RE: PH Blog: supercars - what's the point exactly?

[blearyeyedboy]

It goes to show that there as many ways of enjoying cars as there are PHers.

Some will go wobbly at the knees over an Aventador and enjoy the attention they attract.
Some will polish their Dub Scene Lupo with german-style plates until they've worn the paint off.
Some will take their GT3 around the Nurburgring and have nightmares about crashing it.
Some will take their Evo X over the Cat and Fiddle and try not to bin it over a long drop.
Some will be happiest caked in so much mud that you can't tell the difference between them and their Defender.
Some will be sitting quietly in Q Cars that attract no attention but go like stink and give the owner a thrill.
Some will be young guys and girls on modest budgets who make the most of their Saxos and Fiestas.
And some will be those without the means or ability to enjoy a car but who dream.

Embrace them all. They're all PHers, all enjoying things on four wheels in their own way.

Embrace them in the metaphorical sense, because it'd be pretty weird in the physical sense of the word and I might get freaked out a little.

[D200]

Riggers said:

D200 said:

I'm intrigued. Name me a few cars, in fact post links to current adverts 5 will do for less than £1k that are;

Good to drive
Good handling
Comfortable
Decent performance
Reliable and wont require much maintenance
Have decent yres that don't need replacing
Not too bad on fuel
Wont need Amy major work done inc suspension parts brakes etc for a good while
Safe

If you'll forgive the recent suspension work, I give you My Ford Puma

£1k, and I would say 80 per cent as satisfying from an enthusiast point of view as an Aventador.

I look forward to seeing a comparison test of the Ford Puma vs. the Lamborghini Aventador - and if the Puma wins subjectively I will buy it, and promptly sell it to Lamborghini for them to use as a test car to help them improve the Aventador

But seriously, I had £1k cars before and you can get a semi-reasonabe-ish car for £1k but they take more maintenance due the very fact they are old and stuff wears out [it’s a fact] – so I can’t be bothered with the hassle. A £1k car could cost you £1k in maintenance a year. I know people will say oh I bought a £1k car, or my brother, or uncle, or sisters father-in-law etc did and it needed nothing done in 20 years and nothing ever went wrong, best car in the world etc but they can say what they like, sorry I don’t believe them. Plus that [reliability and maintenance] is only one part of my criteria. If some one tries to argue counter, I give up. And there is no car for £1k that satisfies my crtierai. And not a Saab 9-5 either, not a bad car or anything car but doesn’t fulful my needs. But whatever, well off topic 

But for approx 6 or 7 k there are plenty of cars that do

[toppstuff]

Limpet said:

A part of me, probably stupidly, thinks modern reliability and ease of operation detract from the supercar thing. Having to employ a specific procedure to start it without flooding it, and not being able to select second gear until the gearbox oil has warmed through are the kind of things you would never tolerate in your daily driver, but in a car you pull out of the garage to drive for nothing more than the sake of interacting with it, it's a little different. If a car has flaws, or needs a specific approach to get the best from it, to my mind that adds character and makes it more appealing. It also means you have to get to know the car to get the best out of it, which for a purely heart-driven purchase like this, adds to the experience.

I am probably by myself on that one.

You have just perfectly described the experience of classic car ownership.

The conundrum is that the modern supercar increasingly has these things engineered out. Some people have even called the Aventadour a little, well, dull, when compared to older metal.

This poses a problem for car makers - how do they reconcile the desire for new cars to be reliable with the equal desire to have character, personality, and still pass safety laws and modern emissions regs?

Maybe these things cannot be reconciled. Which is why classic exotic cars have been increasing in value...

[pork911]

D200 said:

....But for approx 6 or 7 k there are plenty of cars that do

all very arbitrary. subjectively fulfills your criteria and anything less won't or if it will you won't belive it - that's fine...and sort of the point

[D200]

pork911 said:

D200 said:

....But for approx 6 or 7 k there are plenty of cars that do

all very arbitrary. subjectively fulfills your criteria and anything less won't or if it will you won't belive it - that's fine...and sort of the point

Believe me, I would much rather spend sub £1000 on a car as opposed to say £5000, £6000, £7000 .... or in the position £200,000 and so on. It's not that I naively don't believe a car costing less than £1000 is as good [basing this on all my criteria as previously mentioned] as ones costing much more, sadly it's a simple fact

[blindswelledrat]

Superb little write up and I agree with every word of it.

[chris2010]

If I had the cash for it... then yes, but the Miura first !!! Legend car.

[RobPhoboS]

Dito to what Dan Trent said.

[K2MDL]

Riggers said:

D200 said:

I'm intrigued. Name me a few cars, in fact post links to current adverts 5 will do for less than £1k that are;

Good to drive
Good handling
Comfortable
Decent performance
Reliable and wont require much maintenance
Have decent yres that don't need replacing
Not too bad on fuel
Wont need Amy major work done inc suspension parts brakes etc for a good while
Safe

If you'll forgive the recent suspension work, I give you My Ford Puma

£1k, and I would say 80 per cent as satisfying from an enthusiast point of view as an Aventador.

80%???!!! I don't think so chap! I have an MX5 and a ZR1. They both give me great fun and mega smiles. The MX5 because its light, nimble, handles brilliantly and costs very little, although more than a grand. But to say the MX5 is within 80% of the Z would be a massive over exaggeration. Ditto I would suggest your Puma. (Which is good I agree but only 20% off an Aventador....NOOOOOO!)

[Riggers]

K2MDL said:

Riggers said:

D200 said:

I'm intrigued. Name me a few cars, in fact post links to current adverts 5 will do for less than £1k that are;

Good to drive
Good handling
Comfortable
Decent performance
Reliable and wont require much maintenance
Have decent yres that don't need replacing
Not too bad on fuel
Wont need Amy major work done inc suspension parts brakes etc for a good while
Safe

If you'll forgive the recent suspension work, I give you My Ford Puma

£1k, and I would say 80 per cent as satisfying from an enthusiast point of view as an Aventador.

80%???!!! I don't think so chap! I have an MX5 and a ZR1. They both give me great fun and mega smiles. The MX5 because its light, nimble, handles brilliantly and costs very little, although more than a grand. But to say the MX5 is within 80% of the Z would be a massive over exaggeration. Ditto I would suggest your Puma. (Which is good I agree but only 20% off an Aventador....NOOOOOO!)

It's an entirely subjective thing, though. Admittedly I don't own them, but I do get to drive around in plenty of exotic cars and I never find the Puma disappointing to come back to. Perhaps it's because you can access more of its capability, more of the time.

And perhaps it's a cost-of-ownership thing. If I were to run anything even half as expensive as a ZR1 (a tuly lovely motor, btw - I tip my hat to your good taste) I would be eating beans on toast for three weeks of every month.

Having said that, the journalist in me is naturally given to mild exaggeration, and we do like to take a standpoint deliberately to set tongues wagging!

[K2MDL]

Actually this is a really good topic and a good read! As for eating beans on toast for 3 weeks of the month, it's worth it....!

[blearyeyedboy]

K2MDL said:

Actually this is a really good topic and a good read! As for eating beans on toast for 3 weeks of the month, it's worth it....!

It's dawned on me that you're correct! This is possibly the most interesting, bluster-free and insightful thread I've read for a long time. Oh, and well done to Dan on the article that generated this thread too.

I don't think it matters what car you find joy in. What matters much more is finding joy in cars. If you do, you'll understand why people smile at Aventadors, even if it's not your particular cup of tea.

Would I buy one, even if I had the money? Nope. But am I glad it exists? Hell yes. I don't think of their owners as show-offs. I think of them as generous enough to spend their money on something that makes me smile when it goes past. Just seeing and hearing a Gallardo go past me in traffic made my day recently.

[Japveesix]

K2MDL said:

Actually this is a really good topic and a good read! As for eating beans on toast for 3 weeks of the month, it's worth it....!

It's a good topic because I just found out that someone on PH has a ZR-1. Very jealous (looks great in yellow) and look forward to seeing more pics and experiences of it (if the weather brightens up enough for you to take it out properly)

[andrew]

blearyeyedboy said:

Just seeing and hearing a Gallardo go past me in traffic made my day recently.

every time a driver i'm about to overtake winds down their window, i make sure that i'm in a noisier gear than is strictly necessary ( it comes from being on the other side of that window for years )

good to know that my efforts aren't in vain

[binnerboy]

andrew said:

every time a driver i'm about to overtake winds down their window, i make sure that i'm in a noisier gear than is strictly necessary ( it comes from being on the other side of that window for years )

good to know that my efforts aren't in vain

that's why i put my window down, good to know people notice !

Love being overtaken by cars with good noises, makes me happy, a bit jealous , but happy

[K2MDL]

Japveesix said:

K2MDL said:

Actually this is a really good topic and a good read! As for eating beans on toast for 3 weeks of the month, it's worth it....!

It's a good topic because I just found out that someone on PH has a ZR-1. Very jealous (looks great in yellow) and look forward to seeing more pics and experiences of it (if the weather brightens up enough for you to take it out properly)

I feel really peed off with myself not going to LeMan this year. Next year no question! 508 miles on the yellow peril now and hopefully a lot more to be put on it once this crap weather goes and I get more time. Got the renewal for the insurance for it today though !! Almost as BAD as the MPG... But hey ho....

[blearyeyedboy]

andrew said:

every time a driver i'm about to overtake winds down their window, i make sure that i'm in a noisier gear than is strictly necessary ( it comes from being on the other side of that window for years )

good to know that my efforts aren't in vain

And likewise, good to know that you're being generous to us plebs!

[e21Mark]

blearyeyedboy said:

andrew said:

every time a driver i'm about to overtake winds down their window, i make sure that i'm in a noisier gear than is strictly necessary ( it comes from being on the other side of that window for years )

good to know that my efforts aren't in vain

And likewise, good to know that you're being generous to us plebs!

It's nice when super car drivers do little things like that when they see people appreciate their cars. I followed an F40 through the Dartford Tunnel a couple of years ago and the noise & flame outs fantastic. Once through the tunnel, I pulled alongside and waved my thanks, then he dropped a gear or two and took off into the distance. Brilliant.

[Dan Trent]

e21Mark said:

It's nice when super car drivers do little things like that when they see people appreciate their cars. I followed an F40 through the Dartford Tunnel a couple of years ago and the noise & flame outs fantastic. Once through the tunnel, I pulled alongside and waved my thanks, then he dropped a gear or two and took off into the distance. Brilliant.

I feel honour and duty bound to do this whenever I'm in a car that makes a sufficient noise! I love that kind of stuff. Driving is so bloomin' dull most of the time and to encounter a like-minded soul who derives childish glee from hearing a noisy car always brightens up my day. Maybe we should make this an official policy. Or at the very least a new PH sticker.

[andrew]

Dan Trent said:

e21Mark said:

It's nice when super car drivers do little things like that when they see people appreciate their cars. I followed an F40 through the Dartford Tunnel a couple of years ago and the noise & flame outs fantastic. Once through the tunnel, I pulled alongside and waved my thanks, then he dropped a gear or two and took off into the distance. Brilliant.

I feel honour and duty bound to do this whenever I'm in a car that makes a sufficient noise! I love that kind of stuff. Driving is so bloomin' dull most of the time and to encounter a like-minded soul who derives childish glee from hearing a noisy car always brightens up my day. Maybe we should make this an official policy. Or at the very least a new PH sticker.

we do need some sort of protocol : i've startled quite a few window-down smokers !

and please people, if you do that bull gesture, can you kindly twist your hand so it's clear exactly which two fingers are raised ?!!! cheers