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 Alpharius wrote:


What do they say, and why are they saying it then?

Many people in the UK say we don't make anything any more. They say it because we don't have men in flat caps going t'mill. Because we don't have huge tracts of dirty stinking factories with masses of low skilled labour. They don't want to see that we actually produce lots of high quality products in high tech environments and leave the dirty, low skilled stuff to China and India where they can do it much cheaper.

 Frazzled wrote:

British brands:
Jaguar, Land Rover, Bentley, MINI, Aston Martin, Morgan, Caterham, Arial, Lotus, McLaren, Vaxhall and many more smaller companies.

You guys like the expensive cars.

yes, agreed with Kronk on the Fiesta. I'd say the same on the Focus. Rented a new one whilst mine repaired (current model series). The transmission was the crappiest automatic I've ever been in. I felt...unsafe with the weird lag times and sudden revs. I'll never get a Ford if thats the standard.

What can I say, quality costs

The Fiesta and Focus are well regarded in Europe. Good handling, well built, cheap to run and fun to drive for a small family car. No sports car, but for what they do... I guess though the major difference is the gearbox. No one would get an auto on such a small car in the UK. Auto boxes are always crap on small cars.

Really? Whats wrong with your transmisioin technology there?

Wait Volkswagen sells a crapload of cars here - including Golfs. There has been no notation that they have poor auto transmissions.

 Frazzled wrote:

British brands:
Jaguar, Land Rover, Bentley, MINI, Aston Martin, Morgan, Caterham, Arial, Lotus, McLaren, Vaxhall and many more smaller companies.

You guys like the expensive cars.

Oh, we don't drive them.
I drive past Jaguar's research plant in Coventry every day, and I hardly ever see a Jag or Land Rover going in there. even with the staff discount, employees don't buy one.
Most cars here are more likely to be Japanese, German or French. Audis are the car-of-choice of the knuckle-dragging tailgaters. BMW is the previous favourite of theirs.

 Skinnereal wrote:
Oh, we don't drive them.
I drive past Jaguar's research plant in Coventry every day, and I hardly ever see a Jag or Land Rover going in there. even with the staff discount, employees don't buy one.
Most cars here are more likely to be Japanese, German or French. Audis are the car-of-choice of the knuckle-dragging tailgaters. BMW is the previous favourite of theirs.

I like to torment sports car drivers on the motorway- particularly Beamers and Audis. So funny.

 angelofvengeance wrote:
I like to torment sports car drivers on the motorway- particularly Beamers and Audis. So funny.

That was you?
Keep it up.

 Orlanth wrote:

How do you do a degree symbol in text here?

ALT+F4

 kronk wrote:

 Orlanth wrote:

How do you do a degree symbol in text here?

ALT+F4

Well played...

 angelofvengeance wrote:

 Skinnereal wrote:
Oh, we don't drive them.
I drive past Jaguar's research plant in Coventry every day, and I hardly ever see a Jag or Land Rover going in there. even with the staff discount, employees don't buy one.
Most cars here are more likely to be Japanese, German or French. Audis are the car-of-choice of the knuckle-dragging tailgaters. BMW is the previous favourite of theirs.

I like to torment sports car drivers on the motorway- particularly Beamers and Audis. So funny.

Excellent. My wife makes it a point to park Rosie next to the most expensive car in the lot she can. Such inspirational terror. I've seen drivers run out and move their cars.

I should point out that, thanks to my Wife's unique view of driving, every panel on the van has a dent and/or scrape. Until yesterday, one light was off center and she always drove with lights on (I think as a warning to others that a warrior was coming).
If Mad Max was going to take a van and transform it into an unstoppable killing machine, Rosie would be that van.

Rosie the van.... I hope by the word 'van' you mean pick up with a run of lights atop the rollerbar. You could have two sets of racks behind the cab, one or the shotguns and one for the weiners.

 Orlanth wrote:
Rosie the van.... I hope by the word 'van' you mean pick up with a run of lights atop the rollerbar. You could have two sets of racks behind the cab, one or the shotguns and one for the weiners.

It needs wrap around steel pipe bumpers is what it needs.

The wife wanted to spray paint (yes spray paint) flames and teeth on it.

 Breotan wrote:
Citadel FineCar.

YESSSSS!

 Frazzled wrote:

Wait Volkswagen sells a crapload of cars here - including Golfs. There has been no notation that they have poor auto transmissions.

One issue that I have heard a lot of in VWs from around 02-09 or so, there were issues with the wiring harnesses.

A buddy of mine bought a brand new Passat, I think it was an 09 (maybe it was the next generation, I forget now), and drove it from Clarksville, TN to his hometown in Indiana for Christmas. When he got back the car still had not even 10k miles but began having electrical problems. Took it into the dealership and they said the wiring had basically "completely" eroded.

 Ensis Ferrae wrote:

 Avatar 720 wrote:

EDIT: Also probably a silly question but easily forgotten, you are typing the numbers using the num pad and with num lock on, right?

At least on my own computer, I don't know if it's a universal Windows thing, but, in order for me to use an Alt code, I have to use Left Alt, and the number pad. It won't work with right Alt (honestly, why the hell is right alt even there?)

On my keyboard the right Alt is Alt Gr, which is used with the main keyboard for accented letters and things. I can't recall seeing a keyboard with two regular Alts.

 kronk wrote:

 Steve steveson wrote:

Major manufacturers cars built in the UK:
Ford Fiesta

I'm sorry!

I just bought one. Makes a decent enough commuter car. Sure it ain't a Shelby, but at 20mph on the freeway you'd not be getting your money's worth out of a Shelby anyway.

Now, on the other hand, if I were able to do road trips...

 Steve steveson wrote:

 Frazzled wrote:
As an aside, do the British make any cars?

British brands:
Jaguar, Land Rover, Bentley, MINI, Aston Martin, Morgan, Caterham, Arial, Lotus, McLaren, Vauxhall and many more smaller companies.

Depends how you define "British" brands, I suppose. Jaguar and Land Rover are part of an Indian conglomerate, MINI is a subsidiary of BMW, Bentley is part of VAG (German, along with Audi, Bugatti and SEAT) and Vauxhall (along with Opel and a few far eastern brands) is part of GM.

Back on topic, I drive a Renault, and it's not melted yet (although I'm in Scotland, so it's less likely ). Also, I would expect the same sort of temperatures in southern France, and I've never heard of this happening regularly.

As for manual/automatic transmissions, manuals are more common in Europe. I think it's due to the fact that early autos were less efficient, and petrol costs more here.

 AndrewGPaul wrote:

Depends how you define "British" brands, I suppose. Jaguar and Land Rover are part of an Indian conglomerate, MINI is a subsidiary of BMW, Bentley is part of VAG (German, along with Audi, Bugatti and SEAT) and Vauxhall (along with Opel and a few far eastern brands) is part of GM.

All of which have shareholders around the world. The idea that any large company belongs to any particular country is rather outdated. The point is, we still build lots of cars. What does it matter which countries stock exchange or where the head office of the parent company is registered?

I agree, but then why focus on MINI when significant parts of other BMWs are built here, IIRC? or Ford or anyone else.

Similarly, my understanding is that if you want to "buy American", you should rush out and buy Toyotas and Nissans; IIRC, more people are employed in the US at some point in the supply chain for those companies than for GM or Ford.

(Tata would be an exception, by the way - they definitely are an "Indian company")

 AndrewGPaul wrote:
I agree, but then why focus on MINI when significant parts of other BMWs are built here, IIRC? or Ford or anyone else.

Similarly, my understanding is that if you want to "buy American", you should rush out and buy Toyotas and Nissans; IIRC, more people are employed in the US at some point in the supply chain for those companies than for GM or Ford.

(Tata would be an exception, by the way - they definitely are an "Indian company")

Honda, Nissan, and Toyota have manufacturing in the US. Nissan/Infiniti is in Tennessee. Toyota has major plants in Texas. When I bought my Accord it had higher domestic content than the Ford Taurus.

Ford and GM have major operations in Mexico and Canada. A Ford Truck in Texas has lower domestic content than a Toyota truck or van, because most of it is made in Mexico.

I've also seen major plants for VW and Mercedes in Alabama.

I like my wife's Mini Cooper Coup.

I want a Dodge Charger Hellcat like a fish wants water.
Alternatively a Golf R would be nice.

Of course the best would be a Grumman hellcat

 Steve steveson wrote:

 Alpharius wrote:


What do they say, and why are they saying it then?

Many people in the UK say we don't make anything any more. They say it because we don't have men in flat caps going t'mill. Because we don't have huge tracts of dirty stinking factories with masses of low skilled labour. They don't want to see that we actually produce lots of high quality products in high tech environments and leave the dirty, low skilled stuff to China and India where they can do it much cheaper.

Indeed. I hear it far too often "We don't make anything anymore". Ahem

 Skinnereal wrote:

I drive past Jaguar's research plant in Coventry every day, and I hardly ever see a Jag or Land Rover going in there. even with the staff discount, employees don't buy one.
Most cars here are more likely to be Japanese, German or French. Audis are the car-of-choice of the knuckle-dragging tailgaters. BMW is the previous favourite of theirs.

Which one? I'm round the corner from the research plant near Cheylesmore.

As for the select certain tossers who all happened to drive Audi cars, they really are the bane of the roads at the moment. Though had fun trolling an Audi in my pokey Seat the other day. Tried to burn me off and got a little shock as I took off and he ended up stuck behind me. He was not best pleased judging from the animated movement and his rather dangerous driving

 zedmeister wrote:
Which one? I'm round the corner from the research plant near Cheylesmore.

I go from Corley to Warwick, so the Whitley plant is the easiest way to get across the A45.
All these road works are doing nothing for my commute :(
I do now know a good amount of the County's backroads.

 Skinnereal wrote:

 zedmeister wrote:
Which one? I'm round the corner from the research plant near Cheylesmore.

I go from Corley to Warwick, so the Whitley plant is the easiest way to get across the A45.
All these road works are doing nothing for my commute :(
I do now know a good amount of the County's backroads.

Bloody does my head in and you've got average speed cameras everywhere. The rat run and backstreet roads are getting fuller and fuller each month. Only another year to go