Where have all the enthusiasts gone?

[A900ss]

I consider myself a car enthusiast AND a driving enthusiast.

Due to the fact I have had company cars for the past 20 years, a lot of my cars have been chosen for me and on paper, would fail the PH test. I don't care.

I also like getting hire cars, any hire car. If I haven't driven a certain car, I want to. Even if the press slate it. Even if it has 3 cylinders and little power. I don't care. I want to experience it myself.

Each to their own I say. Buy and drive cars you want, have fun and fk anybody who doesn't like it.

Edited by A900ss on Sunday 26th January 14:58

[Urban Sports]

Vladimir said:

daemon said:

Hmmm.

I dont recall anyone saying you personally were stupid for buying with cash, though i'm happy to be corrected.

Any links to posts?

Countless leasing threads telling everyone you'd be mad to buy with cash, etc, etc.

Slippery - clearly that isn't the intention. There are 100s of PHers much, much better off than me on here anyway.

Now let's steer this back on course shall we? We have near floods here AGAIN so today is looking like a cr4p driving day. ARRGHHH!!!

You'll be ok if the house floods, it's not yours.

[g3org3y]

Gaz. said:

Volunteer moderator since Sep 2005. Most posts are short acronyms in the mod forum which require no effort or time, such as: D&M'd (short for "Deleted & mailed" when deleting adverts in the forums etc). If mod tasks were not tallied to our post counts, mine would be closer to 15k.

A likely story.

[Shaw Tarse]

g3org3y said:

Gaz. said:

Volunteer moderator since Sep 2005. Most posts are short acronyms in the mod forum which require no effort or time, such as: D&M'd (short for "Deleted & mailed" when deleting adverts in the forums etc). If mod tasks were not tallied to our post counts, mine would be closer to 15k.

A likely story.

There is also D&B'd

[Stuart70]

Robert Elise said:

Stuart70 said:

I am a car enthusiast, owned lots of cars over the years...

Pistonheads has lots of idiots, but plenty of enthusiasts of many shades and colours.

I read and lurk more than I post because that way there is less inclination to get riled by the nonsense.

I spend more time here than anywhere else on the net - much more in winter than in summer -and yes, that does make me a sad man.

Ah well, knowledge is the first step to change.... or not.

nice garage!

Thank you, sir. Love your mix of new and older. Lovely to have a choice.
I was in Zurich a couple of times last year, really picturesque city, especially on other people's money!
A positive point about a car forum is the chance to meet like minded people... Cheers.

[Lexual]

Leins said:

B.J.W said:

My name is Ben, and if I was given the choice between a brand new M135i and a 'classic' 900 T16 S.......

I'd take the Saab

Ah godammit, I was happily seething away at this thread, and then you make me go and think of these again! The want gets stronger and stronger each year...

I guess my current ride is a newer version of this ^^ I love it and after putting a full set of decent tyres on it's a lot of fun! first reasonably powerful FWD car I've had and quite surprised at how it can handle the corners..

[scotty_d]

ChilliWhizz said:

Same as this

I find the aggression, rudeness, and occasional downright nastiness displayed in some of the GG threads quite dismaying. You don't find this kind of thing at club meets, shows, or track days, my regional PH get togethers and hoons are just brilliant, great bunch of people. It must be the anonymity the internet provides that draws the 'keyboard warriors' here. Sometimes seems like PH is a target rich environment for internet bullies and the socially inept.

I feel a bit better now I've got that off my chest

This sums it up for me as well, I would bet most people would not be as rude or obnoxious at face value.

[Leins]

Lexual said:

I guess my current ride is a newer version of this ^^ I love it and after putting a full set of decent tyres on it's a lot of fun! first reasonably powerful FWD car I've had and quite surprised at how it can handle the corners..

That's a nice looking 9-3 you have

My first car was a classic 900i, and I then tried to move into a new-gen 900 Turbo (was a 1996 I think) but insurance costs at the time prevented it. Ended up going down the lower-powered RWD route instead, but still have very fond memories of my Saab. It wasn't quick, it wasn't all that efficient, and it didn't handle much like a sportscar, but it had charm by the bucketload. It went on to live an enjoyable life for a few more years with its new owner, but eventually something big went bang at about 260k miles Although many bits of it lived on for a lot longer when transplanted into a later 900i 16v

[Devil2575]

Panda76 said:

Being an enthusiast has little bearing on what at you drive.

My garage is varied and the current vehicle is a tad boring, it's by no means a crap car mind. As said before its the family chariot, good at it too and cheap to run. At the moment I'm still deciding to either run it into the ground or chop it in for something a bit more interesting.
Audi S4 avants can be had for good money these days, loads of interesting choices out there for not a lot of money. I know lots about cars, my mind is a hive of useless car information which to me makes someone an enthusiast.
Fact is, at this time of my life the car I actually drive isn't that important to me, my priorities right now are family, house and getting rid of the mortgage.
Plenty of time for cars.

There is far too many insults about cars and car choices on this site, makes for dissapointing reading sometimes. I can only imagine how spiteful some people must be in real life.

A good post.

I drive a rubbish car at the moment due to a shortage of cash and so prioritising family. Worst still it's a diesel. Check my previous cars and I haven't owned and track day specials, supercars etc. I'm sure to some this means I'm not a petrolhead. But I don't care.

For me being a motoring enthusiast is enjoying changing the oil in my car rather than taking it to a garage, it's about being secretly pleased when your car develops a simple problem because it's an excuse to get your hands dirty, it's about spending your lunch hour looking a ebay motors or classic car sales websites to window shop. For me being a motoring enthusiast is not about hating diesels, hating cyclists, hating traffic wardens or speed cameras, believing Global warming is a conspiracy because it's inconvenient. The fact that I don't doesn't mean that I'm not a motoring enthusiast.

I think the biggest problem on PH at the moment is that many a far to concerned with trying to outdo each other. "You're not a proper motoring enthusiast because...", "I'm a bigger petrolhead than you because...". The discussions may not take that form but that is what is at the route of it. From deriding those who use finance to slagging of people who drive Audis. It's all a big game of one upmanship and trying to look down on others in order to feel like you're better than other people.

Time for a little bit more live and let live.

And yes I am guilty of descending into abuse and making work for Gaz. Sorry!

[e600]

I consider myself a bit of an enthusiast, home restoring cars for the last 40 years. Mostly but not exclusively E Types.


Converted from a 2+2, at home sprayed in the garage and trimmed at home.


converted from a S2 LHD FHC


Brought back from Kuwait as a write off and rebuilt


Built from a S3 2+2, a few people moaned about this one


He passed favourable comment and that was good enough for me!


Series 1.5 OTS ex LHD



And currently building a MK1 2 door Lotus Cortina Clone with 420 BHP Cosworth! Watch this space

[Robert Elise]

e600 said:

I consider myself a bit of an enthusiast, home restoring cars for the last 40 years. Mostly but not exclusively E Types.


Converted from a 2+2, at home sprayed in the garage and trimmed at home.

And currently building a MK1 2 door Lotus Cortina Clone with 420 BHP Cosworth! Watch this space

great post Pat! brought this thread really back on track!!! Some of the buys who make video reviews should come and interview you, great history there. Some faith in PH restored.

[Amirhussain]

What makes me laugh is when people think that cars of yesteryear were purely developed by engineers and the market men had no say at all Car makers don't give a fk about 'enthusiasts' or 'purists', and rightly so, they are a BUSINESS, and the number one thing in any business is to make MONEY.

Whenever a new car is launched especially if it is a BMW or Audi, we get snidey full of crap comments such as ' I remember when M stood for Motorsports', or 'another dull Audi', despite the fact they've not even driven it. Some of the hate for German cars just makes me laugh.

The comments about weight also just dominates the whole fking comments section. Everyone wants lightweight cars, with no traction control because they're think they're some kind of driving gods. If a car is made using special materials to make the car light, it will get slated because it costs too much. Everybody wants BMW to make another CSL, but they don't realise the last one flopped because the market for them kind of cars is very very tiny. And even if BMW does make another CSL, what's the point, it will never be as good as the E46 CSL

People think that people only buy BMW's, Audi's, Merc's etc because of the badge, that may be right, but that's the kind of cars some people aspire to own, I'm not saying people don't aspire to own Aston's & Ferrari's, course they do, but they're different kid of money, if you know what I mean.
Nobody aspires to own a Kia or a fking Nissan Micra.

[TLandCruiser]

well I suppose as the forum grew, it changed from enthusiasts forum to more of a general motoring forum. I use to visit the site way before I actually joint and over the last few years there has been more of a trend to discuss MPG etc.

I no longer own a sports car but I recently sold a 3.0 petrol BMW and my land cruiser goes off road and will be touring around some pretty harsh environments next year if that counts!! and it might be joined by a 4.7 petrol version soon.

[RemyMartin]

Oh but don't forget the Csl is st as well because it didn't come with a manual.

[GetCarter]

e600 said:

I consider myself a bit of an enthusiast, home restoring cars for the last 40 years. Mostly but not exclusively E Types.

Impressive website Pat. Good. Work.

[anonymous-user]

Vladimir said:

St John Smythe said:

What's amusing is the fact he banged on about his 335d being an SE with no silly M Sport kit or useless iDrive. So then he goes out and gets an 'M' 135i with yep, you guessed it, iDrive

Tell me you think early (2006ish) I-drive was good. Then tell me you don't think it has improved a massive amount since then.

Then come back with your half ar5ed sniping efforts.

Chill, didn't you see the smily at the end of my post?

[Vladimir]

St John Smythe said:

Chill, didn't you see the smily at the end of my post?

I did but I was annoyed so had smiley blindness. Apologies.

Just drivena fair way in the VW CC; I half like it, half don't. A good wafter but easy to get it out of shape on the bends. Putting the dampers into sport mode seems to just make it harder but not handle any better. But the satnav works well (screen too small) and it's definitely comfortable. A few cheap stalks and switches though but great seats.

Edited by Vladimir on Sunday 26th January 17:18

[Tickle]

Amirhussain said:

What makes me laugh is when people think that cars of yesteryear were purely developed by engineers and the market men had no say at all Car makers don't give a fk about 'enthusiasts' or 'purists', and rightly so, they are a BUSINESS, and the number one thing in any business is to make MONEY.

Whenever a new car is launched especially if it is a BMW or Audi, we get snidey full of crap comments such as ' I remember when M stood for Motorsports', or 'another dull Audi', despite the fact they've not even driven it. Some of the hate for German cars just makes me laugh.

The comments about weight also just dominates the whole fking comments section. Everyone wants lightweight cars, with no traction control because they're think they're some kind of driving gods. If a car is made using special materials to make the car light, it will get slated because it costs too much. Everybody wants BMW to make another CSL, but they don't realise the last one flopped because the market for them kind of cars is very very tiny. And even if BMW does make another CSL, what's the point, it will never be as good as the E46 CSL

People think that people only buy BMW's, Audi's, Merc's etc because of the badge, that may be right, but that's the kind of cars some people aspire to own, I'm not saying people don't aspire to own Aston's & Ferrari's, course they do, but they're different kid of money, if you know what I mean.
Nobody aspires to own a Kia or a fking Nissan Micra.

A Kia enthusiast might aspire to own a specific type of Kia

[Vladimir]

Some Kias are pretty good these days and a few are also quite expensive!

[MagneticMeerkat]

It's like almost everything else; in that one may as well ask where all the left wingers have gone, or the right wingers, or the stamp collectors etc.

When viewed externally car enthusiasts would appear to be an homogenous group, like: those people over there like cars! In fact the real situation is that car enthusiasts are defined by silly factions. This prevents any kind of overall gelling.

To put in context, my parents were mild socialists. They believed in a regulated free market and greater opportunities for the working classes (ironically they, and everyone else worried about such matters, were middle class). I think something similar. They couldn't get on with the Marxists, who hated the Trotskyites, who wouldn't speak to the Democratic Humanists and so on. This was the early eighties to put matters in context. To an outsider, or Tory persuasion, they were all just left wing.

Thus it's similar with cars. Well not quite, as classic cars tend to attract the nicer end of the social spectrum. You get the odd investment buyer, who comes across as a vulgar outsider with endless discourse on how much the damn thing cost, but most are accepting and like cars on their own merit. I've been to plenty of shows and have always had a nice time.

However, there exists the perpetual problem of splitting into sub groups. A perfect example would be the fact that most on here look down on the visual modifiers. Endless derision heaped upon VIP Lexuses and slammed VWs. Before that it was the Max Power fibreglass generation.

The same people tend towards dislike of the earlier Rods and Kustoms that defined the British response to American car culture in the seventies and eighties. Rather than recognising them as a creative response to social conditions, scorn was laid upon them.

The same people are the ones who like to buy new, or consider car enthusiasm to be defined by attending track days and making performance inspired modifications to German saloons.

Then there are kit car builders who think the German saloon owners are soft. Ford versus Vauxhall, Citroen versus Renault. The list goes on. Some enthusiasts go to racing tracks, some go to shopping centre car parks on a Saturday night, get over it!

I don't mind boy racer cars, because at least they're trying. To try to consider oneself as a superior brand of car enthusiast by hopping in a more expensive German saloon is a nonsense.

I have a 1.3 pushrod Ford, and enjoy driving it (her, she is called Vicky and is red lol!) I bought that car because it's simply and engine pulling along a relatively lithe chassis. No ABS, no traction control, nothing really to go wrong. Just me, five gears and a wheel at each corner. To others, car enthusiasts included, Vicky is a putrefying remnant of times past, or worse what poor people drive. I know that I get looked down on by owners of higher performance cars, they try to tailgate me and fail when the going gets bendy.

However they shouldn't. For their own good, more than anything. Factions get you nowhere. There aren't many Leninists or Trotskyites left! Don't let it happen to car enthusiasts.