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Cars - a genuine appeal
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- Lemon Half
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Re: Cars - a genuine appeal
Going slightly off topic (but not much) one thing I've noticed walking around my (large) west Berks village is how BIG a lot of the cars are these days.
I think they are generally known as 'SUVs' - great hulking lumps of steel. I've seen driveways with two of the damn things (His 'n' Hers?!)
What excuse is there for buying them if you're not a farmer/vet etc? Why do you need 4WD if you never leave the road? Is it just 'conspicuous consumption' /keeping up with the neighbours?
(Actually , farmers back home seem to rely on ancient Land Rovers and battered Toyota pick ups)
I think they are generally known as 'SUVs' - great hulking lumps of steel. I've seen driveways with two of the damn things (His 'n' Hers?!)
What excuse is there for buying them if you're not a farmer/vet etc? Why do you need 4WD if you never leave the road? Is it just 'conspicuous consumption' /keeping up with the neighbours?
(Actually , farmers back home seem to rely on ancient Land Rovers and battered Toyota pick ups)
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- Lemon Half
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Re: Cars - a genuine appeal
AleisterCrowley wrote: Why do you need 4WD if you never leave the road?
I'm not sure they all are 4WD. One noticeable feature is how big the wheels are. That presumably leaves less space for the engine, passengers and luggage, so the whole thing gets scaled up. Even relatively humble hatchbacks have got bigger, so the "small" model is now the same size as the "medium" one used to be. VW's Polo and Golf being examples as well as Ford's Fiesta and Escort/Focus.
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- The full Lemon
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Re: Cars - a genuine appeal
My current is a six months old Audi Q5 SLIne and I will admit that it is bigger all round than my previous. It has 4WD and larger wheels so fits into the description that is mentioned. IT has just as much capacity inside as my previous one, maybe a bit more. It sits slightly higher off the ground, that's all.
My excuse is because I like it and I must say it gives a very secure feel and as my previous Q5 did well in the snow I expect this one will as well.
Dod
My excuse is because I like it and I must say it gives a very secure feel and as my previous Q5 did well in the snow I expect this one will as well.
Dod
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- Lemon Half
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Re: Cars - a genuine appeal
AleisterCrowley wrote:Going slightly off topic (but not much) one thing I've noticed walking around my (large) west Berks village is how BIG a lot of the cars are these days.
I think they are generally known as 'SUVs' - great hulking lumps of steel. I've seen driveways with two of the damn things (His 'n' Hers?!)
What excuse is there for buying them if you're not a farmer/vet etc? Why do you need 4WD if you never leave the road? Is it just 'conspicuous consumption' /keeping up with the neighbours?
(Actually , farmers back home seem to rely on ancient Land Rovers and battered Toyota pick ups)
You should see the school runs near me in NW London
Chelsea Tractors as we jokingly call them with "mummy" dropping off a sprog who has to practically jump to get out and land !
Afer all 4WD is essential for negotiating Waitrose carpark
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- The full Lemon
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Re: Cars - a genuine appeal
UncleEbenezer wrote:staffordian wrote:Whilst in the current circumstances I certainly would not consider giving up mine until I have to, there are alternatives, albeit not always as instant or convenient.
I made the opposite decision there. Though there were other influences including poverty and deteriorating eyesight.
Re the eyesight thing you should consider moving to Florida. You can get or renew a driving license there with 20/70 vision. Those seniors who relocate there have a vote.
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- Lemon Half
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Re: Cars - a genuine appeal
I thought the Audi Q3 seemed quite big when I was next to one. Then consider there's a Q4, Q5, Q6, Q7, Q8 and Q9.
(Not all on sale in the UK, admittedly.)
Scott.
(Not all on sale in the UK, admittedly.)
Scott.
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- Lemon Half
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Re: Cars - a genuine appeal
swill453 wrote:I thought the Audi Q3 seemed quite big when I was next to one. Then consider there's a Q4, Q5, Q6, Q7, Q8 and Q9.
(Not all on sale in the UK, admittedly.)
Scott.
The later ones presumably named after the Spike Milligan TV series ?
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- Lemon Half
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Re: Cars - a genuine appeal
Dod101 wrote:tjh290633 wrote:Our current small car is just entering its 13th year and has cost £65 per week over that time. On the other hand our bigger car is now in its fifth year (second with us) and has cost £20 per week. You won't get many taxi rides out of that, and the distances are bigger in the country.
TJH
I find these costs incredible in the literal sense of the word.
Road tax, Petrol, Servicing (includingv tyres and so on) and Depreciation. I would love to know how you do it.
Dod
The mileage has been very low for these two years, of course. The £3133 includes three lots of insurance, two MoT tests, one service, VED (although I see that I have forgotten the latest one, so £150 to add on), and I've included a car wash and valet. Those are not mileage dependent, of course.
TJH
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- Lemon Quarter
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Re: Cars - a genuine appeal
I'm an electrician in the country, I see no alternative to a car/van. In a city I can easily imagine a life without a car. That is not the reality for (don't know the proportions so let's just go with) half the population. C.
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- The full Lemon
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Re: Cars - a genuine appeal
csearle wrote:I'm an electrician in the country.
Like pretty-much any other tradesman, you have a legitimate use for a car. No excuses needed.
Most of us are not tradesmen. Our business doesn't involve lugging anything more demanding than perhaps a computer around.
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- Lemon Half
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Re: Cars - a genuine appeal
pje16 wrote:AleisterCrowley wrote:Going slightly off topic (but not much) one thing I've noticed walking around my (large) west Berks village is how BIG a lot of the cars are these days.
I think they are generally known as 'SUVs' - great hulking lumps of steel. I've seen driveways with two of the damn things (His 'n' Hers?!)
What excuse is there for buying them if you're not a farmer/vet etc? Why do you need 4WD if you never leave the road? Is it just 'conspicuous consumption' /keeping up with the neighbours?
(Actually , farmers back home seem to rely on ancient Land Rovers and battered Toyota pick ups)
You should see the school runs near me in NW London
Chelsea Tractors as we jokingly call them with "mummy" dropping off a sprog who has to practically jump to get out and land !
Afer all 4WD is essential for negotiating Waitrose carpark
It's for safety!
Everyone knows they're "safer"; there's ratings and stars to prove it
Can't have Theodore and Sebastian being shuttled to prep in anything but the ultimate in safety
And as long as they are kept in the "car" there's little danger of mummy, or daddy, or the au pair, reversing over their immaculate little heads because they can't see anything within 6feet of the vehicle (and small weans don't necessarily get picked up on the proximity sensors)
- sd
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- Lemon Half
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Re: Cars - a genuine appeal
AleisterCrowley wrote:Going slightly off topic (but not much) one thing I've noticed walking around my (large) west Berks village is how BIG a lot of the cars are these days.
I think they are generally known as 'SUVs' - great hulking lumps of steel. I've seen driveways with two of the damn things (His 'n' Hers?!)
What excuse is there for buying them if you're not a farmer/vet etc? Why do you need 4WD if you never leave the road? Is it just 'conspicuous consumption' /keeping up with the neighbours?
(Actually , farmers back home seem to rely on ancient Land Rovers and battered Toyota pick ups)
Taller cars are easier for rounder drivers to get in and out of, but they aren't going to say that...
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- Lemon Slice
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Re: Cars - a genuine appeal
AleisterCrowley wrote:Sussexlad wrote:...It feels to me like a retrograde step to surrender my personal transport and return to the 19th century....
Hardly 19th Century, it wasn't until 1970 that more than 50% of households owned one or more cars.
At the start of the 1950s >80% of households were car-free
No, i understand that. I was really suggesting we were being returned to the days of the Stage coach ! I see having personal transport as progress and is something I would be very reluctant to surrender.
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- Lemon Half
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Re: Cars - a genuine appeal
UncleEbenezer wrote:csearle wrote:I'm an electrician in the country.
Like pretty-much any other tradesman, you have a legitimate use for a car. No excuses needed.
Most of us are not tradesmen. Our business doesn't involve lugging anything more demanding than perhaps a computer around.
Come and see my boot when I do our weekly shop. Up to a dozen bags adding up to quite a weight.
Back when I was working, visiting clients in the UK and Europe, I did about 30,000 miles a year. When we had a stand at an exhibition I took all the publicity material, and would be joined by a colleague from the USA, who flew in.
Like GPs, who cannot properly diagnose without seeing a patient face to face, we had to visit sites, and colleagues had to inspect materials before despatch to site. There are lots of occasions and occupations where use of a car is essential, and domestically if the bus only runs twice a day or once a week.
TJH
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- The full Lemon
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Re: Cars - a genuine appeal
Sussexlad wrote:AleisterCrowley wrote:Sussexlad wrote:...It feels to me like a retrograde step to surrender my personal transport and return to the 19th century....
Hardly 19th Century, it wasn't until 1970 that more than 50% of households owned one or more cars.
At the start of the 1950s >80% of households were car-free
No, i understand that. I was really suggesting we were being returned to the days of the Stage coach ! I see having personal transport as progress and is something I would be very reluctant to surrender.
It is certainly a convenience but my daughter's family are about to have four cars between four of them. That is actually ridiculous, but is what is meant by personal transport. Meanwhile buses where I live (semi rural) trundle around more or less empty.
Dod
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- Lemon Quarter
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Re: Cars - a genuine appeal
BobbyD wrote:Taller cars are easier for rounder drivers to get in and out of, but they aren't going to say that...
Not so much rounder, but dodgy backs have been the main reason for two people I know going for a car that was higher off the ground. With an ageing, more desk-bound population, there will be more dodgy backs.
Another argument is the number of speed bumps everywhere - visiting friends in SE London used to be a nightmare in my old car which was low to the ground and with a firm suspension. SUVs handle speed bumps much more comfortably.
The snow argument doesn't wash - in snow the last thing you want is a heavy vehicle with a high centre-of-gravity. That's why Volvo (who know a bit about driving in snow) resisted making a SUV for so long until Ford forced them to build what the market thought it wanted. If you're serious about driving in snow, you want a low, light vehicle with the proper tyres.
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- Lemon Half
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Re: Cars - a genuine appeal
Hallucigenia wrote:BobbyD wrote:Taller cars are easier for rounder drivers to get in and out of, but they aren't going to say that...
Not so much rounder, but dodgy backs have been the main reason for two people I know going for a car that was higher off the ground. With an ageing, more desk-bound population, there will be more dodgy backs.
Well we are getting older and rounder and SUV's are booming!
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- Lemon Quarter
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Re: Cars - a genuine appeal
BobbyD wrote:Well we are getting older and rounder and SUV's are booming!
Correlation does not mean causation, as this delightful site proves - US chicken consumption correlates with US oil imports, and civil engineering doctorates correlate with mozzarella consumption, but I don't think you can argue that there is a causal link.
In my small sample size, I know two people who have bought SUVs specifically because they have dodgy backs, I personally have rejected cars because I was too tall for them, but I know noone whose car choice has been driven by their waistline.
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- Lemon Slice
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Re: Cars - a genuine appeal
Hallucigenia wrote:BobbyD wrote:Well we are getting older and rounder and SUV's are booming!
Correlation does not mean causation, as this delightful site proves - US chicken consumption correlates with US oil imports, and civil engineering doctorates correlate with mozzarella consumption, but I don't think you can argue that there is a causal link.
In my small sample size, I know two people who have bought SUVs specifically because they have dodgy backs, I personally have rejected cars because I was too tall for them, but I know noone whose car choice has been driven by their waistline.
I know of a number of shorter people who have chosen SUV formats (but often just FWD, not 4WD) because of the elevated driving position and implied improvement in visibility and forward road view.
This is in addition to older people choosing similar styles for ease of entry/exit.
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- Lemon Half
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Re: Cars - a genuine appeal
Hallucigenia wrote:In my small sample size, I know two people who have bought SUVs specifically because they have dodgy backs, I personally have rejected cars because I was too tall for them, but I know noone whose car choice has been driven by their waistline.
But I do. There's also a causal link between excess weight and bad backs so the variables aren't exactly independent. Not exactly sure why you are so adamant that your experience is totally representative...
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