GTP Cool Wall: Vauxhall VXR8 Bathurst S

  • Thread starter BKGlover
  • 82 comments
  • 6,178 views

Vauxhall VXR8 Bathurst S


  • Total voters
    95
  • Poll closed .
Yeah, true. Still, after gushing about the Monaro and the regular VXR8, you'd think he'd but one, but no. How about Hammond then?
 
Went for uncool (well, would have done had the poll not closed).

1) It's a Vauxhall

I don't see why people make such a big deal about it. Is driving something from GM really a big deal or have people just been watching too much Top Gear?

2) It's not actually a Vauxhall

Then your first point is irrelevant.

, so they've not even had the good grace of making their own uncool vehicle like they normally do.

Is the Scion FR-S uncool then? How's about the Infinity G35 and G37? Rebadging is a common thing these days and to say that doing so makes a car uncool is silly. They're all GM in the end, just because it came from GM in a different country doesn't make it another company's car because really it's all just GM.

3) Driven by the sort of twonks who go around telling people ad nauseum that it's as quick as an M5, in the mistaken assumption that a) anyone gives a crap and b) an M5 owner will think, "you know, you're right! I bought this BMW but what I really should have done is cross-shopped it with a Vauxhall for half my budget!"

Again, that's a silly stereotype. It's a good car that's much cheaper than it's competitors and if your only points of disliking it are that it's rebadged and that you believe it's driven by losers (which as I said is a silly stereotype) then it seems you're missing the main point of this car which is it's performance, something that it does incredibly well for a very good price.

4) It may well represent good bang for buck, but it's still a lot of money to spend for people to think you're a baseball cap-wearing bellend.

Turn off Top Gear.

That's irrelevant here. An uncool thing for twice the price doesn't make another uncool thing any less uncool.

It's far from irrelevant. This car gives people who don't have the money for an M3 or M5 a chance to experience some fun and have a performance car that they normally couldn't drive.

Can I just say, I really dislike how many people have made stereotypes on the drivers of the car in this thread.

Do you actually KNOW anybody who drives these? I highly doubt all of you do.

Many Audi drivers are very respectable and courteous drivers. Many Toyota drivers are absolute 🤬. (Toyota may not be a good example but think of a car stereotypically driven by good people because I can promise you that there's a few jerks who own one.)

My point is that you can't judge a car just by the people who buy it, especially if you don't even know anybody who actually drives one. Judge it by it's stats and it's looks and it's value. Not by some stereotypes you've made up.

We're all FAR too judgmental in this world and this thread shows that. Now we're judging 100% of the people that drive this car to be jerks when I'm sure that isn't the case.

I get that cars can be marketed for different types of people, yes. But that does NOT mean that 100% of people who buy it fit those characteristics. It doesn't even mean the MAJORITY of people who buy it fit those characteristics.

Again, I get it if you dislike it's looks or it's performance or something like that, but to dislike a car for it's drivers is pretty sad. If you're going to judge everybody based on the car they drive then maybe you should turn the gun around and look at yourself because you're the one who sounds like the jerk for judging so much.
 
I don't see why people make such a big deal about it. Is driving something from GM really a big deal or have people just been watching too much Top Gear?

No. Vauxhalls are, by and large, awful. I have one parked outside my house right this moment. It's awful. The last one I drove was awful, the one before that was vaguely passable, the one before that was utterly atrocious and the one before that was... awful.

Several of the ones before those were actually pretty good - but then they were built two or three decades ago. Very little of value has emerged since, and when it has, it's been built by companies like Lotus or Holden.

Which leads me on to my next point: A car being good (as the VXR8 is) doesn't necessarily make it cool.

Then your first point is irrelevant.

No. But nice selective quoting for that point, removing my explanation.

Is the Scion FR-S uncool then? How's about the Infinity G35 and G37? Rebadging is a common thing these days and to say that doing so makes a car uncool is silly. They're all GM in the end, just because it came from GM in a different country doesn't make it another company's car because really it's all just GM.

First point: No. Rebadging isn't the sole reason the car is uncool.

Second point: No. GM Europe is largely a different entity from GM USA and GM Australia. As GM USA knows only too well - GM Europe is losing them money hand over fist.

Again, that's a silly stereotype. It's a good car that's much cheaper than it's competitors and if your only points of disliking it are that it's rebadged and that you believe it's driven by losers (which as I said is a silly stereotype) then it seems you're missing the main point of this car which is it's performance, something that it does incredibly well for a very good price.

That doesn't make it cool.

Turn off Top Gear.

It is. That was entirely my opinion and I stand by it.

It's far from irrelevant.

No it isn't. I say again: An uncool thing for twice the price doesn't make another uncool thing any less uncool.

A fake Rolex costs more than a fake Tag Heuer. They are both uncool, regardless of whether one is more expensive than the other. Price has no bearing on cool in this context.

This car gives people who don't have the money for an M3 or M5 a chance to experience some fun and have a performance car that they normally couldn't drive.

All very admirable.

...Has nothing to do with coolness.

Can I just say, I really dislike how many people have made stereotypes on the drivers of the car in this thread.

think-of-the-children.jpg


Do you actually KNOW anybody who drives these? I highly doubt all of you do.

I've experienced enough online. That's where my point #3 came from.

Many Audi drivers are very respectable and courteous drivers.

And many are utter arses.

Many Toyota drivers are absolute 🤬. (Toyota may not be a good example but think of a car stereotypically driven by good people because I can promise you that there's a few jerks who own one.)

>

Can I just say, I really dislike how many people have made stereotypes on the drivers of the car in this thread.

💡

My point is that you can't judge a car just by the people who buy it, especially if you don't even know anybody who actually drives one.

Of course you can. If an utter berk drives a particular car, it'll negatively impact your opinion of that car.

Judge it by it's stats and it's looks and it's value.

Yes, let's all just look at the numbers. That always makes for highly entertaining conversation.

But that does NOT mean that 100% of people who buy it fit those characteristics. It doesn't even mean the MAJORITY of people who buy it fit those characteristics.

But plenty do, which is why stereotypes exist in the first place. And as above - these threads would be a bit dull if everyone just agreed on everything.

Frankly, it just sounds like you're upset that people have disagreed with your own view of the car. This is nothing new - these cool wall threads have been going on for years, and people often disagree with each other. Again - would be very dull if everyone agreed. Would be even more dull if we just threw stats at each other all day.

maybe you should turn the gun around and look at yourself

Mixed metaphors FTW.
 
GM of Europe hasn't shared much of anything with the output of GM of America since... 1988. It's only in the past couple of years where that has changed.




Excepting a couple of disastrous attempts at rebadging Opels for the American market.
 
The original Saturns were cheap cars done right. 👍

They only lasted for about 100,000miles, but for that time they ran well and were pretty nice to drive. The only really major weakness is a large turning circle.
 
Last edited:
Results Time:

In the case of the 2009 Vauxhall VXR8 Bathurst R, the voting members of GTPlanet have voted in favor of Cool.
 
He doesn't have a car right now. Instead, as he's an automotive journalist, he can get press cars.
 
He doesn't have a car right now. Instead, as he's an automotive journalist, he can get press cars.

This.

(Also, Tornado is right - though the Beetle isn't really... erm... "driveable" at the moment, and I'm selling it soon)

Mm I see..

Am I to expect some insightful pearl of wisdom from you? Or does knowing I can directly compare the cars I'm saying are awful with other ones vindicate my opinions somewhat?
 
*Shudder*

I'd forgotten about that one. Laughed out loud when I saw one for the first time.

A roommate of mine (who was a sociopath I found out) had one of this, and I can't ever figure out how anyone thought they were nice. Just dreadful.

And KinLM, your argument is just, well, amusing.
 
Catera does seem like a good sociopath car. If nothing else, it looks so much like the Malibu that you could easily get lost in the crowd with it.
 
Catera does seem like a good sociopath car. If nothing else, it looks so much like the Malibu that you could easily get lost in the crowd with it.

What amuses me more, having just looked for pictures of it, is that they didn't even bother changing the interior. Not even slightly. They could have at least done the decent thing and splashed a load of fake wood and chrome in there.

Oddly, I've always quite liked the look of the Omega. I'm led to believe they're fairly solid things too, and our police seemed to like them. But as a luxury car? NOPE.
 
Back