Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeyMK
That fails on many levels,tbh.
You say fast MK1 Escorts,then say fast MK2 Escorts. Yep,because they had to be fast to be anything special,which is reflected in the rest of your Ford list. Slow Fords just have nothing going for them. A neighbour has a 53 plate mexican air cooled Beetle because there's still a market for them despite the refusal of the european authorities to allow it.
But you only mention the Beetle once. It was sold for over 50 years! And it didnt have to be fast to be loved by its literally millions of buyers. Put a brand new Sierra 1.6 up today and see the thousands queing to run it standard..
Same with the camper,which was doing well long before the Ford Popular/Prefect put the Escort conception in Fords nutsack,and still made in bay window form this millenium (not officially sold in the UK since the '80s).
But you stretch it out further. You can write every different type of Sierra Cosworth you can think of,and only one Golf GTi. But that doesn't shift the fact that the Golf GTi came out before any Sierra and is still on sale long after Generations of dull Mondeos failed to be anything more important than taxis. There's probably a V6 in there nobody knows about.
We dont have to change the scene for us,or wouldn't have to but for labelling by some narrow minded people who wanna label me because i drive a car with a VW badge. We're not the scene. Im not in the Nokia scene just because i have an N86 but it seems categorisation is everything these days.
Speed,it seems,certainly is. If i didn't know better,id still be of the view that Ford enthusiasts are just yobs.
|
Stop saying 'fail', you're not helping yourself any...
Sorry to drag up an old post in here, but I'm afraid this reply is just pretty poor to be honest with you. I didn't for one second say that a car has to be fast to have legendary status, perhaps you failed to see my point. But regardless of that, the MK1/2 Escorts are still massively well thought of, from 1.1 right up to the RS1800/RS2000/Mexico models. For their day they were a well-priced, reliable family car, that drove well and served whole generations.
I also only mentioned the beetle once, because it was only one car, so why would I mention it several times? It had a few changes over it's life, but it remained essentially the same. Let's not forget, it was designed as cheap, utilitarian transport. It was never a good car from a technical point of view, right from it's conception. It was cheap, and simple, making it good for transporting the beaten-half-to-death German population at the end of WWII, and it was a good way to help the German's get back on their feet economically too. It was a terrible car though. The engine is in the wrong place, it rusts like a mad thing, was basic, noisey and generally pretty terrible. It lasted so long because it was quirky and has remained a fashionable accessory for some. It was kicked to the side in Europe because it was out-dated, dangerous and nothing like as good as everything else. If you want proof of how crap the design is, think how many decades and millions its taken for Porsche to actually get a car of that layout to go round a corner properly, and they still get criticism even now.
I also mentioned different models of Cosworth, because they're all legends in their own right. The original 3dr Sierra Cosworth, brought 150mph, super car performance to Joe Average and set massive standard for performance cars in the 80s. The RS500 deserves a mention because it took that concept even further, and it's sheer domination of saloon car racing for a huge period of time around the world has secured its status. The Escort is different again; it brought back the wild styling of the original with the huge rear wing and massive arches. It was an absolutely epic drive, it was (and probably still is) one of the fastest cars to cross country in in the real world, and came along before the Impreza/Evo were even heard of. It's ludicrous theft rate and insurance premiums ensured it would go down in history as a legendary car. Drive down the street in one even now, and almost everyone will look. It's an icon, end of.
As for the Golf, I don't deny the MK1 was a legend. The GTI was the first hot hatch and is an iconic car, but it went downhill pretty soon after. The MK2 was ok but was already piling on the pounds. The MK3 GTI was far from special, and the MK4 was just a joke. The MK6 finally saw recovery, but it isn't really any better than the Focus ST/Astra VXR/Civic Type-R, so it certainly doesn't have the edge it used to. Sadly, in my eyes (and the vast majority of others), the Golf has had too many years of mediocrity to really merit legendary status since the 80s. Perhaps the newer models can change that.
As for the Mondeo arguement, that is just a catastrophic display of ignorance. Since it's birth in 1993; the Mondeo has widely been regarded as the best car in it's class. It's always outdriven the opposition and has been evolving ever since to still be a class leader. Modern examples are even better, boasting build quality that's just as good as the German stuff IMO, without the silly price tags. And you've obviously not done your homework, as the last sporting Mondeo; the ST220 was a fantastic car and, again, widely commended for its performance, styling and, most of all, its handling abilities. Why do you think the Police have armies of the things for traffic duties?
VW have produced some lovely cars over the years, I won't deny it, but in legendary terms, you've not got a hope against Ford. VW have a slightly better badge, which suits some people, but you have to pay for it. Ford have been building bread and butter cars for years and years that are affordable, reliable and drive well. And on top of that, when they put their mind to it, they can build a performance car that shakes the foundations of the car industry.
Quote:
Originally Posted by timrud
New cars, as I said, VW's are different class.
|
I really wouldn't agree with that statement anymore. I think other manufacturers have gained absolutely massive ground on VW in recent years. Fords/Vauxhalls seem to be just as well built nowadays. VW are relying totally on this image of quality, but I don't think they're really any better than others. They don't justify their price. I'd sooner buy a Seat/Skoda. You get essentially the same product just without the price tag.
Incidentally, that last massive load of pictures put up...a friend of mine was with me when I was looking at those. He isn't even really that into any brand, and even he said they all looked basically the same, so it isn't just us Ford people that do it
