What kind of car / vehicle do you drive?

Hi all
I was talking to a few folk at work about this and that and the topics of cars came up. It was wierd but you could almost picture the person sitting in the vehicle - for example, one guy tends to like designs with little funky touches that arent really needed but look cool and he drives an Alpha Romeo.
Anyways I was wondering what cars / bikes etc you guys drive (if any at all) and what you would like to drive / could see yourself owning in the future.
I have a humble Volkswagen Polo 1.4CL which I have owned since I finished uni but im trying to convince my girlfriend that a Mercedes SL500 would be practical as it could fit a child seat in the back... I tried the 'you can keep the polo' line but I dont think it really worked. Also, the new Ducati 1098 has my name written all over it - sooooo cooooool!:yesyes:

A pushbike. Nothing perticulaly special about it.

My car:
Opel Astra GTC 1.4 :)

Dream Car:
Ferrari 288 GTO (1984) with 2855 C.C ; twin turbo; 400 cv; 305 km/h :p
It is 23 years old, but it is pure art.....
As we say here in Portugal "bela maquina"

I currently drive a Peugeot 406 Executive Turbo (petrol). I've owned it since it was 2 years old, for the past 7 years, so it is now getting on a bit at 9 years old, but it is still in perfect condition. I modified it a bit just after purchase with a stainless exhaust, green stuff air intake kit and chipped, taking it from 150BHP to 197BHP (according to the rolling road test), and I've enjoyed driving it the whole time.

It did need some work doing on it recently as it's now done 120K miles, but then most cars need a bit of work when they have done that many miles. It needed a new exhaust manifold gasket and last year a new radiator (as a tree branch punctured the bottom of it), but other than that it's been very reliable and a great car.

And it's my second Peugeot. Before that I owned a 405 GRi for 7 years and that lasted well too, just clocking up 140K before I part exchanged it.

Before I bought the 406 I wanted a 406 3L V6 coupé, but I worked out that the insurance would have been nearly £600 a year more than the Exec Turbo Saloon I ended up buying and the performance difference was only 0.5 sec quicker to 60MPH so nothing really, and the fuel consumption on the V6 would have been a lot worse.

But now I'm considering my next car which I hope to buy next year, and it will be another Peugeot (as I like the make). A 407 coupé 3 litre GT, or maybe the 2.7 V6 Diesel as the performance between the 3L petrol and the 2.7 Diesel is 205BHP compared to 210BHP so there is nothing between them really, except for the fuel economy from the Diesel which is much better. But I need to test drive the Diesel first to see how nicely it drives before I make the decision. The other benefit of course will be that I won't get stung by the huge rise in car tax next year for larger petrol engined cars.

But if I could choose any car it would also be the same as you, a Mercedes SL500, as I love that car and have done since it was launched. There is a Mercedes garage right next to where I work in my evening job and they have a load of coupés parked out the front and they just look so nice. I have to slow down when driving by every day just to admire them. :)

Although the CL600 also looks great and is very fast. But at £107K a little out of my price range! :lol: But if I'm really dreaming I would buy an Aston Martin or a Bugatti Veyron.

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Originally Posted by Harrison

But now I'm considering my next car which I hope to buy next year, and it will be another Peugeot (as I like the make). A 407 coupé 3 litre GT, or maybe the 2.7 V6 Diesel as the performance between the 3L petrol and the 2.7 Diesel is 205BHP compared to 210BHP so there is nothing between them really, except for the fuel economy from the Diesel which is much better. But I need to test drive the Diesel first to see how nicely it drives before I make the decision. The other benefit of course will be that I won't get stung by the huge rise in car tax next year for larger petrol engined cars.

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Also the 2.7 HDi engine can be remapped to give 250BHP.

I have a VW Golf IV V5 2.3 since 2½ years now, a real fuel eater.

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Originally Posted by Tiago

My car:
Opel Astra GTC 1.4 :)

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I have often wondered something about Opel and wonder if any of you can answer it.

As you probably know most Opel models are sold under the Vauxhall brand in the UK and are mainly just right-hand drive rebadged versions of Opel's with a few cosmetic differences such as changes to the front grills.

In the UK Vauxhall has a really bad reputation for being mechanically unreliable and for having rubbish build quality compared to most other makes. Is this the same for Opel?

The press in the UK have also always been quite puzzled as to why Vauxhall's tend to sell quite well because I don't think there are any motoring magazines or Car related professionals who actually like them.

I personally would never buy one because I've driven a few over the years, owned by family or friends, including Corsa's, Cavalier's, Vectra's, and Omega and haven't liked driving any of them.

So what is Opel's reputation like on the continent.

BTW, the second car make with a very bad reputation in the UK is Ford. My favourite acronym for FORD is Fix Or Repair Daily.

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Originally Posted by AlexJ

Also the 2.7 HDi engine can be remapped to give 250BHP.

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Really! Looks like I will be buying the 2.7 HDi version then. :cool:

I own 2 NC30's, one of which is roadworthy.
Formerly a Fiat Cinquecento Sporting owner. Hopefully I won't have to sell up, as I'm starting Uni in september as a 'mature' student.

What are you going to be studying at University?

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So what is Opel's reputation like on the continent.

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Well, there is allways someone that dont like one car...
and there is allways someone that had a problem with some brand...

Sorry my english, is not easy...

As i can say, Opel (i will talk about Astra) is very solid inside with good materials.
My model "GTC" is a litle different from the usual Astra, it is lower, the front is arrow chape, the seats are better, they fix better to your back.
the engine is a 1.4 with 90CV not good but not bad... in lower regimes (1500/2000 rpm) is a litle slow, it takes a litle to start getting up in revs, but after 3500 it's quite nice. The suspention is good and it has really good stability.

But you know.... if you like wolkwagen golf you will lot like the astra, if you like the peugeot you will not like the renault ..... it's allways like this.
But apart from the engine, the car is very good, i'm liking a lot. The engine... could be better...

It was always the engines that I never liked in the Vauxhall's I've driven. They never felt very strong and the power delivery was never that great. Even a 1.4 in a Corsa wasn't very nice, which should have been much better considering how light those cars must be. Also the steering was quite horrible with a ridiculously wide turning circle.

I do agree with you. If someone likes a specific make of car they will always find something they don't like about other makes. It is why there are so many makes and models of car on the market.

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Originally Posted by Harrison

It was always the engines that I never liked in the Vauxhall's I've driven. They never felt very strong and the power delivery was never that great. Even a 1.4 in a Corsa wasn't very nice, which should have been much better considering how light those cars must be. Also the steering was quite horrible with a ridiculously wide turning circle.

I do agree with you. If someone likes a specific make of car they will always find something they don't like about other makes. It is why there are so many makes and models of car on the market.

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The turning circle is good.
well with a litle more money you can go from the 1.4 to the 1.7 Turbo Diesel, that's different. But it was more expensive, so i went to 1.4.... But i think the car is great, and is quite good looking the GTC version.

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Originally Posted by Harrison

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Originally Posted by Tiago

My car:
Opel Astra GTC 1.4 :)

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I have often wondered something about Opel and wonder if any of you can answer it.

As you probably know most Opel models are sold under the Vauxhall brand in the UK and are mainly just right-hand drive rebadged versions of Opel's with a few cosmetic differences such as changes to the front grills.

In the UK Vauxhall has a really bad reputation for being mechanically unreliable and for having rubbish build quality compared to most other makes. Is this the same for Opel?

The press in the UK have also always been quite puzzled as to why Vauxhall's tend to sell quite well because I don't think there are any motoring magazines or Car related professionals who actually like them.

I personally would never buy one because I've driven a few over the years, owned by family or friends, including Corsa's, Cavalier's, Vectra's, and Omega and haven't liked driving any of them.

BTW, the second car make with a very bad reputation in the UK is Ford. My favourite acronym for FORD is Fix Or Repair Daily.

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The latest batch of Vauxhall's isn't that bad. The ones in the late '90s and early 2000s were pretty awful but the latest Corsa for example is a solid (if not spectacular) car. Same with Ford - the new Mondeo is a great car by all counts, with a lot of journalists rating it above the VW Passat. Checking a few ratings in Autocar, we've got Vauxhall's Corsa & Zafira (4*/5), Astra (3.5*) & Vectra (3*) while Ford have both their Focus & Mondeo (4*). Unfortunately it's going to take a few generations of good cars for both manufacturers to shake of their bad image.

That's it AlexJ.
:thumbs:

That is always the problem. It takes people a long time to forget. It is much the same for French cars, with many people in the UK still thinking of them as they were in the 80s, suffering from bad build quality and poor reliability. That hasn't been the case for a long time now but still many refuse to look at them as a purchase because of this old reputation.

With Engines, a lot of manufactures are sharing engines because the cost of development is very high. GM (Vauxhall/Opel) and Fiat have jointly developed engines as have PSA (Peugeot/Citroen) and Ford. The 2.7 HDi engine in the 407 is one of these Peugeot-Ford engines.

It makes sense as different manufacturers have strengths and experience in different areas. Ford have always been good at making Diesel engines for example. Did you also know that Peugeot and Citroen are actually now the same company? Although these two have actually been using the same parts in their cars for many years prior to the merger. My 405 for example had the same model engine as some Citroen BX's.

I drive people, up the wall.
Apart from that, it's busses for me, but only as a passenger.

Don't particulary want any car.
Well real one that is.
Obviously some cars in films would be great.

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Originally Posted by Demon Cleaner

I have a VW Golf IV V5 2.3 since 2½ years now, a real fuel eater.

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A friend had one of these, great car it was, pulled very well. He chopped it in for an R32 (not the new shape, but the lovely previous shape) and that was ace. In fact, I was going to buy the V5 from him but at the time couldn't really afford the insurance on top of buying the car, running costs etc. Now he drives a volvo diesel estate.... very exciting :dry:

And another chance for me to post up my pics if I can find them :lol:

We have a Focus ST - it's a fair brute of a car, but a bit more refined than you may think, it doesn't have to be thrashed everywhere and the engine (2.5 litre 5 cyl turbo) is nice and torquey for just skulling around in traffic in 2nd/3rd, or motorway cruising. But give it some welly and it hustles. It's not the fastest car in the world but it always puts a grin on my face and leaves most everyday cars behind. Also very comfy and spacious, got most of the toys you'd want, and massive boot to, er, boot. I'm hugely pleased with it, but that's not to say it isn't without it's faults (rattles at times, poor A/C control, large blind spot, annoyingly hard headrests to give a few niggles)

Not actually our one - ours has a double silver strip along the bottom with the 'ST' logo.

http://spanish.autoblog.com/images/2006/10/3052_7mg.jpg


My one, but a crappy pic:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...beatsK/st2.jpg

We also have Ford Racing Puma 398 (out of 500). It's low, very stiff and dreadful low speed manouvrability.... and I love it. Superb grip and handling and looks brill too. And it's got a bit of a bad boy, yet tastefully done exhaust that pops and crackles like crazy. Only a 1.7 but it's 150 BHP, it's no slouch but isn't tarmac shreddingly powerful.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...0203Medium.jpg


As for dream cars, well, there are too many to choose from. I love the exotica. A friend is getting a Gallardo soon, I hope to get a ride in that thing (it was his Audi RS4 that got trashed, I mentioned it somewhere else a few weeks back).

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...but that's not to say it isn't without it's faults (rattles at times, poor A/C control, large blind spot, annoyingly hard headrests to give a few niggles)

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I noticed quite a large blind spot in the Fords I used to get a hire cars for work. The worst has the Mondeo, and it also had a horrible distortion effect at the corners of the windscreen which meant your field of view was missing at the very edge. I discovered this one day when stopped at a pedestrian crossing and I couldn't actually see the people crossing the road unless I moved my head back and looked out of the drivers door window. That was a bad design flaw.

Ford have always been pretty good at creating sporty versions of their normal models. I used to love driving the Mondeo ST24 I often got from the hire company. That had some good acceleration. But I wasn't impressed by the interior. Very plasticy and it sometimes rattled and vibrated as you mention your Focus does. I've always been left with the impression that in the past few years Ford have made a big improvement in the actual build quality of their cars externally, but they are still not so great on the inside. One thing I really hate is the Focus dashboard. It looks so ugly with pointless wasted space such as that big space to the left of the main dials that end in a triangle. Such a shame as the exterior and engines are pretty good these days.

Mine's a '96 Citroën Xantia 1.9TD estate. It's a pure workhorse, me needing the space for the tools I need to have with me. And needing the diesel's good ability to pull heavy loads, as I pull hangers quite frequently. And that diesels are usually more economic than petrol engines, as I drive pretty long distances for work and so have high fuel expenses.

It performs well in all those regards, and is a very comfortable drive so I'm pretty happy with it.

Well mines a mitsubushi Space Wagon, 15 years old, mint condition and 45k on the clock. Had to get something as I have a wife and 2 kids, ;). Awesome car.

I like bigger cars too - if I had a farm or lived somewhere that could get snowed in I'd like a Hylux diesel 2.5 turbo, perfect for shipping my gf and kid about while dragging trees off the driveway. Living in a city I cant possibly justify such a purchase for the mo tho. :( That and the govs current war on petrol puts it off limit - I'm all for green issues but the real offenders are big businesses and the construction industry. Its ok putting a massive tax on polluting vehicles if you live in London cos it has a perfectly good infrastructure to allow people to get to work on time, as for the rest of the uk its a different story. They are trying to discourage cars from my city centre by putting parking meters everywhere - all it has done is driven the cars to the residential districts, blocking up drives and private car parks. Every day when I leave for work there is a new car parked behind mine, but as I walk it dosent bother me too much - its only when they scratch my car that I want blood! :mad: Rant over

At present I have a 94 mk 5/6 escort with a blow gearbox sat out the front, gathering parking tickets.

Which leaves me riding the bike. Which at present is a 2000 Yamaha R1 :p

When I get paid at the end of the month I will be getting a Merc c200e so I be driving a Mercedes. :cool:

That means my brother in law (1) as a c190 Merc, and the other one drives a Jag.

posh gits eh?

lol I wish!

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Originally Posted by StuKeith

Which leaves me riding the bike. Which at present is a 2000 Yamaha R1 :p

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Nice bike!

Yea gets me around!:

Edit: Harrision this quoting things gets me confused!

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Originally Posted by StuKeith

Edit: Harrision this quoting things gets me confused!

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In what way?

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Originally Posted by Harrison

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Originally Posted by StuKeith

Edit: Harrision this quoting things gets me confused!

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In what way?

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Keep pressing submit, instead of quote as it as the little quoting symbols! :p

:lol: We could end up with a lot of Poster of the Month nominations then. :lol:

Which reminds me! I've still not done the POTM for July! Or set the August category. Oops! Will do that now before I forget again. Sorry everyone.

My dream car:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6..._gts_img01.jpg

I love this car. Why? Just because it looks so - in the words of BJ - AWESOME!

My current car:

Hyundai Excel :no: sad isnt it?

That is indeed sad :lol: a friend of mine bought an Excel 10 years ago, and I found it extremely ugly.

Btw, last Saturday I drove in a Jaguar XKR Coupe, a friend of mine bought one 1 month ago. He has several cars, as his grandfather built up butchery when he was young, and owns several butcheries plus restaurants.

His father continued the business, and now since 3-4 years, he and his older brother own the whole. They are from my hometown, and I remember when we were young (he has the same age as me, 1 year less), his father already drove Ferrari cars, adn they had a house with an internal swimming pool, bar and everything. Imagine that in a town with 4.000 inhabitants. It was quite noticeable.

He also owns an Audi A8, an Audi A6, a Maserati GT (with which he had problems, went to the garage 3 times during 2 weeks, now he's going to sell it), and a jeep (don't know which model though). He's got the Jaguar in black, just like on the photo. I really love it, I always thought Jaguar only builds cars for older people, you know, limousines or such, but this one really got me, and with 415hpw, it's also fast.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18...jaguar-xkr.jpg

Mmmm....that is a nice looking car. Damn that guy must be LOADED :( can I have some of his cash??

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Originally Posted by Demon Cleaner

I always thought Jaguar only builds cars for older people, you know, limousines or such

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Really? :lol: Jaguar have been making great sports cars for a long time. Look back at the E-Type for proof of that. And the XK8 and faster XKR have been around for a long time, replacing the much loved V12 XJS before it.

A neighbour across the road from my parents has owned many Jaguars over the years. He used to have an XJS years ago, and then went through a couple of XJRs. But now he has a very nice brand new BMW Coupe. It's black and has been debadged but I'm sure it's either a 650i ot maybe even the new M6. Very nice looking car. I will have to look more closely next time I see it to spot if it has 2 or 4 exhausts.

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I love this car. Why? Just because it looks so - in the words of BJ - AWESOME!

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You really like the Dodge Viper? That is one car I've never liked. They also don't handle very well due to bad weight distribution.

A Hyundai Excel is apparently what's called in the UK a Hyundai Accent. I remember Jeremy Clarkson testing one of these on one of his videos when it first came out in the UK and then trying to destroy it.

I remember that. Still see a lot of old Accent's driving about. At least Hyundai's are reliable and keep working, so even if the car isn't that great it will at least still get you where you want to go.

I love Vipers too, they look so mean and powerful. But I too hear that they are pigs to drive compared to a more refined (typically European) sports car.

Yea but thats half the fun. You have to drive like a maniac to get it go where you want :yesyes:

Request title change, :).

To "What kind of car / vehicle you have no chance of owning?" ;).

:lol: You never know! Look at the Post lady last week who won 37 Million on the lottery! I bet the week before she never thought she would either! Imagine being her son. Very nice life he will have now!

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Originally Posted by Harrison

:lol: You never know! Look at the Post lady last week who won 37 Million on the lottery! I bet the week before she never thought she would either! Imagine being her son. Very nice life he will have now!

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She is crazy, as if you would go on tv? Now everyone knows who she is, where she lives....let's hope some crazy doesnt kidnap her kid and use him for blackmail :(