Car advertising

[flake99please]

My wife ‘updated’ her Fiesta (titanium £0 ‘road tax’) for a Nissan Juke (£140 ’road tax). She feels less vulnerable with the elevated driving position of the Juke compared to the Fiesta. She does miss the hill start assist and front screen de-icer however.

She drives our Son the half mile to school each morning (much to my dismay), but he does walk home each day with me.

I do believe that at least 80% of my wife’s annual mileage (5k miles) is unnecessary. I haven’t driven in 4 years now.

 

[Gunk]

I can imagine asking my parents back in the 1970’s to drive me to work. I can just guess what the response would have been 😮

 

[mjr]

Some people might have to drop their kids off at school and then go straight to work, walking them to school and then walking back home to pick up the car might stop them from getting to work on time?

Is that a problem that can't be solved any other way, or is a car just the short-term-easiest solution and people prefer to ignore the longer-term drawbacks like pollution and inactivity?

 

[GilesM]

Anyway, you miss the point Mr Saddle. The thread is about car manufacturers promoting their wares for uses that are I appropriate for all sorts of reasons in this modern, supposedly enlightened age.

I bought one car purely because I can press some buttons and it drives like a hot hatch with little willingness to stay below the national speed limit, and press some other buttons and it makes those days when the police advise against all but the most essential journeys, lots of fun. Not sure how you'd get that into a catchy radio advert, and if you did, there would probably be some complaints, I suspect that most car use is inappropriate for the most enlightened of this modern age.

 

[Threevok]

What always amazes me when I see a car advert is the fact that you never see any other cars. They always a have a clear road all to themselves. The world of advertising is unreal, certainly not part of the world we actually live in.

It's the same for all adverts though - holiday ones are the worst and lead you to believe you'll be the only one on the beach, by the pool, or at the theme park.

Never mind the other 50,000 mugs they've sold a "Fast Track Pass" to

 

[GilesM]

What always amazes me when I see a car advert is the fact that you never see any other cars. They always a have a clear road all to themselves. The world of advertising is unreal, certainly not part of the world we actually live in.

Depends where you are, I drive a lot on roads with virtually no other cars.

 

[Gunk]

I bought one car purely because I can press some buttons and it drives like a hot hatch with little willingness to stay below the national speed limit, and press some other buttons and it makes those days when the police advise against all but the most essential journeys, lots of fun. Not sure how you'd get that into a catchy radio advert, and if you did, there would probably be some complaints, I suspect that most car use is inappropriate for the most enlightened of this modern age.

At the age of 55 I just still love a hot hatch. I think I always will.

 

[johnblack]

Is that a problem that can't be solved any other way, or is a car just the short-term-easiest solution and people prefer to ignore the longer-term drawbacks like pollution and inactivity?

That very much depends on the individual, but there are a lot of jobs that have no flexibility, the same going for schools that do not open there doors until a specific time, so the long term pollution drawbacks are far less pressing than the short term not having a job drawback.

 

[Drago]

Some people might have to drop their kids off at school and then go straight to work, walking them to school and then walking back home to pick up the car might stop them from getting to work on time?

Oh that makes it alright then.

In any case, that's almost universally not the case. If it were, then why are the rush hour roads so quiet during school holidays?

 

[mjr]

That very much depends on the individual, but there are a lot of jobs that have no flexibility, the same going for schools that do not open there doors until a specific time, so the long term pollution drawbacks are far less pressing than the short term not having a job drawback.

I would bet most of those people haven't exercised their right to request flexible working and have picked up the exhaust pipe as the easiest short-term option.

 

[mjr]

Oh that makes it alright then.

In any case, that's almost universally not the case. If it were, then why are the rush hour roads so quiet during school holidays?

Of course it makes it alright. People must be allowed to choose schools for their chldren that are incompatible with their working hours if for any reason they cannot drive for a while. Workers can always drive and never develop any medical conditions which allow them to work but not drive(!)

Maybe roads are quieter during school holidays because the must-use-cars-for-school-run-then-vommute people either take leave to childcare or don't need to use the car for a change?

 

[Drago]

You you believe that causing danger, a congestion and air pollution outside a schools is morally ok provided someones lifestyle justifies it?

But we know anyway that's an almost universal untruth. The clear and vast majority of school run dar journeys are unnecessary.

School holiday rush hour roads are quieter by and large because people arent making unnecessary sub-mile car journeys in urban areas. Occam's Razor makes that obvious,

 

[johnblack]

Cars are the devil, everyone doing the school run is a filthy, selfish polluter and we are all doomed. Am I doing it right now?

 

[mjr]

Cars are the devil, everyone doing the school run is a filthy, selfish polluter and we are all doomed. Am I doing it right now?

No, you're just leaping from one Aunt Sally to another. The problem is complicated. Why do people reach for the exhaust pipe so readily and what should we change to reduce it? Would tackling fraudulent false car-topia adverts help? Ban them from marketing cars as "ideal for the school run"? Really, that should be a socially irresponsible and repulsive idea but it seems to be accepted. Who's got the red pills?

 

[GilesM]

At the age of 55 I just still love a hot hatch. I think I always will.

I agree, but do you still prefer the '80s ones, okay they probably killed more of their occupants than modern ones do, but I still remember driving the 205GTI for the first time and was completely blown away.