Unpopular Motoring Opinion Thread

[Scruffy Bodger]

1 hour ago, loserone said:

My unpopular motoring opinion is that having good tyres appropriate for the local climate and conditions is a good idea.

What are you on about? Parada Spec 2's are perfectly* suited for snow in rural Shropshire 🤪

[Spiny Norman]

Here's a good one...

The Clarkson, Hammond and May era of Top Gear was not only by far and away the best incarnation of the show, it was also the best motoring themed mainstream TV show ever.
Also, Jeremy Clarkson is a hugely knowledgeable motoring journalist.

[Barry Cade]

Subaru Impreza's are a vet's car with a VW 411 engine and a big turbo. They didn't do anything the Audi Quattro couldnt , made a stupid noise, Rusted badly and weren't even good looking. Never driven one that's impressed me. The Legacy was a better car.

[Barry Cade]

5 minutes ago, yes oui si said:

The cars with K-series engines I've driven have all been nippy and responsive, and you can see why so many engine tuners love them... But it doesn't matter how good the engineering is if you're going to let brummies build them. 

You'd think, but the tolerances  they were built  to and the fact that all the layers , most gasketless didn't give more problems  and the bhp/litre efficiency that they gave, along with the influence Honda had on the company at the time meant they were way ahead of the game on build too. Just a pity they didn't realise this in 76 with the SD1....  I was just leafing through a What Car from 1991- cars of the year. Rover cleaned up in quite a few categories. They really were a viable company at that time.

[yes oui si]

1 minute ago, Barry Cade said:

You'd think, but the tolerances  they were built  to and the fact that all the layers , most gasketless didn't give more problems  and the bhp/litre efficiency that they gave, along with the influence Honda had on the company at the time meant they were way ahead of the game on build too. Just a pity they didn't realise this in 76 with the SD1....  I was just leafing through a What Car from 1991- cars of the year. Rover cleaned up in quite a few categories. They really were a viable company at that time.

Absolutely a design ahead of its time, and I wouldn't dispute that. 

Worth noting that they were put in cars and sold to people who treated them like an A Series or Pinto. A friend's dad had a Rover dealership at the time of launch and despite giving customers the 'this is a modern engine that needs to be treated well' spiel along with care instructions, they got kettled regularly. 

[Barry Cade]

10 minutes ago, yes oui si said:

Absolutely a design ahead of its time, and I wouldn't dispute that. 

Worth noting that they were put in cars and sold to people who treated them like an A Series or Pinto. A friend's dad had a Rover dealership at the time of launch and despite giving customers the 'this is a modern engine that needs to be treated well' spiel along with care instructions, they got kettled regularly. 

Mind you. Pintos used to eat camshafts.... because the oil hadn't been changed for 30k and the spray bar was blocked.. 

 

[Metal Guru]

All Audis and BMWs are fitted with functioning indicators.

[Dobloseven]

7 hours ago, Barry Cade said:

Mind you. Pintos used to eat camshafts.... because the oil hadn't been changed for 30k and the spray bar was blocked.. 

 

But changing them was a Saturday morning job and the Asian run motor spares shops in the shopping parades kept them on the shelf!

[Dj_efk]

Oh here’s one - Citroen 2CVs are as good as the sum of their parts - a weedy lawnmower engine bolted to a number of pieces of corrugated iron with a few deckchairs sprinkled inside.

Having bought a nice example I couldn’t wait to offload it asap the first time I took it out of a 30mph zone - where it went from being a hilarious clown car on the corners and roundabouts to a terrifying instrument of torture.

I managed to double my money by selling it to some nutter in Malaysia in the end!

[Split_Pin]

Renault Clio 172/182s are overrated.

Based on my 2 year ownership experience of one which had received a lot of mechanical attention before I bought it:

- Horribly rust prone. 

- Totally unreliable. The basic engine is very robust but everything else is utter dug meat. Injectors, sensors, etc are a constant worry.

- Shady electrics

- Shite build quality

- ...and above all, not that fast. An average mid-range 1.8/2 litre car can keep up with them in a straight line.

EVERYTHING went wrong with mine in the 2 years I had it. Injectors, coolant leaks, PAS leaks, earths. It was also hugely rotten and I fucked it off during Covid when my hand went through the outrigger and sill.

'Old car' is no excuse as I have had about ten other cars since then of a similar age and all have by and large been easy to live with. 

Also, it was a big disappointment after my truly excellent 2001 MK1 Megane which was none of the above things. Even though it was just a 1.4 it was actually quite nippy and both fun to drive and supremely comfortable.  I never had any bother with it.

[rantingYoof]

Diesel convertibles are just wrong.

There is nowt much more depressing then seeing an Audi A3 convertible in Bosch white, clagging away in a traffic queue proudly displaying a '1.6TDi' badge.

[Rust Collector]

Automatic gearboxes are the best gearbox for 99% of a normal person's driving.

[loserone]

Electric cars are the best cars for 99% of a normal person's driving.

[Rust Collector]

The Skoda Favorit is a better car then the Mk2 Golf.

[24vdiamond]

1 hour ago, Dj_efk said:

Oh here’s one - Citroen 2CVs are as good as the sum of their parts - a weedy lawnmower engine bolted to a number of pieces of corrugated iron with a few deckchairs sprinkled inside.

Having bought a nice example I couldn’t wait to offload it asap the first time I took it out of a 30mph zone - where it went from being a hilarious clown car on the corners and roundabouts to a terrifying instrument of torture.

I managed to double my money by selling it to some nutter in Malaysia in the end!

I owned one for 24 hours, didnt drive it just bought it and sold it on for a tidy profit!

[MorrisItalSLX]

The cars built by British Leyland / Austin Rover were no worse than the cars produced by their contemporaries.

[MrGTI6]

A coupe has to have 2 doors. 

[philibusmo]

A MK4 golf is more fun to drive than the equivalent MK1 focus.

[MiniMinorMk3]

10 hours ago, Barry Cade said:

Mind you. Pintos used to eat camshafts.... because the oil hadn't been changed for 30k and the spray bar was blocked.. 

 

 

3 hours ago, Dobloseven said:

But changing them was a Saturday morning job and the Asian run motor spares shops in the shopping parades kept them on the shelf!

We sold them at MDC and upsold them to anyone buying oil and a filter for a Pinto.

[Bazfr69]

It is perfectly fine to buy a ‘classic’ car and modify it in anyway you see fit. 
It's your car, you aren’t a caretaker or custodian for a theoretical future owner. 

[rantingYoof]

A coupe has to have 2 doors. 

To move this on. A 'coupe-fied' five door SUV is the most offensively pointless and unnecessary body shape of any vehicle type in existence.

[EyesWeldedShut]

16 hours ago, twosmoke300 said:

Japanese cars aren’t maintenance free !

All modern cars are maintenance free (at least until the PCP lapses)

[twosmoke300]

1 hour ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

 

We sold them at MDC and upsold them to anyone buying oil and a filter for a Pinto.

Engine out or head off? Chose your poison

[MiniMinorMk3]

52 minutes ago, rantingYoof said:

2 hours ago, MrGTI6 said:

A coupe has to have 2 doors. 

To move this on. A 'coupe-fied' five door SUV is the most offensively pointless and unnecessary body shape of any vehicle type in existence.

Incorrect, it is the convertible SUV.

[MiniMinorMk3]

Fast Fords are not worth the money people pay for them.

I'd much rather spend my money of a rusting Italian from Alfa Romeo or Lancia.

[5speedracer]

3 hours ago, loserone said:

Electric cars are the best cars for 99% of a normal person's driving.

I'm having to quote here as there is no contentious emoji 😉

[Dobloseven]

1 hour ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

 

We sold them at MDC and upsold them to anyone buying oil and a filter for a Pinto.

Motorist Discount Centres,bloody hell, there's a blast from the past!Remember Emergency Spares as well.

[Spiny Norman]

Electric cars are a folly, a blind avenue we're being led down in a bid to sell more profitable cars.

[Sham]

2 hours ago, Spiny Norman said:

Electric cars are a folly, a blind avenue we're being led down in a bid to sell more profitable cars.

This. They aren't eco friendly beyond the local area to where they're being driven - even if the electricity used is 100% renewable. And unless you only ever charge at home, they're a pain. An expensive pain.

Spoken as someone who owns one.

[Split_Pin]

All cars made before 1980 were, essentially, complete rubbish.