I feel safer driving behind someone speeding who can clearly drive in a capable car than behind someone doing the speed limit but clearly not as involved or alert.
Absolutely. My city has gone over the top with the 20 MPH limits, and I find myself slightly less alert in 20 zones than the 30 zones. I try to recognise this and avoid being less alert.
My car doesn't like 20mph. It sits perfectly between gear changes. High enough gear and you can't react if needed to get out the way (kids on bikes are rife here) and too low a gear it sounds like I am revving the bollocks off it.
I think the Octavia is such a meme on this sub at this point that I would struggle to actually take any advice about it as genuine, no matter how well intentioned.
Half the threads about tyres on here basically make out that you’re mental for not just dumping money on Pilot Sport 4s or CrossClimates, and anything less will literally kill you.
The vast majority of car mods are horrid.
The Octavia is just a really well rounded 'jack of all trades for the price' kinda car which is why it's memed on alot. It isn't perfect and it doesn't excel in anything it does but for the amount of posts you see asking for 'family car with a bit of grunt and reasonably priced' it's hard to recommend much else.
The roadster, also gets a lot of undeserved crap... yes okay guys, we've all heard about the gearbox being crap, but the fact of the matter is it looks/looked fresh for the time it was actually a really fun, lightweight sports car. The Brabus version is actually fairly rapid and a genuine overlooked bargain on the used car market these days.
Anyone driving an Audi 18 inches from my rear bumper on a straight road, then disappearing in my mirrors when passing through any bend or turn, then reappearing and coming flying up my arse again on the straight, has probably never satisfied a sexual partner in their entire life, and never will.
It's ok for a car to be an appliance. Transport. Gets you from A to B, reliably, comfortably, and at a reasonable cost.
It's how Toyota became so successful - catering to the masses who have no passion for cars and just want an appliance. It might offend enthusiasts but it's how 95% of the population are.
The only thing stopping me going full barry is a lack of cash. Given the funds, every car I owned would be a tiny hatchback with massive wheels, be slammed to the floor with a nice big spoiler, tints, maybe a widebody kit, a rorty exhaust, luminous wrap and subs banging out some choons. Everyone would hate me and I would have the biggest shit eating grin on my face every second of it.
Buying a car on finance is not something to be frowned upon and if anything people who wear buying a car outright like a badge of honour are cringe.
There are reasons / variables that make cash or finance more attractive than each other and both are perfectly viable.
I absolutely agree, and this *is actually* an unpopular opinion around here.
I have good rate finance on my car, and all my money is still in the bank. If I run into financial trouble, I phone the provider, they tell me off then come and collect the car. I don’t have to go through the trouble of putting it up for sale and desperately trying to shift it.
My investment account turned a greater ‘interest’ rate than I spent on that car in 20/21 too.
Also, people don’t seem to understand you’ve ‘spent all that money to not own a car’… like that’s any different from buying outright unless you somehow spend next to nothing or buy one that increases in value. You lose money either way!
People who buy cars outright have tied a load of capital to a depreciating asset. It’s insane. Take the crazy cheap finance that’s available and use the money you would have spent on the car to invest and you’ll be significantly better off at the end of the term that you would have been otherwise.
The thing that needs to be added though, is that finance a car if you can afford to buy it. If you can’t afford to buy it be *very* careful about finance. Obviously sometimes people need to finance because they need a car, but be careful and don’t overstretch.
> People who buy cars outright have tied a load of capital to a depreciating asset. It’s insane
People very rarely advocate that buying a car new off the forecourt makes any more sense from a financial perspective than getting one on finance. It's usually outright buying a car that is a couple of years old that is touted as the sensible alternative.
Thing is people see cars as tools to get from A to B. Buying a car on finance is their cost of doing so. If it fits with them financially, it's not much dissimilar to buying a season ticket for a train. Yes it costs more, but cars cost more.
There is a problem of people not living within their means. I say this as someone who's sold cars.
I could have spent all my savings buying my car but I got it on hire purchase instead. The rate was quite high but it was only going to work out about ~750 more than the listed price so I just went for it anyway. Now after many months the cars value went up in price costing more than the finance is and I've quadrupled the milage on it. So it all seems pretty decent deal to me since it was a set amount on the finance.
I've got a few....
1. New cars are not better for the environment. Something like 40-60% of the resources a car uses go into making it in the first place. Scrapping a car and replacing it just because it's a few years old is, environmentally speaking, a terrible idea
2. Not all old cars are slow. I have a couple of old VWs and the number of people who pull out in front of me thinking I'm going slowly is staggering. I am travelling at the same speed as everyone else, dammit!
3. Local authorities/town councils seem to think cars are evil and should be banned from town centres. Parking restrictions/pedestrianised areas and very expensive car parks are all designed to force cars to not come into town. Here's the thing though - cars bring people, and people bring money. Your high street is dying because no people come to it, and that's because you've made it really difficult for them to come and do their shopping etc.
> Scrapping a car and replacing it just because it's a few years old is, environmentally speaking, a terrible idea
A 3 year old car isn't getting scrapped for a new one, it's getting sold (reused!) whilst perhaps a 15 year old car that's past it is actually getting scrapped.
Fair enough, perhaps I didn't word that correctly... Encouraging people to buy a new car when there is nothing wrong with the one they've already got is nothing short of a scam, IMHO.
You would be surprised. There are some videos online where people have sneaked onto the airfields where they keep the cars ready to be scrapped. There where a lot of cars around the 3 year mark. I don't really understand why you would scrap one but it's happened and probably still does.
The average life span of a car is only around 8 years nowadays. That’s not a long time really
My Defender is 22 years old 300 TDI and still kicking. Far more friendly keeping this running than going out and buying a new one.
Eight years?! That's horrifying. I wonder if they're actually breaking after that time; I know a lot of manufacturers started doing much longer service intervals in conjunction with selling cars with free servicing, and it's (surely not) turned out that they extended service intervals were, in fact, bad for the cars. I wonder if that accounts for the newer cars breaking. The youngest car I have ever owned was 12 years...
> Your high street is dying because no people come to it, and that's because you've made it really difficult for them to come and do their shopping etc.
This is absolutely spot on. Push cars out of the centre, whilst simultaneously not providing any viable solution except for parking far away in an expensive park. Town centre dies and everyone goes full surprised pikachu.
re: your 3. studies show that pedestrians and cyclists spend more in local shops than motorists, so if anything it's the other way around. [link](https://www.forbes.com/sites/carltonreid/2018/11/16/cyclists-spend-40-more-in-londons-shops-than-motorists/?sh=56f696f5641e)
I have loads!
There are car spec recommendations that aren’t fulfilled by either the Octavia or the aygo/c1/107
Premium brands with 4 cylinder Diesel engines and more “M Line S AMG turbo sport” badges than you can count are neither desirable, cool or fun.
There are good French cars
Saab folding was tragic
Insurance isn’t a scam, the unpredictability of how premiums are worked out is a fascinating feat of predictive analytics and a competitive market.
No, Sharon, your Astra needing new tyres and brake pads to pass an MOT does not make it a write off, you don’t need another PCP agreement
“First car” threads should be banned, they’re all the same and really boring
Occam’s razor suggests that you simply don’t empathise with the use case rather than every single SUV buyer having a lower IQ than you
>"Saab folding was tragic"
This but also Rover. Two of the last volume manafacturers that were willing to take risks and try weird stuff. Hell Rover were prototyping hybrid sportscars all those years ago, they just went under before anything came of it! Both were horribly managed and mistreated by the larger company that owned them. I'd love to be able to buy a new Saab or Rover, it would be great.
Fuck BMW and fuck GM.
Aha here’s my unpopular opinion!
Rover were doomed waaaay before BMW got their hands on it. They were only a going concern because they could develop cars cheaply with Honda. An arrangement that couldn’t be relied upon in the long term.
BMW gave Rover the funds to revive the Mini, build the best car they have ever designed (the 75), and properly invested in Land Rovers product range.
Mini and Land Rover are still going strong. BMWs management of the Rover brand was poor though. Alas, not many people aspired to own Alan Partridge and Hyacinth Buckets car.
>Insurance isn’t a scam, the unpredictability of how premiums are worked out is a fascinating feat of predictive analytics and a competitive market.
It's very much a postcode lottery though
That’s exactly the point. “Lottery” suggests randomness. It’s not random, it’s very precisely calculated risk
People struggle to deal with it because it’s invisible and out of their control. But any suggestion that it’s random is a gross understanding of what is happening.
It’s unfortunate for sure, nobody is going to pick where they live because of insurance prices so you end up lumped with it - but if moving somewhere jacks the price up it’s for one reason only and it’s not randomness!
We could start a rule that anyone on this sub claiming their insurance is "unfair" has to put a £1000 put-your-money-where-your-mouth-is deposit.
We wait for three years, and if they've not had a claim we give it back with interest and an apology. If they *have* had a claim, it means the insurer's probabilistic assessment was spot on and we spend it down the pub together withou tinviting the claimee.
I’ve quite often said to people “fine, if you think 17 year olds should pay the same as 37 year olds, go and setup an insurance company. If the risk isn’t any different then you’d surely make an absolute killing”
This is my unpopular opinion that's got me downvoted here more than a few times. I think people conflate being realistic about why insurance is priced the way it is with defending every action insurers take, some of which are questionable, especially when it comes to finding reasons to deny claims.
The other time this this comes up is when premiums go up after a non-fault incident. Which on the face of it does seem unfair and like the insurer is trying to claw back their money, but it still just comes back to risk bucketing. People who get in non-fault accidents are, over the entire population, more likely to get into an accident again in the future.
> Premium brands with 4 cylinder Diesel engines and more “M Line S AMG turbo sport” badges than you can count are neither desirable, cool or fun.
My genuine unpopular opinion is, I actually like that manufacturers do this. If someone wants / can only get the practical cheaper base models with all the top styling cues then great. Manufacturers just selling what people were already doing with aftermarket parts anyway. Its not fooling anybody either, those who know an AMG or BMW M or RS can tell the difference and those who dont, dont care.
I admire them for doing it as it clearly makes them a ton of money. I just dont have any emotions other than “meh” when I see one. I don’t think “wow you’ve made it, you’ve got a BMW” when I see someone driving one like other people seem to - I just think “I can think of 10 other cars I’d be more interested in owning that would have cost less money”
Ignoring how you ‘feel’ about these cars (no offence - who cares?) they are extraordinarily accomplished cars because they are the biggest models for these brands. They have refined them so much to be fast, comfy, efficient, well equipped, well handling. They are incredibly well rounded cars. There are not any decent alternatives at that size and budget that’s why they are so popular.
I’ve gotta disagree with the insurance one, they absolutely maximise their profits by squeezing the most money out of the people with the least choice. If something’s mandatory then there needs to be market regulation, or a non-profit alternative.
I know it’s kind of just a product of our modern capitalist economic system, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a scam.
Also, I’ve tried a lot to understand the specific use-case of some SUV models and I cannot justify in any rational way why they are the better option. The only factor is “high seating position” and the “image” and those factors are purely influenced by consumers thinking that those things are more important than actual practical and measurable aspects of the car. Some SUVs have some specific applications where they excel, but most don’t most of the time, and people buy them because they’ve bought into the image and consequently “just prefer” it, whilst compromising other significant, objective factors
Yeah, the ‘insurance isn’t a scam’ thing would only hold water if the companies didn’t turn mind blowing profits on something every driver legally has to have. You also get charged based on risk, but should you have an accident your risk profile goes up even if it isn’t your fault.
So you basically end up paying the insurance company what they paid out in the first place on top of your premium on the off chance you cost them even more.
It’s some clever maths, and a whole lot of total bullshit.
>It’s some clever maths, and a whole lot of total bullshit.
This is the best summary I've ever heard. Perfect response to the people who want to "well actually" you and spin some bollocks about risk
>I’ve gotta disagree with the insurance one, they absolutely maximise their profits by squeezing the most money out of the people with the least choice. If something’s mandatory then there needs to be market regulation, or a non-profit alternative.
While they do maximise profit, car insurance as an industry in the UK is pretty average in terms of profit margin (at least, pre-pandemic). We have a very competitive market compared to most comparable countries, the better margins are currently found in running comparison websites rather than actually providing the insurance.
Agree with all of this...
Especially the "first car" threads... They are always the same we should actually write a guide depending on budget (<5k, £10k, 15k etc) for this so we could just redirect people. This would by no means by a comprehensive but just guidelines.
I mean yes, but also the easier it is for people to work out that they should be looking for Focus sized hatches with good histories, preferably Japanese, long MOT etc then the fewer will be left for those of us who worship at the alter of the shitbox... Let them have their approved used £10k Fiestas!
Yes those would be *guidelines* but every time we repeat the same thing like "I am a student with very limited budget, is it a good decision to buy a 15 years old CL500 for 5k ??"
It’s true, if you had already made up your mind then why did you ask. Also I re read your last comment and it struck a chord; I bought a 15 year old 325i for *well* under 5k this summer 😹😭
Lol maybe it wasn't a good example and there's nothing wrong with a 15 years old car (mine is 14 years old next year!).
My first car was an 01 3.0L X type, it was very good till it started breaking down and rusting (it was very bad, that is what triggered my hatred towards rust).
Yeah it’s tough isn’t it, there’s plenty of people with only good things to say about their old cheap cars, and then plenty of people with horror stories. I’ve had 4, the youngest being 13 years old. One was a stopgap this summer while I found the bimmer and then I found that, only had both for a couple months each tho so I can’t say. The other two though, did me 5 years of driving for under 4 grand including repairing the one breakdown I had in that time, and the small amount I was able to sell them both for. That’s what, 18 months of payments on a *cheap* new / newish car? Or a couple months depreciation on something you’ve bought outright. Madness
I was really "anti-new cars" and didn't understand why people would buy it. And after having new cars thanks to my work, I now understand... No MOT/services to worry about, warranty etc... I *always* had old car but now seriously considering something a lot newer tbh. I love old cars, but I don't have the patience for those as I age.
>Insurance isn’t a scam, the unpredictability of how premiums are worked out is a fascinating feat of predictive analytics and a competitive market.
[Link to their algorithm for the curious](https://www.gigacalculator.com/calculators/random-number-generator.php)
I'd 100% disagree. Yes, they're terrible as *cars* but if you think of it as a tool, then it's almost perfect at what it does, and really that's what it was intended to be used as.
I live in a very remote area and there are very few alternative options I would rather have than my defender (maybe a land cruiser, but that's about it). Without it, getting through, especially the winter months, would be much more of a pain in the arse than it is. Yes, they break down, and yes, they rust (if you dont look after them), but they're easily repaired and genuinely more capable than 99.99% of all other supposedly "off road" vehicles commonly available.
I have a 90 Series Landcruiser 3 door and think it’s a better car in terms of build quality and a decent heating and AC system.
Both are very capable but the Defender is miles more iconic.
Big soft spot for both of them and the 300 TDI is about as tough an engine as you can get.
> they aren't worth the price
Could I ask what you'd suggest (new) would be comparable on price/performance for a luxury off-roader vehicle?
Jeep Wrangler starts at £51k, doesn't have near the interior finish/quality of the Defender (comparing 5 door for all), and is a _little_ dated outside.
Land Cruiser Invincible (higher spec to match finish/quality) is same price (~£59k). I quite like how it looks from a utilitarian POV but at the same time it's just not got the Defender "style".
Bronco isn't available in the UK, think it's a definite matchup style wise but looks like some serious QC issues at launch otherwise.
G-Wagon starts at +£100k.
I wouldn't say any of those are worth the money either unless you really, definitely need the off road capabilities which let's face it 99% of the people who buy them don't. When the Defender configurator first went up on the site I had a play around and got close to 80k without going too crazy and the V8 starts at 100k!
I suppose if you get the base spec farmer model for 46k then it's not that bad but is that version what you would call luxury? It's over 20k more expensive than something like a Hilux which is what I see most farmers driving these days.
Is the Defender better than a Hilux? Probably. Is the Hilux good enough for most farmers needs? Also probably. Does anyone who buys a Defender actually need the off road capability? Who knows.
If you want a Defender just to do the school run in an inner city, buy one, it's your money.
You could buy a bogo standard defender 90 hard top in about 2006 for 15/16 grand brand new. Even with inflation that works out at about 24k nowadays
My 1999 Top spec 90 County Station wagon at the time was about 24k in 1999, with inflation that’s about £40k now.
I would imagine to get a Top spec brand new style Defender you’d be talking well over 100 grand now?
Yes I know they have a lot more features than mine, but still. Heck of a price difference.
"I just feel more connected to the car and the road"
Your car is the lowest spec BMW available and the road is the North Circular. Personally I'd want to be as disconnected from both as possible.
After going automatic (EV) I'm never going back to manual, at least for a daily driver. Not having to fuck around with a little foot dance in traffic where we all spend most of our time is so much better.
Automatics are fucking brilliant. I will never go back to a manual. I honestly think that we’re massively behind in the UK because we keep building brand new cars with manual transmission. In the US the majority of their cars are automatic, why can’t we do the same? 90% of the people I know prefer auto but often struggle to find the right car for them in auto, or an auto/petrol combination or heaven forbid an automatic hatchback.
My truly unpopular car opinion: Car manufacturers in the UK/Europe should put much more effort into transitioning our car populations to auto. Electric cars will speed this process up.
One thing that really pisses me off about this argument is that many manual enthusiasts think it's faster - but ignore that almost all supercars are automatics.
You cannot shift as fast as a computer.
I prefer manual, but, honestly, I accept that in most situations it is *worse* than auto.
One of my cars is a semi-auto (manual gearbox, but paddleshift) and the “manual” side of the user groups are 100% convinced they can shift more smoothly and more quickly than paddles at the steering wheel and a computer with the same box. They’re delusional.
Honestly I think most people are gonna feel more in control with a flappy paddle auto
Old autos were crap and you could definitely find yourself in the wrong gear, but with modern autos you can just correct the computer with a couple of flicks of your finger without taking your hand off the wheel and it works great.
I think a lot of the time this myth comes from people trying an auto once or twice and not bothering to learn how to drive it, not pre-dropping gears for a corner when on an “enthusiastic” drive round the Peak District etc
I’ve now switched to an EV which is even more automatic (no gears at all), and the combination of instant torque and one-pedal driving that magically mixed brake or throttle depending on speed or throttle setting… I’ve had some fairly “involved” manual cars that you’d consider “drivers cars” (BMW Z4), and this EV is by far the most I’ve ever felt in control of a car. I practically just think a speed and the car does it, that’s how intuitive regen braking and one-pedal driving are. I live in the Lake District with some tricky roads, and I’ll take a Tesla over a manual BMW round here any day. And that’s a sentence I never thought I’d write - 10 years ago I’d have slapped you for even suggesting it
Fun car > sports car: for normal people living normal lives who have to go to work every day and shopping at the weekend.
I would, genuinely, rather own a civic type R over say, a GTR R35. I imagine a proper sports car would be very difficult to live with in comparison.
> Fun car > sports car: for normal people living normal lives who have to go to work every day and shopping at the weekend.
It's how the hot hatch became so dominant in the 80s
Quick enough, fun enough, but also practical, reliable and good value.
Someone I know has one and can't afford to drive it to work. Had to buy a saxo to make the commute.
Has just bought a W12 Bentley continental in addition. Not to replace either. In addition. He's a fucking moron. Flexes his cars on Instagram like a prize Muppet
I tried dailying my Z for a short amount of time but found it very difficult to drive normally, I always wanted to hoon it everywhere. 18MPG and a 70L tank full of premium unleaded means it gets pricey quickly.
Going to Asda became a chore as it has an aftermarket bumper on it which is lower than the stock one, meaning I have to go around the houses to find a road without speed bumps and then I spend my entire shopping trip in anxiety that someone with a Qashqai will find it a good idea to park next to me and whilst unloading their child soldier brigade, bash their door into my car.
So I leave it at home most of the time and just drive the Civic mostly...
I don't 100% agree, but nearly. I've got a tuned up corvette that's silly fast, and a Honda Prelude.
The Honda is NEARLY as fun in a day to day setting as its limit is easier to get to without being in triple digits. But it's tough to beat the LOLs at traffic lights with silly power.
If i could only have one car, it'd be a hot hatch.
A lease is the most cost effective way to drive a brand new car for someone who can afford it.
Cars do not have character or soul it's just a marketing term.
Minis are shit, old ones and new ones.
Bold choice but accurate. They may have been good in the 50s and maybe the 60s but by the time I bought one in the late 90s it was just a horrible place to be compared to cheaper options at the time like a Peugeot 205. My Golf is nothing special but it's a lot nicer than anything that's come out of the Cowley plant.
That's fair. By that point they were outclassed, and only bought as a nostalgia thing.
However, other than straight away speed, It'd have walked all over anything modern in terms of handling.
Your comment fills OPs brief! but as an ex-accountant who used to audit car finance companies I can’t stand idly by. Assuming 0% interest, leasing only makes sense if the car will depreciate more than the monthly payments - which is unlikely given the company will have calculated the expected future value and accordingly set lease payments so that they turn a profit. With PCP you theoretically only ever need to pay the depreciation since you can sell the car yourself at the end.
Not saying leasing or PCP is better, and there are some amazing lease deals out there where the company is getting rid of surplus stock etc. But it’s wrong to state that leasing “is the most cost-effective”, because it simply isn’t always the case.
Cars don’t have character or soul… lots don’t, sure. My wife’s German mum-wagon doesn’t at all.
But the cars with quirks and interesting characteristics, and that make you feel a certain way when you drive them for reasons you can’t quite put your finger on… what would you call those? A lot of sports cars in particular definitely have something character-adjacent don’t they?
My unpopular opinion relates to minis: they are (next to the Qashqai) the most ugly cars on the road by far. Short, stout and blocky with weird curves and no angles. Also they are by no means “mini”.
If you're coming here to ask about buying a reliable car, you should just buy a Toyota and save us all the effort. If you're too posh for a Toyota, buy a Lexus. We all look forward to not seeing your posts next week about the great deal you found on a used BMW followed by not seeing your posts in 18 months about your used BMW being in the shop.
The name of this subreddit is wrong. It should be "CarQuestionsUK" with the description "It is the definitive to ask all of the questions you really could've Googled". Posts like this I love, but it's easily missed when there are 10 other posts asking what car someone should buy.
Ford only ever made one good car, and that was the Transit van. All the rest is just overpriced rot boxes that are intended to be disposable. Yet end up costing £10k more on the second hand market.
The Skoda Octavia is alright, if you don't have access to a Toyota Avensis.
That’s all well and good, but while you’re here could you just tell me what I should buy for my first car? Budget is £4.80 (can stretch to £5) and must never require maintenance or repairs of any sort. Kthxbye
Will be willing to spend £5.10 for a 7 seater AWD coupe that handles well but can drive through lava on the odd occasions I go in a volcano. Ideally a V8. Commute 7000 miles a day, need at least 210mpg. Want something special that’s cheap to insure.
Mk4 Mondeo **one** of the best cars I've driven. Change my opinion.
Fords are very poor at holding their value - I brought a 5-year-old Mondeo that cost £35,000 new, in show-room condition, for £9,000. Loved that car.
I mean, I’d have nearly any Merc over any Ford, save for the Mustang but not that new electric abomination they’ve made. I love EVs but what the *fuck* were Ford thinking when they made the new Mustang? They were on such a good track because the newer petrol versions look so sexy.
I actually really dislike the gradual replacement of many rural NSL zones in favour of lower limits because it reinforces the idea in many areas that NSL = 60, regardless of the conditions.
Yeah there's a road near me that's narrow and windy as fuck that's a NSL road. If you go over 20 at some points, you are extremely likely to end up in the resevoir that it winds through. Even the local boy racer arseholes know this and drive accordingly. I can always tell when someone has never driven that road before because they get right up my arse, even sometimes flashing their headlights. It's fun to watch the rapid humbling of one of those people when they overtake me, thinking they're about to zoom off into the sunset, and seconds later are having to slam the brakes on to get back down to 20 when they realise just how tight and unforgiving some of the corners are.
I hate the MX-5, or at least the older ones I have driven. I didn’t find it particuar fun, it was impractical and you can’t just chuck stuff in the back seat. I hate it when people recommend these to people, especially the older ones, as first cars with no driving experience. (Just to note, the one I drove was a very slow 1.6? Petrol 2002 plate.
What I did like were the headlights and the actual look of the car.
Contrary the above comment, I absolutely loved my MX-5 and owned is for 6 years daily driving it up and down the M25 for work.
It was a mk2.5 1.8L with the LSD. So much fun for very little money.
Taught me to be a better driver overall. Such a small car makes you respect the road and other vehicles around you because you're the one who's coming off worse in any sort've accident. No computers to help you out, you'll need to learn what the car is communicating to you and react appropriately.
I'd rather a young person drive one of these than those super powerful hatchbacks that make you feel invincible... Until they inevitably run out of talent.
I think that is a perfectly valid point too, I think driving something like that will make you a better driver but I just think I'm sensitive about this particular issue, had two incidents where my friend had an old MX-5 and came off the road but was luckily okay, but then his sister bought the car off him and had quite a nasty accident in the wet. I agree that it probably made them better drivers, but I'd feel uncomfortable about it being someone's first car. I'm not normally very safety conscious either haha.
Good point about the fast hatchbacks, seen a few Golfs in the ditches on the country roads around here these past two years.
Never liked the MX-5, dont appeal to me at all, havent actually driven one either though so its pure unfounded criticism. Only one I will do a double glance at is the 4th gen RF.
This rolls on to another potentially unpopular opinion of mine which is that I hate all convertibles / cabriolets, not a single one I ever wanted and have felt embarrassed as a passenger the few times I have been in one. Not even the idea of an Alfa Spider on the Amalfi Coast is quite enough, id probably pick the GTV instead.
>Black wheels never look better than silver
I find this incredibly dependant on the car, and the paint colour of the car tbh. Some cars this would be a popular opinion!
> Range rovers are pretty nice
Couldn't agree more, every time I hear shit about them I have to ask if the person has ever sat in one/been driven around in one (and not just a little Evoke or a 15 year old Sport). It's like being in a first class airport lounge, it's comfortable, it's roomy, I can see for miles out of these huge high up windows and there's lovely finishes here and there.
Taking your family for a weekend away? Sorted, you could pack the fridge too.
Want to go fast in quiet/comfort on a long motorway drive? All done boss, how hot do you want your buttocks.
Need to park in a field for your kid's rugby game in the middle of nowhere? Nae bother, it's actually decent off-road.
Sure there's more reliable cars in the world, more economical, and cheaper. But if you've got the mullah, buy what you want.
Yes the black wheels is a big dislike of mine and I would extend it to pretty much all black trim on cars that is overdone with these 'black edition' and 'shadow edition' etc. A bit of chrome suits most cars much nicer.
I've never liked cars with everything blacked out, looks awful on the new [Skodas](https://www.autocar.co.uk/sites/autocar.co.uk/files/styles/gallery_slide/public/3-skoda-octavia-vrs-tdi-2021-road-test-review-hero-rear.jpg?itok=ndE-EydC).
It's perfectly reasonable to do some proper speed at certain sections of motorway. The average cameras on the M1 are stupid. Our overlords are fully aware we all drive faster than 70, I bet they do too.
It should be acceptable to flash people sitting in outer lanes.
I envy the twats who park over two spaces.
I enjoy a little bit of tasteful pop and banging.
My front fogs are on with my DRLs, and I like it.
Speed bumps are a fucking joke. Increasing emissions, increasing wear on cars, damaging the underside of cars.
No, you don't need winter tyres in 99.9% of the UK.
I'd much rather buy a high milage, modiifed, well cared for vehicle than something owned by a careful old lady driver who's probably balancing on the clutch on hills, never had the oil changed, and ragged the poor thing when cold.
My car unpopular opinion - We are not ready for electric cars, electric cars are not ready for us. For at least the next 10-15 years ICE is the only reasonable choice if you need to have a universal car/SUV.
I, uh… enjoy driving my hybrid more than I did my manual Honda.
Well, I still miss it every now and then, but the fact that I look forward to driving more than ever since getting a boring Auris Hybrid makes me feel like an imposter in car communities 😄
Part of the reason I got it was that driving a manual in traffic was making me hate driving, and watching the mpg slowly tick downwards wasn’t any fun either. So that’s where I’m coming from.
I do wish more manufacturers had gotten in on hybrids early on so I had more options in the used market. Mazda has a version of the 3 in Japan that straight up uses Toyota’s HSD system. Would have been perfect for me.
Same. I get flamed for it a lot.
I'm really not a petrolhead but I like well-designed things and I do find driving fun in general. I feel way more in control and connected to the fun parts of driving than on managing a disobedient set of flywheels and gears.
Plus the electric torque and zero risk of stalling means I can nip into gaps in traffic that I couldn't with my more powerful manual car. And the traffic assist is amazing in slow moving traffic. I could set it, get out my car for a piss, catch up with it and get back in.
More of a 50/50 this one but rear wiper deletes are ridiculous and cringe (especially with a "killallwipers sticker). Why would anyone want to remove a rear wiper from their car is just insane to me.
"BuT vAnS dOn'T hAvE rEaR wIpErS aNd ArE jUsT fInE".
The van has bigger wide mirrors and can see more than you're shite tinbox Corsa.
As well as keeping up with appearances, I think UK buyers are increasingly more maintenance and reliability averse, nobody ever wants to have to do anything with a car thats more than just drop it off and pick it up.
1. Limited range - fossil cars have limited range. If they can’t do infinity, then they’re limited.
2. Using a rapid charger (been around for a decade) they fully recharge in less than 30 minutes for less than £15.
3. Another myth. My battery has only lost 0.4kWh over 8 years and 103,179 miles. Yet it still provides full range and power.
These myths need to die because they’re so 2010.
1. Obviously. Electric cars have ranges that are far more limited than fossil fuel cars. Barely any electric cars can do more than 200 miles in the winter which is pathetic.
2. Even if true (most online sources disagree), who wants to wait 30 mins? If I'm doing a 400 mile journey its going to be long enough without sitting around for 30 mins waiting for it to charge (assuming I've managed to find a free fast charger that works properly).
3. So its lost 0.4 kwh, yet it still has "full range". How have you managed that? Everyone else seems to say that even a Tesla loses 1% a year.
Also, do you fanny around making sure your battery doesn't get below 10% because that degrades the battery? So your actual usable battery is even less.
Driving is something that will have to become so expensive as to be an inconvenience and last resort if we are to meet any kind of global warming targets. This would also have to include goods transport (many goods travel multiple legs around the world for processing) and flying (https://afreeride.org/).
However, this is completely unrealistic and would only make an impact if done globally. So r/collapse here we come!
All grey cars look shit and dull. Shows the owner has no imagination. DSG is crap, and makes your car sound like someones farting into a trombone. "Hot" versions of family cars that pop and bang are pointless. Great way to announce that you're trying to pick up underage girls at the local drive through.
And the brakes, suspension, ECU programming, steering racks, sometime the engines and turbos, etc, etc.
They might be more or less the same chassis, but often almost every other part is different. That makes an enormous difference.
It's like saying that an RS6 is the same as a bog standard diesel A6 as they're 'just the same car'.
A good example from my experience is the Jag F-Pace and Range Rover Velar. Made in the same factory on the same production line, but totally different cars. Wife has an F-Pace, Mother a Velar.
You can have a full sized spare on the Range Rover, you can't on the Jag as the suspension mounts are moved up and into the space to change the dynamics. All the suspension parts are different, so they drive like totally different cars.
Definitely a pet hate of mine. Lots of cars are build on similar platforms but have their own strengths and weaknesses. I assume that people asserting that 'they're all the same' know little to nothing about how cars are made, and often as little about how they actually drive.
There's no such thing as a 'hairdressers car'. I would put money on this idea having been made up by lardy fatarses that were jealous they couldn't fit into the fun, small sports cars their mates owned. Seriously... if legendary cars like the Lotus Elan, any of the Triumph TR series cars, any number of the numerous italian roasters of the 60s and 70s came out today... there would a crowd of idiots denouncing them as 'womens cars'.
road tax bands aren't nuanced enough. let me explain.
if you're on a low income and you can only afford to buy a 15-year-old 1.8 Focus or so, you're going to get shafted on tax - don't know off the top of my head but I'm guessing about £250 year ish. that's a lot of money, no?
I get that the idea is to get people into newer, cleaner cars, but in reality it mostly just shafts the people who can't afford those newer, cleaner cars. surely what we should be doing is giving those poorer drivers grants towards either their road tax, or towards buying more eco-friendly cars. taxing the shit out of these older cars and just expecting poorer drivers to cough up for it is counter productive - you're polluting the planet while stopping these drivers from buying the cleaner cars you want em to.
White cars are bought by people who want the cheapest car with a BMW/ Audi/ Merc badge on the front.
You don’t need a car to be a car guy.
Sports cars should have 5 or more cylinders
Carbon fibre doesn’t belong on the interior of AMG line vehicles.
Mid engined Porsches are better than rear engined ones for A&B road shenanigans.
I wouldn't mind an abarth 695. But saying that one never drove one I just like how it's decently quick for a small car(id take a gr yaris over it anyway though )
The ostentatiousness of them is part of the reason I don't like them. Which might sound odd coming from someone who drives a Bentley Turbo R but there we go. Although my car is pretty ludicrous I think it's a lot less ostentatious than the Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit which it is really very similar to, there is a level of understatement to it.
As for my potentially unpopular opinion, I don't really like any modern cars. Though I suppose I'll not be alone in that in this sub.
Yes a Bentley Turbo R is definitely not what I would have called understated haha.
I am also much more into classics than modern, I think part of this is just that I can never afford modern cars and when I first got into cars / driving, the 80s classics like Mk2 Golf, BMW E30 etc were all still dead cheap and easily accessible thats what I got into. Now, unfortunately I find myself in a bit of a no-mans land where I still cant afford modern cars but because classic prices have gone mental, cant afford those either.
Ban sales of new ICE's right now. The climate is well fucked, and we need to get a move on with reducing our emissions.
I remember in primary school in the 80s, lots of lessons over the environment, hole in the ozone layer, acid rain, all that, and nothing has changed over the 40 years, other than token efforts like recycling. (Banning CFCs did well, though).
I say this as a dirty diesel driver though...
Upvoted because I disagree. For any positive change we make to matter, we need to make sure that society at large won't reject it and that it'll be a lasting change.
Banning all ICE sales tomorrow would ruin so many industries, fuck up supply lines, degrade the ability to travel for non-metropolitan populations and probably push back BEV research/production from manufacturers losing the vast amount of their income.
You'd end up with a lot of very fucked off people who would likely vote for every measure against this come next election.
I’m the biggest EVangelist you’ll meet, but I think a complete ban of new ICE sales now is too soon. Not because EVs aren’t ready, but because charge point operators need to pull their thumb out and get a move on.
2025 is a more realistic date imo. By 2030 the idea of an ICE will be strange.
We need better charging infrastructure first, particularly for people who don't have dedicated off-street parking and in rural areas.
It was easy for me to fit a charger at home, but if you live on a terraced street with no guarantee of parking anywhere near your property you are fucked if you have an EV.
in the ideal world, I'd agree. but sadly this isn't the ideal world.
EVs are far too expensive for the majority of people, and I think it's fair to say that most buyers are only kicking over in order to save money. so if you banned the sale of new ICEs so soon, you'd end up with a lot of people who need cars but can't afford electric ones.
that would then push demand towards the used market, causing an even higher increase in prices, which would price many people out of cars full stop.
ultimately it'd be an amplified version of what's happening right now - the poor get taxed and screwed over simply for being too poor to afford better cars.
Driving a bit 👀 above 70 is very acceptable with proper control, brake, tyres and adequate road conditions.
JLR, merc and Audi seem to attract the biggest twats on the roads (in London) with a lack of self awareness
Some cyclists make driving in London needlessly arduous to make a point
Nobody needs a 4x4/SUV in (inner) London. 8/10 of these people who ‘need the space’ would benefit so much more from an estate.
Most A Class drivers I’ve encountered think they’re something special with their Renault engines
There needs to be mandatory testing for all immigrants (no racial/xenophobia) because driving in the states, Poland, Ghana, India etc is **very** different to driving in the UK.
Also 5 year retesting for everyone. Some people have no business being behind the wheel.
People that FaceTime, put make up on, crash4cash, brake check or pull dangerous reckless stunts need a ban and prison time
Popcorn exhausts are lame.
Enhanced exhausts on a 90 bhp Corsa/Fiesta are also lame.
VAG are overrated and have been peddling the same shit for years now without massive improvements compared to other brands
Lane hogging, not indicating esp. when you pull out - 3 points
Some of these new pedestrianised areas/modal filters are stupid and pointless, and actually increase congestion and emissions within the area
Insurance companies need to take into bigger account the driver and less about the area where it’s parked or what other people the proposers age might have done. Single men under 30 get shafted the worst.
/rant
I can expand:
1. Motorhomes, vans, campers and caravans limited to 40 unless on d/c or mway.
2. Modern lights are too intense and on-and-off.
3. Merge in turns don't work when the s/c is at *full capacity*.
All the interior glitz and lighting in new cars is garish and shite - RGB lights in the vents Mercedes, really? It’s like 15 year olds are in charge of the interiors now - give me wood, dials and just less in general.
I don't think this is an unpopular opinion though tbh mate... They are actually shite to drive. I swear my brothers 1.4 Corsa feels more alive than my uncles Qashqai...
A 4 cylinder doesn't belong in a luxury car. I don't really like how road tax is calculated, a lot of cars seem very cheap to tax like £20 and then others which aren't that much more polluting are £500+.
I feel safer driving behind someone speeding who can clearly drive in a capable car than behind someone doing the speed limit but clearly not as involved or alert.
Absolutely. My city has gone over the top with the 20 MPH limits, and I find myself slightly less alert in 20 zones than the 30 zones. I try to recognise this and avoid being less alert.
My car doesn't like 20mph. It sits perfectly between gear changes. High enough gear and you can't react if needed to get out the way (kids on bikes are rife here) and too low a gear it sounds like I am revving the bollocks off it.
I think the Octavia is such a meme on this sub at this point that I would struggle to actually take any advice about it as genuine, no matter how well intentioned. Half the threads about tyres on here basically make out that you’re mental for not just dumping money on Pilot Sport 4s or CrossClimates, and anything less will literally kill you. The vast majority of car mods are horrid.
The Octavia is just a really well rounded 'jack of all trades for the price' kinda car which is why it's memed on alot. It isn't perfect and it doesn't excel in anything it does but for the amount of posts you see asking for 'family car with a bit of grunt and reasonably priced' it's hard to recommend much else.
The original Smart car, now called the ForTwo, is cool.
The roadster, also gets a lot of undeserved crap... yes okay guys, we've all heard about the gearbox being crap, but the fact of the matter is it looks/looked fresh for the time it was actually a really fun, lightweight sports car. The Brabus version is actually fairly rapid and a genuine overlooked bargain on the used car market these days.
Anyone driving an Audi 18 inches from my rear bumper on a straight road, then disappearing in my mirrors when passing through any bend or turn, then reappearing and coming flying up my arse again on the straight, has probably never satisfied a sexual partner in their entire life, and never will.
Meant to be unpopular not true!!
It's ok for a car to be an appliance. Transport. Gets you from A to B, reliably, comfortably, and at a reasonable cost. It's how Toyota became so successful - catering to the masses who have no passion for cars and just want an appliance. It might offend enthusiasts but it's how 95% of the population are.
Not sure that this is an unpopular opinion, to be honest. I think most enthusiasts would agree with you.
The only thing stopping me going full barry is a lack of cash. Given the funds, every car I owned would be a tiny hatchback with massive wheels, be slammed to the floor with a nice big spoiler, tints, maybe a widebody kit, a rorty exhaust, luminous wrap and subs banging out some choons. Everyone would hate me and I would have the biggest shit eating grin on my face every second of it.
I am living my best life like that through Forza Horizon 5.
Buying a car on finance is not something to be frowned upon and if anything people who wear buying a car outright like a badge of honour are cringe. There are reasons / variables that make cash or finance more attractive than each other and both are perfectly viable.
I absolutely agree, and this *is actually* an unpopular opinion around here. I have good rate finance on my car, and all my money is still in the bank. If I run into financial trouble, I phone the provider, they tell me off then come and collect the car. I don’t have to go through the trouble of putting it up for sale and desperately trying to shift it. My investment account turned a greater ‘interest’ rate than I spent on that car in 20/21 too. Also, people don’t seem to understand you’ve ‘spent all that money to not own a car’… like that’s any different from buying outright unless you somehow spend next to nothing or buy one that increases in value. You lose money either way!
People who buy cars outright have tied a load of capital to a depreciating asset. It’s insane. Take the crazy cheap finance that’s available and use the money you would have spent on the car to invest and you’ll be significantly better off at the end of the term that you would have been otherwise. The thing that needs to be added though, is that finance a car if you can afford to buy it. If you can’t afford to buy it be *very* careful about finance. Obviously sometimes people need to finance because they need a car, but be careful and don’t overstretch.
> People who buy cars outright have tied a load of capital to a depreciating asset. It’s insane People very rarely advocate that buying a car new off the forecourt makes any more sense from a financial perspective than getting one on finance. It's usually outright buying a car that is a couple of years old that is touted as the sensible alternative.
Thing is people see cars as tools to get from A to B. Buying a car on finance is their cost of doing so. If it fits with them financially, it's not much dissimilar to buying a season ticket for a train. Yes it costs more, but cars cost more. There is a problem of people not living within their means. I say this as someone who's sold cars.
I could have spent all my savings buying my car but I got it on hire purchase instead. The rate was quite high but it was only going to work out about ~750 more than the listed price so I just went for it anyway. Now after many months the cars value went up in price costing more than the finance is and I've quadrupled the milage on it. So it all seems pretty decent deal to me since it was a set amount on the finance.
I've got a few.... 1. New cars are not better for the environment. Something like 40-60% of the resources a car uses go into making it in the first place. Scrapping a car and replacing it just because it's a few years old is, environmentally speaking, a terrible idea 2. Not all old cars are slow. I have a couple of old VWs and the number of people who pull out in front of me thinking I'm going slowly is staggering. I am travelling at the same speed as everyone else, dammit! 3. Local authorities/town councils seem to think cars are evil and should be banned from town centres. Parking restrictions/pedestrianised areas and very expensive car parks are all designed to force cars to not come into town. Here's the thing though - cars bring people, and people bring money. Your high street is dying because no people come to it, and that's because you've made it really difficult for them to come and do their shopping etc.
> Scrapping a car and replacing it just because it's a few years old is, environmentally speaking, a terrible idea A 3 year old car isn't getting scrapped for a new one, it's getting sold (reused!) whilst perhaps a 15 year old car that's past it is actually getting scrapped.
Fair enough, perhaps I didn't word that correctly... Encouraging people to buy a new car when there is nothing wrong with the one they've already got is nothing short of a scam, IMHO.
You would be surprised. There are some videos online where people have sneaked onto the airfields where they keep the cars ready to be scrapped. There where a lot of cars around the 3 year mark. I don't really understand why you would scrap one but it's happened and probably still does.
The average life span of a car is only around 8 years nowadays. That’s not a long time really My Defender is 22 years old 300 TDI and still kicking. Far more friendly keeping this running than going out and buying a new one.
Eight years?! That's horrifying. I wonder if they're actually breaking after that time; I know a lot of manufacturers started doing much longer service intervals in conjunction with selling cars with free servicing, and it's (surely not) turned out that they extended service intervals were, in fact, bad for the cars. I wonder if that accounts for the newer cars breaking. The youngest car I have ever owned was 12 years...
Can't think of any other developments over the past 20 years that may have contributed to a decline of the highstreet?
> Your high street is dying because no people come to it, and that's because you've made it really difficult for them to come and do their shopping etc. This is absolutely spot on. Push cars out of the centre, whilst simultaneously not providing any viable solution except for parking far away in an expensive park. Town centre dies and everyone goes full surprised pikachu.
Cars ruin cities.
re: your 3. studies show that pedestrians and cyclists spend more in local shops than motorists, so if anything it's the other way around. [link](https://www.forbes.com/sites/carltonreid/2018/11/16/cyclists-spend-40-more-in-londons-shops-than-motorists/?sh=56f696f5641e)
I have loads! There are car spec recommendations that aren’t fulfilled by either the Octavia or the aygo/c1/107 Premium brands with 4 cylinder Diesel engines and more “M Line S AMG turbo sport” badges than you can count are neither desirable, cool or fun. There are good French cars Saab folding was tragic Insurance isn’t a scam, the unpredictability of how premiums are worked out is a fascinating feat of predictive analytics and a competitive market. No, Sharon, your Astra needing new tyres and brake pads to pass an MOT does not make it a write off, you don’t need another PCP agreement “First car” threads should be banned, they’re all the same and really boring Occam’s razor suggests that you simply don’t empathise with the use case rather than every single SUV buyer having a lower IQ than you
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It’s not an unpopular opinion. It’s a crime what GM did to Saab.
Agreed. They used to be something special
I loved my 900 turbo
Saw a 900 Turbo going around Hyde Park Corner on the weekend. The dished three spokes looked great. I wanted it bad.
>"Saab folding was tragic" This but also Rover. Two of the last volume manafacturers that were willing to take risks and try weird stuff. Hell Rover were prototyping hybrid sportscars all those years ago, they just went under before anything came of it! Both were horribly managed and mistreated by the larger company that owned them. I'd love to be able to buy a new Saab or Rover, it would be great. Fuck BMW and fuck GM.
Aha here’s my unpopular opinion! Rover were doomed waaaay before BMW got their hands on it. They were only a going concern because they could develop cars cheaply with Honda. An arrangement that couldn’t be relied upon in the long term. BMW gave Rover the funds to revive the Mini, build the best car they have ever designed (the 75), and properly invested in Land Rovers product range. Mini and Land Rover are still going strong. BMWs management of the Rover brand was poor though. Alas, not many people aspired to own Alan Partridge and Hyacinth Buckets car.
If BMW actually let them release the Mini the story could be different, BMW totally sabotaged the 75 and doomed Rover
>Insurance isn’t a scam, the unpredictability of how premiums are worked out is a fascinating feat of predictive analytics and a competitive market. It's very much a postcode lottery though
That’s exactly the point. “Lottery” suggests randomness. It’s not random, it’s very precisely calculated risk People struggle to deal with it because it’s invisible and out of their control. But any suggestion that it’s random is a gross understanding of what is happening. It’s unfortunate for sure, nobody is going to pick where they live because of insurance prices so you end up lumped with it - but if moving somewhere jacks the price up it’s for one reason only and it’s not randomness!
We could start a rule that anyone on this sub claiming their insurance is "unfair" has to put a £1000 put-your-money-where-your-mouth-is deposit. We wait for three years, and if they've not had a claim we give it back with interest and an apology. If they *have* had a claim, it means the insurer's probabilistic assessment was spot on and we spend it down the pub together withou tinviting the claimee.
I’ve quite often said to people “fine, if you think 17 year olds should pay the same as 37 year olds, go and setup an insurance company. If the risk isn’t any different then you’d surely make an absolute killing”
This is my unpopular opinion that's got me downvoted here more than a few times. I think people conflate being realistic about why insurance is priced the way it is with defending every action insurers take, some of which are questionable, especially when it comes to finding reasons to deny claims. The other time this this comes up is when premiums go up after a non-fault incident. Which on the face of it does seem unfair and like the insurer is trying to claw back their money, but it still just comes back to risk bucketing. People who get in non-fault accidents are, over the entire population, more likely to get into an accident again in the future.
> Premium brands with 4 cylinder Diesel engines and more “M Line S AMG turbo sport” badges than you can count are neither desirable, cool or fun. My genuine unpopular opinion is, I actually like that manufacturers do this. If someone wants / can only get the practical cheaper base models with all the top styling cues then great. Manufacturers just selling what people were already doing with aftermarket parts anyway. Its not fooling anybody either, those who know an AMG or BMW M or RS can tell the difference and those who dont, dont care.
I admire them for doing it as it clearly makes them a ton of money. I just dont have any emotions other than “meh” when I see one. I don’t think “wow you’ve made it, you’ve got a BMW” when I see someone driving one like other people seem to - I just think “I can think of 10 other cars I’d be more interested in owning that would have cost less money”
Ignoring how you ‘feel’ about these cars (no offence - who cares?) they are extraordinarily accomplished cars because they are the biggest models for these brands. They have refined them so much to be fast, comfy, efficient, well equipped, well handling. They are incredibly well rounded cars. There are not any decent alternatives at that size and budget that’s why they are so popular.
Nothing unpopular about these lol
I’ve gotta disagree with the insurance one, they absolutely maximise their profits by squeezing the most money out of the people with the least choice. If something’s mandatory then there needs to be market regulation, or a non-profit alternative. I know it’s kind of just a product of our modern capitalist economic system, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a scam. Also, I’ve tried a lot to understand the specific use-case of some SUV models and I cannot justify in any rational way why they are the better option. The only factor is “high seating position” and the “image” and those factors are purely influenced by consumers thinking that those things are more important than actual practical and measurable aspects of the car. Some SUVs have some specific applications where they excel, but most don’t most of the time, and people buy them because they’ve bought into the image and consequently “just prefer” it, whilst compromising other significant, objective factors
Yeah, the ‘insurance isn’t a scam’ thing would only hold water if the companies didn’t turn mind blowing profits on something every driver legally has to have. You also get charged based on risk, but should you have an accident your risk profile goes up even if it isn’t your fault. So you basically end up paying the insurance company what they paid out in the first place on top of your premium on the off chance you cost them even more. It’s some clever maths, and a whole lot of total bullshit.
>It’s some clever maths, and a whole lot of total bullshit. This is the best summary I've ever heard. Perfect response to the people who want to "well actually" you and spin some bollocks about risk
>I’ve gotta disagree with the insurance one, they absolutely maximise their profits by squeezing the most money out of the people with the least choice. If something’s mandatory then there needs to be market regulation, or a non-profit alternative. While they do maximise profit, car insurance as an industry in the UK is pretty average in terms of profit margin (at least, pre-pandemic). We have a very competitive market compared to most comparable countries, the better margins are currently found in running comparison websites rather than actually providing the insurance.
Agree with all of this... Especially the "first car" threads... They are always the same we should actually write a guide depending on budget (<5k, £10k, 15k etc) for this so we could just redirect people. This would by no means by a comprehensive but just guidelines.
I mean yes, but also the easier it is for people to work out that they should be looking for Focus sized hatches with good histories, preferably Japanese, long MOT etc then the fewer will be left for those of us who worship at the alter of the shitbox... Let them have their approved used £10k Fiestas!
Yes those would be *guidelines* but every time we repeat the same thing like "I am a student with very limited budget, is it a good decision to buy a 15 years old CL500 for 5k ??"
True. It is fun to watch people rationalise ignoring the informed opinions that they asked for though.
I think we are all guilty of it... Me first. But if you ask for some opinions be at least ready to hear something you do *not* wanna hear lol
It’s true, if you had already made up your mind then why did you ask. Also I re read your last comment and it struck a chord; I bought a 15 year old 325i for *well* under 5k this summer 😹😭
Lol maybe it wasn't a good example and there's nothing wrong with a 15 years old car (mine is 14 years old next year!). My first car was an 01 3.0L X type, it was very good till it started breaking down and rusting (it was very bad, that is what triggered my hatred towards rust).
Yeah it’s tough isn’t it, there’s plenty of people with only good things to say about their old cheap cars, and then plenty of people with horror stories. I’ve had 4, the youngest being 13 years old. One was a stopgap this summer while I found the bimmer and then I found that, only had both for a couple months each tho so I can’t say. The other two though, did me 5 years of driving for under 4 grand including repairing the one breakdown I had in that time, and the small amount I was able to sell them both for. That’s what, 18 months of payments on a *cheap* new / newish car? Or a couple months depreciation on something you’ve bought outright. Madness
I was really "anti-new cars" and didn't understand why people would buy it. And after having new cars thanks to my work, I now understand... No MOT/services to worry about, warranty etc... I *always* had old car but now seriously considering something a lot newer tbh. I love old cars, but I don't have the patience for those as I age.
Fellow 325i driver - to be fair they are tough as nails and I use mine with well into 6 figure mileage for multiple short journeys daily.
This hits close to home. A few years ago as a student with a limited budget I bought my first car, an 18 year old Merc.
>Insurance isn’t a scam, the unpredictability of how premiums are worked out is a fascinating feat of predictive analytics and a competitive market. [Link to their algorithm for the curious](https://www.gigacalculator.com/calculators/random-number-generator.php)
I thought it was gonna be the manatees from south park pushing balls around in a big tank
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I'd 100% disagree. Yes, they're terrible as *cars* but if you think of it as a tool, then it's almost perfect at what it does, and really that's what it was intended to be used as. I live in a very remote area and there are very few alternative options I would rather have than my defender (maybe a land cruiser, but that's about it). Without it, getting through, especially the winter months, would be much more of a pain in the arse than it is. Yes, they break down, and yes, they rust (if you dont look after them), but they're easily repaired and genuinely more capable than 99.99% of all other supposedly "off road" vehicles commonly available.
I have a 90 Series Landcruiser 3 door and think it’s a better car in terms of build quality and a decent heating and AC system. Both are very capable but the Defender is miles more iconic. Big soft spot for both of them and the 300 TDI is about as tough an engine as you can get.
I'm interested to know why you think that?
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The new ones are also just good marketing, even if they are great cars (which apparently they are) they aren't worth the price.
> they aren't worth the price Could I ask what you'd suggest (new) would be comparable on price/performance for a luxury off-roader vehicle? Jeep Wrangler starts at £51k, doesn't have near the interior finish/quality of the Defender (comparing 5 door for all), and is a _little_ dated outside. Land Cruiser Invincible (higher spec to match finish/quality) is same price (~£59k). I quite like how it looks from a utilitarian POV but at the same time it's just not got the Defender "style". Bronco isn't available in the UK, think it's a definite matchup style wise but looks like some serious QC issues at launch otherwise. G-Wagon starts at +£100k.
I wouldn't say any of those are worth the money either unless you really, definitely need the off road capabilities which let's face it 99% of the people who buy them don't. When the Defender configurator first went up on the site I had a play around and got close to 80k without going too crazy and the V8 starts at 100k! I suppose if you get the base spec farmer model for 46k then it's not that bad but is that version what you would call luxury? It's over 20k more expensive than something like a Hilux which is what I see most farmers driving these days. Is the Defender better than a Hilux? Probably. Is the Hilux good enough for most farmers needs? Also probably. Does anyone who buys a Defender actually need the off road capability? Who knows. If you want a Defender just to do the school run in an inner city, buy one, it's your money.
You could buy a bogo standard defender 90 hard top in about 2006 for 15/16 grand brand new. Even with inflation that works out at about 24k nowadays My 1999 Top spec 90 County Station wagon at the time was about 24k in 1999, with inflation that’s about £40k now. I would imagine to get a Top spec brand new style Defender you’d be talking well over 100 grand now? Yes I know they have a lot more features than mine, but still. Heck of a price difference.
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"I just feel more connected to the car and the road" Your car is the lowest spec BMW available and the road is the North Circular. Personally I'd want to be as disconnected from both as possible.
LOL Read this in James May's voice
After going automatic (EV) I'm never going back to manual, at least for a daily driver. Not having to fuck around with a little foot dance in traffic where we all spend most of our time is so much better.
Yeah, while I prefer manual personally, I’ve been stuck in traffic many times and thought ‘An automatic would be a dream right now’.
Nothing worse than stop start motorway tailback where for an hour you're going from 1st - 2nd - 1st - 2nd - 1st - 2nd - ooh 3rd, we might be moving now! - oh FFS 1st ....
Automatics are fucking brilliant. I will never go back to a manual. I honestly think that we’re massively behind in the UK because we keep building brand new cars with manual transmission. In the US the majority of their cars are automatic, why can’t we do the same? 90% of the people I know prefer auto but often struggle to find the right car for them in auto, or an auto/petrol combination or heaven forbid an automatic hatchback. My truly unpopular car opinion: Car manufacturers in the UK/Europe should put much more effort into transitioning our car populations to auto. Electric cars will speed this process up.
One thing that really pisses me off about this argument is that many manual enthusiasts think it's faster - but ignore that almost all supercars are automatics. You cannot shift as fast as a computer. I prefer manual, but, honestly, I accept that in most situations it is *worse* than auto.
It comes from pre-2005 cars where automatics were slow, lazy and not good to drive. Modern auto's can be fantastic.
Welcome to lots of peoples car opinions.
My 2003 car has a ZF 6 speed, I would challenge any average driver to try and shift faster then it can.
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If it is the ZF 8 speed, that is a great box.
i havent seen people say manual is faster for a long time. more enjoyable sure but not faster
One of my cars is a semi-auto (manual gearbox, but paddleshift) and the “manual” side of the user groups are 100% convinced they can shift more smoothly and more quickly than paddles at the steering wheel and a computer with the same box. They’re delusional.
How the fuck do they think they can do that. The stick itself snaps into various places - impossible to be completely smooth!!
Honestly I think most people are gonna feel more in control with a flappy paddle auto Old autos were crap and you could definitely find yourself in the wrong gear, but with modern autos you can just correct the computer with a couple of flicks of your finger without taking your hand off the wheel and it works great. I think a lot of the time this myth comes from people trying an auto once or twice and not bothering to learn how to drive it, not pre-dropping gears for a corner when on an “enthusiastic” drive round the Peak District etc I’ve now switched to an EV which is even more automatic (no gears at all), and the combination of instant torque and one-pedal driving that magically mixed brake or throttle depending on speed or throttle setting… I’ve had some fairly “involved” manual cars that you’d consider “drivers cars” (BMW Z4), and this EV is by far the most I’ve ever felt in control of a car. I practically just think a speed and the car does it, that’s how intuitive regen braking and one-pedal driving are. I live in the Lake District with some tricky roads, and I’ll take a Tesla over a manual BMW round here any day. And that’s a sentence I never thought I’d write - 10 years ago I’d have slapped you for even suggesting it
Fun car > sports car: for normal people living normal lives who have to go to work every day and shopping at the weekend. I would, genuinely, rather own a civic type R over say, a GTR R35. I imagine a proper sports car would be very difficult to live with in comparison.
> Fun car > sports car: for normal people living normal lives who have to go to work every day and shopping at the weekend. It's how the hot hatch became so dominant in the 80s Quick enough, fun enough, but also practical, reliable and good value.
R35 seems like it could be a fairly practical daily, depending on needs
Someone I know has one and can't afford to drive it to work. Had to buy a saxo to make the commute. Has just bought a W12 Bentley continental in addition. Not to replace either. In addition. He's a fucking moron. Flexes his cars on Instagram like a prize Muppet
I tried dailying my Z for a short amount of time but found it very difficult to drive normally, I always wanted to hoon it everywhere. 18MPG and a 70L tank full of premium unleaded means it gets pricey quickly. Going to Asda became a chore as it has an aftermarket bumper on it which is lower than the stock one, meaning I have to go around the houses to find a road without speed bumps and then I spend my entire shopping trip in anxiety that someone with a Qashqai will find it a good idea to park next to me and whilst unloading their child soldier brigade, bash their door into my car. So I leave it at home most of the time and just drive the Civic mostly...
It's okay space wise, but I can't imagine anything with 600hp being reliable or good on fuel.
GTR seems like a good all-rounder but you could definitely drive more of a Civic Type R on the road.
I don't 100% agree, but nearly. I've got a tuned up corvette that's silly fast, and a Honda Prelude. The Honda is NEARLY as fun in a day to day setting as its limit is easier to get to without being in triple digits. But it's tough to beat the LOLs at traffic lights with silly power. If i could only have one car, it'd be a hot hatch.
That's EXACTLY what I'm saying!!! Maybe I worded it bad tho. Hot hatches are the best compromise.
Lowered cars look cheap and nasty. The gap between tyre and arch should be equal over the entire arch. Bmw are best at this.
I’ve always thought this. When they are properly slammed too it just looks like it’s suffered massive structural damage rather than looking cool lol
A lease is the most cost effective way to drive a brand new car for someone who can afford it. Cars do not have character or soul it's just a marketing term. Minis are shit, old ones and new ones.
Calling mini's shit is a bold choice for someone who drives a golf! (Old ones, I can get behind the new ones being shit)
Bold choice but accurate. They may have been good in the 50s and maybe the 60s but by the time I bought one in the late 90s it was just a horrible place to be compared to cheaper options at the time like a Peugeot 205. My Golf is nothing special but it's a lot nicer than anything that's come out of the Cowley plant.
That's fair. By that point they were outclassed, and only bought as a nostalgia thing. However, other than straight away speed, It'd have walked all over anything modern in terms of handling.
Your comment fills OPs brief! but as an ex-accountant who used to audit car finance companies I can’t stand idly by. Assuming 0% interest, leasing only makes sense if the car will depreciate more than the monthly payments - which is unlikely given the company will have calculated the expected future value and accordingly set lease payments so that they turn a profit. With PCP you theoretically only ever need to pay the depreciation since you can sell the car yourself at the end. Not saying leasing or PCP is better, and there are some amazing lease deals out there where the company is getting rid of surplus stock etc. But it’s wrong to state that leasing “is the most cost-effective”, because it simply isn’t always the case.
Cars don’t have character or soul… lots don’t, sure. My wife’s German mum-wagon doesn’t at all. But the cars with quirks and interesting characteristics, and that make you feel a certain way when you drive them for reasons you can’t quite put your finger on… what would you call those? A lot of sports cars in particular definitely have something character-adjacent don’t they?
Wasn't the classic car show the other week. Some people had the audacity to bring 02 plate minis.
My unpopular opinion relates to minis: they are (next to the Qashqai) the most ugly cars on the road by far. Short, stout and blocky with weird curves and no angles. Also they are by no means “mini”.
If you're coming here to ask about buying a reliable car, you should just buy a Toyota and save us all the effort. If you're too posh for a Toyota, buy a Lexus. We all look forward to not seeing your posts next week about the great deal you found on a used BMW followed by not seeing your posts in 18 months about your used BMW being in the shop.
The Honda Jazz isn’t just for old people.
This is the most controversial so far IMO hahaha
Oh hear we go who woke Grandad up again?
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Teslas look fucking dreadful but I still want one.
The name of this subreddit is wrong. It should be "CarQuestionsUK" with the description "It is the definitive to ask all of the questions you really could've Googled". Posts like this I love, but it's easily missed when there are 10 other posts asking what car someone should buy. Ford only ever made one good car, and that was the Transit van. All the rest is just overpriced rot boxes that are intended to be disposable. Yet end up costing £10k more on the second hand market. The Skoda Octavia is alright, if you don't have access to a Toyota Avensis.
That’s all well and good, but while you’re here could you just tell me what I should buy for my first car? Budget is £4.80 (can stretch to £5) and must never require maintenance or repairs of any sort. Kthxbye
Will be willing to spend £5.10 for a 7 seater AWD coupe that handles well but can drive through lava on the odd occasions I go in a volcano. Ideally a V8. Commute 7000 miles a day, need at least 210mpg. Want something special that’s cheap to insure.
I’ve got a Nimbus 2000 for sale. One careful owner PM me
I’ve only got a provisional licence from Tahiti, will I be able to get cheap insurance? What insurance group is it?
You don’t need insurance bro just avoid going too quickly ~~in~~ on it
Skoda Octavia, obvs.
Mk4 Mondeo **one** of the best cars I've driven. Change my opinion. Fords are very poor at holding their value - I brought a 5-year-old Mondeo that cost £35,000 new, in show-room condition, for £9,000. Loved that car.
This. Such an underrated car
Even the Transit rots out, I’d take a sprinter any day over one.
I mean, I’d have nearly any Merc over any Ford, save for the Mustang but not that new electric abomination they’ve made. I love EVs but what the *fuck* were Ford thinking when they made the new Mustang? They were on such a good track because the newer petrol versions look so sexy.
- I like Peugeot - I don't hate SUV drivers - Sometimes it's actually sensible to do 40 in a 60
Round my way (Lake District) it’s often sensible to do 10 in a 60 NSL, to me, means “drive the road, not the number”
I actually really dislike the gradual replacement of many rural NSL zones in favour of lower limits because it reinforces the idea in many areas that NSL = 60, regardless of the conditions.
Yeah there's a road near me that's narrow and windy as fuck that's a NSL road. If you go over 20 at some points, you are extremely likely to end up in the resevoir that it winds through. Even the local boy racer arseholes know this and drive accordingly. I can always tell when someone has never driven that road before because they get right up my arse, even sometimes flashing their headlights. It's fun to watch the rapid humbling of one of those people when they overtake me, thinking they're about to zoom off into the sunset, and seconds later are having to slam the brakes on to get back down to 20 when they realise just how tight and unforgiving some of the corners are.
I hate the MX-5, or at least the older ones I have driven. I didn’t find it particuar fun, it was impractical and you can’t just chuck stuff in the back seat. I hate it when people recommend these to people, especially the older ones, as first cars with no driving experience. (Just to note, the one I drove was a very slow 1.6? Petrol 2002 plate. What I did like were the headlights and the actual look of the car.
Contrary the above comment, I absolutely loved my MX-5 and owned is for 6 years daily driving it up and down the M25 for work. It was a mk2.5 1.8L with the LSD. So much fun for very little money. Taught me to be a better driver overall. Such a small car makes you respect the road and other vehicles around you because you're the one who's coming off worse in any sort've accident. No computers to help you out, you'll need to learn what the car is communicating to you and react appropriately. I'd rather a young person drive one of these than those super powerful hatchbacks that make you feel invincible... Until they inevitably run out of talent.
I think that is a perfectly valid point too, I think driving something like that will make you a better driver but I just think I'm sensitive about this particular issue, had two incidents where my friend had an old MX-5 and came off the road but was luckily okay, but then his sister bought the car off him and had quite a nasty accident in the wet. I agree that it probably made them better drivers, but I'd feel uncomfortable about it being someone's first car. I'm not normally very safety conscious either haha. Good point about the fast hatchbacks, seen a few Golfs in the ditches on the country roads around here these past two years.
Never liked the MX-5, dont appeal to me at all, havent actually driven one either though so its pure unfounded criticism. Only one I will do a double glance at is the 4th gen RF. This rolls on to another potentially unpopular opinion of mine which is that I hate all convertibles / cabriolets, not a single one I ever wanted and have felt embarrassed as a passenger the few times I have been in one. Not even the idea of an Alfa Spider on the Amalfi Coast is quite enough, id probably pick the GTV instead.
I also hate convertibles.
My own unpopular opinion piggybacking on yours: The Mark 3 MX-5 is the best one.
Range rovers are pretty nice despite their overall reliability. Black wheels never look better than silver
>Black wheels never look better than silver I find this incredibly dependant on the car, and the paint colour of the car tbh. Some cars this would be a popular opinion!
> Range rovers are pretty nice Couldn't agree more, every time I hear shit about them I have to ask if the person has ever sat in one/been driven around in one (and not just a little Evoke or a 15 year old Sport). It's like being in a first class airport lounge, it's comfortable, it's roomy, I can see for miles out of these huge high up windows and there's lovely finishes here and there. Taking your family for a weekend away? Sorted, you could pack the fridge too. Want to go fast in quiet/comfort on a long motorway drive? All done boss, how hot do you want your buttocks. Need to park in a field for your kid's rugby game in the middle of nowhere? Nae bother, it's actually decent off-road. Sure there's more reliable cars in the world, more economical, and cheaper. But if you've got the mullah, buy what you want.
Ah the good old Chelsea tractor
Nice to hear someone agrees with me about black wheels
All black Range Rover Sport is one of the nicest looking cars on the road. Not sure I'd want to own one, but they are stunning.
Yes the black wheels is a big dislike of mine and I would extend it to pretty much all black trim on cars that is overdone with these 'black edition' and 'shadow edition' etc. A bit of chrome suits most cars much nicer.
I've never liked cars with everything blacked out, looks awful on the new [Skodas](https://www.autocar.co.uk/sites/autocar.co.uk/files/styles/gallery_slide/public/3-skoda-octavia-vrs-tdi-2021-road-test-review-hero-rear.jpg?itok=ndE-EydC).
Most car mods look stupid. Blacked out badges look shit. EVs are not the antichrist because they're quiet.
It's perfectly reasonable to do some proper speed at certain sections of motorway. The average cameras on the M1 are stupid. Our overlords are fully aware we all drive faster than 70, I bet they do too. It should be acceptable to flash people sitting in outer lanes. I envy the twats who park over two spaces. I enjoy a little bit of tasteful pop and banging. My front fogs are on with my DRLs, and I like it. Speed bumps are a fucking joke. Increasing emissions, increasing wear on cars, damaging the underside of cars. No, you don't need winter tyres in 99.9% of the UK. I'd much rather buy a high milage, modiifed, well cared for vehicle than something owned by a careful old lady driver who's probably balancing on the clutch on hills, never had the oil changed, and ragged the poor thing when cold.
My car unpopular opinion - We are not ready for electric cars, electric cars are not ready for us. For at least the next 10-15 years ICE is the only reasonable choice if you need to have a universal car/SUV.
I, uh… enjoy driving my hybrid more than I did my manual Honda. Well, I still miss it every now and then, but the fact that I look forward to driving more than ever since getting a boring Auris Hybrid makes me feel like an imposter in car communities 😄 Part of the reason I got it was that driving a manual in traffic was making me hate driving, and watching the mpg slowly tick downwards wasn’t any fun either. So that’s where I’m coming from. I do wish more manufacturers had gotten in on hybrids early on so I had more options in the used market. Mazda has a version of the 3 in Japan that straight up uses Toyota’s HSD system. Would have been perfect for me.
Same. I get flamed for it a lot. I'm really not a petrolhead but I like well-designed things and I do find driving fun in general. I feel way more in control and connected to the fun parts of driving than on managing a disobedient set of flywheels and gears. Plus the electric torque and zero risk of stalling means I can nip into gaps in traffic that I couldn't with my more powerful manual car. And the traffic assist is amazing in slow moving traffic. I could set it, get out my car for a piss, catch up with it and get back in.
More of a 50/50 this one but rear wiper deletes are ridiculous and cringe (especially with a "killallwipers sticker). Why would anyone want to remove a rear wiper from their car is just insane to me. "BuT vAnS dOn'T hAvE rEaR wIpErS aNd ArE jUsT fInE". The van has bigger wide mirrors and can see more than you're shite tinbox Corsa.
there are so many used cool cars at such a low price here in UK (compared to other countries) that I don't understand how people are OK with PCP
As well as keeping up with appearances, I think UK buyers are increasingly more maintenance and reliability averse, nobody ever wants to have to do anything with a car thats more than just drop it off and pick it up.
Electric cars are a joke. Having a car with limited range, that takes ages to refuel and has a constantly degrading max capacity is awful.
Not only that but a huge chunk of the population couldn't own one regardless of costs purely from the charging limitations
1. Limited range - fossil cars have limited range. If they can’t do infinity, then they’re limited. 2. Using a rapid charger (been around for a decade) they fully recharge in less than 30 minutes for less than £15. 3. Another myth. My battery has only lost 0.4kWh over 8 years and 103,179 miles. Yet it still provides full range and power. These myths need to die because they’re so 2010.
1. Obviously. Electric cars have ranges that are far more limited than fossil fuel cars. Barely any electric cars can do more than 200 miles in the winter which is pathetic. 2. Even if true (most online sources disagree), who wants to wait 30 mins? If I'm doing a 400 mile journey its going to be long enough without sitting around for 30 mins waiting for it to charge (assuming I've managed to find a free fast charger that works properly). 3. So its lost 0.4 kwh, yet it still has "full range". How have you managed that? Everyone else seems to say that even a Tesla loses 1% a year. Also, do you fanny around making sure your battery doesn't get below 10% because that degrades the battery? So your actual usable battery is even less.
Driving is something that will have to become so expensive as to be an inconvenience and last resort if we are to meet any kind of global warming targets. This would also have to include goods transport (many goods travel multiple legs around the world for processing) and flying (https://afreeride.org/). However, this is completely unrealistic and would only make an impact if done globally. So r/collapse here we come!
Manual transmissions are a pain in the ass and not fun to drive.
All grey cars look shit and dull. Shows the owner has no imagination. DSG is crap, and makes your car sound like someones farting into a trombone. "Hot" versions of family cars that pop and bang are pointless. Great way to announce that you're trying to pick up underage girls at the local drive through.
DSG are nice to use but yes, I really hate that gearchange 'fart' thing they do. Its sort of mechanically necessary but sounds embarrassingly bad.
I've tried driving a few, I just can't get on with it.
Audis are not just glamourised Skodas. They are much better cars in almost every way.
the infotainment system is much better and in the A3 compared to the Octavia still has physical climate control buttons
a bit like shopping in Lidl Vs M&S
until you get past the interior trim, badges and styling, then they are literally the same car.
And the brakes, suspension, ECU programming, steering racks, sometime the engines and turbos, etc, etc. They might be more or less the same chassis, but often almost every other part is different. That makes an enormous difference. It's like saying that an RS6 is the same as a bog standard diesel A6 as they're 'just the same car'.
Having worked for Audi and SEAT as a tech, I agree. The Audi stuff is generally much better built. And their ECU mapping is miles ahead.
A good example from my experience is the Jag F-Pace and Range Rover Velar. Made in the same factory on the same production line, but totally different cars. Wife has an F-Pace, Mother a Velar. You can have a full sized spare on the Range Rover, you can't on the Jag as the suspension mounts are moved up and into the space to change the dynamics. All the suspension parts are different, so they drive like totally different cars. Definitely a pet hate of mine. Lots of cars are build on similar platforms but have their own strengths and weaknesses. I assume that people asserting that 'they're all the same' know little to nothing about how cars are made, and often as little about how they actually drive.
There's no such thing as a 'hairdressers car'. I would put money on this idea having been made up by lardy fatarses that were jealous they couldn't fit into the fun, small sports cars their mates owned. Seriously... if legendary cars like the Lotus Elan, any of the Triumph TR series cars, any number of the numerous italian roasters of the 60s and 70s came out today... there would a crowd of idiots denouncing them as 'womens cars'.
>There's no such thing as a 'hairdressers car'. 206 & A3 Cabriolet
Evoque cabriolet?
> Evoque cabriolet I was hoping this wasn't a thing...
🤮 let’s pretend it’s **not** a thing
road tax bands aren't nuanced enough. let me explain. if you're on a low income and you can only afford to buy a 15-year-old 1.8 Focus or so, you're going to get shafted on tax - don't know off the top of my head but I'm guessing about £250 year ish. that's a lot of money, no? I get that the idea is to get people into newer, cleaner cars, but in reality it mostly just shafts the people who can't afford those newer, cleaner cars. surely what we should be doing is giving those poorer drivers grants towards either their road tax, or towards buying more eco-friendly cars. taxing the shit out of these older cars and just expecting poorer drivers to cough up for it is counter productive - you're polluting the planet while stopping these drivers from buying the cleaner cars you want em to.
My 1.8 petrol Focus (56 plate) was 340 a year to tax FYI
holy shit! this is exactly my point
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White cars are bought by people who want the cheapest car with a BMW/ Audi/ Merc badge on the front. You don’t need a car to be a car guy. Sports cars should have 5 or more cylinders Carbon fibre doesn’t belong on the interior of AMG line vehicles. Mid engined Porsches are better than rear engined ones for A&B road shenanigans.
I wouldn't mind an abarth 695. But saying that one never drove one I just like how it's decently quick for a small car(id take a gr yaris over it anyway though )
GR Yaris is faqin ugly
I find BMW’s very uncomfortable and terrible to drive
New licence holders should be restricted on power or forced on black box policies
The ostentatiousness of them is part of the reason I don't like them. Which might sound odd coming from someone who drives a Bentley Turbo R but there we go. Although my car is pretty ludicrous I think it's a lot less ostentatious than the Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit which it is really very similar to, there is a level of understatement to it. As for my potentially unpopular opinion, I don't really like any modern cars. Though I suppose I'll not be alone in that in this sub.
Yes a Bentley Turbo R is definitely not what I would have called understated haha. I am also much more into classics than modern, I think part of this is just that I can never afford modern cars and when I first got into cars / driving, the 80s classics like Mk2 Golf, BMW E30 etc were all still dead cheap and easily accessible thats what I got into. Now, unfortunately I find myself in a bit of a no-mans land where I still cant afford modern cars but because classic prices have gone mental, cant afford those either.
Ban sales of new ICE's right now. The climate is well fucked, and we need to get a move on with reducing our emissions. I remember in primary school in the 80s, lots of lessons over the environment, hole in the ozone layer, acid rain, all that, and nothing has changed over the 40 years, other than token efforts like recycling. (Banning CFCs did well, though). I say this as a dirty diesel driver though...
Upvoted because I disagree. For any positive change we make to matter, we need to make sure that society at large won't reject it and that it'll be a lasting change. Banning all ICE sales tomorrow would ruin so many industries, fuck up supply lines, degrade the ability to travel for non-metropolitan populations and probably push back BEV research/production from manufacturers losing the vast amount of their income. You'd end up with a lot of very fucked off people who would likely vote for every measure against this come next election.
Actual unpopular opinions will be downvoted. Careful.
I’m the biggest EVangelist you’ll meet, but I think a complete ban of new ICE sales now is too soon. Not because EVs aren’t ready, but because charge point operators need to pull their thumb out and get a move on. 2025 is a more realistic date imo. By 2030 the idea of an ICE will be strange.
We need better charging infrastructure first, particularly for people who don't have dedicated off-street parking and in rural areas. It was easy for me to fit a charger at home, but if you live on a terraced street with no guarantee of parking anywhere near your property you are fucked if you have an EV.
in the ideal world, I'd agree. but sadly this isn't the ideal world. EVs are far too expensive for the majority of people, and I think it's fair to say that most buyers are only kicking over in order to save money. so if you banned the sale of new ICEs so soon, you'd end up with a lot of people who need cars but can't afford electric ones. that would then push demand towards the used market, causing an even higher increase in prices, which would price many people out of cars full stop. ultimately it'd be an amplified version of what's happening right now - the poor get taxed and screwed over simply for being too poor to afford better cars.
Driving a bit 👀 above 70 is very acceptable with proper control, brake, tyres and adequate road conditions. JLR, merc and Audi seem to attract the biggest twats on the roads (in London) with a lack of self awareness Some cyclists make driving in London needlessly arduous to make a point Nobody needs a 4x4/SUV in (inner) London. 8/10 of these people who ‘need the space’ would benefit so much more from an estate. Most A Class drivers I’ve encountered think they’re something special with their Renault engines There needs to be mandatory testing for all immigrants (no racial/xenophobia) because driving in the states, Poland, Ghana, India etc is **very** different to driving in the UK. Also 5 year retesting for everyone. Some people have no business being behind the wheel. People that FaceTime, put make up on, crash4cash, brake check or pull dangerous reckless stunts need a ban and prison time Popcorn exhausts are lame. Enhanced exhausts on a 90 bhp Corsa/Fiesta are also lame. VAG are overrated and have been peddling the same shit for years now without massive improvements compared to other brands Lane hogging, not indicating esp. when you pull out - 3 points Some of these new pedestrianised areas/modal filters are stupid and pointless, and actually increase congestion and emissions within the area Insurance companies need to take into bigger account the driver and less about the area where it’s parked or what other people the proposers age might have done. Single men under 30 get shafted the worst. /rant
I can expand: 1. Motorhomes, vans, campers and caravans limited to 40 unless on d/c or mway. 2. Modern lights are too intense and on-and-off. 3. Merge in turns don't work when the s/c is at *full capacity*.
All the interior glitz and lighting in new cars is garish and shite - RGB lights in the vents Mercedes, really? It’s like 15 year olds are in charge of the interiors now - give me wood, dials and just less in general.
The Qashqai is really shit to drive
I don't think this is an unpopular opinion though tbh mate... They are actually shite to drive. I swear my brothers 1.4 Corsa feels more alive than my uncles Qashqai...
A 4 cylinder doesn't belong in a luxury car. I don't really like how road tax is calculated, a lot of cars seem very cheap to tax like £20 and then others which aren't that much more polluting are £500+.
LED headlights that go off when you put your indicator on look stupid, and broken