This thread is meant to be lighthearted, so nobody needs to climb on a soapbox.
Have you ever wondered when you look round the car parks of transport yards, why some drivers run around in reasonable cars, whereas others drive around in sub Ā£100 nails?
If you think about it, everyone does their walk round checks at the start of the shift, makes sure everything is in order and working as it should, filling in a defect report for any faults they find and in extreme cases not taking the vehicle out if there are more serious problems with it. Yet in contrast, they will drive around in a tatty car with blowing exhausts, wall to wall rust, faulty electrics and just missing a sign with āNick Meā written on it?
My Astra Diesel estate is far from being a luxury car - it doesnāt even have electric mirrors, aircon, or alloy wheels, so I am not some snob looking down my nose, just curious as to why someone that drives professionally for a living, wouldnāt want a half decent motor to run around in the rest of the time? Trampers I can understand, as they wonāt even see their cars for days on end, but why others?
I now have my tin hat on and patiently await the barrage of repliesā¦
LIBERTY_GUY: This thread is meant to be lighthearted, so nobody needs to climb on a soapbox.
Have you ever wondered when you look round the car parks of transport yards, why some drivers run around in reasonable cars, whereas others drive around in sub Ā£100 nails?
If you think about it, everyone does their walk round checks at the start of the shift, makes sure everything is in order and working as it should, filling in a defect report for any faults they find and in extreme cases not taking the vehicle out if there are more serious problems with it. Yet in contrast, they will drive around in a tatty car with blowing exhausts, wall to wall rust, faulty electrics and just missing a sign with āNick Meā written on it?
My Astra Diesel estate is far from being a luxury car - it doesnāt even have electric mirrors, aircon, or alloy wheels, so I am not some snob looking down my nose, just curious as to why someone that drives professionally for a living, wouldnāt want a half decent motor to run around in the rest of the time? Trampers I can understand, as they wonāt even see their cars for days on end, but why others?
I now have my tin hat on and patiently await the barrage of repliesā¦
Why leave a 10 grand car in a yard all week to rust away over the years, when you can leave a shed there instead?
Because we all have our super duper trucks that are shiny and new ( I wish) so why spend our minimum wage on a flash car.
Iām happy with my 05 Volvo, it gets me to work and back and itās not rusty but does have a battered NS mirror with stick piece of glass till I get round to replacing it
Cos personally I spend about 30 minutes a day in my car getting to and from work and that is about it, and if I go back tramping it will be sat in the yard all week.
Donāt have a fancy car, have a 58 Astra, and I tramp away all week, if the other half worked hours somewhere similar to me then I would get her to take me and pick me up rather than it being parked up all week. Donāt see the point in brand new/flash/fancy cars, waste of time when you are a truck driver tramping all week or working 12 hours a day.
Why would I spend loads of money on a car I use maybe 4 times a month to get from Ipswich to Mansfield and back?
First car I had was a 2000 reg golf. Got to 130,000 before the head gasket blew so I scrapped it.
Then got a 1998 reg fiesta for Ā£700. Had done 100,000 when I got it. Made 155,000 before he head gasket blew. Scrapped it.
Now running a 1994 3.1.6 BMW I got for Ā£400. Had 101,000 on the clock when I got it, 6 months MOT and no advisories. Now on 128,000 miles, passed its MOT with no advisories and local mechanic says itāll last at least another 50,000 with regular servicing. Was one of those models that BMW built to last with parts that rarely needed replacing. Gets 50mpg on the motorways.
When that dies, Iāll just get another old banger. Theyāre cheap cars to run, lack of engine management computers and electronics means our local grease monkey can fix most problems.
Old bangers have a personality about them as well. And being old and cheap you donāt tend to worry about minor damage and leaving them out in the elements etc.
Thereās some real nice cars in our car park. But as I do 66 miles a day round trip I need something that I donāt mind doing the mileage. I got a 55 Peugeot 407 diesel bit dull but eats the miles. In my old agency days when I was single is often buy something cheap with a bigger engine like an omega, Granada, cavalier Sri etc.
I love my cars and my bikes. Have a decent Volvo car but got a old van I use for work because where we park there is no guarantee it wonāt get bashed.
Bike is for fun no way would I take that into our yard.
I donāt need anything flash,something that gets me to work and back everyday,bit of shopping weekends,and occasional visits to family,thats it,mines a 17 year old crv,had it 6 years,
Weāve got three cars, youngest is 13, oldest is now 19.
No depreciation is one of the biggest bonuses, but more importantly those useless fat incompetent and nasty slobs that either canāt park without hitting your car, nor get their fat arse out without putting another dent in your car donāt matter so much, let alone the green eyed little back side bandits who deliberately damage your car if its desirable.
Canāt stand boring modern cars anyway, about as interesting as modern lorries, and just like modern lorries anything goes wrongā¦āāgotta go on the laptop mateāāā¦kerbleedingching.
Actually our cars despite being old are meticulously serviced, kept well and totally reliable.
As long as it does the job, WGAF how old/scruffy it is? It may well be the second (or third) car in the household - as long as it starts and runs when required, does it really matter what it looks like? Why tie up significant capital (and pay for the depreciation) on something that just gets you to work and back?
As soon as I started driving to work, I swapped my pride and joy, for a citroen ds3. Itās now 5 years old, had 5 full services and done 50000 miles. Itās a perfectly serviceable/economical, French turd box. And I love it for that. All its cost me so far is 2 front tyres. As such it sits in a dusty yard all day and I donāt have time to wash and polish it every weekend, but as itās a turd box I just donāt care!
The missus has a job that is walking distance, so Iām on at her to get a ātoyā car. I quite fancy an old Caymanā¦ but so far Iām not winning! Likes her fiesta too much
