I'll never own another German car
-
I'll play along.
I have owned 3 Mercedes - a 1985 300CD, a 1986 300D sedan and an 1988 190e. They were all fine. None were great examples of the car, but all were great examples of what happens to old German cars. They rusted. I swear you could hear it happening.
I don't want a BMW. Never have. I don't like the styling, the attitude or the interiors.
I have never owned a Porsche, and though I would love to drive one, they don't do "it" for me. This is very likely and very admittedly due to the fact that I have not driven one.
I don't like VWs. And Audi's are just VWs, so those are out too.
But give me a Swedish wagon and I'll be happy as a sardine in a can.
-
@sovande And give me a Polestar wagon and I'm as happy as a sardine in the sea.
From what I understand old German cars are infamous for rusting. Old American cars rust like old Japanese cars and old Korean cars are as bad as the Germans. Can you really make stereotypes about country of manufacture and rust in general? Or is it just you bought old rusty cars that ended up older and rustier?
-
@sovande I think we may be twins. We should have a reunion and bring our birth certificates to check.
-
@whoistheleader Fair question and point. Yes, I can use those stereotypes. I agree the problem was certainly not Mercedes alone, but that doesn't make me want one again.
I likely will not own another American car either. They, as a rule, suck. Hard. The difference is quality between a 1987 El Camino and a 1987 190e (The cheapest car Mercedes sold at the time) is jarring.
I guess what I am trying to say is I will only drive Volvos from here on out.
-
@chariotoflove I was born at very young age in Washington, DC. My parents have always shook their heads and muttered "I told you he was adopted," so anything is possible!
-
@sovande said in I'll never own another German car:
@chariotoflove I was born at very young age in Washington, DC. My parents have always shook their heads and muttered "I told you he was adopted," so anything is possible!
Wow,
-
@sovande said in I'll never own another German car:
I guess what I am trying to say is I will only drive Volvos from here on out.
First of all, comparing an El Camino to a 190E is deeply unfair as it cost $29,000 and was a luxury car while a well optioned El Camino SS was $11,000 and was a utility vehicle with a big engine. Compare it to, say, a Lincoln Mark VII and you have two very different cars for very different buyers and a base price still $4,000 lower and based off of more common and cheaper cars. 80s Mercedes build quality is legendary but you try and compare a current VW Atlas to a Ford Explorer and it's going to be pretty similar.
Don't judge a car by the badge on the front. Some American cars are poorly made, indifferently engineered, and pretty terrible. Some American cars are the opposite of that. Same with Germany.
Also, are you forgetting Ford era Volvo? My mom's XC90 is running out of things to come loose and fall off and it is on its second engine and second turbo just on the current engine.
-
@sovande said in I'll never own another German car:
And Audi's are just VWs,
This is actually incorrect, you see, in fact... VWs are Audis.
-
@sovande said in I'll never own another German car:
But give me a Swedish wagon and I'll be happy as a sardine in a can.
Well given that sardines in cans are dead, how happy could they possibly be?
-
@sovande said in I'll never own another German car:
The difference is quality between a 1987 El Camino and a 1987 190e (The cheapest car Mercedes sold at the time) is jarring.
Ya think?
-
@sovande said in I'll never own another German car:
I guess what I am trying to say is I will only drive Volvos from here on out.
Ugh I wish Volvo would make cars that I am interested in again. In their pursuit of (A) pretending to be German and (B) becoming a luxury brand, I feel like they've lost what made them special. The wagons are all still pretty cool and I actually like the look of the XC40, but the engine and transmission options sadden me. I bought my C30 new and I suspect it will be the only new Volvo I purchase, at least for a very, very long time.
-
@sovande said in I'll never own another German car:
I have never owned a Porsche, and though I would love to drive one, they don't do "it" for me. This is very likely and very admittedly due to the fact that I have not driven one.
Can confirm, its because you havent driven one.
They are pretty great. It is a shame none of them fit into my current buying strategy.
-
@chariotoflove HE HATES THESE CANS! STAY AWAY FROM THE CANS!
-
@whoistheleader Again, a very fair and valid point.
The deal is, I don't like the Germans or their cars. I'll give them a pass on their sausages and their liberal social views.
I will never forget about Ford Era Volvos. I just replaced the trim in my Volvo and in so doing I found out that the switches are FoMoCo parts. And I owned a Ford Era Volvo. God, it was a wonderful little car. Tons of character, relatively lightweight and a hoot to drive. Easy to work on too and parts were a breeze to get. The T5 5 cylinder motor is a true gem, a bit unrefined and a bit thirsty, but it rewards you with gobs and gobs of torque and that beautiful noise.
I've never been inside a Volvo SUV. Not even in a showroom, so I have no idea about those.
-
@qaaaaa Both are off the list of cars I would buy so the distinction is largely without consequence to me.
-
@manwich T'was but a figure of speech. A quote from a song, to be more concise. Get weird. Give it a listen.
-
@dipodomysdeserti I do. I think the difference is jarring. See my comment above to confirm.
-
@akioohtori Have you driven a new one? Or have you just let them make you sad from afar? I'm not sure how they are pretending to be German?
Your Volvo is certainly a special one, but when you bought it you had to know the engine was on the way out and that the manual transmission, which at the time was available in one vehicle in the lineup, was not long for this world?
I would not buy any car new, but I would buy another manual C30.
-
@sovande said in I'll never own another German car:
The T5 5 cylinder motor is a true gem, a bit unrefined and a bit thirsty, but it rewards you with gobs and gobs of torque and that beautiful noise.
I agree there. That engine in turbo form is in my mom's XC90. It's a fantastic engine. . . in a car that doesn't weigh close to 5,000 pounds that's FWD. The car is really underengined, especially for a near luxury car, and the FWD has shockingly poor traction even in good weather.
The Ford era Volvos didn't lose much character over their more thoroughly Swedish predecessors but they still had the dubious sturdiness. Like a brick wrapped in paper mache. All the trappings would fall off but the basic components are very sturdy.
-
@whoistheleader I was honestly very fortunate with my 2008 C30. It had one issue while I had which was a slow leak at a radiator hose after 120,000 miles. Though maybe that was due to the fact that it was the more down-market product in the lineup. It pretended to be nice as opposed to luxurious. Its the only car that I have ever had that I would buy again if the opportunity presented itself.
-
@sovande My mom's XC90 also had/has a pretty decent coolant leak that keeps coming back. Not so bad right now, but it WAS fixed not that long ago. Overheating was what claimed the original motor because of this. I like the 5 cylinder whooshy noises though. Just, the sheer size and weight of the thing. Makes me want a C30 Polestar.
-
@sovande I guess I see Volvo trying to upmarket themselves as them trying to chase Audi, Mercedes, and BMW customers.
I haven't driven one recently, no. In 2016 or so I had an S60 loaner and it was nice. No complaints, but also nothing that made me think I needed one. I also had a XC60 as a rental in... 2018 I think. Whatever it was, it had the "best" engine IIRC) and was impressed at how comfortable it was in the 120F+ heat (Death Valley) and liked the safety features, but felt the engine and throttle performance was severely lacking. Again, good car but nothing that made me want (or need) one.
Closest thing to it would be the XC40 if they'd bothered to sell it in manual (I acknowledge why they didn't, but that doesn't mean I have to like it) and/or make a hot version. But they didn't.
Yeah the C30 was certainly a dying breed, which was one of the reasons I bought it, but that isn't a good thing IMO. Volvo doesn't sell anything for someone who wants a small, quick car despite having made a lot of those over the years. In a lot of ways they're going full Cadillac: making cars for affluent, older people and doing little to nothing to attract new consumers to the brand.
I also know the manual is dead, but that doesn't stop me from being irritated about it.
-
@whoistheleader The Polestar is cool because it's blue, but you can get much better tunes than the Polestar tune for the engine. Mine was tuned remotely by a guy in the Netherlands and it was super fun. I also like the car because even at 6'4 I never felt cramped or anything.
-
@akioohtori I hear you.
-
@akioohtori Just thought of this - I think Volvo has always positioned itself as near luxury, so I don't think it's anything new. In 1990 they were about 25% more expensive than the national new car average. And the average cost of a new car in 2021 is $40,000, which is right about the cost of a new Volvo S60. So they aren't expensive by comparison.
-
Moved from Oppositelock by
jminer -
Moved from Archive by jminer
-
Moved from Oppositelock by
CarsOfFortLangley -
Moved from Archive by jminer
