What makes a car an "appliance"?

[Quattro Pete]

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If it has an automatic transmission, it's an appliance.

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What about a DSG/SMG? It's still an automatic in a sense that it does not require you to press the clutch and it can shift like an automatic if you'd want it to. Would a BMW M6 which is not available with a traditional manual transmission be considered an appliance? Would an Audi R8?


Don't get me wrong. I am not a fan of typical slushboxes either, but there are different types of "automatics" out there. F1 cars don't have manual transmissions either.

 

[BrianWC]

I've no problem with Bimmer owners driving fast or slow. All I said was at speeds you can drive safely on public roads there aren't big differences between modern uber-hp sport sedans.

 

[GROUCHO MARX]

Quattro Pete,I was just trolling with that comment.

 

[Quattro Pete]

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Quattro Pete,I was just trolling with that comment.

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Heh... sorry. My troll-o-meter didn't go off.

 

[Black Bart]

Re: What makes a car an "appliance"? Many different opinions on what is an appliance vehicle.
I don't think I have one here is why.
I drove my Corvette to a car show yesterday and after the show I followed a Corvette out that had a really radical cam and I was itching to try him. I followed him till we got on a divided 4 lane and when we stopped at a light I pulled up along side of him and ask him if he wanted to run it. When the light turned green it was on and I pulled him really bad and then shut off and dropped back to the 40 mph speed limit and he blasted bye me.
The car that was behind me at the light caught up with me and pulled up along side and stayed their. When I looked over at him he gave me the thumbs up and nodded his head with approval.
This is not likely to happen while driving your Corolla

 

[VeeDubb]

BrianWC,
No worries. You weren't my target

 

[BrianWC]

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BrianWC,
No worries. You weren't my target

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I thought I had a bullseye on me this weekend!

 

[Tornado Red]

What's an appliance?

Just call Hertz, Avis, Alamo, and Enterprise and ask what they have available. Everything they have for less than $100/day will be an appliance.

 

[Big O Dave]

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For example, I see plenty of the nicest BMWs being driven as (and thought of) as appliances... well, actually more of a fashion statement by people who use a vehicle as an appliance, but want it to make a social statement.

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Who knows, maybe those people take them to the track on weekends?

And if you see a BMW driven like it was meant to be driven (read: more aggressively), are you then going to say that the driver is an inconsiderate prick and a showoff? Those poor BMW drivers - they just can't win, no matter what they do.

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I didn't realize you BMW guys were trying to win... what's the competition you're in?

Seriously, what I meant was people who know and/or care nothing about cars, not people who drive slow or fast. I do see lots of these types at my auto repair/tire shop... for example, they complain about how expensive the tires are and just want the cheapest possible because they don't care about driving dynamics. They can afford the proper tires, but don't care about driving, only arriving.

Isn't that what a BMW is all about, driving dynamics? I LOVE driving them around, even in my normal leisurely way, and I appreciate the superb engineering that creates the BMW driving experience.

In no way was I slamming BMWs or those who own and like them; I was simply slamming those who own them but do not appreciate their virtues, thus making a superb car into an appliance through their attitude. Turning it into automotive jewelry, that's all.

They treat them like commodities, i.e. appliances.

BTW, by old trucks are rudimentary and elemental - unsophisticated - yet for me that is part of their allure.

My point is that something doesn't have to be leading-edge in order to be more than an appliance.

Got that now?

 

[RKBA]

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An appliance car is one you don't care about. If it got smashed up tommorow, you wouldn't be bothered in the least. Does it get a door ding? Big deal. Does the paint have 10 different shades? Big deal. Did you change the oil last year? Big deal. Is it a company vehicle? Big deal. =-)

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That's not an appliance, it's a beater!

 

[JohnBrowning]

Ever own a Kitchen Aid mixer? If you have you probably still own it. Most will own one their entire life time and it will grind meat,mix bread dough, whip egg whites forever. When you plug it in and turn it on it always works! You have very little to do to keep it up. You do not get hot a bothered thinking about your Kitchen Aid mixer.A Toyota Camry is much the same. It always starts and needs very little maintence and it seldom excites or disapoints it is just is!

 

[VeeDubb]

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Seriously, what I meant was people who know and/or care nothing about cars, not people who drive slow or fast. I do see lots of these types at my auto repair/tire shop... for example, they complain about how expensive the tires are and just want the cheapest possible because they don't care about driving dynamics. They can afford the proper tires, but don't care about driving, only arriving.

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Most of my friends who drive 3 series BMWs don't make enough money to justify it so I can see why they want cheap tires. One guy I know works as a staffer for a state senator and makes about $38k a year. But he is willing to over-leverage himself so that he can be seen in a bimmer. I used to think he was unique in his foolishness, but then I remember NewTestCarDrive.com used to publish buyer demographics for various cars. What struck me was the median income for 3 series owners was around $60k whereas the medians for other entry level luxury cars (e.g. A4, TSX, etc) were around $90k. Seems the 3 series is a real magnet for financial cretins.

 

[Big O Dave]

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Seems the 3 series is a real magnet for financial cretins.

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I agree.

 

[brianl703]

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Ever own a Kitchen Aid mixer?

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I had a Kitchen Aid dishwasher. For about 3 days. It was in a house I bought and it was completely rusted out. I'm sure it was at least 20 years old...

...on the other hand my cheap builder-grade GE dishwasher is 12 years old and still going strong.

 

[benjamming]

Yeah, Kitchen Aid mixer & Kitchen Aid everything else are on completely different playing fields.

 

[VaderSS]

A car is an appliance if you think it is.

What's all this fecal matter with labels, anyway?

 

[CBDFrontier06]

I think the labels come from realizing the difference between cars that are engineered to provide a certain level of driving pleasure (BMW, for instance) and cars that are built for people who couldn't care less how exciting the car is to drive as long as it gets them there reliably (Camry). I think of pretty much all Toyotas as appliances because I've driven a lot of them and they all seem a bit neutered to me. That's not a slam in the direction of Toyota owners...it's just my impression of the make. The opposite end of the car spectrum IMO is BMW who purposefully engineers performance into everything they make, which caters to people who actually pay attention to the dynamics of the vehicle they drive....who enjoy balance and power and excellent handling characteristics. This is where lables come from, IMO.

 

[LouDawg]

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A car is an appliance if you think it is.

What's all this fecal matter with labels, anyway?

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Just a bunch of guys talking about cars...all aspects of cars, not just motor oil. I don't think that's fecal matter...rather, that's kind of what we do here, isn't it?

 

[VaderSS]

I know, I know. It's just that I started to put my views down, and knew that someone would take issue with them, and had a moment.

I'm not going to change your mind and you are not going to change mine, but hey, it's fun to communicate.

I consider a car to be an appliance on a case by case basis.

A BMW 3 series with an automatic and without a sport package is an appliance, to me. The same car with a sport package and stickshift, is no longer an appliance, even if it has a 4 cylinder.

A Ford Focus ST, with the stock tires, is an appliance to me, but not if you put good tires on it. Pretty much the same for any stick-shift Focus, if you put good tires and an SVT suspension(very cheap) under it, it's no longer an appliance.

A Miata cannot be an appliance, even if it has an automatic and the cheapest tires known to man.

Many cars are appliances as they come from the factory, but with a few mods, can be made into a non-appliance. Some cars are not an appliance as they come, but the wrong set of tires put them in that category.

 

[1sttruck]

A Ferrari is an appliance if it's owned and driven like one. More commonly, a BMW/Mercedes/etc being driven at 5 mph under the speed limit in the #1 lane is an appliance, regardless of whether it's a 300 series or an eleventeen hundred series. A Toyota Corolla with winter tires being used for ice racing is not an appliance.