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

When we bought our Hyundai i800, the salesman gave us a good deal because he'd been unable to shift it as "...it's a niche vehicle, really...".

God knows what it says about us!

My husband would love a Defender as they're infinitely reparable due to being completely mechanical, even if they're low on modcons and comfort but would have settled for a 7 seater Discovery. Unfortunately, most seven seaters are too small for us.

We live rurally and would have liked the versatility of a 4x4 for towing/camping etc but we settled for the car we have.

Another who belongs to the "what can I buy for 1.5k and isn't in too revolting a colour" tribe.

Quite literally don't see any point in expensive cars.

TBH you don't even need 4x4 for snow, you need winter tyres. My RWD car manages absolutely fine on snowy alpine roads a number of times a year, with winter tyres and chains once to get out of a foot deep car park.

Buy your car based on a specs vs budget basis. Also remember you don't look at the outside when you are driving. I'd rather have a well specced car that wasn't the latest fashion accessory than have to forgo toys and features to get the latest status symbol.

I do have a 'prestige' brand currently, but it's an 8yr old estate well in the 100s of thousand miles, most of which I have done. I'm currently pricing up a skoda to replace it. Not bothered by the badge. It has the features I need.

I also want to buy an Evoque. I need to buy a new car this year and it must be completely multi purpose as I'm going to be driving Europe/Scotland in it - and I want loads of load space.

I suspect I'm going to look like a bit of a twat in it though.

I know what you mean OP - when I lived in a more car-centric area I felt the same. But: it only matters if it matters to you. If you think all Disco drivers are wheezy underworked ladies who lunch (or whatever), you'll feel dismal about yours. Time to practice car mindfulness or something, and let it go.

I specifically chose my car to tell car status types to f off with their snobbishness - 20 year old banged up Mercedes that hasn't seen the inside of a car wash in years. Does that project the tribe I was after?

Oh well, we have a very knackered Fiat Doblo (the 'fanny magnet' as DH so beautifully puts it). What tribe does that make me?

We have Ford Focus. Only one car, DH does not drive. We got it because our car totally, completely and utterly died, our local service/dealer people do Fords and Nissans and my mum would have killed me if I'd gone for a Japanese car. We got it because we could afford it. We got a red one because that was the one they could get to us quickest.

I guess that makes me a member of the 'Desperate Oh Shit I Have To Get A Car Fast' tribe.

I do love the car though. We'll be replacing it with more of the same, only the estate version if we can afford it.

We have an old xc90, I think it's the poorer relation of disco isn't it?

greenfolder fiat Multipla here too. Can fit two adults, 4DC in car seats various and all the luggage needed for a week self-catering, plus pushchair, travel cot...

Am another member of the A-B tribe, DH would like me to care more about cars but I can't.

I saw one of those discovery sports the other day and remarked that it resembled a slightly larger version of the range rover squashed frog evoque. Like the big, boxy disco 4 that one of the mums abandons blocking everyone in in the pre school car park twice a day, as they seem more practical for three kids, a big dog, occasional extra person and a caravan.

Couldn't afford one though.

9 year old galaxy tribe here.
Fits 3 kids plus dog and caravanning crap.
And is comfortable as it can be for 12 hour drives on holiday.

Strange, how different people are: I couldn't give a shit about shoes or designer clothes or handbags. I like cool cars though.

When we were skint we had quirky things like 2cvs and minis. Hate boring boxes.

I have a 2002 Seat Leon. In blue. I've no idea what tribe I belong to.

I have a Discovery 2 because I need to drive up an untarmacked lane and on roads that never see a gritting lorry, with two big dogs in the back and sometimes three teenagers. They do what they're supposed to do. It's not their fault that some people regard them as status symbols.

Our car is a 10 year old dented (by me parking!) 1.4 Astra Estate, basic model. What tribe to we belong to? Apart from the skint & can't see bollards tribe ;)

I currently have two 4x4s. One of them I haven't sold yet as it's too disgusting, I need to get it cleaned and replace the mats before anyone would consider it.

The other is first car's replacement. I do a LOT of driving for work and my destinations are usually (literal) building sites.

Neither are LRs though

I had a discovery (older, not sport!) as I live rurally, ideally need 7 seats and we get our share of snow. We also require a lot of space for our camping gear and need to tow.

I fucking hated the big lumbering thing, I used it for school run then to work and it was a nightmare to park. However, I wrote it off last year and despite being the wrong way round in a field smashed to bits I was completely fine.

I panic bought a replacement to get to work and have lusted after another discovery since. It always felt safe, had enough power to overtake on rural roads safely but wasn't sporty as such. Personally I think it's a great vehicle, but they are so overpriced I wouldn't buy a brand new one even if I won the lottery.

I don't think I was in the 4x4 tribe- the thing was manky and debris flew out every time I opened a door. But there was a tribe of "rangey" mums!

In your position it doesn't seem to be necessary and if you get an older one it won't have the desired wow factor, so it is truly about showing off - I don't think I would buy one in those circumstances.

We have a Discovery 4 , cream leather , all the boys toys , lovely thing . Dh's retirement present to himself albeit a couple of years old , after having 3 or 4 TD5's .

It's full of straw , dog and horse hair , and random bits of cereal from split feed bags . Oh and mud . Every time we go to our feed merchants the owner looks at it approvingly and says " Now that's what it's supposed to look like" . When we get it serviced , we have to have it valeted first , so the dealership doesn't realise how it's been used when we go to part ex it .

I have a Yaris . But I only drive that on work days , and drive the other one the rest of the time to get all my jobs done in one go. So I don't know what tribe we are either .

We (2 adults, 2 extremely tall teens) have a Hyundai i10 (new model) as our only family car.

Being a box on wheels, it has enough height at the back for the tallest member of the family - 6 foot 2 and growing DS - which many much larger cars do not. And I can get 3 boxes of marking side by side in the boot.

We've taken it from south of Birmingham to the Scottish islands on a family holiday, and it was great on ferries as it can be used to fill up spaces when there's been a storm and 3 ferry-loads of cars are all waiting to get in..It's not VERY good at joining motorways at speed when fully loaded if the slip road is uphill, though.

i think it makes us fully signed up members of 'work in public service jobs and value practicality and economy over look;' brigade

I have a feeling I live in a similar area to the Op. All yummy mummy types who use a bloody huge 4 x 4 to drive Tarquin to school, then pop to the gym and then pick Tarquin up again. Inability to park an essential requirement.

Dp drives a BMW 7 series but he's had it 10 years. He also has a T4 camper which he converted so it's got a kitchen etc in it. We practically live in that in the summer.

I have a mondeo. Bought it for £500 at auction last year after sliding my Ford KA into the back of another car on ice. Despite being pretty old it's in great condition and I love it.

Can you tell me what tribe OH and I are in please . Current cars on the road are:

• mk2 golf with an engine conversion (among other mods) giving it 280bhp.
• b3 passat with an engine conversion (+ so many other things!).
• gan 3 MG Midget with extensive body work and mechanical upgrades so it can cope with the extra power from the (non-original) engine.
• 200tdi LR Discovery 1 (2 actually - L and J reg), both having undergone full body restoration because they were rusty as hell.

Tbf we have these cars because we can't afford to spend £50k on new ones but can buy cheapies and do them up/modify them ourselves! How working class of us .

I know what tribe I don't want tone a part of.

Any car that says I have a small penis.

Work it out ...

Some people might think about "tribes" but don't most people just buy a car they can afford and gets them from A to B?

What stuff do people buy because it's an identity thing, either what they are or what they aspire to? I think I don't buy a single thing like that. Am I self-deluded? How would I know?