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

[oldcars]

The main problem with the Rover 75 is that if its a diesel then it will be physically impossible for its owner NOT to tell you that its a BMW engine

 

This is my Rover 75 (with the BMW engine)

 

Like Skoda owners and the VW reference.

I have a Diesel, main reason i bought it was the bmw engine, which also has a time chain not a belt.

[Alexg]

I think that point is being missed a bit here. The debate isn't whether we, as car enthusiasts and know-it-all's, think a car is good, bad, reliable, classy or tragic; it's whether it has the ability above its contemporaries to fool someone into thinking it's something of prestige. And no we're not going to be fooled by any of these cars, as aren't Piston Headers or even casual readers of The Suns Motoring section; it'll be folk disinterested in cars. My neighbour swooned over my 75 despite the fact I've been driving various brand new company cars for the past 6 years and she'd not mentioned a dickybird. Now she's probably mental, but she thought the wood, leather, chrome and styling marked it out as a thing of distinction. My Mum was similarly bowled over as was the Mother in Law. Now maybe that's the demographic - know fuck-all old nutters - but then who else is going to be fooled by anything else in this thread?

[HMC]

The main problem with the Rover 75 is that if its a diesel then it will be physically impossible for its owner NOT to tell you that its a BMW engine

 

This is my Rover 75 (with the BMW engine)

 

Like Skoda owners and the VW reference.

Funnily enough I've just bought an estate and its got a bmw diseasal engine dontchaknow.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

I think that point is being missed a bit here. The debate isn't whether we, as car enthusiasts and know-it-all's, think a car is good, bad, reliable, classy or tragic; it's whether it has the ability above its contemporaries to fool someone into thinking it's something of prestige. And no we're not going to be fooled by any of these cars, as aren't Piston Headers or even casual readers of The Suns Motoring section; it'll be folk disinterested in cars. My neighbour swooned over my 75 despite the fact I've been driving various brand new company cars for the past 6 years and she'd not mentioned a dickybird. Now she's probably mental, but she thought the wood, leather, chrome and styling marked it out as a thing of distinction. My Mum was similarly bowled over as was the Mother in Law. Now maybe that's the demographic - know fuck-all old nutters - but then who else is going to be fooled by anything else in this thread?

One of my neighbour's has a proper job, goes to London everyday on a train, drives his 64 plate Golf to the station and probably earns 4x what I manage to scrape together each month.

Yet, my youngest ,who goes to 6th form with his son said he commented recently at school" it's alright for you, your Dads loaded" this was apparently based solely on the motley collection of rusting heaps on the drive or more likely because some of them have Mercedes and BMW badges.if only he knew.

[rantingYoof]

Depending on the colour, the Galant can look pretty classy/sporty/agressive...

 

 

Get one in dark red and no bodykit with the V6 and it's a proper smallish saloon that can surprise a lot of people, especially as it was ridiculously well put together.

 

Of course the VR4s look rather menacing and with a bodykit they don't look classy, really, but they still look pricier than they are.

[Adrian_pt]

Old, old money tends not to give a damn what they drive. (Unless they happen to be petrolheads, in which case they often have very cool stuff indeed.) Brick Volvo estate, Subaru Forester, even a battered 90s Golf, all pass the country house test. Skodas too. 

 

I occasionally see a well-dressed woman dropping her kids off to school in Fulham in a really quite crusty Wolseley 1300. (The other day, I clocked her again, this time in a brand new Ferrari.) Another old-money type in Earls Court, well into her ninth decade, runs a slightly battered Renault 12 estate, while there's a house in Eaton Square (40+ million a pop) with a trusty A-reg Mercedes 190 parked outside it. One of the Dukes used to run about in a Peugeot 406 which would have been 11 years old at the time; another, a 13-year old Ford Orion. 

 

One caveat: the cars do tend to be pretty high-spec and to have been owned since new. 

 

For day to day impressing, an old-ish Merc in a dark colour should surely do the trick. 

[Junkman]

I fully agree with the dark old Merc thing.

 

 

Class.

[djimbob]

I should imagine the people with "old money" drive shiters around us plebs is because they think they are in disguise, and so not going to be mugged, kidnapped or generally pestered for being a stinking rich parasite living off the blood, sweat and tears of generations of hard working mugs.

 

So, that's usually what we catch them driving normally, day to day.

 

When they are safe in the knowledge they won't run the gauntlet of the lower classes, no doubt they jump in the Bentley's and ferrari's etc and have a jolly good wheeze, after all, who the hell else can afford to buy and run these cars except footballers??

[forddeliveryboy]

 

When they are safe in the knowledge they won't run the gauntlet of the lower classes, no doubt they jump in the Bentley's and ferrari's etc and have a jolly good wheeze, after all, who the hell else can afford to buy and run these cars except footballers??

 

If they do have posh stuff, it's used when they won't run the gauntlet of the monied classes, but when they go visiting friends and out to dinner and garden parties, or possibly when rallying, racing or touring.

 

There's nothing a true toff loves more than having some upstart with a few million newly made (last generation, perhaps) talking down to them about something they know little about.

 

Alan Clark reminisced in one of his books about an American with an absurdly shiny RR overheard to take pity on the Brit who couldn't even afford a respray. I think that was the one with the machine gun turret still on at the back. He was a true shiter who loved getting one over those who could only express their acumen* through spending money. As in overtaking the banker in a supercar when in the 425cc 2cv in slush, or generally upsetting people who thought that market value was directly proportional to performance.

[John F]

Junkman, on 04 May 2016 - 5:15 PM, said:

I fully agree with the dark old Merc thing.

 

 

Crass.

 

EFA

[cort1977]

Alan Clark was a terrible human being in many ways but he did know a thing or two about cars and appreciated the character and experience of cars.   I would like to think he would be more at home here than on pistonheads.

[wuvvum]

The main problem with the Rover 75 is that if its a diesel then it will be physically impossible for its owner NOT to tell you that its a BMW engine

 

This is my Rover 75 (with the BMW engine)

You also get the occasional 25 / 45 owner doing the same thing.

[Coprolalia]

I should imagine the people with "old money" drive shiters around us plebs is because they think they are in disguise, and so not going to be mugged, kidnapped or generally pestered for being a stinking rich parasite living off the blood, sweat and tears of generations of hard working mugs.

 

So, that's usually what we catch them driving normally, day to day.

 

When they are safe in the knowledge they won't run the gauntlet of the lower classes, no doubt they jump in the Bentley's and ferrari's etc and have a jolly good wheeze, after all, who the hell else can afford to buy and run these cars except footballers??

 

More I think old money own a car for it's purpose. If they're a petrolhead it'll be a car they like. Otherwise it'll be a car to tow horses/ carry dogs + kids + shopping/ go shooting. They can afford to garage and service it, so that old crusty piece of rammel keeps going. Sentimentality and inheritance is a bit more important too, who the fuck want a bling RR when you've got papa's Series II that still smells of his pipesmoke from your childhood.

 

I don't think they give a damn what other people think, who the fuck are they trying to impress?

[quicksilver]

Interesting debate re. old money vs. new money and I think it's very true, toffs have so much money because they hate to waste it. I reckon the Saab 9000 might fit in this category - I saw one the other day on a Northern Irish plate so I couldn't tell exactly how old it was and it struck me as still looking classy for something that must be over 20 years old and isn't worth a great deal.

[burraston2006]

Used to know a monied family in the distant past. They used to by his and hers jags brand new every year in the same colour then transfer the plates across so the slum tennants general public did not know they had a new car each. Before you ask I know because I used to hang around with their son!

[Junkman]

I don't know, I do know quite a few old money types and neither of them gives me the impression of not enjoying life to the fullest.

The only difference between them and me is that they can afford to give even less shit about everything than I do, which is quite an achievement I must say.

 

Anyway, this thread is not about what rich people drive, it's about cheap chod that makes one appear to be richer than one is.

And in addition to those 50s formal saloons I posted earlier, I would say everything sporting a Daimler badge sure does.

[fatharris]

Anyone said a BINI yet?

[Guest Hooli]

Why? they look like cheap shit even before they get registered.

[Partridge]

images

People often to seem to think I've inheritted this from a rich Grandfather who's had it from new. When I worked in a supermarket (I bought it with Christmas over-time money) a co-worker said to me "you must have a few bob in the bank to run that.".

[JayW]

My X300 Sovereign was 400 nicker and is about to get a hundred quids worth of paint and panels to make it mint. That my friends, is class in a glass.

 

Anyone that says X-Type needs to imagine a Mondeo backing up the cast of To Wong Foo and a certain little Stamp/Pearce/Weaving number*.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*my fave film of all time (but don't tell anyone, I'm still in the closet and the wife and kids don't know. I was thinking of a career in cabaret as "Jayne")

[Timewaster]

Anyone that says X-Type needs to imagine a Mondeo backing up the cast of To Wong Foo and a certain little Stamp/Pearce/Weaving number*.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*my fave film of all time (but don't tell anyone, I'm still in the closet and the wife and kids don't know. I was thinking of a career in cabaret as "Jayne")

Can anyone translate for me please?

[New POD]

Not exactly Budget but these are in my Ebay watch list for some reason.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/141968510738?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

 

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/262455519914?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

 

 

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/252196642209?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

 

 

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/262487776652?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

 

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/262491177208?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

 

[Brodders]

I don't know if the Cayenne qualifies for the "taste" part of the thread.

 

But I have to admit I like the look of early 2000s Mercs, and wouldn't say no if I ever had the opportunity to get one, even though I know it would disintegrate within 5 miles of the place I bought it from.

 

I should probably leave now before I am lynched.

[EssDeeWon]

I bumped into an old neighbour last week on the train home from work. Years back he owned a D reg Rover Sterling then some years later an R reg 827 Sterling, sadly he no longer runs a Rover but his words to me were  "I no longer run anything flash"  which I really liked.

[purplebargeken]

Blue Citroen AX.

[EssDeeWon]

Blue Citroen AX.

 

Sell to someone on instalments with a HUGE final balloon payment, then it will qualify Ken.

[purplebargeken]

Can be arranged

[rantingYoof]

They did 827s to 1997? Dayem. If mine had been an 827 I'd probably still own it now*.

 

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

[JayW]

Can anyone translate for me please?

X-Type is a Mondeo in drag...

[Lord Sterling]

I bumped into an old neighbour last week on the train home from work. Years back he owned a D reg Rover Sterling then some years later an R reg 827 Sterling, sadly he no longer runs a Rover but his words to me were  "I no longer run anything flash"  which I really liked.

*swoon*

 

I guess if I reeled out the crap I own, I would sound like a champagne Charlie; BMW, Mercedes and several Rover 800s.

 

Partridge - I'm glad you got people thinking you had a few bob to run your Sterling. I can't remember anyone thinking that of me when I had my Sterling though I did get a few nice comments about it.