"brianshayne" (brianshayne)
04/12/2015 at 23:55 • Filed to: None
0
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"brianshayne" (brianshayne)
04/12/2015 at 23:55 • Filed to: None | 0
| 5 |
Writing is a pastime of mine that I oft neglect - usually because other much more talented than I can craft verbiage that is entertaining to read, thought provoking or at least, at the very least, a passable way to kill time.
Browsing Facebook is another time-sink that many are guilty of. Scrolling endlessly, looking at posts, sometimes finding things that are: a worthwhile read, worth a smile or at least attention capturing for more than a couple of seconds.
I stumbled across something like this today, and not because it was a joy to read, or something informational - but rather something that elicited strong emotions, not the emotions you'd hope, but emotions nonetheless. Anger. Incredulity. Sadness.
!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ticks the boxes of great clickbait:
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
A controversial title
A relevant image
There's really only two points here. I just already hit enter.
Digging in, the first thing you'll notice is that it's an ad-gallery... An Answers.com knockoff, filled with ads, and very little content. Small snippets of text under an image, with a back and next button - each page correlating to impressions for advertisers, but very little relevant content for the reader.
I did the due diligence on this poor excuse for content, for you - so that you can save your eyes and time instead. Basically the article lists off 1 common problem, from many popular brands - in some cases even stretching to things that aren't really problems... Just rumours.
Nissan, the first victim. The "author" (that's being generous) mentioned "corrosion" issues... Which haven't been something pertinent since the early 90s. Yes most of Nissan is beige, but they try, and they *do* understand the soul of the enthusiast... They just understand that you need beige to pay the bills for the common-non-car-joe. Nissan makes some genuinely fun cars, and has always been the scrappy little brother to the big Japanese brands.
Also on the list - basically every domestic marque. Ford, Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep... And get this GM, and then Pontiac. Something wrong here, yes? Pontiac is a GM product. I wouldn't say EVERY Pontiac was bad - yes there was beige, yes there was "issues" with some models, and badge engineering... But to list these two things separately just SCREAMS two things to me:
Scraping for content
Not really knowing shit about cars
New GM is really something - cars that are more than badge engineered pieces of crap. This isn't 2003 anymore. The Corvette is a world beating halo car, the G8 the last vestige of heart from a dead brand, the Caprice SS - a nod to the sheerbatshitinsaneness that once was.
Ford? Same story - world beating cars in many classes. Dodge and Chrysler - a great try by Fiat. Jeep? Still has some heart.
The other "cars to avoid" are BMW, Audi, VW, and Porsche - probably because of some post WW2 prejudice. Subaru also made the list, because the author doesn't understand boxers (or that these problems have been pretty well resolved - gaskets basically).
An article, wholly devoid of substance, pointing out non-issues in most cases that are taken care of with standard maintenance (or don't exist at all) and neglecting the basic reasons behind what makes these brands great. An article that basically is saying Honda and Toyota are your only choices, since rolling appliances are what everyone really needs. An article beginning with a logical fallacy insinuating that some mystery authority says you should avoid these brands.
An article that's killing car writing... And maybe even killing cars.
Tohru
> brianshayne
04/13/2015 at 00:00 |
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I dunno, modern Nissans are having pretty bad corrosion issues right now.
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brianshayne
> Tohru
04/13/2015 at 00:03 |
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Hey - that's fair. I'm not up on ALL current make issues - but my major point was that clickbait, single "issue" fearmongering posts as a generalization, are sad :(
Odometer.com, you'd think was a car enthusiast website... Instead, it's a Facebook clickfarm with half-truths, too little good content, and too many ads. I guess you could say this about internet content as a whole though.
PS9
> brianshayne
04/13/2015 at 00:07 |
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But for a mechanic, repairs = work = $$$. So...wouldn't they want you to buy cars that need frequent fixing?
Also, both GM and Pontiac separately made the list...
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brianshayne
> PS9
04/13/2015 at 00:20 |
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RIGHT? I CAUGHT THAT TOO.
Sigh.
Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
> brianshayne
04/13/2015 at 00:22 |
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Oh lord... it's not just that article, it's the whole bloody site that is devoid of substance.