This might be an age thing, but what do you call you car? As in
We have a Volvo S60. We are about to also have a Renault Zoe. I notice we always talk about "the Volvo" and "the Zoe". We never talk about "the S60" or "the Renault".
But it does vary between people I think - for a period of time both my father in law and I had Mondeos. I would always say "I'll take the Mondeo". He would always say "I'll take the Ford".
I suspect people say the manufacturer name for a premium brand ("The Merc", "The Porsche"), but model name for more commonplace cars?
What do you say about yours?
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That heap over there belongs to me.
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Using either make or model would be tricky in our house as my daughter, my wife and I all have Golfs.
Wife and daughter usually refer to each other's car either by "my car" / "your car" or by name Poppy / Rosie.
I usually refer to them by owner, my car gets its name on rare occasions, from wife/daughter more than me.
Commer is always the Commer, whoever refers to it.
Last edited by: commerdriver on Wed 16 Dec 15 at 13:57
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I usually say that I'll take whichever one isn't broken.
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I once had to work (not for long fortunately) with a young woman who was not entirely literate, although pleasant and quite pretty.
Her boy friend though was a spectacular prat. He referred frequently, with great pride, to 'my Volkswagen Golf' as though the Golf were a Ferrari or Maserati. I think he wanted to make people think it was a GTI or 16v, which it wasn't of course. Dunno how she could stand the geezer.
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Interesting one that, I don't often refer to any car as anything other than 'the car' or 'your car' or 'my car' really, but if I stop to think about it on the occasions when some clarity is needed I'll say 'the Merc' or 'the Qashqai' but I think that's mostly to do with former not having an easy model name. I can't ever remember saying that I'm just popping out in the E250 CDI Sport. Bit too much of a mouthful.
I did though used to trip over explaining my use of the Ka. It was no use saying the 'Ford' because I had a Mondeo at the time, but saying I was going out in the Ka sometimes led to confusion.
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In line with Cranks's principle it used to be always 'Volvo' and 'Verso'. (Other Latin verbs are available; Clio isn't one.)
Now those are gone, both 'Mercedes' and 'E220 CDI Avantgarde Estate' seem a bit of a mouthful: "It's in the ee two twen...never mind, I'll get it myself." Similar problem with the BMW - and as for 'Merc' or 'Beemer' - please!
And since neither car is neatly his or hers, simple pronouns won't do either. So it's 'silver car' - or 'big car' - and 'blue car'. Or, occasionally, 'the bus' and 'the chariot'.
Last edited by: WillDeBeest on Wed 16 Dec 15 at 14:28
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My first wife used to just take the one with the most fuel in it...
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My first wife complains about both of them.
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With a nod to Terry Wogan, I tend to refer to Mrs RdH as my 'current wife'
;-)
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We have the grey one [Landcruiser], the red one [Landcruiser], the white car [Japanese I think], the big truck [Dodge Ram] and the little truck [some kind of Nissan].
Very little point in using model names around this lot. I'd just get blank looks.
Last edited by: No FM2R on Wed 16 Dec 15 at 14:38
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Chris Evans must struggle with all this. I feel for him. Can't be easy...
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We tend to use 'My car' or 'Your car'. " I'll take the Suzuki Grand Vitara 2.0 Td Auto " is a bit of a gobfull. Usually just ' The Vitara '.
I use 'Jowett' or 'Javelin' equally , I suppose.
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À propos 'Merc', isn't it curious how 'Rolls' sounds patrician but 'Jag' sounds rough?
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"The Royce" is more fitting than "the Rolls", Rolls being the salesman and Royce being the engineer.
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Ok, this is all well and good amongst family, but what happens when you are cornered at a party and someone asks what you drive? I assume that's what happens at parties, never actually having been to one.
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Not sure it does happen that much any more. Maybe that's just the (few) parties I go to.
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Well surely they ask what the little woman drives then?
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>> what happens when you are
>> cornered at a party and someone asks what you drive?
Treat it as an invitation, like "What are you drinking?"
Just say no thanks, I've got a car.
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>> We have the grey one [Landcruiser], the red one [Landcruiser], the white car [Japanese I
>> think], the big truck [Dodge Ram] and the little truck [some kind of Nissan].
>>
You own two vehicles, of which you know not the make nor model name, and you spend a lot of time posting on a car/motoring enthusiasts' forum? I'm having trouble working that one out.
Even if they are dull white goods type vehicles, surely you know what make and model they are?
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We have "the Volvo", "the Triumph", "the Landrover" but "the Corsa".
When we had two white Volvo estates we called them "the Wren" (reg no. WRN) and "Evie" (reg no. EVT).
It depends partly on whether the model has a name or merely a number. When I had a Triumph Stag it was "the Stag", or long ago, "the Roadster". I've sometimes toyed with getting a Volvo Amazon, which would then obviously be "the Amazon".
If I ever realised my dream of owning a Daimler Dart it would be "the Dart". "The Daimler" would give completely the wrong impression, like Queen Mary motoring down to Sandringham.
The snobby lady in the Lucia stories always referred to her Rolls Royce as "the Royce", which is much classier than "Rolls" and the Michael Cainsian " Roller".
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>> Even if they are dull white goods type vehicles, surely you know what make and model they are?
I went out and looked. The Nissan truck just says "Nissan", if i turn up the documents i will check the model. . Turns out the white car is a Hyundai . Who knew.
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How do you pronounce Hyundai anyway? I've heard Americans say 'Hundy' but they often get English wrong never mind Korean.
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Is it Nissan or Hyundai that's offensive there? Better be more careful, NoFM, or you might say Ssangyong and offend everybody at once.
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>> With a nod to Terry Wogan, I tend to refer to Mrs RdH as my
>> 'current wife'
>>
Does she plug in then?
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We use neither model nor manufacturer. I have my car, my wife has 'the Shed'.
I would clean the cars alternate weekends but when it got to the stage it was taking 3-4 hours each time to hoover out the interior of 'the Shed' I said enough, and stopped doing it.
I feel uncomfortable travelling in it, there is always something loose rolling around the boot like a 6 pack (9 litres or two gallons) of water. I'd hate to have to do an emergency stop in the car as I'd have no idea what was going to get launched airborne from behind me.
I always wipe my feet when I get out of 'the Shed'.
Anyone asks me what I drive I tell them it's a Volvo, that usually stops any car talk.
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Didn't Stephen Fry say his father used to refer to his Volvo as his vulva?
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I've related before how having two Berlingos gave my daughter an opening to insist they had names - Fleur and Enrico. It's become a habit though as the Roomie is Fritz (or maybe Fricz).
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The Qashqai is known as Van Gogh.
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>> The Qashqai is known as Van Gogh.
Its no oil painting.
I think it should be called "Douglas"
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>> ......lugless?
The very same, Lugless Douglas. I think its from a Porridge episode.
Last edited by: Zero on Wed 16 Dec 15 at 17:48
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>> The very same, Lugless Douglas. I think its from a Porridge episode.
While it may have been used in Porridge I suspect the word play was around long before.
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>>Didn't Stephen Fry say his father used to refer to his Volvo as his vulva?
Possibly because it was red like my wife's [240 GLT]
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It's 'your car' and 'my car' in our household. No point in using the marque, because they are both of the same stable.
If I'm booking them in to my brother's garage, then i'll use 'X Type' or 'S Type'.
There doesn't really seem to be any conversations with other's about them (apart from on here), probably because one's been owned for 10.5 years and the other for 13.5 years and everyone in our circle knows what we've got by now.
When I can afford the XF 3.0d Sportbrake Portfolio, dark sapphire metallic with barley leather interior... now then people will hear about it!...;-)
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No-one's yet offered "I'll take the Vauxhall."
};---)
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>> When I can afford the XF 3.0d Sportbrake Portfolio, dark sapphire metallic with barley >>leather interior...
...it will be called "the bank's car"
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>> ...it will be called "the bank's car"
>>
True
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Ours according to Mrs W are "Little Blue" because......
and "The Big Car" because.........
Yep, you've got it.
And if I was to ask which kind of car she would like next she would answer " a blue/white/red/green one" or something - whichever colour she currently favours.
Mind you, my jobs to deliver are sometimes confusing - "deliver an RR" is not a Rolls Royce as I first thought but a Range Rover and when I got a "Mirage" I thought that might be a bit of an exotic sports car but it ain't - tiny Mitsubishi city car thing.
On the other hand a Quattroporte is not just an ordinary 4 door Fiat (or is it??)
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>>You own two vehicles, of which you know not the make nor model name, and you spend a
>>lot of time posting on a car/motoring enthusiasts' forum? I'
Yes, but it isn't really a car enthusiasts' forum is it. I'm never quite sure why we're all here... I haven't been outside zone 1 since 15 November. I've covered a grand total of 20 miles since then, all at barely more than walking pace.
And mine is called 'the car'.
Last edited by: Mapmaker on Wed 16 Dec 15 at 19:32
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>>I'm never quite sure why we're all here
I've thought long and hard about this question, and I've come to the con-clusion that we are The Chosen Few who have been selected to help rebuild society in what remains of life here after WW3.
It isn't by chance that there are members here with specialist skills such as engineers, architects builders [alleged] teachers, police, a Dutch bargeman, the odd psychopath or 3 and ... 2 women.
Whether or not this is clear to you now, no doubt the plan of action will unfold to you when the time draws near.
(*_*)
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You've made me think of that tv show from years ago, Dog, called Living in the Iron Age. One of the first reality shows and they all fannied about in skins and ate berries for months. Inevitably the tensions arose ,especially as they all had to share straw huts.
So. Who's moving in with who? (or if bored, should that be "whom"?)
Edit. Blimey. Here's some of it.
youtu.be/2e7ZLWz3UMw
Last edited by: Crankcase on Wed 16 Dec 15 at 21:23
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>>and... 2 women<<
I do have some specialist skills as well you know.
Pat
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>> >>and... 2 women<<
>>
>> I do have some specialist skills as well you know.
>>
>> Pat
>>
3 ladies...HJD and DeeW qualify...afaik. There may be more..........Zero ?
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>>.. we are The Chosen Few who have been selected to help rebuild society in what
>> remains of life here after WW3.
>>
...well, some may be, the others sometimes seem hell-bent on starting it!
;-)
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>>You've made me think of that tv show from years ago, Dog, called Living in the Iron Age
I vaguely remember that program Cc, although I was seriously into car tuning about that time. The prog is right-up-my-street as far as TV goes. I've watched the first part and will catch up on the others tomorrow.
Peter Little looks a real character.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsCyC1dZiN8
>>I do have some specialist skills as well you know.
>>Pat
My contribution for 'when the wind blows' will be the fact that I cook a mean veggie sausage sandwich :)
>>...well, some may be, the others sometimes seem hell-bent on starting it!
David Icke reckons it's already started.
;-)
Last edited by: Dog on Wed 16 Dec 15 at 22:42
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Mostly 'my car' and 'your car' for us, but sometimes 'The Mercedes' and 'The C-Max' so perhaps there is something to the OP's theory....
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Do you use the model or maker name? - Robin O'Reliant
