The General Car Thread.

[Ethel mermania]

Exactly. Buying a Jeep because it is in good condition is like eating shit because it is in a gourmet restaurant under the name "merde saute".

And an average college girl is not the best car-buying advisor.

The college girl's opinion on what kind of car she wants trump the opinions expressed on the internet of a eastern European teenager who can't drive, I should think.

I would go with the people shelling out the cash for the car, bUT pretty much yes.

It's a car for a teenage girl to putter around town with that is safe. If it runs reliably, it's a good car.

[Petrolheadia]

1. I told you why we are considering a Prius: because it is very fuel-efficient. It would save us ca. 110 PLZ ($30) a month compared to the Accord and even more compared to the Mondeo.

Actually a Prius wouldn't save you anything (depends on what your other options are though). You have to consider the increase of price the Prius is compared to a car equally its size like a Corolla. I'm too lazy to calculate it for you but depending on where you live, often cars like a Prius won't cover the increase in price of its cost. In the U.S I know that a Prius will never earn itself back in it's lifetime.

Read the post. We are considering a Prius, an Euro Accord and a Mondeo.

[The East Marches]

Actually a Prius wouldn't save you anything (depends on what your other options are though). You have to consider the increase of price the Prius is compared to a car equally its size like a Corolla. I'm too lazy to calculate it for you but depending on where you live, often cars like a Prius won't cover the increase in price of its cost. In the U.S I know that a Prius will never earn itself back in it's lifetime.

Read the post. We are considering a Prius, an Euro Accord and a Mondeo.

Do you have to pay some sort of insane engine tax in Poland?

[Petrolheadia]

Read the post. We are considering a Prius, an Euro Accord and a Mondeo.

Do you have to pay some sort of insane engine tax in Poland?

Gas costs ca. $4 a gallon.

[Costa Fierro]

The college girl's opinion on what kind of car she wants trump the opinions expressed on the internet of a eastern European teenager who can't drive, I should think.

I would go with the people shelling out the cash for the car, bUT pretty much yes.

It's a car for a teenage girl to putter around town with that is safe. If it runs reliably, it's a good car.

Volvo. Can't go wrong with a Volvo. Or a Corolla.

[Petrolheadia]

The next edition of "Let's design a car together" starts today in Forum 7 in 6 hours, is called "Let's design a custom car together" and is based on building a custom car on a budget, starting in 1995.

[Ethel mermania]

I would go with the people shelling out the cash for the car, bUT pretty much yes.

It's a car for a teenage girl to putter around town with that is safe. If it runs reliably, it's a good car.

Volvo. Can't go wrong with a Volvo. Or a Corolla.

Both will cost more than a similarly equipped compass. I don't think you are wrong about reliability, but we don't know how much cost played into the equation.

[Petrolheadia]

Volvo. Can't go wrong with a Volvo. Or a Corolla.

Both will cost more than a similarly equipped compass. I don't think you are wrong about reliability, but we don't know how much cost played into the equation.

Then get her an older car. Or actually pay the extra.

[Petrolheadia]

The next edition of "Let's design a car together" starts today in Forum 7 in 6 hours, is called "Let's design a custom car together" and is based on building a custom car on a budget, starting in 1995.

Postponing until ASAP.

[Auzkhia]

Why get a brand new Toyota Corolla when you can buy these fine used luxury cars for less?!

I particularly like the W124 and the Roadmaster.

[May Mays]

Why get a brand new Toyota Corolla when you can buy these fine used luxury cars for less?!

I particularly like the W124 and the Roadmaster.

You can buy almost any car 10 or more years old with a budget of 20 grand, with the exception of rare badges and exotics.

And with that I'm just going to give my 2 cents and say that I would absolutely but a CTS-V. Absolutely gorgeous car, with a great drivetrain but smooth Cadillac suspension. It would make one hell of a daily driver.

An E36 is another great option. You can find 3 and 5 series for less than 5 grand.

[Petrolheadia]

In the previous chapter:

I'm now gonna start a series of post where I show the history of the European car market:
Chapter 1 - Before The War:
At first, the European car market was like the American: enthusiast companies catering to enthusiasts, selling cars mostly as novelties and trying to make them as advanced and one-upping as possible.

Things started to differentiate in 1895, when the voiturette was invented. It was essentially a car, but with a much smaller body and engine, usually shorter than 3 m (10') and with an engine smaller than 350 cc. Despite their small size, voiturettes were not much less innovative as other car types. Still, they were cars availab group than aristocrats.

Of course, Americans also began building cheaper cars a bit later. But they were different. Instead of making cars smaller, they decided to make them less advanced.

Still, there was a middle ground between voiturettes and other cars. It was exploited by the end of the century by companies like Opel, Peugeot, Austro-Daimler or Fiat, which began building cars able to seat a family, yet cheaper than the more luxurious offerings. Those companies quickly became successful and were outperforming some older ones by the end of the first decade of the 1900s.

In the next decade, new trends started appearing. The assembly line was brought by Ford to England and quickly got adopted by European companies.

Also, at the same time, the small car market was changing. The cyclecar was introduced in England. If you don't know what a cyclecar is, imagine a Morgan 3-Wheeler with 4 wheels, because that's how most of them looked. Nowadays, they would be classified as sports cars, but back then, they were family transport.

In 1913, the English company Trojan started building small cars. But they were different than cyclecars: they had the proportions of a normal car and were a bit bigger, sitting in the gap between cyclecars and normal cars. They started the economy car segment.

And that is all for this chapter.

Now time for Chapter 2 - The Interbellum:

During WWI, the higher-ups in the military realized the advantages of trucks over horses. Trucks did not get scared, need sleep, feeding nor have easily damageable flesh. Because of that, truck production went up.

After the war ended, many trucks became unnecesary in the now-dormant armies. Because of that, the vehicles were sold as military surplus. This helped switching Europe's transport system from horses to trucks.

Also, the middle class was showing greater than ever demand for automobiles. This led to a start of
the economy car class, made to be affordable to an average person. The most notable of those designs was the Austin 7, also made as the Rosengart (France) and BMW Dixi (Germany).

At the same time, governments strived to protect their car markets by putting large tariffs on imported cars. But automakers found ways of going around this. One of them was selling rights to manufacture their cars to companies from other countries, known as licensing. The other one was starting up factories in them. American carmakers did that frequently, due to also eradicating transatlantic transport costs that way.

The second way also helped starting automotive manufacturing in Central, Southern and Eastern European countries. While there was not too much in the way of car brand running knowledge among the locals (the only 2 successful companies from there were Skoda and Praga), the factories had introduced automotive manufacturing with foreign know-how.

In the late 1920s, American carmakers realised what kept them away from success in the European market: the size difference. While American popular cars had engines above 2.5 litres and were longer than 4 metres. At the same time, the popular cars of Europe rarely had engines bigger than 1 litre or bodies longer than 4 metres. This was caused by Europe being in worse economic shape due to the WWI, but not only. (There is actually a ton of reasons)

The Americans did 2 different things. GM bought Opel and Vauxhall, 2 companies manufacturing cars in the European size, while Ford introduced the 1932 Model Y, an European-sized car. Chrysler and other brands were too focused on gaining foothold in America to pursue European success.

In the 1930s, the economy car segment really took off. Many new cars were introduced. But there was 1 thing that was common there: the search of innovation. The 1931 DKW F1 had front wheel drive. The 1933 Standard Superior had a backbone frame. The 1936 Steyr 50 had an unibody construction. The Volkswagen had a rear aircooled engine and a platform frame. Citroen started working on the FWD 2CV.

Also, it was the first time that a government went into car manufacturing. I am speaking of the Volkswagen. It was meant as a part of the "Kraft durch Freude" ("Strength through Joy"), which was based on making the German people support their government due to living in a good economic condition, contrasting with the poverty of the past.

And on the 1st of September 1939, the German Schlezwig-Holstein battleship attacked Westerplatte, starting World War II. It ended the Interbellum and most of the things noticeable in it, including the car market. A new era was coming.

[Petrolheadia]

Another car story where every person adds the next paragraph:
In 1958, James Moore, a 37-year-old single WWII and Korean War veteran working in a DuPont paint factory in quality assurance, who lived in a nicer part of Bronx, bought himself a brand-new VW Beetle. He did that, because the car had good gas mileage and was reliable, at least compared to American cars. After buying the Beetle, he liked it and realised that he does not need a big car anymore. And after he got married (1961) and had his 1st child (1963), he sold the Beetle, wanting to replace it with a Type 2. The Beetle's 2nd owner was...

[Auzkhia]

Why get a brand new Toyota Corolla when you can buy these fine used luxury cars for less?!

I particularly like the W124 and the Roadmaster.

You can buy almost any car 10 or more years old with a budget of 20 grand, with the exception of rare badges and exotics.

And with that I'm just going to give my 2 cents and say that I would absolutely but a CTS-V. Absolutely gorgeous car, with a great drivetrain but smooth Cadillac suspension. It would make one hell of a daily driver.

An E36 is another great option. You can find 3 and 5 series for less than 5 grand.

Yeah, I also like the CTS-V too, it has the LS and not the Northstar. Should be properly quick, it's a real Bimmer botherer.

The E36? I might as well get another W202. To expose my bias, I prefer the C over the 3.

[Arkinesia]

Why get a brand new Toyota Corolla when you can buy these fine used luxury cars for less?!

I particularly like the W124 and the Roadmaster.

You can buy almost any car 10 or more years old with a budget of 20 grand, with the exception of rare badges and exotics.

And with that I'm just going to give my 2 cents and say that I would absolutely but a CTS-V. Absolutely gorgeous car, with a great drivetrain but smooth Cadillac suspension. It would make one hell of a daily driver.

An E36 is another great option. You can find 3 and 5 series for less than 5 grand.

On a budget of 20 grand, you could easily find an E39 540i M Sport that's a museum piece.

[Costa Fierro]

Volvo. Can't go wrong with a Volvo. Or a Corolla.

Both will cost more than a similarly equipped compass. I don't think you are wrong about reliability, but we don't know how much cost played into the equation.

It's probably going to be something that's cheap to buy, cheap to run and reliable. So probably an old Corolla. Or a Civic.

[Lamadia III]

I have seen the new Bentley my dad is buying for my mum for her birthday in a few weeks;
[ http://www.bentleymotors.com/en/models/ ... ur-v8.html ]
A beautiful model, even to somebody like me who knows very little about cars.

[Petrolheadia]

I have seen the new Bentley my dad is buying for my mum for her birthday in a few weeks;
[ http://www.bentleymotors.com/en/models/ ... ur-v8.html ]
A beautiful model, even to somebody like me who knows very little about cars.

I don't want to be rude, but the message I see it conveying is "Look, I can't afford a Mulsanne, so I picked the closest thing!". And it also says "Hey, I cannot afford the V12 model!"

[The East Marches]

I have seen the new Bentley my dad is buying for my mum for her birthday in a few weeks;
[ http://www.bentleymotors.com/en/models/ ... ur-v8.html ]
A beautiful model, even to somebody like me who knows very little about cars.

Very nice choice, I hope it goes well.

[The East Marches]

Do you have to pay some sort of insane engine tax in Poland?

Gas costs ca. $4 a gallon.

I've heard some countries put taxes on cars about a certain displacement. I know the worst place I saw was Turkey where they were paying $12 a gallon for gasoline and most it was tax. Even the UK wasn't that bad.

[Petrolheadia]

Gas costs ca. $4 a gallon.

I've heard some countries put taxes on cars about a certain displacement. I know the worst place I saw was Turkey where they were paying $12 a gallon for gasoline and most it was tax. Even the UK wasn't that bad.

There is a special tax for importing cars above 2.0 l of engine displacement. But if you are not transporting anything across the border, it does not apply.

[Patridam]

I have seen the new Bentley my dad is buying for my mum for her birthday in a few weeks;
[ http://www.bentleymotors.com/en/models/ ... ur-v8.html ]
A beautiful model, even to somebody like me who knows very little about cars.

I don't want to be rude, but the message I see it conveying is "Look, I can't afford a Mulsanne, so I picked the closest thing!". And it also says "Hey, I cannot afford the V12 model!"

You seem to be incapable of not being rude, especially when Lamadia is involved.

Lamadia, while I personally would never really be looking to buy a $200,000 sedan, the Flying Spur is indeed beautiful and about the most competent sedan in that price range. The V8 model with its 500 hp should be more than capable, and the W-12 sucks much more gas and costs much more for only 82 more hp.

[Petrolheadia]

I don't want to be rude, but the message I see it conveying is "Look, I can't afford a Mulsanne, so I picked the closest thing!". And it also says "Hey, I cannot afford the V12 model!"

You seem to be incapable of not being rude, especially when Lamadia is involved.

Lamadia, while I personally would never really be looking to buy a $200,000 sedan, the Flying Spur is indeed beautiful and about the most competent sedan in that price range. The V8 model with its 500 hp should be more than capable, and the W-12 sucks much more gas and costs much more for only 82 more hp.

I was just telling them what sort of implication the car that they will they be spending 200 thousand quid has. I mean, if someone is about to spend the income of a small store chain owner on a car, they should better know all the things about it.

And knowing that the V8 and W12 use similar technologies, I would be suspicious about such a small difference between a 4.2 and a 6 liter engine. As they say, "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch".

[Lamadia III]

I have seen the new Bentley my dad is buying for my mum for her birthday in a few weeks;
[ http://www.bentleymotors.com/en/models/ ... ur-v8.html ]
A beautiful model, even to somebody like me who knows very little about cars.

I don't want to be rude, but the message I see it conveying is "Look, I can't afford a Mulsanne, so I picked the closest thing!". And it also says "Hey, I cannot afford the V12 model!"

With the greatest of respect, what my parents can & can't afford is none of your business. Furthermore, and again, with the greatest of respect, could you ever hope of owning a car even close to the price of that my mother has just purchased? Over £100,000- is that even in your salary range? I really don't like being rude, however my parents own cars worth far, far more than the one they have just bought; a Range Rover Autograph, for instance, a Jaguar, again, far, far more expensive. This car in particular is for my mother at work; she works in Central London, where having a big car is unnecessary, and impractical. The Audi she owns, which is again far more expensive & used for pleasure, would be impractical for her current job, and either way, she refuses to use it in London traffic. As I also mentioned in a previous post, my dad is treating himself to an Aston Martin in a few months. Very exciting, I am sure you will agree.
So yes, I don't want to be rude, when you have the financial clout to buy anything near the cars my parents have worked hard to be able to afford, then you can make that post. Otherwise;

So sorry everybody is that seemed rather nouveau riche, however I felt I had to put him right!

I have seen the new Bentley my dad is buying for my mum for her birthday in a few weeks;
[ http://www.bentleymotors.com/en/models/ ... ur-v8.html ]
A beautiful model, even to somebody like me who knows very little about cars.

Very nice choice, I hope it goes well.

Thank you. Slightly cheaper than the other model, but still, very lucky to have a nice car. I understand they are more reliable than Jags?

[Ethel mermania]

You seem to be incapable of not being rude, especially when Lamadia is involved.

Lamadia, while I personally would never really be looking to buy a $200,000 sedan, the Flying Spur is indeed beautiful and about the most competent sedan in that price range. The V8 model with its 500 hp should be more than capable, and the W-12 sucks much more gas and costs much more for only 82 more hp.

I was just telling them what sort of implication the car that they will they be spending 200 thousand quid has. I mean, if someone is about to spend the income of a small store chain owner on a car, they should better know all the things about it.

And knowing that the V8 and W12 use similar technologies, I would be suspicious about such a small difference between a 4.2 and a 6 liter engine. As they say, "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch".

You give me a 200k car, I am not going to bitch about engine displacement.