To think that the car you buy is a statement of the 'tribe' you belong to.

[BusyCee]

DH wants to buy a Discovery Sport 7 seater so we can fit 3 DCs plus others.

We live in a relatively affluent area. Discovery Sports around here are driven by perfectly pleasant women, but women who tend not to work, to spend a lot of time and energy on appearance, and who definitely don't ever drive off road.

I come from a working class family. We currently are not affluent. I have worked since I could. I like working. I like to look nice, but for me style is less important than substance.

I do NOT want to drive a Discovery Sport. We have talked about this. He has just bought a friend who works for LR home with one for us to test drive. I work in marketing. I understand very clearly why people chose the brands they chose.

AIBU to insist that we do not buy the Discovery Sport on brand/looks/target market grounds only and the fact it has a fucking tiny rear window which might be why they're always parked over two bays round these parts

We live up a steep ungritted track, rural and do get snow/ice. I should be driving a disco/RR. Instead I chose a Juke. It's 4x4 turbo (surprisingly nippy), petrol (I don't do very long motorway trips) and with winter tyres it's got me around in all sorts of conditions enjoyably. I didn't need a huge car, but it's top of the range and has all the fancy bits/leather etc. and good safety ratings.

What it says about me is that I didn't want a huge car (or a white one) and I probably have weird taste (since people like to take the piss out of Jukes). My first car was a 2cv, I worked on a farm at the time and it was 'offroaded' regularly - brilliant car!

Most people round here drive huge, very clean 4x4s. DH drives a 'status' car, it's great for getting all the DCs in comfortably for long journeys, but looks like a tank.

It isn't different for sheep trailers! [rolleyes]

www.gov.uk/towing-with-car/driving-licence-rules-and-what-you-can-tow

Of course, VIN info trumps legal maximums from the link above. So if you have a little Panda, you can't put 3.5metric tonnes on the back. Generally best to look for information from an official source instead of the Caravan Club. (potatoes handy hint for the day).

Caravan club say you legally can't tow in excess of 100% of the weight of the car

The caravan club are wrong

I have a Hyundai IX35. Dh has an Audi Q5. Both nice cars but the Audi is a better build quality but it cost 3 X the cost of mine.

I chose mine due to the high driving position and it was excellent value.

Dh will only drive an Audi. He had a serious head on crash a few years ago. He was driving a brand new A6 and it was written off. But he walked away with minor injuries unlike the driver and passenger of the car that hit him at 80 mph. They had life changing injuries and nearly died.

I don't know what 'tribe' we belong too.
Dh wants to trade in his Q5 for another A6 as he likes his gadgets. He has had 6 Audis and keeps them for up to 2 years each.

My car is a year old but I had my last 2 for 7 years each.

Get a VW Touran OP. It meets your needs and you will be quids in. I also have a theory that you're less likely to get a ticket or hassle in a Touran because they're so boring no-one remembers them! (Esp in grey or what DH calls fog camouflage ).

I'd like a Duster in bright yellow with black blanket stitches. Probably just me though?

Really I drive a VW Polo and judging by the car park at work I am indeed in touch with my tribe (secondary school teachers) although there is an increasing presence of 4x4s.

You don't have to rudely roll your eyes at me potatoes

Funnily enough when I paid a considerable amount of money to go on a towing course forgive me for thinking I might have been told correct information.

I get confused with the ncapp ratings.
Which is the safest 5 door hatchback?

Defenders are back along with Mercedes g-class! They have to be black with blacked out windows though. Sometimes they're gold or silver and mirror effect. The super rich drive them around Chelsea and the surrounding areaS.

On the topic of landrovers, what does it mean when they have 'OVERFINCH' on the bonnet? One parks at the end of our road and I see others driving around and often wonder what it means.

I'm not 'competing' in the inverse snobbery! At the time of purchase, I genuinely could only afford a £250 skoda! Plus it was reliable, it never broke down once and passed every MOT - I had it for 6 years. I'm sure it wasn't the safest of machines but we upgraded as soon as the babies came, for a standard Focus.

I am known for eccentric purchases though.

Over finch is a company that modifies land rovers. They used to do whatever you wanted e.g 7 seats in a Range Rover or engine remap, or pretty paint.
Now they seem to sell just one type as a model.
So over finch meant it had some sort of work from them, now I think it's just a model overfinch sell

FankEwe Overfinch are a tuning company who will take your fantastically expensive Range Rover and spice it up to be even more powerful - for lots of money naturally. Making your posh car even more exclusive

In fact it says on their website that they enhance your car which probably means if you got the money they will do whatever you like to your car

It is really, really dangerous to tow something heavier than your car.

Ridiculous snobbery on this thread. Oh my God they have a clean 4X4, from their voices I think they are nouveau.

Yes working class people can earn decent money and might chooses to spend it on a car. Get over yourselves.

My best friend is the wealthiest person I know... multi millionaire. She drives a 10 year old Kia. Her DH rides a bicycle most of the time. They only have one car.

We have a 14 year old Hyundai.

The reason we bought a Discovery was because it was one of the only vehicles with a maximum towing capacity of 3500kg - reached quite quickly when towing two large horses in a trailer .

Overfinch are very popular for having your Range Rover blinged to the back of beyond . Colleen Rooney has her signature in Swarovski crystals on hers .

Ah so it's a company to pimp your ride. I prefer them au naturel anyway although the ones I've seen haven't been overly blingy, I guess they like what the massive 'OVERFINCH' on the front means to those who care.

I buy my cars for functionality, and also to fit a parking space outside the house. I am looking to buy a new (to me, can't afford a brand new) car this year, but the boot needs to be sized to fit a small fold up wheelchair flat, without having to put down the rear seats. Which will make it much easier to ferry mum around.

I've mainly had peugeots, and they've been very reliable for me. Current car is a 206, and has just passed the MOT only needing a new bulb over the rear licence plate. Not bad for a 13 year old car.

DP has a ford focus, which I find easy to drive and park, and the boot space would be fine. So I might look around for one, and also look at similar cars in the class.

Incidentally, I get fed up trying to find out the boot space of cars. All the descriptions give the boot in litres, ie in volume, but I want dimensions so I can judge whether I can get the wheelchair in. It's a pain.

Op, I do think you have a point.

I was always taught that buying a brand new car was akin to flushing your money down the toilet. My parents always said it was better to invest in houses so we had the big house with the old banger in the drive! I have followed their advice and would never buy a new car, but about ten years ago when we were young and child free we bought a mx5 convertible. We decided we didn't care about the "hairdresser car" stereotype and just wanted it for the fun of it. And we absolutely loved it, so much so that we kept it until dd2 was born, despite it being a 2 seater. Because the feel good factor and entertainment value of going out for a drive with the top down is just immeasurable. So now we have a beat up old Mazda hatchback that is on its last legs and only really used for long journey s with luggage or trips to the dump! And a vw eos the kids call the "fun car" also ten years old, mind which isn't as sexy as a two seater but is a bit more practical for a family of four and has a folding hard top so just looks like a Passat most of the time. But we choose it just for those sunny days when you can put the top down, as it's so enjoyable and we don't get out much now that we're parents so it's a cheap form of entertainment!

I see absolutely no appeal in a SUV though, next door neighbour has a Porsche Cayenne so I can see that stereotype described on this thread!

DH and I have his and hers Civics. His is 10 years old and we are thinking of getting something he wants, but the 2 DC can get into as his is the run around. Mine is much newer and a tourer so we use it when going away. Great driving position, can fit three across the back and I got a 6 ft table in mine.

To the person upthread - what does your mum have against Japanese cars? Both of mine were made in the UK :-)

I must belong to the broke teenager first car club with my car

Get him an old SAAB, uggmum. One of mine rolled into a wall once. The wall suffered but the car was unscathed.

Whoever said they had a pick up truck I'm (current car is supermini/skip on wheels)

I love the thought of literally slinging DC/shopping over the side and then just driving off joking, kind of and no need to valet as it rains here a lot

I have an old car (10 years or so) and will keep it til it drops.

The tribe is: impoverished!

cozie, Saabs are like tanks.

I saw my car (not telling!) in a motor magazine before it came on the market and said "I like the look of that!", then read the specifications, checked out the price and went to the showroom as soon as it came out. We bought one a year later (wanted to avoid early production "lemons") and are perfectly happy with it.

It turned out to be quite a desirable mummycar, so I suppose I am true to my tribe . However no thought of conforming ever crossed my mind.