I've recently noticed...

Cars.  As you may or may not know I am working on getting my drivers license :-/ and ever since I started I've been looking at cars a lot more.  I always looked at the cars in England because they are all backwards and funny, but never paid much attention to the cars here.

ANYWAY

I've posted this on the repat board because it's something I've only noticed since I've been back.  For all of Englands much bragged about (and often deservedly so) history and all their prized old stuff we are the nation with the older cars.  I was looking at all of the cars today and a large percentage of them are older modles compared to what they are driving across the pond.  

Now I'm wondering if this is just because I live in a small town (where many of the cars are tireless and jacked up on ones front lawn) or if it's universal (well national anyway).  so for those of you drivers or ex-drivers out there, what type of car did you drive when you were stateside and what if any type of car do you drive now?  I know for a fact there are a bootyload more pick ups over here as they are about as common as sunstroke in England!

I'd noticed the old car/new car stuff myself. I think the difference is (forgive, a political view coming up) is the misplacement of notion of status. Registration (license) plates here in the UK are numbered so that you can tell what year your car is. The newer the car, the more important you are.

We've been looking at cars to buy recently, and every dealership we've gone to has advised us to wait a couple more months to take advantage of the new reg plate coming out. I keep having to tell folks "I don't care!".

My husband's explanation (apology?) for getting a London taxi is not because it's cool or it fits our lifestyle. He explains that it can look old and beat-up, and have a "K reg" and no one would "judge" us for it.

Sad, truly sad. His ex feels it important to change cars every two years. The status thing.

I run a car into the ground. The car I have, I want to trade it for new ONLY because it's a two-seater that is totally impractical for our lifestyle. It's 10 years old and not a thing wrong with it.

Yeah, Hovis. Everyone has to have a brand spanking new car here. It's also part of the work incentive to have a brand new company car to drive, though I think this practice is fading because of changes in tax laws. No longer lucrative for companies to offer this bonus, yet with the Brit mentality about cars, many do choose jobs based on how new the car offered.

I brought my own car over, a Mazda Miata, so I am driving the same car I did. A replacement car we'd get...I'd almost prefer to get one that's this year's model instead of waiting a couple months, because it's the same car, but lower-priced. Car status means little to me. We've been looking at Renault Scenic, which is what they call a mini MPV, but we've had two bad showroom experiences, so we're probably going to broaden our search. Picasso perhaps?

In the states I was driving a 97 Jeep Wrangler.  It was frankly my dream car, ever so sweet to drive......and I could go places other couldn't it was fantastic!!!  

Of course here I do not drive, therefore no car.  My husband drives a Mini Cooper, and I don't understand the driver-car relationship he has with the thing.  It's so small our groceries don't all fit in the trunk, if we get anything larger than two bags of groceries we have to borrow is uncles car, it's just a hassle.  It's not even that old and rusting all over the place, and he just tells me well Minis do that, why they heck did you buy it then.  Every single time he goes in for its MOT something is wrong with it and he spends over a week in the garage fixing it, only to do it again the next year.  I just don't understand, sure my Jeep was noisy, but at least it was reliable, and didn't have huge chuncks of rust forming all over it.

Of course when we move back over I don't know what to get.  I'm thinking along the lines of a Toyota, reliable, sturdy little cars you can drive for years and years, really get your money out of them.  Of course he wants a mini cooper s when we move, I just don't know  

i had a 98 saturn...boy, do i miss it.

my husband had a little k-reg metro when i first moved here.  the view was 'at least it can park anywhere without hassle.'  

however, i did not pass his manual driving test so we got an automatic toyota.  he is happy now because it 'fits in more' where we live.  he thinks of having a car for 5 years, i think more like 8, minimum.  like you, lisaE, i think it's sad that it's so a 'class' thing.  i always thought it was just this area.  as long as a car runs well, looks non-smashed and clean i think it's ok.

i'll be happy to move back to the US, with it's diagonal parking stalls and larger roads, though!  maybe i can even get a saturn again.

oops, hovis, for got to add that hope your test(s) go well!  don't forget to let us know which car you decide on.

lisaE, some friends of ours were looking or an mpv a couple of years back.  they looked at renault, can't remember what they said but i think it was something to do with mileage and handling.  they ended up buying a nissan.  they are now japanese car fanatics, and when they moved to the US they bought a toyota.  i had a toyota before my saturn, and that car lasted 10 years.

A 1989 Ford GT Mustang Covertible with a 5.0 litre engine, 5-speed... baby!  And believe me the top was ALWAYS down from April through the beginning of October (depending upon our Indian Summer of course).  I love that car and always had either t-tops or a convertible.

She has been good to me.  I still have her.  Dad now drives her around town.  She's quite old, creeks a lot, leaks, and her poor top is ripping at the bottom of the seams.  But when she gets washed up for the season she can still strut her stuff and will always catch the long glances as she goes by.  I don't know if I'll ever sell her.  May just give her to my little cousin?

(Actually since I'm the only owner of the car I get a lot of young guys who want to buy her because of the power she has.  I believe that was the last year Ford produced 5.0 engines because of the many deaths caused by racing.  That particular year the 89 Mustang was faster and quicker than the Vette.)

I agree, Lisa.  Car = status, more so in the UK than in the US.  My ex-partner has a company car, new every three years and, like you, Tweets, I don't understand the relationship he has with the thing.  I confess, I'm not much of a car person, and was never impressed.  As long as it has four wheels, and it gets me where I want to go and back again, I couldn't care less.  I'm the type who would choose a car because I like the color!

they ended up buying a nissan

Ooo, I'll look into that. Thanks.

And, Hovis, good luck on your test! Let us know how you do!!

I drove an 84 Volvo.  Yep, it was old and boxy, but the thang ran and ran.  Like LisaE, I run a car into the ground and don't care what it looks like.  I've never owned a brand new car.  Maybe one day I will.  But quite frankly, 4 wheels and runs is good enough for me.

We've been looking at cars to buy recently, and every dealership we've gone to has advised us to wait a couple more months to take advantage of the new reg plate coming out. I keep having to tell folks "I don't care!".

You are right, cars are used as a status symbol too much here.  However you should take into account the new reg purely from a resell value.  If you can wait a few months I suggest you do get a new reg as your resell value will be much higher than the previous reg.  Don't do it for the status, do it for the potential resell value should you decde to sell it or trade it in.

Ooo, I'll look into that. Thanks.

Before buying whay you should do it get a car magazine such as Top Gear and check out the the back section that has all the pricing in it.  Compare the section that tells you how much value the car keeps for resell.  You will find that Japanese cars loose an enormous amount of their value even within the first year.

Here are a few sites that you can use to compare cars and look at some reviews.

http://www.autobytel.co.uk/
http://www.topgear.beeb.com/homepage/
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/ (magazine for free in most supermarkets)

Have you gotten your license yet Hovis?

On the cars thing, I had a 93 Honda Accord which I bought new and sold just before I moved to Britain in Feb 2000.  My husband had a used 89 Alfa 164 Lusso 3 litre V-6 (he made me say all that, because, "Usually they're 2 litres....blah, blah,")  I wasn't happy to give up my one owner Honda for his used Alfa, which he wouldn't let me drive, but then we were in London, and I wasn't really sure I'd have wanted to drive there anyway.

Now that we are back in the States, we have an 02 Mustang and an 03 F250.  After we get going with a family, we think we'd like a gently used Expedition, but that's a year or three down the road.

.... If you can wait a few months I suggest you do get a new reg as your resell value will be much higher than the previous reg. .....

Nice in theory, except that the car manufacturers are savvy to this and often put their prices up on the same day that the new reg letter is issued!  So you may sell for more when you get rid of it, but you may pay more up-front too.  

Cars.  As you may or may not know I am working on getting my drivers license :-/ and ever since I started I've been looking at cars a lot more.  I always looked at the cars in England because they are all backwards and funny, but never paid much attention to the cars here.

ANYWAY

I've posted this on the repat board because it's something I've only noticed since I've been back.  For all of Englands much bragged about (and often deservedly so) history and all their prized old stuff we are the nation with the older cars.  I was looking at all of the cars today and a large percentage of them are older modles compared to what they are driving across the pond.  

Now I'm wondering if this is just because I live in a small town (where many of the cars are tireless and jacked up on ones front lawn) or if it's universal (well national anyway).  so for those of you drivers or ex-drivers out there, what type of car did you drive when you were stateside and what if any type of car do you drive now?  I know for a fact there are a bootyload more pick ups over here as they are about as common as sunstroke in England!

What do you mean by "backwards"?

What do you mean by "backwards"?

Well considering you've bumped a 6 year old thread and the poster you're questioning hasn't been on the forum since   January 15, 2005, I wouldn't hold your breath for an answer!