What kind of car / vehicle do you drive?

[toomanymikes]

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!

[Stephen Coates]

A pushbike. Nothing perticulaly special about it.

[Tiago]

My car:
Opel Astra GTC 1.4

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

[Harrison]

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! But if I'm really dreaming I would buy an Aston Martin or a Bugatti Veyron.

[AlexJ]

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.

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

[Demon Cleaner]

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

[Harrison]

My car:
Opel Astra GTC 1.4

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.

[Harrison]

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

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

[Tomski]

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.

[Harrison]

What are you going to be studying at University?