The Car Thread

[Keef]

Lot of SUVs are bigger and have less usable space than say a Skoda Octavia estate, but a Skoda doesn’t look as good as a prestigious badged SUV on the postage stamp driveway in your new build cul de sac, can’t have the neighbours thinking you’re poor

 

[BillyDee]

I'd rather have a good car with a shit badge than vice versa

 

[leedswolf]

Lot of SUVs are bigger and have less usable space than say a Skoda Octavia estate, but a Skoda doesn’t look as good as a prestigious badged SUV on the postage stamp driveway in your new build cul de sac, can’t have the neighbours thinking you’re poor

My eldest son has a Juke. The boot is tiny. Plus it's fucking horrible to drive. Come to the Channel Islands with their narrow roads and see the number of SUV drivers with fuck all spacial awareness...

 

[lemonjelly]

I don’t disagree with your points but think people are just buying what their budget, needs and availability allow, and I’m always wary about who gets to decide on limits and underlying agendas. So yeah in principle I agree as vehicle sizes have got a bit out of hand, but there are elements of control and revenue raising that sit a little uncomfortably too.

I disagree with many of the needs, as feel they are more wants or desires.

 

[Mel Evo]

I drove a Skoda Superb. And it was.

 

[EpsomWolf]

Got fairly new neighbours at the end of the road with a massive electric BMW SUV that must’ve cost god knows what, who alternate the school run with next door neighbours who use their Fiat Panda. There is something very triggering about the Beamer but I dunno, it’s got eco credentials the Panda doesn’t have and I don’t doubt the Panda owners would have similar if they had the other family’s resources. In those circumstances I’m pretty sure most people would. There is a European city (Paris I think) where there was an admission additional measures were being introduced as part of a social engineering programme as well for the reasons LJ initially stated. If that’s a road we want to go down then fair enough, but let’s call it what it is.

The real problem with the Beamer/Panda kids though is why on earth they need driving the mile or so to school in the first place, but that’s quite another story.

 

[Tredman]

Paris make you pay more for parking if your car is heavy. Is that social engineering?

 

[EpsomWolf]

I disagree with many of the needs, as feel they are more wants or desires.

True, but we’re getting close to the territory of aspiration which shouldn’t be the dirty word it is.

Dangerous game if you want to stop people having something they want or desire just because it’s something they don’t need. I’m not sure the impact on other people of them owning large cars which they earned and paid for is quite at the point where we need to stop it altogether just yet.

 

[EpsomWolf]

Paris make you pay more for parking if your car is heavy. Is that social engineering?

That’s a good question. I don’t think my terminology is quite right and can’t find the article, but ChatGPT quotes ‘Sumptuary Laws’.

There will always be punitive taxation or legislation aimed at steering behaviours in certain directions, but in respect of large or heavy vehicles I think new restrictions or fees should be fair and not designed to eradicate. Others do and I respect that, but I’d like to know what size/speed/weight they ultimately consider acceptable and whether we’d all be happy only being allowed to eventually drive a modern version of a Sinclair C5 before opening up that can of worms.

 

[Tredman]

2.4 tonnes IIRC

 

[leedswolf]

EU 2035 petrol and diesel car ban to be scrapped – will the UK follow? | Auto Express

The head of the biggest EU party has told the press that from 2035, car manufacturers must reduce CO2 emissions by 90 per cent

www.autoexpress.co.uk

 

[EpsomWolf]

EU 2035 petrol and diesel car ban to be scrapped – will the UK follow? | Auto Express

The head of the biggest EU party has told the press that from 2035, car manufacturers must reduce CO2 emissions by 90 per cent

www.autoexpress.co.uk

Been on the cards for some time. EU economic reality forcing the Exocets to be turned on themselves and fired right into the heart of the good ship green.

Anyone’s guess what the UK will actually do with Miliband fixated and convincing himself he’s some sort of esteemed global visionary, and Yackity’s mob screaming in the background who probably wouldn’t be happy until everyone’s walking to the dole office in biodegradable sandals anyway.

Going to be interesting to see where we go from here regardless of where you sit on that one.

 

[leedswolf]

Yackity’s mob screaming in the background who probably wouldn’t be happy until everyone’s walking to the dole office in biodegradable sandals anyway.

Really? Not a good way to promote a debate...

 

[EpsomWolf]

A bit futile trying to debate with a Green. To be honest though, the radicals will always undermine any sensible intent which will be to the detriment of everyone. Will kybosh any serious political ambitions too but that’s for another thread.

 

[lemonjelly]

Alternatively, could be an opportunity to be a world leader in non-fossil fuel transportation. We missed a trick 10 years ago not ramping up ecologically sound innovation.

 

[darlowolf64]

Ah it’s good to see that everything is the fault of the radical left

Fucking “radical left”, fml

 

[EpsomWolf]

Alternatively, could be an opportunity to be a world leader in non-fossil fuel transportation. We missed a trick 10 years ago not ramping up ecologically sound innovation.

Well yes, but I don’t have the confidence we have the ability to be a world leader in anything unfortunately.

That said, should finally see some big moves in biofuels, renewable diesel and so on now. Just a shame it’s taken the brutal picture of the economic reality to force the shift.

 

[EpsomWolf]

Ah it’s good to see that everything is the fault of the radical left

Fucking “radical left”, fml

Well there’s very little appetite left for any middle ground so the warfare is going to be in targeting the soft underbelly of the lunatics at the edges of both the left and right, so anyone deciding the middle is no longer enough and wants to get into bed beside them had better get used to it.

 

[lemonjelly]

Well yes, but I don’t have the confidence we have the ability to be a world leader in anything unfortunately.

That said, should finally see some big moves in biofuels, renewable diesel and so on now. Just a shame it’s taken the brutal picture of the economic reality to force the shift.

We'll never know if we don't try though, will we?
10 years ago, we were amongst the world leaders in developing ecologically sound tech options. If we had really pushed on then, who knows where we could/would be now. A proper missed opportunity.

 

[Keef]

We’ve always been good at designing and inventing stuff, just never any good at scaling it up, running it and selling it