How we dress and what we drive

[Cacklewack]

I absolutely loathe Volvos and generally hate the people who drive them even more (as already mentioned, they're the ones doing 50 in the fast lane), but this car is one that I would certainly make an exception for, and would even drive myself. That's a great look.

I'm usually the Volvo on the side of the road with one of Portland's finest discussing the speed limits.

Matt

 

[StanleyVanBuren]

I'm usually the Volvo on the side of the road with one of Portland's finest discussing the speed limits.

Matt

It's my experience that you're a substantial minority among Volvo drivers. But my hat is off to you, my friend, for doing what you can to rescue the brand. :eusa_clap

 

[Viola]

Alas, poor Mazda, I knew it well...

*scratches Miatas off list tearfully*



-Viola

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

Wow, Stanley, you sure do know a lot about Volvo's. You seem to know a lot about everything. Hmmm, having access to the internet (or possibly in your case Forbes Magazine) sure does make some people really smart... I'm not even gonna bother defending the car I drive (which by the way you know I and quite a few other loungers drive them) for you probably won't listen anyway. Why listen to someone you "generally hate"....

But I will say to the other Loungers here that my S40 turbo has quite a lot of pep, and it should be driven that way. I've never been stuck behind a Volvo going 50 in the left lane. They are also the safest and most reliable cars on the road. They aren't the boxes that they used to be either. Apparently Stanley lives in an area where they don't sell the newer model Volvo's that have been rounded out and look quite nice.

Once again, this isn't a thread about the cars we hate, it's about the cars we like/love/drive. People shouldn't be constantly harped at or insulted for talking about something they like/love/drive. Why bother chiming in on this thread if someone is gonna reply back in such a wacky manner.

 

[StanleyVanBuren]

I was going to go off about how I've stated many times that my opinions on Volvos are generalizations to which there are exceptions both in the cars and the people that drive them, and how I'm (again) in no way attacking anyone personally. And then I was going to talk about how the S40 is in fact a welcome break from the boxy Volvos of the 90s, the benefits of the C1 platform and how its a shame we aren't getting the new Focus but at least you can get a Mazda 3 or a Volvo S40, and how I agree with you that generally the drivers of the newer model Volvos seem to be an improvement over the person in a 1992 240DL wagon going 50 in the fast lane.

But then I read this:

Why bother chiming in on this thread if someone is gonna reply back in such a wacky manner.

...and realized that you're completely right. So I won't bother.

 

[BuddyJ]

Volvo's never had the style and sophistication of it's other European cousins.

The P1800's sweeping lines are Italian.

Going further back, the PV544 carries the design cues similar to many American classics.

I wouldn't consider the Volvos to be lacking in style when compared to other cars in similar categories from their time. And in terms of sophistication, they were pretty advanced with unibody designs and safety features not normally found in other cars. Coupled with sturdy construction and ultra-reliable motors. . . well, there's a reason I'm a fan.

 

[Pilgrim]

I'm simply not alienated to any make of car or manufacturer, although there are certainly cars not to my taste. (We drive what we want, remember, not what we need.)

Since 1980, my wife and I have owned:

1958 Fiat 1200 Transformabile (Spyder)
1977 Chevy Monza Spyder (V-8, 4-speed)
1980 Citation V6 4-speed
1980 Mustang Turbo 4-cylinder
1984 Plymouth Duster Turismo
1976 280Z
1982 280ZX
1983 280ZX Turbo
1993 Ford F-150 4x4
1984 Audi 5000S Turbo
1990 Audi 200 (turbo)
1993 Audi 90 Quattro
1999 Chevy Blazer
1994 BMW 325I

And our daughters have/are driving:
1991 Camaro RS convertible
1997 Chevy Blazer
1999 Jeep Cherokee

That's kind of a mixed bag, isn't it?

I've eyed Volvos and many other brands - sooner or later I hope I'll get a chance to play with many of them. And I'm not sure that any of them reflect my taste in clothing - I simply drive what I like!

 

[drafttek]

I'm a Jeep guy through and through. I've owned six and currently own three. What could possibly be better than a vehicle that can go topless in the summer and get through three feet of snow in the winter. Being currently in the car biz I get to drive all kinds of late model cars. My favorite Non-Jeep cars currently are:

Saab 9-5. Great on the highway, great handling, and goofy buttons that do weird things. How cool is a button that makes your whole dash go dark ("Night Panel") except the speedo)!

BMW. Truly the ultimate driving machine. My wife has a Z3 Convertible for a summer car. What a fun driver that is. ( She has a Jeep Liberty as well)

Volvo. I've driven the S60, S80 and C70 Convertible. Very strong, solid performers. Quick, safe, and stylish.

 

[Flivver]

Saab 9-5. Great on the highway, great handling, and goofy buttons that do weird things. How cool is a button that makes your whole dash go dark ("Night Panel") except the speedo)!

My '96 Chevy Caprice 9C1 (ex police) has a similar switch. They refer to the dash lights off position as "surveilance mode". Otherwise, at night, with the lights off and the engine running, the digital spedo would glow brightly!

 

[plain old dave]

Plain old dave drives a plain old Ford Crown Vic. V8, rear wheel drive, full frame and bench seat. The last Great American Car....

 

[GoldLeaf]

I am not much about cars. I have some pretty strong opinions about vehicles, and I can quite easily get on a soap box about cars and their cost and keeping up with the Joneses, etc I want a cheap car that is ok looking that gets excellent gas mileage.

I drive a Suzuki Reno. It is a safe car that was affordable and ok looking. For the price, the interior is much nicer than, say, a Corolla of the same price.

My car says exactly what I want it to say. I just don't care Material possessions don't mean much to me. Stuff is just stuff. I can't take it with me when I die. If I can't pay cash for it, I don't own it. I am cheap and I don't care what other people think of what I drive. My car has incredibly low maintenance costs, rocks in accidents, gets good gas milage, and didn't break my bank.

BUT – if all cars suddenly cost $1, I like the Audi TT. I love the VW Bug, but unfortunately VW's aren't very reliable these days. My Bug was very buggy I like the Mini. I LOVE the tiny cars in Europe. I think the new Fiat is really cool! I would love to have a scooter. A new Vespa would rock!

::Edit to add:: So, upon further reflection - I don't understand the original precept here, that if a person dresses nicely and cares about their personal appearance, then they loose credibility if they don't drive some fancy looking car? If you saw me in person, I look nice, but I buy bargin bin clothes to make that happen. I don't buy name brands.

I like to look nice, but again, clothes are just things, and I don't care all that much about things. I feel a little sad that someone would judge me poorly because I drive a frumpy vehicle. Why do material posessions have to define who I am, in someone's eyes? If a person chooses to think less of me because I don't drive some fancy-pants car, then that is their loss. I am an amazing person and if my "things" are more important than who I am, I am glad to have weeded them out of my life.

The gentleman in the original story had good taste and was knowledgeable. How sad that he didn't measure up just because he didn't place much value in an expensive "thing" that will be worth half its price in 5 years. I say, good for him. Maybe the money he didn't spend on a car went to charity, or to his kids' college education. Much better spent in my mind.

 

[Jack Scorpion]

I drive a Suzuki Esteem. I'd never even heard of the model before buying it. Toyota Tercel with a big S on the front. Dependable and modest. Handles well and the mileage is decent.

I don't consider it a very cool car. In the circles I run in, that doesn't matter much, so I hardly care. It is a 4 door. That's all my friends need know.

I don't really see a lot of cars these days as that cool. Jaguars still rock, I'd say. I like early 90s Mercedes. But I'm not much of a luxury car kind of guy. Maybe a jeep. Or an El Camino. Hah. I think the next time I purchase a car, it will probably be an American car. They're just cooler, I think. Hopefully my Esteem will last me long enough so that the next time I purchase a car, I'll have the time and money to make that happen.

Until then, being an inner-city kid, having something that runs, gets good mileage and is a decent color (Maroon) is darn straight good enough.

 

[Tango Yankee]

I've found them to be the ultimate "love it or hate it" car. There is no in between. Those that love 'em, God bless ya'. Those that hate 'em, don't bother criticizing because those that love 'em are having too much to fun to care what you think.

Roger that!!! :eusa_clap Mine's both practical and fun, gets lots of favorable comments from strangers, and though it's a bit underpowered the manual transmission helps make it fun to drive. Going to "Cruises," gatherings of Cruiser owners, is a hoot. As for "fake" chrome, I think you'll find that there are very few cars made these days with "real" chrome, i.e., chromed metal as opposed to plastic. The only difference is that I chose to add it aftermarket. Gaudy? No more so than many of the cars of the Golden Era!

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

Great article!!

A guy I know in my hometown of Los Altos (south of SF) has a right-hand drive 30s Rolls as well, but its nowhere near this nice.

Hey, I didn't catch this earlier, but I'm from Los Altos too! Specifically, the corner of Page Mill Road and Moody Road in Los Altos Hills. I lived there from my birth in 1961 to when my family moved to Hawaii in 1970. I haven't been back since 1975, but I hope to take a road trip soon.

 

[Fleur De Guerre]

I drive a Ford Ka. Or rather I did, until a silly woman careened into the back of it last weekend, leaving me with whiplash and my car concertina'd into an even smaller version of its former self.

 

[Smithy]

Up until last month (when I left NZ) this was the daily transport

I must say I miss the car a bit

 

[StanleyVanBuren]

Hey, I didn't catch this earlier, but I'm from Los Altos too! Specifically, the corner of Page Mill Road and Moody Road in Los Altos Hills. I lived there from my birth in 1961 to when my family moved to Hawaii in 1970. I haven't been back since 1975, but I hope to take a road trip soon.

Alright! I've passed that corner many a time, usually at a high rate of speed!

If you haven't been back since 1975, be prepared for a bit of a shock. The whole area is much more built up now. Downtown Los Altos still manages to retain its character, for the most part, thankfully.

 

[Trampilot]

This is Fenella. She's an MG ZR 160. Very quick. Firm ride and has quite a grunt.

 

[eightbore]

I am not much about cars. I have some pretty strong opinions about vehicles, and I can quite easily get on a soap box about cars and their cost and keeping up with the Joneses, etc I want a cheap car that is ok looking that gets excellent gas mileage.

Amen! I like cars as much as the next person but I honestly don't see them as a reflection of my personality...or pretty much anyone else's for that matter, except to the degree that some cars MIGHT highlight the degree to which people are victims of commodity fetishism (eg. the silly SUV trend among soccer moms). I find the personal car related attacks on this thread almost as humorous as those who are genuinely offended that someone might not like their car or that someone might draw stupid conclusions about their personality on the basis of its style. :eusa_doh:

How can anyone make or take such attacks with a straight face?

Below is my favorite quote addressing the foundations of such silly criticisms and sensitivities.

That which exists for me through the medium of money, that which I can pay for, i.e., that which money can buy, that am I, the possessor of money. The stronger the power of my money, the stronger am I. The properties of money are my, the possessor's, properties and essential powers. Therefore, what I am and what I can do is by no means determined by my individuality. I am ugly, but I can buy the most beautiful woman. Which means to say that I am not ugly, for the effect of ugliness, its repelling power, is destroyed by money. As an individual, I am lame, but money procurs me 24 legs. Consequently, I am not lame. I am a wicked, dishonest, unscrupulous and stupid individual, but money is respected, and so also is its owner. Money is the highest good, and consequently its owner is also good. Moreover, money spares me the trouble of being dishonest, and I am therefore presumed to be honest. I am mindless, but if money is the true mind of all things, how can its owner be mindless? What is more, he can buy clever people for himself, and is not he who has power over clever people cleverer than them? Through money, I can have anything the human heart desires. Do I not possess all human abilities? Does not money therefore transform all my incapacities into their opposite?
-Marx 1844


JMHO,

eightbore

 

[pdxvintagette]

My thanks to those who realize that a car doesn't neccesarily say anything about one's personality! I'd love to have the "whole package," - a vintage car to match my style, but it is isn't doable for me. I'd a divorced gal with a single-income household, and my own business. I need my mini-van (my friends have affectionately termed it 'The Mommy Missile' - to clarify, I do not have kids.) The MM drives great, has a ton of space, is a Toyota, and very dependable. But in a perfect world, I'd drive a late 40's Hudson.