why do bad drivers choose volvo's

That's about as inoffensive as I can put it

Andy

 

As well as grammatically incorrect.

 

Sorry Hamish, I'll try again.

Why is it that Volvos tend to be chosen by people of poor driving ability?Is that better?

 

Yeah, but I was taking the piss as I thought you were. Where abouts are
you? Here in Australia Volvo drivers have been considered a danger on the
road as they were in "safe" cars and so they were safe from being hurt in
accidents. While that *may* have been true 20 years ago, I have yet to see
any reports/analysis of such that would suggest the marque has drivers that
are any worse than others.

I have been a motorcyclist for a number of years, as it was my only source
of transport and I didn't need a car. One particular motorcycling magazine
had free stickers to put on your helmet that claimed "Volvo Aware Rider" as
it was alleged that Volvos were over represented in accidents that involved
bikes. I have never seen any statistical analysis to show this one way or
the other. It may have been that Volvo was advertising their cars as the
safest vehicles available at the time and it was a case of the tall poppy
syndrome (or something else).

I have test driven a number of Volvos from the mild 10V 2.5 L to the more
exciting high pressure turbo derivatives and have enjoyed doing so. I would
not hesitate to buy one just to be able to return the insults that Volvo
drivers cop for, driving a Volvo. (Have you seen the Bloody Volvo Driver
adds?).

However if you ask someone if they are a below, average or above average
driver, perhaps it has been that Volvo drivers aren't too concerned with
their own ego inflation to claim they are anything but your average driver?

Cheers

Hammo

 

With an (alleged) email address like yours, do you really expect to be taken
seriously?

What evidence do you have? To what geographic region do you refer?

How inclusive is your assertion? Fo example, are you saying:
* all Volvo owners are, by definition, bad drivers?
* all bad drivers drive Volvos (and no other makes) but some good drivers
also choose Volvos?

Etc.

 

one if requested.
I live in the south of England.
There is no evidence to prove the abilities of a driver statistically so it
is simply an opinion which is widely shared in this country. In a recent TV
program pole to find which were those worst driven car in the UK Volvo
predictably won, followed by BMW then Mercs. I tried to word the question
carefully so as not to say Volvo drivers are bad drivers, but I do feel from
my experiences on the road that Volvos do tend to attract the worst drivers.
It seems to be an "I am all right if I crash" attitude which breeds
complacency and inconsideration. Don't get me wrong there are many Volvos
that are very well driven and many other cars makes are driven badly. They
do make some nice cars it is just that they seem to carry a reputation for
bad drivers.

 

What kind of crap is this? Nothing like generalizations! If this is true why
is the insurance for my 1999 S70 CHEAPER than what I was paying for a 1992
VW?

 

Yeah well, we own the road, so get out of our way.

 

Must be the location, around here Volvos have always been associated with
the mature middle class family person, and the insurance on them is
generally about as cheap as it gets. It's the SUV's I particularly watch out
for, I haven't noticed correlation between any particular brand and the
ability of those driving them.

 

It might have something to do with:

1. Your whole country is inbred
2. Everybody in your country is pissed about the way the royals treat the
outsiders they marry into
3. Drivers education isn't mandatory
4. When a driver buys a car and realizes it is built in a country where the
cars routinely go for more than 100 miles without needing service, the
drivers feel like they are special
5. Its your breath blowing back in your face.

Or maybe, in GB, more assholes buy Volvos than other brands.

Or, perhaps, maybe it is nothing at all.

chuck

 

Nowhere near as bad as the clowns in SUVs I contend with on the roads
every day. I see way more of them in accidents than Volvos.

 

It is down to the jealous nature of other drivers who generally drive lesser
cars than Volvos. Who can compare a "Jelly-Mould" (Ford Sierra) to a 440/460
without feeling left out in the cold?

Cheers, Peter.

:
: : >
: > : > >
: > > : > > > On 10/11/03 9:14 PM, in article
: > > 3faf659c$,
: > > > "Andy F" <nosoft.toiletpaper@hotelbastardos> decided to come out from
: > > under
: > > > the bed and slurred:
: > > >
: > > > > That's about as inoffensive as I can put it
: > > > >
: > > > > Andy
: > > >
: > > > As well as grammatically incorrect.
: > >
: > > Sorry Hamish, I'll try again.
: > >
: > > Why is it that Volvos tend to be chosen by people of poor driving
: ability?
: > > >
: > > Is that better?
: > >
: > >
: >
: > With an (alleged) email address like yours, do you really expect to be
: taken
: > seriously?
: >
: > What evidence do you have? To what geographic region do you refer?
: >
: > How inclusive is your assertion? Fo example, are you saying:
: > * all Volvo owners are, by definition, bad drivers?
: > * all bad drivers drive Volvos (and no other makes) but some good drivers
: > also choose Volvos?
: >
: > Etc.
: >
: > Hi, the address is like that to stop unwanted mails I will give my correct
: one if requested.
: I live in the south of England.
: There is no evidence to prove the abilities of a driver statistically so it
: is simply an opinion which is widely shared in this country. In a recent TV
: program pole to find which were those worst driven car in the UK Volvo
: predictably won, followed by BMW then Mercs. I tried to word the question
: carefully so as not to say Volvo drivers are bad drivers, but I do feel from
: my experiences on the road that Volvos do tend to attract the worst drivers.
: It seems to be an "I am all right if I crash" attitude which breeds
: complacency and inconsideration. Don't get me wrong there are many Volvos
: that are very well driven and many other cars makes are driven badly. They
: do make some nice cars it is just that they seem to carry a reputation for
: bad drivers.
:
:

 

I chose mine because they're blindingly fast, handle like they are on rails
and if I ever make a mistake and crash I'll walk away from it. Plus when I
cut someone off and give them the finger I'm almost instantly lost in a
crowd of gray 240s and they can never figure out who it was. For these
reasons they are also great getaway cars for bank jobs.
Dave Shannon
daveshan_at_spamsoneonelse_cox.net (Spring Valley CA)
1988 240 DL 19X,XXX
1984 245 DL 20X,XXX
1984 245T 19X,XXX
'01 Jeep Wrangler Sahara 14K
http://www.homestead.com/volvo2/

 

your mummys bed for long enough to see the real world outside the US you may
even realise the pathetic attempts at insults you make are so ludricus that
I can only laugh.

1. Your hill billy butt fucking family may be so repulsive to the outside
world that you are forced to breed with each other but in the UK we have a
huge gene pool to choose from and have done for thousands of years
2. Nobody in my country really give a shit about what the royal familly do
or don't do. They are just here for stupid American tourists in knee high
socks and baseball caps to fawn over and say things like " Gee isn't every
thing so old" at anything that has existed for more than 200 years
3. We find a driving examination quite sufficint to test the ability of
drivers and don't feel the need to send adults back to school to learn what
the British call "common sense" which is something that has clearly been
bred out of your genes
4. American cars are regarded the world over as the worst pieces of shit on
the roads. Why do you think no one else drives them exept the Americans? The
brittish are famous for producing high quailty hand built motors. Aston
Martin, Rolls royce, lotus, TVR etc. What have the Americans got that can
match that?
5. If the wind were blowing back in my face it would be a far sweeter smell
than the stench eminating from your palid obese form.

Andy

 

year olds.
Although they may not have many prangs they cause them through there
indiscisive and unaware driving.
__________________________________________________________

 

two lines of thought with the bad driver who knows they are bad. Either get
a really small car so that you have some chance of controlling it or resign
yourself to the fact you are going to hit things and get the biggest
heaviest lump of metal with the most airbags so that when you do at least
you will be OK.

 

It appears everyone else has put in their 2 cents worth to this thread so I
thought I would have a go.

I live in the UK and indeed there was numerous polls in 'Motorcycle Mags'
when I myself was riding motorcycles. And they purport to Volvo drivers
being the most common participant in accidents involving motorcycles. (apart
from Motorcycles obviously)

I also remember back in the early '80's' (when these polls were circulating)
just what sort of people were driving Volvos.

Volvo cars in the UK were notoriously expensive and only the "Better Off"
and the "Company Bosses" tended to buy them. OKay so I may be stereotyping a
little there but it was people with higher paid jobs or horsey people had
them.
I do not wish to stereotype again but even now, these sort of people tend
drive around with attitudes like "I have more money than you, get out of MY
way peasant". And before I get a load of scathing replies to this
statement, although I have not done an independant poll of 1000 toffs and
horseyfied people, I do live in the heart of Horse and hunting country. I
am merely speaking on personal experience. Also they drive not only with
their noses in the air looking down upon us LESSER mortals they appear to
have shoved there head up their own arses so far they do not conform to not
only "road "but also "common "sense.

Now that I have a family of my own and now that the toffs have now moved up
to 4x4's I thought to keep my family safe from these kind of people. Now
that a few years have passed and I have my own family now I need something
large, safe and reliable. That knocked most things out of the running
straight away and left me with Volvos or Ford being as Ford insist on
fitting Transverse motors to practically their entire range making DIY
maintenance practically impossible I went with the Volvo. I can afford one
now, even if it was owned by some old bloke with a tweed jacket and flat cap
and he had absolutely no need of my hard earned cash, I payed him and
happily drove off in what has got to be one of the best cars I have ever
owned.
And because the prices are coming down the 'Toffs' no longer want Volvos
because they are now no longer considered a "status symbol" unless of course
you in the market for a T.5 but they seem to attract the "Sales Reps" 21
year old, single, flash, money mad, small knob and strings of ex-girlfriends
that got fed up of him staring in the mirror at himself, loads of gold
hanging of him and a Rolex on his wrist. (More stereotyping, sorry) Well it
appears that way when I use motorway services anyway. Allowing many more
competent drivers access to them.

So after all that 50 pence worth. In answer to Andy F's question.
"Why do bad drivers drive Volvos?"

They don't. Most of the BAD drivers no longer have vehicles of there own
because they insist on wrecking them, or they are forever being repaired.
Most bad drivers as a hell of a lot of reports consistantly show, are
teenage boys with wee Vauxhall Novas, Vauxhall Corsas, Peugeout 205's,
306's, 307's, Volkswagon Golfs, Seat Ibiza's, Ford Fiestas, KA's and all
them other CRAP midget cars that teenagers can afford to insure. You would
not find a teenager driving a Volvo unless on his rich old mans insurance
because they could not afford to run one.

Volvo drivers nowadays have to consider the mentality of these road abusers
and have to arm ourselves appropriatley. We know that if there Nova hits us
we may need to remove a scratch with some 'T' cut and claim hideous amounts
of money from there insurance companies to do so. Whereas the Nova owner
will be requiring a new vehicle and another insurance company.

You appear to be educated, after all you found out how to work a keyboard
but your knowledge in Volvo drivers appears to be lacking, so I must assume
you are young yourself?
If this is the case I believe that Janspeed has just put a new exhaust on
the market for Vauxhall Nova's. The tail pipe has a 5 inch bore, the
exhaust note is loud, obnoxious and very Ferrari F40 like. Plus if you fit
one to a 1.4 SR you can raise the top speed to 38 miles an hour. Hurry along
now, stocks are limited!

 

If by "chosen" you mean going through a well reasoned, calculated,
decision making process then (if the premise is at all true) it's
probably because it makes sense. It would be the same reason that so
many parents put their green, beginning teens in older Volvos -- it's
because they are a lot safer than most other cars. Other intelligent,
very good drivers who value function over form (though the brick is a
great form) choose Volvos for the same reason -- for protection from
the idiots and other bad drivers out there. Long live Darwin!

 

I am 31 and drive a BMW I agree in part with your comments. I think the
definition of "bad driver " has come across wrongly. As you state most
reckless idiots do indeed drive silly "Keved up " Novas etc. You have hit
the nail on the head with the snooty, horsy types which can also apply to
most prestige cars including BMW.
The type of drivers I am referring to are the ones that lack ability, are
nervous and hesitant. These drivers then seem to fall into two categories.
1 those who think I may crash so I will get a slow small car that I can
control easier and if I do crash ill do less damage (my mother being one of
these who will drive nothing bigger than her Fiat Punto).
2 those who think I may crash so I will drive the biggest pile of metal I
can so at least I will survive if I crash, sod every one else( my friends
wife)
You are also right in saying a lot of these drivers have moved over to 4x4s
which is why the US and Australians do not share the view of volvos as there
SUV's have been around longer.
Although I may well be stereotyping people but on the whole people do seem
to fit certain types and although politically incorrect it does not make it
less true.

 

Thank you Mr 'F'

Nice to have an injection of sarcasm just to fire people up a little.

Unfortunately you did mention you drive a BMW. Although I do like BMW' s
myself, themselves being of a sound, safe, reliable build I feel I must also
stereotype the BMW driver. Well mainly because it is fitting with this
thread.

A 31 year old BMW driver is placed into 2 categories:

1. Single. Mainly because he considers himself one of the lads. Needs a
flash car because of the misconception that they attract more women.
Although this also can be true you will find that women BMW droolers tend to
be blond with an aversion to buy any clothing that extends beyond the hip,
of limited I.Q and will only date a guy with a BMW because she mistakenly
thinks it is a Volvo ;-). This is also good for gaining notches on the bed
post but bad if you have to take it into society with you. Less
conversation ability than the driver. (see below) This flash car = women is
normally brought about because the drivers are ugly and have small dicks
which normally comes together with a limited range of conversation. Usually
themselves and how they aspire to be a Porsche owner.

2. Married or soon to be. Now these I can tolerate. They have the
responsibility to think of someone other than themselves. They have chosen
there car with thought and consideration based upon. Style, grace,
economics, reliability and of course STATUS. Obviously these people are not
short of a Bob or two. Big house loads of bedrooms but no kids. Kids and
Beemers don't mix
BMW's and Married couples appear to come as pairs also. His and Hers. Maybe
that's how they come out of the BMW works? These people have done the work
and now bask in their good fortune. Still I fear, if they have been given
rather than earned their money, prone to look down their noses at us
Minions!

;-) ;-)

Not Stereotyped at all more Quadtyped if there was such a thing.