What is the most nicely surprising car you've driven.
Discussion
Citroen 2CV.
Years ago I was experiencing another of my periodic financial embarrasments and bought one for £120. It was cheap, I was skint but needed some transport.
Spent the first few days feeling sorry for myself, then slowly realised how much fun I was having! Hilariously slow so momentum is King, lean over in the bends until the door handles scrape but never lose grip, brilliant sunroof, comfortable....
I know I'll get flamed for this but I'd have another if I could afford the prices they currently make!
Years ago I was experiencing another of my periodic financial embarrasments and bought one for £120. It was cheap, I was skint but needed some transport.
Spent the first few days feeling sorry for myself, then slowly realised how much fun I was having! Hilariously slow so momentum is King, lean over in the bends until the door handles scrape but never lose grip, brilliant sunroof, comfortable....
I know I'll get flamed for this but I'd have another if I could afford the prices they currently make!
rouge59 said:
You're surprised that a Boxster drives well?
Christ on a bike.
I used to think the BoxsterChrist on a bike.
Was a poor man's Porsche
Wasn't a proper Porsche
Was slow
Yes reviews say handles great
Never driven any of the old ones but had a new one for a weekend and was simply so impressed with every aspect of the car.
Had a vauxhall insignia SRi turbo diesel beast for a couple weeks after my MX5 was written off. Bloody nice car. Good spec, rode well, the auto bod behaved very well. The steering was nicely weighted and gave decent feedback for the type of car, only problem I really had was it sometimes struggled for grip on cold mornings at low speeds when pulling out of junctions etc.
Really liked it to be honest! My MX was fairly modified, too but I could hold a damn good pace on back roads in the vauxhall.
Really liked it to be honest! My MX was fairly modified, too but I could hold a damn good pace on back roads in the vauxhall.
Censorious said:
Nissan Note Dci
Torquey engine belies the 90bhp and a smooth ride but also excellent around corners. Not what you'd expect from a MPV!
So impressed with them when we had them as courtesy cars that I bought one as my daily.
Likewise. Bought a DCi n-tec+ for my then-pregnant fiancee as practical family wheels. Took one for a test drive and it turned out to be a decent drive as well. No sports car but handles well, suspect the very short overhangs help a lot as do the wideish standard wheels. And that little 1.5 diesel does make it usefully nippy. Torquey engine belies the 90bhp and a smooth ride but also excellent around corners. Not what you'd expect from a MPV!
So impressed with them when we had them as courtesy cars that I bought one as my daily.
J8 SVG said:
161BMW said:
I used to think the Boxster
Was a poor man's Porsche
Wasn't a proper Porsche
Was slow
Yes reviews say handles great
Never driven any of the old ones but had a new one for a weekend and was simply so impressed with every aspect of the car.
Is thisWas a poor man's Porsche
Wasn't a proper Porsche
Was slow
Yes reviews say handles great
Never driven any of the old ones but had a new one for a weekend and was simply so impressed with every aspect of the car.
A poem?
W, for you haiku,
Got surprising go
nagsheadwarrior said:
Mk1 Focus- Hardly a shock but a great drive.
Same here bought one without test driving it for £500 (12 months road tax and 13 months MOT) and i was utterly shocked at how well it drove. i was expecting it to be awful at that price.However the previous owner had "improved" it by fitting silly alloys which i wrecked and fitted some nice steel wheels
Probably the 2nd best car i have ever owned for driving including a couple of BMWs
I remember when I was repping in 2002'ish, in my new shape 03 plate Vectra, 2.2 SXi petrol version. It went quite nicely but I kept being overtaken by these nobs in Passats. And I dont mean gently being passed, I'd move out the way and they'd come flying past me and off into the distance.
When the lease was up I sorted out a new deal on a 1.9 TDi S Passat, delivered to me on a trailer, brand spanking new, I'd done the first fart in the drivers seat kind of thing. Never driven a turbo diesel before, only prior experience was a 1.9 Peugeot 205 D with a slipping clutch.
Took it down the A3 from where I lived in Surbiton, once I got out of the 50 zone I surprised myself at how quick it'd accelerated towards 3 figures
It was *only* a Passat, but that genuinely surprised me.
The other one that was unexpected was the first time I drove an Impreza. Pressed the accelerator, wait wait GO
When the lease was up I sorted out a new deal on a 1.9 TDi S Passat, delivered to me on a trailer, brand spanking new, I'd done the first fart in the drivers seat kind of thing. Never driven a turbo diesel before, only prior experience was a 1.9 Peugeot 205 D with a slipping clutch.
Took it down the A3 from where I lived in Surbiton, once I got out of the 50 zone I surprised myself at how quick it'd accelerated towards 3 figures
It was *only* a Passat, but that genuinely surprised me.
The other one that was unexpected was the first time I drove an Impreza. Pressed the accelerator, wait wait GO
It's got to be the MG ZR for me with a wholesome 120bhp of fury from the K-series. It handles great, it goes surprisingly well for a 120bhp car and is actually great fun to fling around. Having long since written them off as halfordised tat driven by chavs it was a nice surprise for sure to find that they're actually decent (handling at least) cars.
Vectra 1.9 CDTI with the 150hp engine and 6 speed auto box.
The mid range offered decent poke and it routinely did 1000km on one tank of fuel when I wasn't spanking it. Terribly unreliable though.
BME E92 M3. I knew it would be good but with the DCT box and in full on attack mode it was phenomenal. In 2 days I did 700 miles. I was contrasting it with an E46 M3 I had driven with a manual box which was an absolute PITA in traffic.
The mid range offered decent poke and it routinely did 1000km on one tank of fuel when I wasn't spanking it. Terribly unreliable though.
BME E92 M3. I knew it would be good but with the DCT box and in full on attack mode it was phenomenal. In 2 days I did 700 miles. I was contrasting it with an E46 M3 I had driven with a manual box which was an absolute PITA in traffic.
Peugeot 405GLi - with the 130bhp 1.9 engine.
Fantastic chassis combining balance, compliance and steering feel, cracking revsome engine, all in a humdrum family 4 door. Interior plastics were pretty brittle but I really do wonder what other benefits 30 years automotive development have brought it.
SS7
Fantastic chassis combining balance, compliance and steering feel, cracking revsome engine, all in a humdrum family 4 door. Interior plastics were pretty brittle but I really do wonder what other benefits 30 years automotive development have brought it.
SS7
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