Performance cars driven by non petrolheads?
Discussion
ModernAndy said:
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hstewie said:
hstewie said: I remember a Honda dealer once telling me that the reason you see a lot of older people in things like Type R's is that often they literally go into the showroom and ask for the "top of the range" model which, with most marques, tends to be the fastest.
They might be onto something there....You do notice a fair few older people with sporty hatchbacks that you'd expect to be in the market for something a lot less powerful.
What they really wanted was a Fiesta Ghia, but they were adamant they wanted the top-of-the-range one.
RB Will said:
Kentish said:
Passed what looked like a 70 year old chap in a Skyline doing about 50 on a dual carriageway last week. Yesterday, I saw a middle aged lady driving a cayman quite sedately.
Was it a white GTR? Was on a trackday at Silverstone and these was a pensioner there with his old wife with a white one. begged him to tke me out for a few laps as he was absolutely tanking round, making all the young lads in the GTR owners club look daft. He was great, car was about 750bhp and he does lots of track days and driving round europe with his wife just enjoying life.
, CLearly winning at life My mum is now 68. She drives a diesel Kia always within the speed limit. Amongst other old cars she has a 50s Cooper Alta which runs on methanol and sounds like an ME109 on a dive bombing run. Its major safety feature, should she crash, is that there is no safety harness and she is more likely to be thrown clear of the wreckage. If you spoke to her I think most people on here would think her a "petrolhead" but probably not if you saw her pootling along in her Kia.
This sums up my father in law and lots of the people that live in their block of flats. The car park looks like it's been transplanted from Monte Carlo casino.
Last year my father in law bought a brand new M5 because my mother in law liked the look of it and he got a good deal. He traded an e93 320i in for it as they decided they needed something with back doors for the grandchildren. Father in law can't drive for health reasons, has no interest or knowledge of cars (despite being in the motor trade for more than 30 years). My mother in law has now decided she doesn't like the look of it, she says it looks too much like a neighbours passat so wants a coupe.
In their block their is also old Tommy who ONLY buys Bentleys because he likes the build quality. Bought his wife a TTRS simply because she liked the look of it, she did want an R8 but he struggled to get out of it.
There are several Caymans, Boxsters and Cayennes in the car park as well. I know most of the residents and only one has an interest in cars. He has a Mk7 GTi.
Last year my father in law bought a brand new M5 because my mother in law liked the look of it and he got a good deal. He traded an e93 320i in for it as they decided they needed something with back doors for the grandchildren. Father in law can't drive for health reasons, has no interest or knowledge of cars (despite being in the motor trade for more than 30 years). My mother in law has now decided she doesn't like the look of it, she says it looks too much like a neighbours passat so wants a coupe.
In their block their is also old Tommy who ONLY buys Bentleys because he likes the build quality. Bought his wife a TTRS simply because she liked the look of it, she did want an R8 but he struggled to get out of it.
There are several Caymans, Boxsters and Cayennes in the car park as well. I know most of the residents and only one has an interest in cars. He has a Mk7 GTi.
gonzales_turbo said:
One reason I've heard is leather.
Lady enters a showroom, looks around and tells the salesman "I'll have that one because it has leather seats", and comes back later to take delivery of her Clio RS.
My previous boss had an Octavia vRS as a company car c.2002 "because it had leather seats" and that was a cheap car to get leather seats in. She drove it around fairly slowly. Lady enters a showroom, looks around and tells the salesman "I'll have that one because it has leather seats", and comes back later to take delivery of her Clio RS.
I don't think there are many who are totally oblivious to what they are buying, I suspect a lot, even if they arent interested are egged on by family or friends who are petrolheads, maybe they like the look and to be honest most performance cars these days are very benign, double clutch autos, nice and politely mapped power delivery, esp etc, my mum could get in any modern performance car and drive it with minimal instruction.
My wife isnt really a petrolhead but will cope with anything, to be honest she had the hardest car to drive we have ever had in her Fiat 500's (old school) which make modern supercars look laughably easy to drive, no synchro, crap brakes, no power, no electronics etc.
Engine power is the easiest facet of a car these days to control, a feedback loop between brain and foot, it is just a reserve of power that you can choose to use or not, real petolheads are not just obsessed with power, my uncles buy and sell lots of 30s to 50's cars, they live it day to day, try driving a 2 Cyl Jowett Bradford Pick up or a 30's Rover and a lot of so called Petrolheads will come unstuck very quickly.
There are real petrolheads everywhere, just because someone is Middle Aged, Gay, Elderly, Black, Asian, or Female doesnt mean they arent petrolheads, and conversely, just because someone is young, male, and enthusiastic, doesnt mean they arent just a grown up Top Trumps player using a spreadsheet to see what the fastest thing is they can lease for £300 a month.
My wife isnt really a petrolhead but will cope with anything, to be honest she had the hardest car to drive we have ever had in her Fiat 500's (old school) which make modern supercars look laughably easy to drive, no synchro, crap brakes, no power, no electronics etc.
Engine power is the easiest facet of a car these days to control, a feedback loop between brain and foot, it is just a reserve of power that you can choose to use or not, real petolheads are not just obsessed with power, my uncles buy and sell lots of 30s to 50's cars, they live it day to day, try driving a 2 Cyl Jowett Bradford Pick up or a 30's Rover and a lot of so called Petrolheads will come unstuck very quickly.
There are real petrolheads everywhere, just because someone is Middle Aged, Gay, Elderly, Black, Asian, or Female doesnt mean they arent petrolheads, and conversely, just because someone is young, male, and enthusiastic, doesnt mean they arent just a grown up Top Trumps player using a spreadsheet to see what the fastest thing is they can lease for £300 a month.
TheBALDpuma said:
jimmy156 said:
MINI Cooper S
I would say that 90% of people buy them because they are the "best" MINI in the showroom and have 0 interest in how it drives.
Yours,
MINI Cooper S driver.
He said performance cars...I would say that 90% of people buy them because they are the "best" MINI in the showroom and have 0 interest in how it drives.
Yours,
MINI Cooper S driver.
The wife is in early 50's, when we've gone karting she has been pulled off for driving too slow. She has just bought a new Cayman albeit the basic model. She tends to drive conservatively and has not been pulled for speed ever.
Why has she bought it? It's a treat for herself, she knows she will never use the full performance and doesn't give a monkeys, it's her car & her money.
One of the reasons for getting it is that it upsets the image, she thinks why shouldn't she drive a fast f*** off car and not the expected Honda Jazz just because she's not male & not 20. You only pass this way once so do what you want...
Why has she bought it? It's a treat for herself, she knows she will never use the full performance and doesn't give a monkeys, it's her car & her money.
One of the reasons for getting it is that it upsets the image, she thinks why shouldn't she drive a fast f*** off car and not the expected Honda Jazz just because she's not male & not 20. You only pass this way once so do what you want...
I suppose about 25 years ago you would generally have a top of the range, suitable for anybody type car with all the luxuries that would be either a saloon, a hatchback or an estate. Nowadays there's relatively few cars that at the top-end are just a hatchback, saloon, etc without a performance slant. Taking Audi as an example, nearly all their top of the range cars are S's or RS's. The same with a few of the Fords like the Fiesta ST, the Focus RS. Mercedes have AMG at the top of a lot of their range. Even Skoda have the VRS badge on the cars that are likely to appeal to the older buyer.
In addition (and I know this isn't really what people mean by sports cars- because a 2.0 TDi with S-Line suspension isn't exactly a Ferrari), sporty trims are now above SE trims (or the equivalent) and depending on manufacturer also offer luxuries that aren't on the SE so if you want that widget on your car, you've got to get the S-Line/R-Line/M-Sport,etc.
I guess if you have a fair whack to spend on a car and want the best one, the chances are you'll be directed to something quite/overtly sporty rather than something conservative.
In addition (and I know this isn't really what people mean by sports cars- because a 2.0 TDi with S-Line suspension isn't exactly a Ferrari), sporty trims are now above SE trims (or the equivalent) and depending on manufacturer also offer luxuries that aren't on the SE so if you want that widget on your car, you've got to get the S-Line/R-Line/M-Sport,etc.
I guess if you have a fair whack to spend on a car and want the best one, the chances are you'll be directed to something quite/overtly sporty rather than something conservative.
I really don't get this thread.
If you had to qualify as a petrolhead in order to buy a performance car then there would be significantly less performance cars on the road ergo far less second hand ones available which is frankly a terrible thought.
I am happy for Miss Daisy to buy a AMG/M/RS or whatever if she treats it right and sells it to me at a good price.
If you had to qualify as a petrolhead in order to buy a performance car then there would be significantly less performance cars on the road ergo far less second hand ones available which is frankly a terrible thought.
I am happy for Miss Daisy to buy a AMG/M/RS or whatever if she treats it right and sells it to me at a good price.
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