Clarkson rants on Americans and Mustang

[Rock36]

Maybe but look at the SIZE of the problems. I think that replacing the rear pinion gear may only count as one problem but would you really expect such a problem on a Toyota? Same for the fuel pump. It also seems that the Corvette C6 suffered issues with fuel gauges, the roof tearing off and so forth. So they may be individual problems but without a warranty, they seem to be very expensive ones. But again, no problems with my Mustang. Actually, that's a lie, I have an airbag light which has been diagnosed as a faulty seat belt pre-tensioner which I'll have to pay for myself.

Fair enough, I can't really comment on any of that, simply because I just don't know. I don't know what kinds of problems exist in other cars, but I still think it says something that the Mustang was rated 2nd in its class for 2006. I haven't had any problems with my Stang, except for the pumping gas thing; however, that only happened once last year and never ever happened again.

I do have to ask though...are you gonna let wht-v6-vert talk about the English that way?

 

[Marine One]

Sadly, everyone so far has had emotional knee jerk reactions to Clarkson and missed the point. All those English guys are gay. They want to take long showers with each other, not drop the hammer on the street. None of them have a clue what cool is.

Interesting observation.

 

[SMG]

All those English guys are gay. They want to take long showers with each other, not drop the hammer on the street. None of them have a clue what cool is.

But I'm sure you do, right?

 

[65up2d8]

I think the problem with American auto makers is they are still struggling with the terrible reputation the got in the 80s and early 90s when their quality was truly bad.

I couldn't agree more. I know several people who have gotten an astronomical amount of miles out of American vehicles with no major problems. For example, I had a buddy in college with a GMC truck with over 250,000 miles, and I also have a friend who currently has over 320,000 miles on his 1997 F-150 with a 4.6, while his father just traded in his company work truck, a F-250 with over 300,000 miles.

 

[LuS1fer]

Sadly, everyone so far has had emotional knee jerk reactions to Clarkson and missed the point. All those English guys are gay. They want to take long showers with each other, not drop the hammer on the street. None of them have a clue what cool is.

Your education no doubt leads you to believe that everyone in the UK is "English" rather than Scottish, Welsh, English and Northern Irish. On that basis, Canadians and Brazilians are all Americans.
Being Welsh, I take no personal offence and I can confirm that the English are lacking in the trouser department compared to we Welsh warriors but we try not to upset them as they're very insecure.

I always understood Americans didn't understand irony but when a guy with a white convertible calls someone else gay and uncool and talks about dropping the hammer on the street with a heavy V6 convertible, I know that you fully understand the concept.

 

[Rock36]

Your education no doubt leads you to believe that everyone in the UK is "English" rather than Scottish, Welsh, English and Northern Irish. On that basis, Canadians and Brazilians are all Americans.

What!? Canada isn't part of the United States?

 

[shooterm1]

I've always understood Americans didn't understand irony, but when a guy with a white convertible calls someone else gay and uncool and talks about dropping the hammer on the street with a heavy V6 convertible, I know that you fully understand the concept.

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View attachment 437192

 

[BlackSpirit]

The onlything good that came from England was the United States.

 

[LuS1fer]

The onlything good that came from England was the United States.

For the second time - it's the United Kingdom not England. And if that's the case, god help us. No offence. Besides, I thought you were all Irish these days?

 

[jasonc32amg]

Clarkson is just busting american balls...they get it though...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=xYy_ozsnw_0

the little bloke understands

 

[Rock36]

For the second time - it's the United Kingdom not England. And if that's the case, god help us. No offence. Besides, I thought you were all Irish these days?

Give it up man, don't you know it is manditory for Americans to fail geography?

 

[wht-v6-vert]

Your education no doubt leads you to believe that everyone in the UK is "English" rather than Scottish, Welsh, English and Northern Irish. On that basis, Canadians and Brazilians are all Americans.
Being Welsh, I take no personal offence and I can confirm that the English are lacking in the trouser department compared to we Welsh warriors but we try not to upset them as they're very insecure.

I always understood Americans didn't understand irony but when a guy with a white convertible calls someone else gay and uncool and talks about dropping the hammer on the street with a heavy V6 convertible, I know that you fully understand the concept.

Interesting commentary.

I hope you’ll understand the American tendency to lump all of Great Brittan, Ireland and Wales together; the city I live in (Chicago) has three times the population of Wales, and over twice that of Ireland. In terms of land mass, her Britannic Majesty’s realm is just a little speck next Europe when you are looking east over the Atlantic.

Coolness is not what you have, it’s what you are. For example, if a supercilious fop were to come into a large inheritance and buy a new Corvette Z06, upon exiting the Chevy dealer he would still be a supercilious fop. You can’t buy your way out of being a looser.

From an American perspective, Clarkson just doesn’t get it. He’s got that Eurotrash obsession with hierarchical materialism. The guy driving the Porsche is better than the guy in the VW. It must be from too many years of monarchy.

As far as irony goes, on a sunny day in Illinois, when I take my pretty wife for a drive in her white Mustang, I make the car cool.

 

[LuS1fer]

As far as irony goes, on a sunny day in Illinois, when I take my pretty wife for a drive in her white Mustang, I make the car cool.

Sure you do. That's not irony by the way, that would be a paradox.

Here's some more of the contrary man:

http://www.topgear.com/content/features/stories/2006/06/stories/08/1.html

 

[Rock36]

Sure you do. That's not irony by the way, that would be a paradox.

Here's some more of the contrary man:

http://www.topgear.com/content/features/stories/2006/06/stories/08/1.html

"Mustangs are like those blondes with hair and breast extensions"

HELL YEAH that is my favorite type of woman....oh don't forget the big chunky sunglasses!

Seriously though, I don't think Clarkson is such a bad guy, he is actually kind of funny. As I said above, I just don't like cocky opinions based on fallacious arguments.

Furthermore, I generally dislike attempts to compare a $25,000 car with cars that cost anywhere from 2 to 10 times that amount. Though I suppose I should be proud of that fact.

 

[LuS1fer]

My pet gripe too but you have to remember that the cars sell for far more in the UK. A Z06 is around £60k-65k which is about $100k plus. Hence the comparisons which appear unfair as they're based on the UK price comparison complete with profit margin, 10% import duty and 17.5% tax. The opposite applies to the US where you pay more for exotics (relatively).

 

[Rock36]

You have to import a Mustang to the UK correct? Here in Germany, folks have to import Mustangs if they want them since Ford of Europe doesn't sell them. Or they buy them from Americans like me. Also, when I tell my German friends that I paid the equivalent of about 20,000 Euro back in the States they are absolutely floored.

That is about what they pay for the Ford Ka

 

[shooterm1]

"Mustangs are like those blondes with hair and breast extensions"

*** >>> Breast extensions? <<< ***

(something about that just dont seem right .......... what is it?)

 

[jikelly]

"So why, you may be wondering, do I own a Ford GT?" ... "The power is American, yes, but it's tamed and sophisticated by Europeans. It's a metaphor, in other words, for the perfect world."

Somehow this metaphor doesn't seem to work for me. Would this be tamed and sophisticated like the two world wars? Or perhaps it's more tame and sophisticated like the genocide in Bosnia. Three events all brought about by European political paralysis, not tameness nor sophistication. While Mr. Clarkson is whinging on about aggressive Americans perhaps he should take a moment to contemplate the arrogant European.

WORD!!!

 

[tom281]

Bobby Knight, former Indiana University basketball coach, had a quote years ago that applies to most writers, and seemingly fits Clarkson perfectly:

"All of us learn to write in the 2nd grade- some of us go on to bigger things."

 

[bigcat]