Top Gear and the Ford Mondeo

kennyk said:
so....

BMW or Merc? ;)
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Thats a tricky one, as a brand I prefer Mercs but the newer ones have been let down by poor build compared to BMW or VW.

I think BMWs are better cars but I prefer the Mercedes image.

Personaly if I was after a flash car I would buy a Skoda Supurb (second hand) and go on holiday with the money I save.
 
Both have an image problem, in that there's a perception that BMW or Mercedes driver is going to cut you up / drive like a twat.
in the end it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.

for the record, I drive a Saab 9-3 linear sport 1.9 tiD (120bhp)
 
All premium products have an "image problem", apparantly.

The great refrain being: "If you bought Product A, then you are a just a blinkered mug who believes all the hype & marketing. Product B is far better at 20% of the cost....etc, etc ... ad nauseam."

FWIW, I bought the BM because it's fun to drive.
 
we'll there's an element of that certainly.

serious question - do you find you get treated with less courtesy on the road because you drive what is generally perceived as a "wanker's car"?

I've never driven a BMW. I wouldn't actively choose one over any other brand, as I personally think it attracts too much attention from undesirable elements, and that includes routine stops from traffic cops who are bored. I had hoped the Saab was boring enough not to attract attention, but that got 'keyed' after a week. :grrr:

If I was looking for something second-hand I'd consider a BMW if I was in that class of vehicle market.

Or more simply I'd have a BM rather than no transport. or a trabant. ;) (only joking about the trabant)
 
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kennyk said:
serious question - do you find you get treated with less courtesy on the road because you drive what is generally perceived as a "wanker's car"?
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Some people (particularly in Scotland) have a problem with it, yes. Most people are fine. I don't think it attracts any more attention than my previous car - a Saab.
 
The Ford Granada/Omegas were good for the image thing, the only problem is these cars so badly lacked image that they lost their value quickly so people stopped buying them

Saabs still have a strong image but don't have the same twat factor. Volvos sadly seem to suffer from a bigger twat factor than beemers.

I've found that Golf drivers often tend to be pratts as well, if I have to shout at a car driver its usualy a Mini Cooper, 3 series or a Golf.

I guess if I had a bit of money I might buy a 5-10 year old E class so I could pay £5 ands be the ultimate twat.
 
amazingtrade said:
The Ford Granada/Omegas were good for the image thing, the only problem is these cars so badly lacked image that they lost their value quickly so people stopped buying them

Saabs still have a strong image but don't have the same twat factor. Volvos sadly seem to suffer from a bigger twat factor than beemers.

I've found that Golf drivers often tend to be pratts as well, if I have to shout at a car driver its usualy a Mini Cooper, 3 series or a Golf.

I guess if I had a bit of money I might buy a 5-10 year old E class so I could pay £5 ands be the ultimate twat.
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so, you're basically saying that anyone with a half decent car is a tw*t then..? :D
 
Hmmmmm, I had a 3 series, I also worked for Merc so for 2 years I had plenty of different mercs. I worked at merc from the ages 22 - 24 and never once got stopped. I never got stopped in my beemer which was kitted up but I admit the image didnt rest easy but it was red.

For all these grief again owners Ive got to say that Ive done advanced training and the beemers are popular amongst those drivers. I do exclude the X5 from my defence coz I think they do attract complete *******
 
Personally its Datsun Primera's and Toyota Avensis's that give me the most grief round my local parts coz they're usually taxi's and boy are they appalling drivers.
 
mr cat said:
so, you're basically saying that anyone with a half decent car is a tw*t then..? :D
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You are the first person on this site to understand me :D

Skodas can be excluded though, Protons cannot becuase only the brain dead by them (no offense to Proton drivers) :p
 
T-bone Sanchez said:
Personally its Datsun Primera's and Toyota Avensis's that give me the most grief round my local parts coz they're usually taxi's and boy are they appalling drivers.
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Astra MK3s are another taxi favourite, they are cheap to buy and still look quite fresh despite their age which is why they are popular.

Skoda Octavias are also very popular taxis.
 
amazingtrade said:
Skoda Octavias are also very popular taxis.
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The Skoda garage in Swansea that I use told me that the most reliable Skoda Oktavia is the Indian built diesel! They sold a large batch as taxis, and have never had one back for repair (and only occasionally to service)..
 
leonard smalls said:
The Skoda garage in Swansea that I use told me that the most reliable Skoda Oktavia is the Indian built diesel! They sold a large batch as taxis, and have never had one back for repair (and only occasionally to service)..
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is that the 2.0 TD? Apparantly Skoda have stricter quality control procedures than any other brand owned by VW, including VW, Audi and Seat.
 

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