Lex
South East
日本車 <3
Posts: 2,404
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Nov 19, 2012 17:01:29 GMT
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I got into the VW scene accidentally. Before that I was always on forums like club323f, just an owners club for a certain model of car. I bought a mk2 Golf, was expecting some small owners club forum then ended up on Edition38 and realised what the VW scene was like. I saw a lot of diversity which helped me broaden my tastes in cars, which led me to here and other forums. I did get sucked into it at one point as a teen. Never being part of a group before, to now having lots of friends and being part of a 'clique' purely because of the car I owned was a nice feeling for me. The sense of community kind of made me want to stick with VWs. Once I got rid of the Golf I felt a bit empty as a car owner because I wasn't 'part of the group' and most people just stopped talking to me because the common ground was lost. I have continued being friends with a few from it though so it wasn't all bad. Now I don't have this need for a VW to be part of a group I look at them more critcally again and realise that they are horrible cars and I don't like them. Apart from maybe a mk5 / mk6 GTI, and maybe another mk2 for old times sake as it was my first car I wouldn't touch VWs as for the most part they are just really plain and boring to drive.
I did experience a lot of brand loyal people, those getting VW tattoos etc etc. Personally I love most cars, as in general I am just a car lover and can appreciate and criticise all types equally. I can understand why people would be brand loyal to VWs though but I wonder how many are just in it for the crowd, the scene, and the glory of being a VW owner, and how many are there because they actually enjoy the car they own.
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Last Edit: Nov 19, 2012 17:02:58 GMT by Lex
Resto-UKal
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Nov 19, 2012 17:16:31 GMT
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The Mini scene seems to be for the love of the car, whereas the VW scene is the love of impressing your peers or copying the current scene trend. ORLY? Well...........I was comparing it to the VW scene.........and I haven't owned a Mini for a few years I'm probably behind with the times. Mind you, I have noticed the prices of rustpiles/Minis nowadays.
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1993 Mercedes-Benz 190e LE in Azzuro Blue.
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bl1300
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,678
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Nov 19, 2012 17:32:33 GMT
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Brand loyalty is something I could be accused of as in my opinion if it says variomatic on it its the best thing since sliced bread. On the other hand my other car tends to change and often swing wildly between types and manufacturers.
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Current fleet.
1967 DAF 44 1974 VW Beetle 1303s 1975 Triumph Spitfire MkIV 1988 VW LT45 Beavertail 1998 Volvo V70 2.5 1959 Fordson Dexta
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Nov 19, 2012 17:32:57 GMT
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I'm not disputing there are good people in scenes and I'm not slating purely the VW scene (the VAG scene is just where most of them reside) I'm having a pop at scene queens and blinkered brand/scene people in every group as far as newer cars go the focus ST and RS lot irritate me, all of their cars are the same, except in colour and it seems who ever you speak to in that world of identical cars they all genuinely believe there isn't a better car in the world everything is inferior.
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Nov 19, 2012 18:23:55 GMT
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he focus ST and RS lot irritate me, all of their cars are the same, except in colour and it seems who ever you speak to in that world of identical cars they all genuinely believe there isn't a better car in the world everything is inferior. i have found most of the ford scene can be like that these days especially the more modern fords which is ironic as any ford built after about 1990 is pretty poor compared to most other makes
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karlj
Part of things
Posts: 152
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Nov 19, 2012 18:32:01 GMT
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Not really brand loyalty but if you want scene whoring, go to a J show and play spot the difference with the civics and starlets (glanza/gt), nothing against the cars or owners but my god they could try to be different.
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Nov 19, 2012 19:34:32 GMT
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I am a ford man through and through, my dad has had fords all his life and i have followed suit !! The collective knowlage between us is huge to say the least. I have a mate who is big in the VW " scene" and to be quite honist in the most part its a very fickle group of people and cars in my opinion. All that seems to matter is how much your BBS rims have cost and how many sumps you have broken because your car is lowerd to much !! My mate has a mk3 golf that is very very nice but is that low that it is undriveable, which to me defeats the whole point of owning the car in the first place. Cars in my view are ment to be used, i just fail to see the point in putting a turbo vr6 or 1.8t engine in a mk1 golf and then haveing a leather coverd fuel tank or a paint job thats that expensive you have to trailor the car to shows.
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1980 mk2 escort 2 door 1979 mk2 escort 2 door 1990 mk2 orion 1.6, Now written off !! 1986 mk2 orion 1.6 i ghia 51 plate Rover 25
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Nov 19, 2012 20:09:29 GMT
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Only ever had one VW and it was a 1.4 Golf. Biggest POS I've ever had. Talk to a dubber and he'll tell you that it's only cos of the 1.4 engine and all other Golf's are the dog's wotsits. Had all the styling characteristics of a van with windows in. Only bought it cos I needed a runaround whilst I was finishing off one of my other cars, so got shot ASAP.
About 3 years ago my partner insisted on buying a Polo despite my disdain at the idea. Anyway...... 3 year old car (1.2) with 20,000 miles finally tempted her into parting with the ackers. 2 years later and 35,000 miles on the clock and the cylinder heads off with 2 burnt out exhaust valves. I had to resist the temptation of saying 'I told you so' for fear of her imposing a sex embargo on me till she had sulked it off! When I went to the local dealers to get a price to fix it for her, the guy on the service desk asked me 'what car is it'? I told him it was a POS for a car and they ought to be ashamed of themselves. Got my ear chewed off by her big time for saying it, but the guy just carried on as though I'd said nothing. Very strange!
Dubbers are full of **** and the product is no better, no worse, that most all the major manufacturers out there.
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'71 Arrocuda.... '71 Sunbeam Rapier Turbo (The Grim Rapier).... '63 Hymek D7076..... Audi GT5S
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Nov 19, 2012 20:43:21 GMT
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My Brother is guilty of VW tunnel vision. My Nephew was looking to buy another motor. He was on a budget and wanted a 5 door diesel hatchback so I suggested a Pug 306 HDI. I've owned 2 myself and they are great motors, my Bro was outraged and forbade him from buying one as it was French and would have bad electrics etc etc. He ended up buying a high mileage Polo which he owned for 6 months before it dumped it's coolant on the M5. Common sense would have said to buy the diesel Pug instead of the higher mileage VW BUT brand snobbery came into it and he learned the hard way.
My Old Man always said if you're looking for a reliable motor, look at what the Taxi drivers use.
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1993 Mercedes-Benz 190e LE in Azzuro Blue.
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Nov 19, 2012 21:04:36 GMT
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i guess i'm brand loyal ;D i've always had 60's and 70's stuff. minis, RWD fords, vauxhalls, VWs and triumph but once i brought my first Datsun i could never go back... great looking, very well enginered and designed. easy to work on and interesting. you don't get much better then that. i've brought (and then sold) a few different makes in the mean time, hillman imp, viva, merc, rangey but they just can't compare. i still apreciate other cars and will chat with there owners but i know what i really like and thats what i drive.
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Nov 19, 2012 21:26:02 GMT
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Oh and this thread is lacking in the cool car department so have some cool non VW's This is of course mega-ultra-cool due to the Old Spice sponsorship
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Ich habe kein Geld!
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Nov 19, 2012 22:26:36 GMT
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I like cars.
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Nov 19, 2012 22:48:29 GMT
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^ we all like cars that's why we are on a car forum I want that merc!
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Nov 19, 2012 23:11:50 GMT
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I have owned ten Peugeots and one VW. It was a 1996 Passat TDI estate. Basically VW got ahead of Peugeot on diesel technology for a couple of years until the 406 HDI came out, and it was the right car for the right money at the right time.
The Passat was pretty reliable and the support from tdiclub was amazing (anything sold in the US has this), but to be honest the Peugeots I have now are just as reliable, have nicer interiors and a lot more character.
The 607 has suspension that is way too hard though.
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Every scene has it. There are the 'oldskool' hotrodders who don't like anything with disk brakes, independent suspension or billet, the hotrodders who can't stand fibreglass or anything without a SBC in it, the aircooled VW fans, over here the Ford and Holden fans, the Americana guys (anything not from the USA is not worth a look), the restorers who couldn't imagine 'destroying' their car with an electronic ignition...
Luckily there are people like most of us here on Retrorides. I would love there to be such a big and open club here in Australia with a physical presence!
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Remade In Australia thereimaginarium.com.au
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I've had a Chrysler, a Mercury, a Toyota and I'm on my 4th Honda. My next DD will likely be another Honda or perhaps an Acura variant thereof.
I think its really interesting how the perception of VW's quality and reliability differs so much between the US and the UK. I had to stifle a laugh at the suggestion of VW having a leg-up on anyone in terms of reliability, especially in terms of electrical stuff. Having worked in a garage that had its fair share of VWs, that was the most common thing to have gone wrong- with cooling system problems running a close second (yes we used the G13 coolant, yes we used distilled water, still sludged up). Pretty much everyone I know with a Mk4 Golf/Jetta has either one or both, also an IKEA approach to interior design that generally doesn't wear well over time. One thing I will say for them is they don't seem to rust very badly.
I don't see many Readers Rides posts relating to Honda products, are they less popular in the UK? Hondas are everywhere in the US, even in the Detroit area where at one stage owning one would've been considered a provocative political statement.
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Clement
Europe
ambitious but rubbish
Posts: 2,095
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Here in France there are some brand fanatics (the Citroën ones being the funniest), but most people are just interested : pure stock condition. It gets really, really boring. Any tiny modification is considered silly and stupid.
I've even seen a guy scorning another who was restoring a Peugeot 203 because he was using "modern" tyres, not classic Michelin ones or something.
No wonder RetroRides is the car forum I follow the most...
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Ed@AC
Part of things
Posts: 350
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I drive a Golf, a Mk3 Golf GTi 8v....but - bare with me! I started off as a Ford lover, had more Fords in the 90s than I can remember, then I thought I would try J which went well at first, but I got my hands burned with a Nissan that wasn't all it should have been (its turbocharged engine seemed to be exclusively made from chocolate, for a start). So I bought a Golf - why not, I had always fancied a GTi.... I dabbled with the VW scene, and at first I enjoyed it. Who wouldn't, there are some great and innovative cars out there on the show circuit. But the snobbery I witnessed and experienced soon started to wear thin... For example... my other half drives a Corsa that she is particularly fond of, but several of the VW people we knew berated her for it - "sell it and buy a VW!" they cried. "Why would I want to? I like my Corsa" she asked. "Because its chavvy Vauxhall wibblepoo!" was the response. Meh! A car is a car, whatever make and model it is, and if you enjoy it then good! I stuck with my Mk3 as it just keeps on going and going and going, and if I need anything for it I have plenty of contacts to keep it going relatively cheaply. I may well have another, but that is more a case of sticking with the devil you know. I quite fancy a Volvo 240 though, and my lady? She wants an old Nova or a Chevette, because well - old cars are better, and she likes her Vauxhalls because she likes to go to Billing with her friends in the Opel Manta club. Final word, with any make of car that attracts a loyal following, you get scene asshattery: "You have the WRONG wheels on your car! How VERY dare you!". But delve deep enough, and you end up finding a few folks that appreciate anything with 4 wheels and some love and imagination "I see what you did there, its cool". That (for me) is Retro Rides. Me enjoying my Mk3: The Fiancee's little Corsa with a couple of our Vauxhall/Opel loving friends:
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Automotive Connection - Whoever you are, whatever you drive.
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I bought a 72 HC Viva in NZ fully legal off the Salvation Army for $850...there was a local bi-annual classic car show so we strapped a Raleigh Cruiser on the bike rack and rocked up.. considering our modest no work involved instant show piece..we were put in a line of stunning Vauxhalls..and welcomed with open arms..but another attendant there who I knew locally..an elderly gentleman who'd spent $100k restoring his MB 220S Ponton was snubbed by the Merc Club who had all shown up in new Merc's..they told him to shift it out of the way... unbelievable..pretentious tossers...I'm now that marque brand loyal...but only my model or petrol versions [and even then I'm really a diesel fan]..but I'm kinda afraid of approaching the Merc Club here in Melbourne cos my version is a daily driver piece of scheiber...I'm not gonna restore it but just keep it up n running...
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Last Edit: Nov 20, 2012 9:21:01 GMT by fotorabia
75 Daimler XJ6-S2-SWB 71 Jaguar XJ6-S1-SWB Fiat 500D Custom Cars in NZ.I'm in flippin Germany!
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andyf
South West
Posts: 415
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Nov 20, 2012 13:29:53 GMT
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I like cars and appreciate old vehicles generally no matter what, even if they are not my cup of tea, and it amazes me the attitude of some people to different makes of vehicle.
But this is nothing new sadly and it`s not just the VW scene, that`s just the latest incarnation. Just try telling a 60 year old MGB owner that you have a TR7....
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1980 Triumph TR7.
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