Despite being inanimate motorized machines, most drivers hold biases against the other vehicles and their drivers out on the road. We asked readers earlier this week about those personally held beliefs. While there were a couple of positive prejudices, it was mostly negative views held against automakers, particular models and the people that drive them. Without further ado, here are your totally rational automotive biases:
The crazy ex who dyed my cat green and pawned all of my shoes drove a [redacted]*. I assume anyone driving a [redacted] is just as crazy.
*last thing I need is the attention of another one of you [redacted] driving nuts.
Submitted by: Grimace’s balloon knot (pixelated)
My bias: Toyota drivers are terrible drivers. They drive slow, cause accidents, and just are generally in the way on most roads. The dislike Toyota as a brand is real, just boring cars for boring people.
Submitted by: bigbmc26
I had a great-uncle Sam who bought a 1958 Pontiac, which turned out to be a lemon (bad transmission, rust issues, etc...) therefore, according to Sam, all Pontiacs (and by extension, all GM products) were rolling junk piles.
I owned GM cars for 25 years (including a ‘95 Pontiac Grand Prix) that were trouble-free for the most part, but invariably someone from Sam’s side of the family would have some snarky comment about my choice in car, none of whom were even born in 1958.
Submitted by: Earthbound Misfit I
I owned a Saab. I loved my Saab. GM bought Saab and took a giant steaming dump on the brand, nuking it’s character and overall viability. As a result - I’ll never own a GM product. Is it rational? No! Now let me enjoy my spite.
Submitted by: Tom Henwood
My bias: BMW drivers are rude, self-absorbed and don’t follow any kind of rule-of-the road.
Source of bias: my dad, who thought the same. Also, 2 brothers we knew. One drove a Mercedes and was a gentleman, the other drove a BMW and was an asshole (can I say asshole on here)? As we all know, one anecdote is enough to confirm a bias.
Submitted by: Bindolaf
Bias is that Kia makes junk. My cousin’s Optima had to have an engine, my in-laws Sorrento had to have an engine, a coworker’s wife’s Sorrento had to have an engine, and we still were dumb enough to buy a Telluride that...you guessed it....crapped the bed at 1,496 miles and had to have an engine...
Submitted by: dartingd
Here in the South any Dodge pickup that is not like a company truck, especially if it has any kind of modification is a raging asshole. I have avoided accidents just by stereotyping and staying the hell out of their way. Dodge Chargers also fall into that category but surprisingly not Challengers for some reason from my personal experience.
Submitted by: SP- 60% of the time, it works every time
Have a irrational hatred and dislike for Volkswagens.
3 friends have been killed in them in my lifetime, and the only 3 to die via auto accidents.
Lost 1 just after High School, when my friend and his fiancé were both killed in his ‘88 Scirocco when it was struck by a drunk driver.
A few years later, another friend died when his Karman Ghia he was restoring got hit in an accident.
About 15 years ago, I had a co-worker die when he was involved in an accident in his classic ‘59 Beetle.
So, whenever I see that VW badge, I just think “Deathtrap”. Even though, I know logically, the newer vehicles are no more dangerous or safe than any other vehicle in that market space.
But, Pavlov has struck me, and the VW badge, just means “Death” to my brain.
Submitted by: Knyte
Everyone is jumping to negative biases. Positive biases also exist.
Between friends & family, I drove a lot of Saturns in my youth. The Saturn SC is basically imprinted on me now and I’m very biased as them being the best econo car of the 90s/00s. A Saturn SC is where I learned how to drive a manual. All my zipping around my hometown in a fast-slow car and the short road trips to visit friends at their campus is where I learned the joys of a car that didn’t need big numbers on paper. A big empty parking lot and first snowstorm of the season in my SC is where I learned to recover from a skid and what it feels like to lose traction. The first time I replaced a car radio, changed the oil, replaced bulbs, jumped a car, and changed a tire where all in that red SC. While much of that could be attributed to the college experience, the Saturn SC is where it happened.
Back to negatives, that is also where I attribute my disdain for GM. They killed my favorite car brand.
Submitted by: engineerthefuture
I am a Chrysler man.
My Dad drove Furys, Satellites, New Yorkers and Imperials during my formative years. Took me to Bosak Chrysler/Plymouth/Dodge to get his new company car where I saw TWO Plymouth Superbirds in the wild. My best friend’s brother bought one and painted it a different factory color every year.
My first car was a RHD Savannah RX-7 the Chrysler Town & Country was my family’s workhorse in the late ‘90 - early 00's. I even bought a 2005 Pacifica against my own good judgement.
So yeah, no matter how ass the Chrysler product line becomes, they will always get a pass from me.
Submitted by: 900turbo
My immediate family has been life-long GM scribes. So did everyone else in the extended family. To my memory we’ve owned every brand of the post-1960 GM US family tree, except for Opel, Saturn, Saab and Hummer.
But some of us did manage to upset the status quo and draw the ire of everyone else in the family. My father owned a ‘66 Ford Falcon, ‘69 Galaxie 500 and a ‘73 Gran Torino. My brother bought an ‘80 Thunderbird and both a ‘99 Mustang and 2006 Mustang. My uncle in Boston gave my mother a ‘68 AMC Ambassador.
Me? My strays were a 2001 Ford Taurus and 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan. Everything else is GM.
Also, I am a mega-large diecast vehicle collector, with over 15,000 in the mix, but I am very partial to Matchbox. Everyone knows Hot Wheels s the inferior brand.
Submitted by: IDM3