Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Phantom vehicle


 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review).  No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was delete. While the votes are somewhat split, the arguments for deletion are more compelling in this case. In particular, the argument that this article cannot exist without violating WP:SYNTH is likely the most compelling. It seems that the sources in this article are used to verify various specific instances of a vehicle apparently driving on its own, but no source covers the overall concept of "phantom vehicles" in any significant way (or even uses the term "phantom vehicle"). Feel free to recreate this article as a redirect, if desired.  —&#8288;Scotty Wong &#8288;— 14:40, 27 September 2021 (UTC)

Phantom vehicle

 * – ( View AfD View log )

WP:PROFRINGE article that consists solely of a WP:SYNTH of anecdotes and urban legends of mysterious incidents involving cars that allegedly vanished or operated without drivers. See also Fringe_theories/Noticeboard. –LaundryPizza03 ( d c̄ ) 02:17, 3 September 2021 (UTC)
 * Note: This discussion has been included in the list of Paranormal-related deletion discussions. –LaundryPizza03 ( d  c̄ ) 02:17, 3 September 2021 (UTC)
 * Note: This discussion has been included in the list of Technology-related deletion discussions. –<b style="color:#77b">Laundry</b><b style="color:#fb0">Pizza</b><b style="color:#b00">03</b> ( d  c̄ ) 02:17, 3 September 2021 (UTC)
 * <small class="delsort-notice">Note: This discussion has been included in the list of Lists-related deletion discussions. –<b style="color:#77b">Laundry</b><b style="color:#fb0">Pizza</b><b style="color:#b00">03</b> ( d  c̄ ) 02:17, 3 September 2021 (UTC)

<div class="xfd_relist" style="border-top: 1px solid #AAA; border-bottom: 1px solid #AAA; padding: 0px 25px;"> Relisted to generate a more thorough discussion and clearer consensus.
 * Delete I don't see enough serious, in-depth coverage of this topic by folklorists and independent sources to justify a standalone article. While there is certainly a number of credulous and uncritical anecdotes and clickbait sensationalism like 20 CREEPY URBAN LEGENDS ABOUT CARS THAT COULD BE TRUE, that stuff isn't the kind of sourcing we can use to build an encyclopedia article. - LuckyLouie (talk) 02:38, 3 September 2021 (UTC)
 * Redirect to Urban Legend. No objection a plain deletion either; the coverage we have is not sufficient to meet GNG, and the current list does appear to be WP:PROFRINGE that provides WP:UNDUE examples. BilledMammal (talk) 03:32, 3 September 2021 (UTC)
 * Keep and rename to Phantom vehicle (folklore). Add a template at top. It would be useful for researchers to have a place to go for the urban legends side since there are the real-world articles Unmanned ground vehicle, Self-driving car, and History of self-driving cars. <span style="background:#8FF;border:solid 1px;border-radius:8px;box-shadow:darkgray 4px 4px 4px;padding:1px 4px 0px 4px;"> 5Q5 &#124;&#9993; 11:05, 3 September 2021 (UTC)
 * Merge a one-sentence summary to List_of_urban_legends and redirect. The idea of a ghost car is a popular enough type of legend but the sourcing would need a great deal of improvement before keeping was an option. Eggishorn  (talk) (contrib) 17:04, 3 September 2021 (UTC)
 * Delete - Without a reliable source that covers these events together as a single topic, this is just a WP:SYNTH collection of anecdotes, most of which are one-off "weird news" stories with no lasting coverage. –dlthewave ☎ 22:17, 3 September 2021 (UTC)
 * Keep and rename to Phantom vehicle (folklore) The pages needs a rework more than anything, the subject is indeed notable and a well known urban legend, some sources I found include https://scholarship.richmond.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1145&context=masters-theses https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1017&context=usupress_pubs http://folklore.usc.edu/new-jersey-vanishing-camaro-legend/ and google books brings up plenty more. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Pladica (talk • contribs) 08:11, 4 September 2021 (UTC)
 * Is it really about one particular legend? If so, perhaps there's an even better name...  In any case, this reminds me of the much more notable many-legends of ghost ships, in which it potentially could be merged as trivia.  A picture also suggests it's a halloween prank, it could potentially be mentioned as trivia in one of the related articles... — Paleo  Neonate  – 18:39, 4 September 2021 (UTC)
 * Yes, it is generally the same legend. (That of course, involving disappearing, cursed or driverless vehicles). You're right about them about them sharing similarities with ghost ships, but they aren't the same thing (trivia sections are usually frowned upon anyways). Only that one picture is described as being a Halloween prank, to say they are all Halloween pranks or pranks in general is incorrect. Pladica (talk) 20:21, 4 September 2021 (UTC)
 * Delete. Right now this article is a mess of synthesis, with no secondary commentary from experts. However, we would benefit from an article similar to it and/or one focused on specific motifs, such as E535.1 "phantom coaches and horses" and various other E items. In fact, maybe an article dedicated to the E motifs. &#58;bloodofox: (talk) 18:52, 4 September 2021 (UTC)

Please add new comments below this notice. Thanks, The Blade of the Northern Lights ( 話して下さい ) 19:35, 10 September 2021 (UTC) <div class="xfd_relist" style="border-top: 1px solid #AAA; border-bottom: 1px solid #AAA; padding: 0px 25px;"> Relisted to generate a more thorough discussion and clearer consensus.
 * Keep, but substantially rework. While this is definitely a common motif in legend and folklore (as Bloodofox has noted above), there is no justification for the current format of the article, which is a huge list of incidents in which a car did something weird (with the implication that it was for a spooky reason). jp×g 20:01, 16 September 2021 (UTC)

Please add new comments below this notice. Thanks,  Sandstein   13:23, 18 September 2021 (UTC)
 * Delete. Urban legend discussed credulously as if it were an actual thing.<b style="color:#070">VdSV9</b>• ♫ 11:52, 19 September 2021 (UTC)
 * Keep/rename support the keep and rename as described above. Oaktree b (talk) 00:55, 21 September 2021 (UTC)
 * Delete - As already mentioned by Dlthewave above, there are no sources that cover this purported subject as a whole, meaning the entire article is simply WP:SYNTH and WP:OR, which cannot remain in the encyclopedia. An actually well-sourced article on a more specific related topic, as suggested several times above, could certainly be created in its place, but in the meantime, an article containing nothing but poorly sourced anecdotes cobbled together as pure WP:SYNTH should not remain, and neither should its editing history.  15:11, 24 September 2021 (UTC)
 * Keep/rename per Pladica.4meter4 (talk) 21:26, 24 September 2021 (UTC)


 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. <b style="color:red">Please do not modify it.</b> Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.