21st Oct 2024, 20:56

Totally agree, I miss cars like this. I hate how everything has to be a crossover with a smart phone for a dashboard now.

23rd Oct 2024, 19:05

Agreed, these Insignias were bland blobs, no wonder people stuck to the usual German stuff.

24th Oct 2024, 19:01

Good point about modern dashboards.

30th Oct 2024, 15:55

I wonder how a 17-year-old would react if his parents gave him a 2019 Vauxhall Insignia SRi VX-Line 1.5 Turbo Auto in silver as his first car.

"Happy birthday, son. We know it’s not a Bimmer, but it’s just as German as a BMW and sure beats the bus. Besides, it’s ULEZ-compliant and has a TURBO!"

Personally, I would thank them very much.

My parents gave me a silver 1999 Vauxhall Astra CD 1.6 16v 5-door hatchback. Hardly the most exciting car in the world, but I was very grateful for their gesture, and I wasn’t the least bit embarrassed by that car. It had air conditioning, a CD player, over 100 bhp, and reliably got me from A to B.

But knowing how spoiled teenagers are these days, the ungrateful twerp would probably drive the Vauxhall Insignia into a river—or worse, murder his parents because they didn’t give him a BMW.

Kids these days… Back in the day, you’d give them a Sierra or a Cavalier, and they’d be chuffed to bits. Now they either want a BMW or a bloody Tesla, or they’ll chop your head off and livestream it on YouTube.

30th Oct 2024, 19:45

Excellent points, it's a crazy world we live in now.

30th Oct 2024, 21:28

Or, you could hit two birds with one stone. Buy them a used Bimmer... but make them insure it themselves. At 17. Teach them that there is a price to be paid for owning even a humble one, and that there is a very expensive practical reason why Vauxhalls or Renaults are everywhere. And why posh brands can be bought cheap. That's not even getting into repairs and maintenance.