But I have no choice of car. I don't want it and I think it's shit but it's a free car. Do you want me to fork out 3000 for the same vehicle? No. I dislike both Ford and Holden because Ford keeps making these ugly cars that all have the same grille design for 6 or 7 years now. It's disgusting. Holden cars are the same too. HSV might be cool but their normal cars are kinda icky to me.
Its a common design language, Most manufacturers now have a grille that models share so you can identify certain brands easier. Ford, Mazda, BMW, Skoda, Kia, Mercedes, Rolls Royce, Alfa Romeo & many other brands do it
People who say common design language within a brand is a bad thing make me upset. This could be a rant but I'm going to stop myself now for all of your sakes.
Getting ready to see a Megane RS chassis/drivetrain with a Vauxhall/Opel styled body slapped on top But on a more serious note what do you think are the chances of new Vauxhalls/Opels in 3 years time being based on Peugeot/Renault/Citroen (and even Toyota in some cases) platforms? Then again, in 5 years time they might be mostly hybrids (with maybe some pure electrics) anyway. At which point they may have a new shared platform for hybrid/electric vehicles? I guess it would make sense for them to consolidate at that point.
100%. I've heard rumours that North America might be getting Groupe PSA cars with Opel branding, as well as other markets where French cars have a bad reputation.
You know a company has a low opinion of their own brand image when they buy Vauxhall/Opel to try and bolster it xD
Yeah, I've heard they aren't very well liked in Europe, but it's different in North America. French cars gained a bad reputation in North America for being unreliable (when in reality it was just the average mechanic's inability to understand how they worked), but Opel and Vauxhall never sold in large numbers and were basically just considered "meh" foreign cars. PSA has wanted to gain a foothold here for ages and I think using a brand that was sold here at one point, but basically has no reputation, is a pretty smart way of going about it.
Personally I like French cars and just by looking at any road in France or the UK alike its fairly plain to see that a lot of people seem to choose them over their competition. Reliability is pretty average, fuel economy tends to be good, they are easy to drive (light clutches etc), they look very stylish, modern French cars tend to be very safe, and in terms of build quality they aren't that bad either. For the money you really can't do much better, only equal. Japanese cars tend to be more expensive and upmarket, tend to be reliable (as long as you buy one that is made in Japan, heard from owners the ones made in the UK aren't as reliable) US companies outside of Ford still haven't figured out how to sell cars across the pond at a competitive price and actually make money. They usually resort to selling rebadged lancia's. German cars are even more expensive and upmarket (Outside Opel/Vauxhaul, but they are barely German), although quite a few models are made in spain in the same factories making spanish cars. Spanish cars are actually German cars but at a lower price with different bodywork and interiors. I think they do compete with the French to some extent. Korean cars are probably the closest competitor since they are similar in price but offer 5 and 7 year warranties rather than the 3 year warranties most other companies offer. As long as you don't mind the tidal waves of recalls they tend to be fairly reliable. But when you get free repairs for 7 years who really cares as long as they don't leave you high and dry (which they don't) British cars (hahaha, as if, they are all Chinese owned these days) are way more up market. Nordic cars are the same (apart from Skoda, which share all treats of Spanish cars, maybe a little more up market) . Actual British cars are all sporty non practical cars, but can be found at any price point, tend to be lightweight and simple, decent fuel economy due to weight, and often have Japanese engines making them very reliable. Windscreen, doors, roof are sometimes optional extra's.
100% agree. About korean cars, the warranty is great in theory, but during those 7 years they will absolutely screw you with the repairs. I'm only using an anedoctal example, but my mother bought a KIA Cee'd, and every single time it went into the dealership to get repaired, all they did was mess something else up. Everything from poorly attaching the battery, leading to the car not starting 80% of the time, to fucking up an engine belt service leading to catastrophic failure of the cylinder head (two parts were poorly attached and became loose, causing the timing to be off and wrecking the whole head). By the way, they won't cover the head job even though it's still in warranty. Do not buy korean cars, and if you do make sure to have about 5k in reserve for repairs and maintenance. Do not use their dealerships, from my experience they'll just fuck you over time and time again.
