A serious question which has been rolling around in my own mind for a while, brought on here by an article in one of the monthly mags. See, the time was when I first clapped eyes on the Range Rover, I was nowt but a wee boy but mightily impressed by the then brand new RR classic. I coveted these all my life until I bought my first one, a Classic 4.2 LSE in 1996. Several Rangies later and, well.........

These days I'm no longer convinced TBH. Yes, I still love my FFRR and driving it makes me feel special but more and more I am noticing the attitude of others towards doesn't mirror my feelings. At work it's obvious that there are more than a few colleagues who are quite openly hostile about it, I daren't take it to client sites, and some of the looks it brings in town etc....

Even getting tradesmen round to quote for work brings massively inflated quotes unless I park it on the village hall car park out of sight.

Maybe it's just me, I really don't know but I just think the whole Range Rover brand is becoming toxic. See, in a Full-Fat I get the distinct impression that I'm seen as one of those "successful/boss/lord of the manor/stuck up types who people love to hate...........but in my old Disco I was just another family man, which is the cold hard truth, that's all I am.

So down at the dealer today getting a few bits done and there's an Evoque which has been keyed. Maybe a one off but sadly I suspect it has something to do with the badging. I don't know if it's jealousy or what else it might be but I'm feeling more and more like others see the average RR driver as being worse than a child molester..

So, is it just me? Discuss please Gentlemen.

I think you sort of have a point, but it applies to a lot of cars really. I think if you had a Bentley, Porsche, or Mercedes, you could encounter similar issues.

There's of course the anti 4x4 lobby/ eco-mentalists, who hate any 4x4, but probably reserve their greatest vitriol for the Range Rover, since their class resentment comes into full play.

But I like to think that compared to some premium brands, in a FFRR you may encounter resentment, but get a little credit for taste, which might not be the case with some other premium marques.

I guess it does rile people just the driving position. We love it because it's so 'imperious' but being on the other side of imperious is likely to be annoying!

But every car has it's issues. Buy a gee whiz and people chuck it in the canal, or put it in peoples gardens for a laugh. Buy a Porsche and it gets keyed etc etc.

As long as we are happy with the car and it's image!  Range Rover-less at the moment - Pining!

Its not just you ... and its not just Range Rovers. just about all prestigious or luxury cars attract jealousy. I suppose it has alot to do with the area you live in, I was once driving in Sunderland in a Roller (not mine I may add) and I had to have the wipers on most of the way through to clear away all the spit on the windscreen.

Mind you i think alot of it now a days is bloody eco warriors ... I'm waiting to be sent a clip from a friends phone of the VXR8 owners club turning up at a Greenpeace rally and pulling donuts in the car park

You get different problems depending on the car from my own experience.

BMW M3 cabriolet - never allowed out of side turnings

Porsche 911 - ditto, plus the added bonus of being branded a city boy knobhead

BMW M6 - everyone hated me in tihis car!

Aston DB9 - treated like royalty

Audi R8 - ditto, even had tourists standing next to it taking photos while at traffic lights in central london

My wifes FFRR TDV8 - I honestly don't give a monkeys what people think

Just realised that only my first car (Golf GTi) and my next one (supercharged) don't have numbers in their names - very strange......

***

I think you've got that spot on, apparently Aston Martins are the least likely super car to be keyed as people associate them with James Bond which they like....

I'm in the market for an M6 ... why did people hate you in it? I thought they were understated?

Mmm.. Me thinks it has nothing to do with the cars and more to do with the sad, jealous scum that make up part of the great British public... If you offered a FFRR to the toe rag that was about to key your car, would he turn it down? I don't think so.. Previously..
Vogue SE TD6
Defender 90 2.4
Defender 110 TD5
Vogue 3.5 EFI

@ 0cj0

God knows mate, I had a grey one and it was a vandal magnet!!

***

Gutted! I thought it would be one of those cars that no one bothers with (like the golf R32) ... still going for one tho

Jealousy and misguided righteousness seem to be on the rise in Europe. Sad to hear that it is getting worse over there. Now if it is just the feelings of people it would be fine but acting out on the cars or the owners is unacceptable. Most people driving these cars have worked hard to afford them and are working hard to drive them (I know I am and I think it is the same for most if not all on here). So are we now forced to buy a dull piece of crap like todays hybrids of which the environmental "benefits" are still a bit vague.

What is the next step, people start spray painting a house that is "too expensive" or throwing bricks through the windows ?? Ripping expensive clothes of people or spray painting them ??? Knocking an expensive pair of glasses of someones head ??? Hit you in the face for using an Iphone iso a cheap basic mobile phone ??

Lets just enjoy our "toys" and hope we won't get hit by it. MY 2010 5.0 SC Galway green and sand interior!!
Have the Faultmate MSV2 Extreme to be tinkering with the settings etc. !!

Our 03 v8 is probably worth second hand ford focus money, (130k on the clock), but when we tell friends what we paid for it they stare in disbelief. At the end of the day, people still see a Ffrr and assume you blew £80,000 last week.

Many people don't realise what you can get on a limited budget of you are prepared to ignore one or more of age, mileage, current model or badge. Other than the ff, the best car we owned was a Peugeot 607. When it was written off, we replaced it with a merc e-class of the same year, costing about 3 times as much, and guess what, given the choice again, we would choose another 607. Ignoring the badge, it is every bit as good as the merc.

Another example is the merc s-class. Who would realise you can have an old shape limo on your drive for under 5k?

I do think there is an element of planet-destroyer in the ff, but there are plenty of cars out there which consume as much fuel as the ff. as for jealousy, well, if we will drive "posh" cars, then it's par for the course. We do think about where we park and when we were selling our house we did move it off our drive, in the same way my wife removes her (inherited) Rolex when getting quotes from builders etc. does it make a difference? Dunno, but in not prepared to conduct an experiment with my own money!!

tsadpt wrote:

Many people don't realise what you can get on a limited budget of you are prepared to ignore one or more of age, mileage, current model or badge.

@ M44K -

Or, would your client prefer to do business with person who wasn't as successful as you!! If you drove up in a P.O.S with different colour doors and a rag for a gas cap - would he sign the deal! - I think not

Role play mode - "Q: Why do you drive such an expensive car Mr. M44K? Surely you must overcharge for your security systems!!" A: Because Mr. customer, I am successful and sell a S H I T load of of these systems."

mike.

I did say to the guy that when going out to give estimates, I only ever use my van, I would never dream of putting my best suit on and jumping in the car as it's not a business vehicle & I think in our line of work, it gives the wrong impression. People can take me as I am, in the van I turn up in.

We've been told on numerous occasions that the reason the customer chose us instead of our competitors, is that some other companies sent out a salesman in a company car and only seemed interested in the profit he was going to make, whereas we took the time to give honest advice and gave lots of different options. Most of our work are necessity items, not luxury items, so in my experience people are sometimes put off by the stereotypical salesman as they think they'll be paying over the odds. 2006 Mercedes CLS
1991 Retro-style Mini
But really finding it hard to fight the urge for a S/C...

I would buy from you sir I have faced similar circumstances in the past but I'm in private banking now - and ever since, the clients seem oh so happy to see me when I drive up

mike

Dave Philips discussed this same topic in a recent LRM article.

He referred to the reflected image of footballer and celebrity types buying FFRR's, dripping in disposable income. The fact that an '02 looks pretty similar to a current '12 spec model implies that all FFRR's are hideously expensive to buy.

That works in two ways:

1. I get the reflected glory (for want of a better term) when I park my seemingly very expensive RR next to a much newer car. The truth is that the newer car depreciates more, costs more to buy and will usually cost more in whole-life terms. But the perception is the opposite.

2. I get labelled as a money-rich t*sser. It seems some of my associated friends already think I have money falling out of my a**ehole. The truth is somewhat different. I'm a (mostly) humble enthusiast.

I've long been an advocate of buying older cars with 'premium' badges (Saab's, Mercs, LR's, etc) as opposed to spending more on a younger car with greater depreciation and (generally) greater running costs (specialist over main dealer) and far, far less whole life costs. But still people pin you down as 'loaded' because they simply don't have a clue. It is both satisfying (to own) and frustrating (to endlessly explain).

But I don't think it's not the car itself which has changed, but the perceived market. The bling-bling (footballer and celebrity) brigade are the most reported in the media (and hence the public's eye, but notice it's only the attention-grabbing 'stars' who get photographed and who usually have the most blinged-up machines) rather than the quiet and considered country set. Unfortunately, those who really don't know, assume the worst and that's where the trouble starts.

It also doesn't help that there seems a growing resentment in this country against those who actually work for a living and who earn enough money to have a few luxuries in life. Si. <This is my name.

I eat rat poison.

A man ain't truly been insulted until he stands buck naked in front of a woman and she didn't even notice. Or care.