Budget cars that fool people into thinking you have "wealth and taste"?

[barefoot]

I love you being named in line with a number plate.

And here's me thinking that changing my name to E356 in line with the Scirocco's plate would be weird.

[Worldcupwillie]

Sarah Beeny's chap pottered around in a snotty old mk3 Granny when they were restoring their mansion, Rise Hall, a couple of years back. Not overly surprising when you read a quote from Beeny herself in 2004:

What car do you drive?

"We have two cars; one’s a 12-year-old bronze Saab 9000, which was my father’s and the other is a brown, dented Ford Granada which was my grandfather’s."

Sounds a bit of a shiter.

She’s magnificently fronted.

[Dan_ZTT]

Since this thread's been revived, the answer is a Volvo C70 convertible. I had one and regret selling though, which is why it's my answer to most things.

[Lankytim]

Work colleagues and friends comment on my 2005 Jag X type and say how posh it is, I'm going to stop telling people it only cost 300 quid.

[davehedgehog31]

My Rover is regarded as the poshest car in our works car park, looked upon with great envy by all who observe it.*

 

*Except it isn't. I was once asked to move it because they were taking press photos of the building. They let all the balloon payment Audi's stay.

[MorrisItalSLX]

A S3 Jag XJ6 is what you need. Mine has impressed many birds in my ownership.

 

"How much did that set you back? 10, 15 Thousand?"

 

"$3500?"

 

"You have got to be joking!?"

 

"Nah M8. *slaps roof* 110000 kilometers too, you know."

 

"Really, you must sleep with me immediately!"

 

 

(That last line never happened.)

[sierraman]

The cars I've had have been nothing but a deterrent to women.

[PiperCub]

My Rover is regarded as the poshest car in our works car park, looked upon with great envy by all who observe it.*

 

*Except it isn't. I was once asked to move it because they were taking press photos of the building. They let all the balloon payment Audi's stay.

 

Although the comment wasn't strictly aimed at me alone, my boss in the early 90's once announced to us all "If you must drive a heap of junk to work, can I ask you not to park it on the front car park? Please put it round the back". He was serious too! (which made it all the funnier when we all ignored him and made a point of parking near the front doors!).

[HMC]

Cars that go round with moss on them . It says they CBA washing it, and it probably lives under a tree and gets very badly treated. Old money, Have more jntesresting things to do with their time than wash a car, or a bit of both.

[HMC]

Also in London older battered prestige cars that are street parked and dusty.

[chatsharris]

I got a few compliments on the Saab 93 when I was dating again, they were suitably impressed with the level of luxury and comfort.

 

Didn't tell them it was £450.  No chance!

[lesapandre]

I have a 1990 Mercedes 260. My neighbours are deeply impressed...really. The dont know it cost £400

[Bradders59]

Merc CL500. £70 - 90 grand 17 years ago. Can pick one up for £2500 now. I have a strong desire to buy one soon.

[Junkman]

I just read an article in a German online car magazine.
 

Who drives a fat sports car, can not be nice and certainly is not environmentally minded - that is at least the cliché that most people have in mind. A recent study by the consulting firm Progenium, for which they interviewed 2,000 people to investigate which image applies to the drivers of individual car brands.


Audis are driven by men - by an overwhelming majority. These men are indeed attractive and sporty, but not genuine premium types. Income, occupation: more in the midfield. And they are somewhat arrogant, according to the study.

However, they are not as arrogant as BMW drivers. Those are also even less environmentally aware, but otherwise very similar to the Audi drivers. Only younger. And slimmer. And sportier. They also have a little less money.

Money does not matter to Dacia owners. No one earns less than the people behind a Dacia wheel. Thus they are very modest - but apart from that rather average.

Modest - not a word in the vocabulary of the Ferrari driver. No one is as arrogant as he is. He, mind you. Women do not drive a Ferrari. A little older, extremely high income, high professional position, slim and sporty, but no sense for the environment at all.

Cheerful women drive Fiat - and a few men too. They are incredibly modest, quite young and cosmopolitan. But no person in the Fiat is granted a high professional position. You can tell by the money: The income is almost as low as that of the Dacia drivers.

The Ford, however, is again more of a men's car. The middle-aged, moderately successful drivers are rather unattractive and unsportsmanlike, but very modest. And otherwise pretty average.

Speaking of average: Who drives a Hyundai is even less attractive and sportsmanlike as the rest, but other than that quite unremarkable. Income and occupational position, however, fall sharply from the average.

Driving a Jaguar is a very serious matter. This is done - as with Ferrari - almost exclusively by men with a lot of money. They are professionally successful, a little older and mostly arrogant. And they do not care about the environment.

Germany's philistines drive a Mercedes. They are arrogant, serious, unsportsmanlike and not environmentally conscious - and they actually do not have positive qualities. After all, they have more money than most.

The Mini is a women's car through and through. Although the mostly pretty young mini-driver does not have much money, she is cosmopolitan, attractive, sporty and extremely slim and cheerful.

The Opel (read: Vauxhall) driver does not have much money either. However, he is also rather unattractive and not athletic, more stuffy and serious than the average. But modest.

The Peugeot is - albeit by a narrow margin - majoritarianly for women, who are very modest and earn little money compared to the rest. Apart from that, Peugeot owners do not really stand out.

Of course you can not say that about the extremely male Porsche driver. Huge income, great career success - and second place in the arrogant ranking behind the Ferrari owner. He is slim and athletic, but the environment does not interest him.

If he is to decide between one French make and another, a man rather chooses a Renault. Otherwise, no big difference to Peugeot - at most a bit older and a little more modest.

Here, too, younger people are at the wheel of a Seat - and more likely women. Most of all they are happy, slim and modest, their income is at the lower end of the scale.

A little less Mini is Smart. In most cases, a woman with medium professional status drives it. She too is young, does not have much money, is cosmopolitan, slim and cheerful. Everything is the same as the Mini, but not quite so pronounced.

A Tesla is a car for men with good income and professional success. The Tesla driver is environmentally aware, lean and sporty, but also somewhat arrogant.

The modest, happy man drives Toyota. He is typically environmentally aware and cosmopolitan, but does not earn so much and is in medium professional positions.

John Doe drives VW. He is a bit more stuffy than the rest, but also a bit more modest. Otherwise, the VW driver is a fairly average type, but his income is somewhat below average.

The serious, slightly older and not so attractive and athletic man drives Volvo. He is mostly environmentally conscious, occupies middle positions in the job and brings home exactly the average.

 

Three things I've learned from this:

 

1. I'm a very modest woman who earns little money compared to the rest and apart from that do not really stand out, while my wife is an arrogant, serious, unsportsmanlike and not environmentally conscious man that actually does not have any positive qualities but more money than most.

But if I were a male Francophile wanker, I'd own a Renault. Oh, wait...

 

2. I'll have to apply for a job in a consulting firm, since only there I get away with typing up such stereotypical horseshit within ten minutes, then charge for a fully fledged study.

 

3. ORL CAWER MAGISINZ IZ SHT M8.

 

 

Speaking of consulting firms, I recently read an article that a consulting firm found out why so many people are shopping at Aldi and Lidl.

Their conclusion was - are you ready for this? - it's because they are so cheap.

[lesapandre]

Audis - arrogant people

Mercedes - strict people if old if young deal drugs

BMW - all look like Gert Frobe

Renault - eat garlic

Peugeot - unreliable people

Toyota - boring people

Mazda - (see Ford but less so)

Ford - people who don't care

Jaguar - catty

Range Rover - all like Vinny Jones

Citroen - perfect.

[Junkman]

Thanks God they didn't write a damn word about yank tanks.

[fatharris]

My E38 cost me a grand and people at work assumed I was loaded as a result.

 

Probably the fact I could afford the £500/mo fuel bill at the time.

 

Covered in battle scars these days but still Scrubs up well.

 

I IS POSHO.

[Justin Case]

A scruffy Mazda 6 estate with a three letter, three number registration marks you out as appearing* to have both wealth and taste in adequate amounts.

[paulplom]

Our '02 c70 convertible gets admiring compliments. We often here people walking past talking about it in car parks etc. It does look stunning in silver though. I think to myself 'yes and for three months payments on your audi you could've had one.' I paid £1380 two years ago on ebay. Anyway why does everyone not drive a convertible? Anything above 5 degrees and no rain and I'm topless.

[MorrisItalSLX]

Anything above 5 degrees and no rain and I'm topless.

 

You sound like a girl I used to know...

[Parky]

Slightly battered Volvo and a Barbour type jacket will mark you out as old money, especially if you smell like a horse and name your children Jocasta and Sebastian.

[ProgRocker]

I was on Great Yarmouth seafront yesterday and a chap kept driving up and down Marine Parade in a Chrysler 300C with extra chrome. Seems like a worthy candidate for this thread.

[brandersnatch]

I was on Great Yarmouth seafront yesterday and a chap kept driving up and down Marine Parade in a Chrysler 300C with extra chrome. Seems like a worthy candidate for this thread.

I was there too and noticed the Chrysler. Small world and all that

 

 

One’s too many, ten’s not enough!

[ProgRocker]

I was there too and noticed the Chrysler. Small world and all that

 

 

One’s too many, ten’s not enough!

 

Coincidence!

 

[The reason I went there is because I have this week off work and I had to get out of my flat for most of the day. I've been having a new kitchen and bathroom installed over the past fortnight. ]

[PiperCub]

^^ Just a stab in the dark here but I'm guessing how this chap describes himself "I izza gangsta from da streetz innit" - spoken like a poor Ali-G impersonator. (ie: He is from a nice white middle class background and his parents think he's such a good little boy). 

[PiperCub]

Also in London older battered prestige cars that are street parked and dusty.

 

Wasn't this a bit of a hipster-type/trendy fashion for a year or two in the kingdom of London some years back? I think they were amusingly referred to as 'Ironic cars'. 

[lesapandre]

Our '02 c70 convertible gets admiring compliments. We often here people walking past talking about it in car parks etc. It does look stunning in silver though. I think to myself 'yes and for three months payments on your audi you could've had one.' I paid £1380 two years ago on ebay. Anyway why does everyone not drive a convertible? Anything above 5 degrees and no rain and I'm topless.

And do you put the hood down sometimes too... 

[jon.k]

According to autoshite I think the winner of this thread would be the owner of the local crumbling Manor House near my parents. The old chap had a Citroen gs which I imagine he’d had for years (this was in about 2005) with the number plate of PT xx to match his double barrel. Pure class.

 

I might have misremembered the plate slightly but if it is the same one it’s now on a 1998 6.0 Mercedes.

 

The classiest and probably richest person I know drives a battered and mouldy B class and when he was working he told me that he didn’t speak to anyone who turned up at his factory with a bigger car than him (probably most people).

 

I think trying to create the Illusion of wealth through your choice of car could be in itself a breach of good taste!

[Lord Sterling]

...If you were an aggy tosser with a bit of money, you had a BMW. If you actually had money, you bought a Mercedes...

However, they are not as arrogant as BMW drivers. Those are also even less environmentally aware, but otherwise very similar to the Audi drivers. Only younger. And slimmer. And sportier. They also have a little less money.

Hmmm, yeah sounds a bit like me I suppose, except, I have lesser money always, I am not as slim as I should be and am anything but sporty. I have become everything I once hated, a BMW driving office-working tosser. Great.

 

My BMW does seem to still make people think that it is worth far more than it actually is but I thunknthe tide is starting to change.

 

My Sterling never really attracted comments along the lines of it being being revered as an "old money" car but I'm sure many might have thought that. It has really surprised many though for being as opulent as it is inside. Even now it's a lovely place to sit.

[wrenchvolt]

(not one of those cheap quilted jobs that make chubby women look like immersion heaters, I'm talking about the wax type)

ROFLMAO