What's my SOC worth?

Discussion in 'UK Motorcycles' started by Lozzo, Oct 12, 2008.

  1. Tell Neil Ronketti, I think he's got a 635csi stuck in a barn
    somewhere...

    I dunno, maybe. Hopefully I'll be buying when the credit crunch hits
    the high street and buying cost won't be such a factor, so
    BMW/Audi/Lexus might be more in my budget. Still got to move house of
    course, hah!
     
    mike. buckley, Oct 15, 2008
    #61
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  2. Lozzo

    Champ Guest

    heh. But to be fair, a 20 year old former supercar bought for 500
    quid is not really comparable, is it.
    "Hah!" indeed. I might be doing a bit of that next year.
     
    Champ, Oct 15, 2008
    #62
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  3. Lozzo

    ginge Guest

    [bmw]
    I drove a 318 coupe years ago and absolutely loved it, but company car
    schemes have priced them out for me. The problem is I think even the
    oldest 135 coupe will be out of my price range, and that's the one I'd
    like most.

    OTOH, Are the diesels as nice to drive as the petrols?
     
    ginge, Oct 15, 2008
    #63
  4. Lozzo

    SteveH Guest

    The current 320d, IMHO, is shit.
     
    SteveH, Oct 15, 2008
    #64
  5. Lozzo

    Lozzo Guest

    Could that possibly be because it's built the wrong side of Switzerland
    for your strange tastes?
     
    Lozzo, Oct 15, 2008
    #65
  6. Lozzo

    Champ Guest

    Conversely, the 330d, imho, is bloody brilliant. It was driving Black
    Mike's which caused the scales to fall from my eyes wrt to BMW cars.
     
    Champ, Oct 15, 2008
    #66
  7. Lozzo

    ginge Guest

    Has he got a 330d touring? That's the one I reckon would be just the
    ticket at the right price.
     
    ginge, Oct 15, 2008
    #67
  8. Lozzo

    Champ Guest

    No, he's got the slightly bizarre 330Cd - coupe shape, with a 3 litre
    diesel in it.
     
    Champ, Oct 16, 2008
    #68
  9. Lozzo

    SteveH Guest

    I tried a 320d SE saloon.

    The engine was noisy and vibrated like hell at low revs. It didn't feel
    like it was somewhere in the region of 175bhp either.

    Aside from that, the non-satnav models have a very spartan interior and
    the trim quality is shocking given how much money you have to part with
    for one - the car I drove was pretty much standard spec. at £26k - the
    car I'd have ordered would have been near on £28k with auto box and a
    few options.

    Also tried the same engine in a 520d. It was more refined in the 5
    series and the interior is less spartan, but it was still poorly
    equipped and felt very cheap for the money.
     
    SteveH, Oct 16, 2008
    #69
  10. Yeah, whatever happened to Tatra?
     
    Grimly Curmudgeon, Oct 16, 2008
    #70
  11. Lozzo

    Ace Guest

    But you're happy to drive a Vauxhall Vectra, no?
    You should try before you judge. If the image puts you off then fine,
    although I'd have exepected a more open mind from you, especially
    considering your current wheels, but in the flesh, and in the driving,
    this has beaten the A6, Volvo V70, Ford#HJaguar X-type, Cayenne,
    Scooby-something and various other 4X4 cars that I tried, specifically
    on the issues of comfort and luxury.

    Not trying to convince you, of course (god forbid), but if you haven't
    driven a newish hi-spec one you may not be fully aware of their
    potential.

    --
    _______
    ..'_/_|_\_'. Ace (b.rogers at ifrance.com)
    \`\ | /`/
    `\\ | //' BOTAFOT#3, SbS#2, UKRMMA#13, DFV#8, SKA#2, IBB#10
    `\|/`
    `
     
    Ace, Oct 16, 2008
    #71
  12. Lozzo

    Ace Guest

    Ahh, so in your world 'luxury' = premium-branded, big, soft and lardy.
    All becomes clear ;-)

    Your other comment
    is also at odds with my definition, so yes, MMDV.
    Err, think about Phaeton == Bentley. Or perhaps Bentley == rebadged
    Phaeton.

    --
    _______
    ..'_/_|_\_'. Ace (b.rogers at ifrance.com)
    \`\ | /`/
    `\\ | //' BOTAFOT#3, SbS#2, UKRMMA#13, DFV#8, SKA#2, IBB#10
    `\|/`
    `
     
    Ace, Oct 16, 2008
    #72
  13. I'd have classed mine as something a cut above a Ford, Vauxhall or
    similar, but below BMW (and only slightly below Mercedes, when they were
    going through their quality probs).

    What I'd be very interested to know is the degree of similarity between
    VW and Audi. Not the vehicles themselves, but their quality, finish,
    build, interior, longevity, 'feel', whatever makes a luxury car
    perceived as that.

    There's a lot in common between a Golf and a Skoda Octavia, for example,
    but what about between a Passat and an A4?

    And take the VW Phaeton. It's not considered a viable S-class competitor
    becaus it's a VW. But just how good is it?

    Toyota managed the trick of establishing a luxury brand with Lexus:
    completely new division, new factory, separate R&D, a clean sheet of
    paper. Would it have been different if they'd built the original LS400
    in the same plant that was churning out, for example, Corollas?
     
    The Older Gentleman, Oct 16, 2008
    #73
  14. See my posting of a minute or two ago. I think this is an interesting
    example.
     
    The Older Gentleman, Oct 16, 2008
    #74
  15. Lozzo

    Ace Guest

    In the showroom, and on test drives, there are a few small pointers
    that show the difference. The only one that springs to mind is that
    the inside door handles in the Passat are somewhat plasticky in feel;
    not bad in themselves, but not quite up to Audi standards. The rest of
    the cabin, and the 'quality feel' of the general build, seem to be
    comparable between the two.

    The VW Satnav/radio/cd/dvd/mp3 controls are _much_ easier to use than
    the Audi ones, although conversely I think that 'single joystick,
    overly complex, takes an age to understand it' interfaces like on the
    Audi are more common on 'luxury' marques.
    Not at all. Completely different cars.
    VW/Audi seem to be trying to avoid that route - certainly the current
    and emerging range doesn't conform to Audi=hi-spec, VW=workaday,
    although the pricing model does. It almost feels, with the R32, R36,
    R50 models, like they're focussing on VW=Sporty, but that's in stark
    contrast to the normal view of Audi, so I'm not sure.

    --
    _______
    ..'_/_|_\_'. Ace (b.rogers at ifrance.com)
    \`\ | /`/
    `\\ | //' BOTAFOT#3, SbS#2, UKRMMA#13, DFV#8, SKA#2, IBB#10
    `\|/`
    `
     
    Ace, Oct 16, 2008
    #75
  16. Lozzo

    Ben Guest

    My old man has a new 330se touring, and whilst it's a lovely car, I
    presonally don't like it. I find the cabin feels very cramped and it
    doesn't go as quick as you think a 3 litre petrol should go.
     
    Ben, Oct 16, 2008
    #76
  17. No, I had a 9000i before the present Nissan.
     
    The Older Gentleman, Oct 16, 2008
    #77
  18. Lozzo

    dog Guest

    was the steering wheel extra?
     
    dog, Oct 16, 2008
    #78
  19. Lozzo

    ginge Guest

    Hmm, as much as I hate to say it a boring old Mondeo 2.2 ST TDCI is
    looking like a sensible option at the moment. Dirt cheap for what it
    is, and spacious.
     
    ginge, Oct 16, 2008
    #79
  20. Lozzo

    Hog Guest

    The new ones look fine to me for the money, as you say. **** that
    Diesel shit though.
     
    Hog, Oct 16, 2008
    #80
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