d probably buy another.

I'm not questioning their quality, they are just not for me.

Ford and BMW are my manufacturers of choice, in that order. They’re both very driver focused which appeals to me, and I’ve never had an issue with either. I did once have a 520d that went in for more than it’s fair share of warranty work, but it was a company car so I didn’t lose any sleep over it.

I'm primarily a Ford man being on my 4th now.

 

[pitdiver]

I am not sure how my wife would be classified but since we have been married she has owned a Ford Galaxy, Citroen Xsara Picasso. Peugeot 508 SW and now she owns a Peugeot 3008

 

[RailWonderer]

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.

Late 90s, early 2000s with a bad exhaust noise is a dead giveaway with the tinted windows. BMW had M models at the time, Audi was only getting started with S and RS and AMG Mercs were only high end limited run affairs back then so it's mostly BMWs. That said boy racers plaster badges on anything they can get or add aftermarket bodykits though I'm sure Bald Rick does none of those things.

 

[heathrowrail]

Vauxhall Corsas are driven by young men who have a concerning affinity for high school age girls and can be found in the McDonald's car park. Usually in a bold colour and slightly modified. Almost always has a hint of weed smell about it

Wouldn't even say that's true. I have the top spec SE (Heated Seats, Steering wheel etc) and mine still smells and looks as if it's brand new & I've never parked in a McDonalds car park since I was about 3.

Most arrogant & entitled road users: BMW, Audi, Skodas, Ford (Transit, Focus, Fiesta). Corsa's usually someone young but not much to say, Fiesta's are for chavs. Jaguar's are the royalty of the road(As I learnt from a several test drives).

 

[bunty0657]

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

A taxi driver told me some years ago that a reason for this was that Skoda was one of the few manufacturers that would honour the warranty of a new car that was to be used as a taxi. How true that is I don't know, but it would sound logical.

It may be a stereotype, and it is not really within the scope of this thread, but it always pays to stay out of the way of Irish/Northern Irish registered Scania V8 lorries heading to or from Cairnryan on the A75. They are often driven by absolute lunatics.

 

[Taunton]

No mention in this thread of my Jag ...

 

[gnolife]

BMW. Driven by owners liable to cut you up, particularly so on the motorway.

Owners also tend not to know how to operate a BMW's indicators.

Extreme caution advised!

BMWs come with indicators?

 

[hst43102]

It may be a stereotype, and it is not really within the scope of this thread, but it always pays to stay out of the way of Irish/Northern Irish registered Scania V8 lorries heading to or from Cairnryan on the A75. They are often driven by absolute lunatics.

That's very specific. Don't think I've seen that many Scania V8s around - what makes them so popular in Ireland?

 

[Gloster]

That's very specific. Don't think I've seen that many Scania V8s around - what makes them so popular in Ireland?

I am sure that I read somewhere that there used to be only one category of HGV test in Ireland. Once a driver had passed it on a short-wheelbase three-ton flatbed, or something like that, they could drive any type of truck. It may have been superseded by subsequent legislation.

 

[bunty0657]

That's very specific. Don't think I've seen that many Scania V8s around - what makes them so popular in Ireland?

They are often the tool of choice for smaller Irish operators through prestige - there was once a time when a Scania V8 was the king of the road - and more practically, they were and are considered to be highly durable lorries that even in the dim and distant past would take over a million kilometres of hard work (and hard driving) before needing major attention.

Another aspect is that when on trips into Europe, a V8-equipped lorry, being more powerful than others, would deliver a worthwhile journey time saving when heavily loaded and in the more challenging terrain found in some areas. 30 years ago Scania were building V8s with 450bhp when the average ERF for us mere mortals had about 290bhp.

I'd also suspect that Scania had/has a good support network in Ireland to work in its favour.

When driving lorries I was never a badge snob as some drivers were, and I really rated some of the mundane stuff such as ERFs, but there is no denying that a V8 Scania being worked hard sounds very sweet.

 

[route101]

That's very specific. Don't think I've seen that many Scania V8s around - what makes them so popular in Ireland?

I have noticed they favour Scania V8s over in Ireland.

I wonder if they arent speed limited.

Another stereotype. Vauxhall Adam, driven by young females.

 

[33117]

I have noticed they favour Scania V8s over in Ireland.

I wonder if they arent speed limited.

Another stereotype. Vauxhall Adam, driven by young females.

Vauxhall adam i fully agree, usually driven by young college or university age lasses.

 

[Speed43125]

That's very specific. Don't think I've seen that many Scania V8s around - what makes them so popular in Ireland?

VOSA is much more stringent in GB than across the Irish sea. Particularly 10 years ago when removing the limiter was as simple as taking a fuse out, you'd often find Irish lorries bombing along 60-70ish on the motorway, less common, but not quite gone either nowadays. Similar stories with faking Tachometers and/or running overweight. Probably a fair bit of it is just wibble though.

As for Scania V8s themselves, I'd assume its the slightly more cowboy and rural focussed operators that have them. Farming town style when it comes to obeying highway code etc. Possibly owner operators as well, where oversight is obviously lacking.
They likewise become a bigger proportion of the HGVs about the further up the A9 you go in Scotland.


In a similar vein to naughty Irish truckers, any diesel pre Euro 6 car in Fife (and I assume a bunch of other less affluent counties as well) will happily do 90-100 on single carriageway roads late at night. The only question is, if you're doing 95 in a 50 at 2 in the morning, and something rapidly catches up to you, is it a minicab on his way home, or is it the one Police transit that's clocked you?

 

[NorthernSpirit]

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.

I once owned a Rover Metro when I was 17, great fun to drive even with zero power steering. Spent most of the time simply sanding down rust, slapping primer and rust protector on the bare metal work and respraying to make the thing look good as new. The only modifications were adding reflectors to the doors as I didn't want someone tearing my door off. I did want to bolt some fog lamps to the front but there was no where to put them apart from cutting two large holes in the front bumper.

When MG Rover Group went bust back in 2005 I did resort to purchasing a number of spares (namely tyres, rubber seals, mirror glass, etc) just to keep the Metro going but in the end I sold it in 2008 as I had depleted the spares.

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.

Aren't they also mostly driven by the Heart FM listener? Usually found going "off road" outside of a school, as off road means on the pavement.

 

[DustyBin]

Vauxhall adam i fully agree, usually driven by young college or university age lasses.

My niece is an absolute stereotypical Adam driver. She even has the four badly kerbed alloys!

 

[33117]

Any generic white van, usually a bit of a shed tends to be driven by self employed courier drivers.

The local evri (aka hermes) courier round my way drives a very scruffy citroen dispatch.

Although they're only tiny city cars personally for some crackers reason I like the looks of the VW up.

 

[Egg Centric]

BMWs are certainly not cheap to maintain.

To say the least, in relative terms. I love my 130i as being the last N/A straight six as well as proper hydraulic steering; I spend more than it's worth on it every year maintaining and fuelling it. Partly this is because it's an underappreciated hero (how could anyone not love a 3 litre RWD hatchback in 2005? World's crazy!) which drives the price down, but partly as you say you just pay a BMW premium for parts.

 

[bramling]

To say the least, in relative terms. I love my 130i as being the last N/A straight six as well as proper hydraulic steering; I spend more than it's worth on it every year maintaining and fuelling it. Partly this is because it's an underappreciated hero (how could anyone not love a 3 litre RWD hatchback in 2005? World's crazy!) which drives the price down, but partly as you say you just pay a BMW premium for parts.

My E39 is exactly the same. It costs me a fortune each year to keep it going, essentially only for maybe 4 to 5 thousand miles a year. But I enjoy driving it, so to me it’s worth it. It has never been cheap to maintain, though having said that my Hyundai i30 gives it a run for its money, albeit doing a higher mileage.

 

[Bald Rick]

My E39 is exactly the same. It costs me a fortune each year to keep it going, essentially only for maybe 4 to 5 thousand miles a year. But I enjoy driving it, so to me it’s worth it. It has never been cheap to maintain, though having said that my Hyundai i30 gives it a run for its money, albeit doing a higher mileage.

My equivalent aged Audi is not particularly fuel efficient (20mph around town, 33-4mpg on the motorway at 70, rather less if faster, eg in Europe). However touch wood it hasn’t needed major maintenance expense. Tyres and brakes, that’s it. I am deliberately tempting fate!

 

[BingMan]

xx

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.

How can you tell by looking whether or not a women is a Granny?

 

[Acey]

Nissan Micras ,driven by little old ladies on the way to the Garden Center or the Church Hall ,who enjoy being at the head of a parade !

 

[Fleetmaster]

Pininfarina 407 drivers: Absolute Legends

Vauxhall drivers: Fools and their money

SUV drivers: selfish SoBs

Supercar drivers: Lost? Nothing says rich moron more than driving a car designed for the south of France around the dual carriageways of Grand Bretagne.

Supercar SUV drivers: Beyond contempt.

 

[william.martin]

Pickup drivers are usually careering through some mud halfway up mount Everest.

 

[GS250]

Pininfarina 407 drivers: Absolute Legends

Vauxhall drivers: Fools and their money

SUV drivers: selfish SoBs

Supercar drivers: Lost? Nothing says rich moron more than driving a car designed for the south of France around the dual carriageways of Grand Bretagne.

Supercar SUV drivers: Beyond contempt.

Sadly in a few years all there will be is SUVs on sale. We're all going to be absolute tools whether we like it or not!

Another one is Honda Accord man although now slowly disappearing from the scene. Generally very stoic and never the life and soul of the party. Probably never bet on a horse in his life. The thought of ever opening the bonnet of his car is totally alien as he's never had to. Bought a 5 series after his beloved Accord went end of life and immediately took a huge dislike to German cars. Looks on longingly at those Accords still on the road but expanding ULEZ has dampened his enthusiasm completely.

 

[delticdave]

Skoda Superb - Taxi drivers

Not unusual, but I used to own a 2012 2.0 TSi Elegance (for 8+ years), tweaked to 252 ps, quite nippy & reasonable to run too.....
Not common though, only circa 150 sold in the UK in that year