Whats the modern "cool daddy" car?

Shane732

Alanstrainor wrote: »

I think you may have missed the point of the thread...just slightly!

Sorry I just wanted an excuse to post that car!!

Victor Meldrew

newmug wrote: »

As it says in the title, whats the modern day "cool daddy" car?

Back in the day, cool daddy cars were for middle-aged men who had small kids and therefore needed a family car, but they always bought something a bit racey, something with a bit of grunt and swagger. You had various Vauxhalls / Opels, the Granada, the Bluebird, various Mitsubishi's. They were never posh, or new, they were just - cool! Cool daddys would never buy something pretentious or popular just for the sake of it, and especially not for the sake of buying a badge.

So whats the modern day cool daddy car? Unfortunately, I just cant think of any that would fit the criteria:(

Growing up, my neighbour always had whatever Opel had the biggest engine. Cool. My Grand-dad had a MkII Granada with the V6. I knew it was cool.

He offered it to my mum to replace her Renault 4. She declined and I sulked for weeks... Our CX was cool, but utterly unreliable, and even as a 10 year old I knew it was not worth it. Too hard-core..

Now, with my own kids, our elder boy (not yet 4), on passing the AUDI garage said "I don't like Mummy or Daddy's cars any more, I want an AUDI"*. He also has a thing for old land-rovers....

*I'm not an AUDI fan. btw.. and totally get your point re low key "cool" cars.

Anan1

OSI wrote: »

96 Reg, Volvo 850R, 2.3 Litre Turbo. 250BHP, 0-60 in 6.7 secs and limited to 155MPH.

Saloon in dark grey with black leather and alcantara (was one of the first cars to use alcantara, borrowing the idea from Porsche

My 1988 Lancia Delta has alcantara, and i'm pretty sure the Lancia Thema had it from launch in 1984.:)

Conor_M1990

anything that has spoilers or looks fast will be cool to kids

TCP/IP

I think you are all a million miles off. A cool Dad would not be seen dead in a bloddy Volvo or a Skoda lets be honest with each other. When I was a little boy I would not look at any of the cars mentioned. Now this on the other hand was cool:

http://www.carzone.ie/search/BMW/M3/cabriole/200840190255958/advert?channel=CARS

Nowadays a cool Dad would drive this

http://www.carzone.ie/search/BMW/M5/5L-V10../201046200241784/advert?channel=CARS

Damien360

Ah here, you would be beating the thieves off your door with that M5.

Cool daddy car should still be able to take the little feckers to school/football but have enough grunt and presence to impress the neighbour. All he would have to say is " I would love one of them but the missus wanted a corrolla".

An XC70 (the current garda car) would be my choice. You could tell the kids they use them to catch imprezas and evos. By the time they have enough sense to realise you have told them bull, they would be teenagers and just don't think you can ever be cool.

TCP/IP

M5 would bring the kids to school and football. 500 bhp should impress the neighbours nicely.

Damien360

TCP/IP wrote: »

M5 would bring the kids to school and football. 500 bhp should impress the neighbours nicely.

But standing at your front door all night with a 4 foot iron bar would ruin the coolness

newmug

TCP/IP wrote: »

I think you are all a million miles off. A cool Dad would not be seen dead in a bloddy Volvo or a Skoda lets be honest with each other. When I was a little boy I would not look at any of the cars mentioned. Now this on the other hand was cool:

http://www.carzone.ie/search/BMW/M3/cabriole/200840190255958/advert?channel=CARS

Nowadays a cool Dad would drive this

http://www.carzone.ie/search/BMW/M5/5L-V10../201046200241784/advert?channel=CARS

I thought when I read the beginning of your post that you had the idea, but alas I was wrong! BMW's are not cool daddy cars! They're in the exact same category as what you mentioned, Volvo's and Skodas!

This is cool:
http://static.cargurus.com/images/site/2008/06/26/22/41/1982_nissan_bluebird-pic-8654.jpeg

And so is this:
http://static.cargurus.com/images/site/2009/03/06/16/28/1976_ford_granada-pic-58513.jpeg

And this:
http://autotraderblog.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/datsun_laurel_4door_ht_2000.jpg

And this:
http://robson.m3rlin.org/cars/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/1986_ford-sierra-rs-cosworth-copy.thumbnail.jpg



Think of it this way - Imagine the car a gang of bankrobbers would use as a getaway car - THATS cool:cool: Not a big posh flashy yoke that stand out, just a normal looking family car that has balls!

Matt Simis

newmug wrote: »

I thought when I read the beginning of your post that you had the idea, but alas I was wrong! BMW's are not cool daddy cars! They're in the exact same category as what you mentioned, Volvo's and Skodas!

Think of it this way - Imagine the car a gang of bankrobbers would use as a getaway car - THATS cool:cool: Not a big posh flashy yoke that stand out, just a normal looking family car that has balls!

Bank robbers exist today and use Audi estates like S4s and RS4s. If you are really worried bout being robbed (eh.. move?) then they are the bigger target than any BMW M Car. I think an M5 Touring would be excellent too, but escaping from the feds is not when you want to be enjoying RWD fun-stuff.

Unlike "cool dad" however, Thiefs dont buy or maintain their cars so they really arent that representative.

newmug

Matt Simis wrote: »

Bank robbers exist today and use Audi estates like S4s and RS4s.

Well there you go, there's two good examples of modern cool daddy cars! Any more?

ninty9er

I'm not cool or a daddy, but if I were both, regardless of my coolness, my kids would come first, which is why Volvos have always featured in this category. Cool daddys do not drive beemers, ones who have toddlers in their mid 40s do. The only person in my school that got picked up in a proper cool car was picked up in an XK8 and that was by an uncle, second best was a 1992 white 5 series(which was later replaced with an uncool S500 when the tribunals started paying off) and then a red Audi 80 Avant.

J77

Totally forgot about a Jag! That would do it I think.

R.O.R

newmug wrote: »

Lads, some of yiz have the wrong idea altogether.

Cool daddy cars CANNOT be posh or new. So no Jaguars, Astons, Alfa's, Volvo's, BMW's etc. I think I even saw a Porche mentioned there:eek: Ask yourself this, do you really think the people who drive those kind of cars are "cool"? Also no hot-hatches, civics, saxo's, etc. What kind of people drive those? Cool people?

Someone mentioned the sporty Octavia. Thats it. And different Passats with red I's and that sort of thing. Someone else said a high spec Mondeo. They're cool daddy cars!

Remember the joker in your school who everybody called by his nickname, who was the soundest cnut you'd ever meet? Who left school at 16, got the girlfriend preg and now they have 5 kids and they're both in their early 30's? What kind of car does he drive? In 1987 it would have been a Datsun Laurel, or an xr3i escort, or a 2L Opel Cavalier or a Sierra. Some type of plain and ordinary family saloon, but with a massively oversized engine or some other such cool addition. These were cool daddy cars!

So whats the modern day equivalent?

Something like this?


I was behind a black one last week that must have been running on 19's and was lowered so the top of the tyres were under the arches.

OSI wrote: »

Nope. UK Car.

96 Reg, Volvo 850R, 2.3 Litre Turbo. 250BHP, 0-60 in 6.7 secs and limited to 155MPH.

Saloon in dark grey with black leather and alcantara (was one of the first cars to use alcantara (or at least that's wikipedia says), borrowing the idea from Porsche who helped develop the engine and transmission) fully electric interior. Electric mirrors windows, mirrors and sunroof. 6 CD changer, Cruise Control, Traction Control (needed it) and plenty more. Sitting on 17 inch alloys with Pirelli P Zeros..

Sold it 2003 with over 160,000 miles on the clock and still running like clockwork. Hardly anything went wrong with that car, anything that did was suspension related thanks to superb Irish roads, and one cracked alloy.

And for the real car nerds, the 850 won 13 races between 95-96 in the BTCC and placed third in the championship both years...

Anything else you'd like to know?

But you'rs wasn't a real one then - we all know that they should be estate's

Have fond memories of camping over at Oulton Park in 94 to watch Rickard Rydell attempt to pilot the load lugger around. Damn Steve Soper and his 3 series with ABS.

newmug

R.O.R wrote: »

Something like this?


I was behind a black one last week that must have been running on 19's and was lowered so the top of the tyres were under the arches.

EXACTLY! Also:

newmug

Another one:

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1798051

VolvoMan

TCP/IP wrote: »

I think you are all a million miles off. A cool Dad would not be seen dead in a bloddy Volvo or a Skoda lets be honest with each other.

In the 90's an 850 T-5 or 'R' was the definitive cool daddy's car.

How can you not say this is the dog's bollocks?:

kennethk

maybe abit over the top but
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1602904
nice car me thinks

When I was in primary school one guys Dad changed jobs and went from a Sierra company car to a red 5 series, this was the late 80s, it was a 518 but most 9 year olds didn't understand the sh1tness of it (I did though :pac: ). Anyway the chaps Dad was some sort of manager in a Brewery, not engineering or anything like that, office based numbers head. He was far from a cool Daddy.

Another lad's ole lad had an old 2 litre Opel Ascona, most of us thought that was cool.

newmug

RoverJames wrote: »

When I was in primary school one guys Dad changed jobs and went from a Sierra company car to a red 5 series, this was the late 80s, it was a 518 but most 9 year olds didn't understand the sh1tness of it (I did though :pac: ). Anyway the chaps Dad was some sort of manager in a Brewery, not engineering or anything like that, office based numbers head. He was far from a cool Daddy.

Another lad's ole lad had an old 2 litre Opel Ascona, most of us thought that was cool.

Thats EXACTLY IT! THATS what cool is!

I reckon a Galant VR4 would fit the bill.

Not wanting to offend but most folks who can afford modern M5s and the like are far far from cool. You can't be a manager in Earnest and Young all day and hop into an M5 at 6pm and be cool all of a sudden :pac:

Anan1

RoverJames wrote: »

I reckon a Galant VR4 would fit the bill.

Not wanting to offend but most folks who can afford modern M5s and the like are far far from cool. You can't be a manager in Earnest and Young all day and hop into an M5 at 6pm and be cool all of a sudden :pac:

+1. A modern M5 is a fabulous car, but it's just not cool.

salamander27

Being a Daddy (and cool of course!):P I'd like one of these to drive while I do the school run!

For the moment I'll have to put up with it's less powerful cousin the focus estate.