Anyone else falling out of love with driving a 'fast' car?
Discussion
Sal Kar said:
I have a 1.2 nissan micra , i obliterate 30 and 40 mph speed limits. It's not even rare that i double the limit
Yes that's what I did as a kid however there were no speed cameras - I still got to 9 points and had Police visiting the house on a couple of occasions following complaints about my driving - so you clearly aren't trying hard enough.Those of us who are older realise that doubling the limit means a ban and we realise there is a chance of getting caught and we try to avoid that as much as possible.
Sal Kar said:
I have a 1.2 nissan micra making (when new) 79 horsepower. And every time i drive it, without even wanting to sometimes, i obliterate 30 and 40 mph speed limits. It's not even rare that i double the limit with 79 horsepower. No s
t you can't touch the throttle for more than a few seconds in your 330d without getting to 100. To really press on in the micra, i have to take it to the red line through 2nd and 3rd, i double declutch down the box to make sure i'm always in the power band. There's no TC and it has comedy suspension so if you lift off in corner or ignorantly trailbrake you have oversteer. If you get it wrong, or you're lazy, you're stuffed. And that's the whole point, its what makes it fun, because you're actually driving the car.
So basically you drive like an utter tool in a car that wasn't designed for it at all, and you think that is what makes it fun? Take it to a track day, not public roads.t you can't touch the throttle for more than a few seconds in your 330d without getting to 100. To really press on in the micra, i have to take it to the red line through 2nd and 3rd, i double declutch down the box to make sure i'm always in the power band. There's no TC and it has comedy suspension so if you lift off in corner or ignorantly trailbrake you have oversteer. If you get it wrong, or you're lazy, you're stuffed. And that's the whole point, its what makes it fun, because you're actually driving the car.I grew up in the area the OP talks of, I didn't get my licence until I'd left and moved South. Loved commuting by bike, hated the thought of driving - but a motorbike appealed.
Currently I'm commuting from Chichester to Crawley - and get to ring the neck of either my GTM or MX5 pretty much every day. On Thursday I actually had to drive in town, and hated every minute of it.
There's tons of stunning roads all around London to enjoy. If I were still in Richmond and commuting to Hammersmith I'd have a commuter bike or Leaf, and the fun car would be used purely for getting out of town or trackdays. Cities just aren't the natural environment for a fast car.
Currently I'm commuting from Chichester to Crawley - and get to ring the neck of either my GTM or MX5 pretty much every day. On Thursday I actually had to drive in town, and hated every minute of it.
There's tons of stunning roads all around London to enjoy. If I were still in Richmond and commuting to Hammersmith I'd have a commuter bike or Leaf, and the fun car would be used purely for getting out of town or trackdays. Cities just aren't the natural environment for a fast car.
V8RX7 said:
Sal Kar said:
I have a 1.2 nissan micra , i obliterate 30 and 40 mph speed limits. It's not even rare that i double the limit
Yes that's what I did as a kid however there were no speed cameras - I still got to 9 points and had Police visiting the house on a couple of occasions following complaints about my driving - so you clearly aren't trying hard enough.Those of us who are older realise that doubling the limit means a ban and we realise there is a chance of getting caught and we try to avoid that as much as possible.
king stupid & tools like that should not be allowed on public roads at all.I've had this feeling for some time now, I've bought and kept some quick stuff but ultimately found that a 'quiet blast ' is getting increasing difficult to achieve, this in turn leads to frustration and the temptation to do something daft to get my kicks.
The solution for me is to blat about in something older, analogue and comparatively slow by today's standards. 16 inch wheels, relatively big sidewalls to ride over the cack roads, great chassis and just enough poke to to have a scream without any of the downsides of trying to do it in a really fast modern car.
For me the solution is in my old E30 M3 but the above can be applied to many many older great cars.
The solution for me is to blat about in something older, analogue and comparatively slow by today's standards. 16 inch wheels, relatively big sidewalls to ride over the cack roads, great chassis and just enough poke to to have a scream without any of the downsides of trying to do it in a really fast modern car.
For me the solution is in my old E30 M3 but the above can be applied to many many older great cars.
Sal Kar said:
I think most of you here are old now. Sure traffic is probably a lot worse than it was a couple decades ago, but i bet some of you actually went out for a drive every now and then purely for the sake of it. Now you're a family man or whatever and the only time you drive is when you commute to work(do you really expect to have fun then?) or at noon on a weekend with the rest of the fairweather drivers.
Furthermore, you're all used to these modern engines making a few hundred horsepower, lots of you with turbodiesels or the new lazy petrols that make peak torque from tickover, its probably paired to an auto box and your 20 inch wheels and 1800kg weight and stability control and its completely stable at 155mph. And you expect to have fun in that?
I have a 1.2 nissan micra making (when new) 79 horsepower. And every time i drive it, without even wanting to sometimes, i obliterate 30 and 40 mph speed limits. It's not even rare that i double the limit with 79 horsepower. No st you can't touch the throttle for more than a few seconds in your 330d without getting to 100. To really press on in the micra, i have to take it to the red line through 2nd and 3rd, i double declutch down the box to make sure i'm always in the power band. There's no TC and it has comedy suspension so if you lift off in corner or ignorantly trailbrake you have oversteer. If you get it wrong, or you're lazy, you're stuffed. And that's the whole point, its what makes it fun, because you're actually driving the car.
Isn't that supposed to be the point of a sports car? It's not meant to be "point the steering wheel, step on the right pedal", it's supposed to make you be involved, and have fun in the road. It's not about absolute speed, because you can't go everywhere at 100. Save your paddle shifts and monster engines for the track. If you want to have fun on the road you need light weight, low power and feedback from the car. That's what a sports car is, in my mind, and its why i have a mk1 mx5.
During the day, when all the traffic is out, i bumble along as stress free as possible in a sensible car. When everyone else is in bed i go looking for some fun. Maybe its not as easy as it was in the old days, but i wasnt around then, so i make do with what we have now. If you really want to have fun driving, you'll find it.
I completely agree mate! It's nice having a modern, powerful car but takes some of the involvement out of the experience. When I had my Nova GSi as a student I could drive it at 10/10ths down the Uxbridge road. Now with my 330i I rarely get to sample even a fraction of its performance living in London.Furthermore, you're all used to these modern engines making a few hundred horsepower, lots of you with turbodiesels or the new lazy petrols that make peak torque from tickover, its probably paired to an auto box and your 20 inch wheels and 1800kg weight and stability control and its completely stable at 155mph. And you expect to have fun in that?
I have a 1.2 nissan micra making (when new) 79 horsepower. And every time i drive it, without even wanting to sometimes, i obliterate 30 and 40 mph speed limits. It's not even rare that i double the limit with 79 horsepower. No s
t you can't touch the throttle for more than a few seconds in your 330d without getting to 100. To really press on in the micra, i have to take it to the red line through 2nd and 3rd, i double declutch down the box to make sure i'm always in the power band. There's no TC and it has comedy suspension so if you lift off in corner or ignorantly trailbrake you have oversteer. If you get it wrong, or you're lazy, you're stuffed. And that's the whole point, its what makes it fun, because you're actually driving the car.Isn't that supposed to be the point of a sports car? It's not meant to be "point the steering wheel, step on the right pedal", it's supposed to make you be involved, and have fun in the road. It's not about absolute speed, because you can't go everywhere at 100. Save your paddle shifts and monster engines for the track. If you want to have fun on the road you need light weight, low power and feedback from the car. That's what a sports car is, in my mind, and its why i have a mk1 mx5.
During the day, when all the traffic is out, i bumble along as stress free as possible in a sensible car. When everyone else is in bed i go looking for some fun. Maybe its not as easy as it was in the old days, but i wasnt around then, so i make do with what we have now. If you really want to have fun driving, you'll find it.
2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:
V8RX7 said:
Sal Kar said:
I have a 1.2 nissan micra , i obliterate 30 and 40 mph speed limits. It's not even rare that i double the limit
Yes that's what I did as a kid however there were no speed cameras - I still got to 9 points and had Police visiting the house on a couple of occasions following complaints about my driving - so you clearly aren't trying hard enough.Those of us who are older realise that doubling the limit means a ban and we realise there is a chance of getting caught and we try to avoid that as much as possible.
king stupid & tools like that should not be allowed on public roads at all.The trouble with fast cars is it can get frustrating when you can't use them, plus the high chance of getting a ban due to cameras. The trouble with slow cars is you have no option but to sit there. The trouble with sports cars the sheer state of our appalling pot holed roads. The trouble with large comfy cars which deal with all of these issues is sheer boredom. There is no obvious solution. I've owned mega barges, off roaders, to Lotus and all sorts of other things. Each is a huge compromise one way or another.
Ultimately there are too many people on our cramped crumbling little island. It will be getting much worse too.
Ultimately there are too many people on our cramped crumbling little island. It will be getting much worse too.
mark.c said:
I've had this feeling for some time now, I've bought and kept some quick stuff but ultimately found that a 'quiet blast ' is getting increasing difficult to achieve, this in turn leads to frustration and the temptation to do something daft to get my kicks.
The solution for me is to blat about in something older, analogue and comparatively slow by today's standards. 16 inch wheels, relatively big sidewalls to ride over the cack roads, great chassis and just enough poke to to have a scream without any of the downsides of trying to do it in a really fast modern car.
For me the solution is in my old E30 M3 but the above can be applied to many many older great cars.
The solution for me is to blat about in something older, analogue and comparatively slow by today's standards. 16 inch wheels, relatively big sidewalls to ride over the cack roads, great chassis and just enough poke to to have a scream without any of the downsides of trying to do it in a really fast modern car.
For me the solution is in my old E30 M3 but the above can be applied to many many older great cars.
In my ownership I only ever got as far as owning something like the above sort of cars. My brief experience of really fast modern stuff like the 4wd 911 Turbos just reinforced my take on things - for me they weren't any more fun to drive, just faster and much more expensive to buy/maintain.
Having said all that, I think the OP has summed up his problem in one word - London.
London is pointless. But don't go thinking the countryside is nirvana. It is so busy now compared to the early nineties. Loads of doddering rolling road blocks, cameras, pot holes, traffic everywhere from one village to the next, unless it is very early or late at night. It gets worse every decade too. Blame everyone having too many children.
The state of UK roads comes home to me when we pop over to Sweden, to visit my step daughter. Smooth, empty motorways, more than 4 cars in a queue is a traffic jam. If I lived there permanently, I’d probably get done by the local fuzz quite quickly, they certainly are more prolific than in the UK.
I've lived in London all my life and learnt to drive in a Jaguar around the City at rush hour back in the late 80s.
I've also always had one conventional car for local driving and a sports car for escaping.
However, in the last 6/7 years London has become too over populated and full of a new type of immigrant who sees driving 100 yards as some kind of status symbol. The net result is that the roads are solid almost 24 hours a day. Combine that with recent cross rail and cycle route works it is now a ball ache.
So what I have done is dispose of my every day type of car and will now only ever move around London in taxis. The arrival of apps like Hailo means you can summon a black cab quicker than you can walk back to your car.
I now only drive if I am heading out of town for leisure. This means that now all my cars are strictly for fun and I enjoy driving once again. I can't see myself reverting to driving for any reason other than my own pleasure.
I've also always had one conventional car for local driving and a sports car for escaping.
However, in the last 6/7 years London has become too over populated and full of a new type of immigrant who sees driving 100 yards as some kind of status symbol. The net result is that the roads are solid almost 24 hours a day. Combine that with recent cross rail and cycle route works it is now a ball ache.
So what I have done is dispose of my every day type of car and will now only ever move around London in taxis. The arrival of apps like Hailo means you can summon a black cab quicker than you can walk back to your car.
I now only drive if I am heading out of town for leisure. This means that now all my cars are strictly for fun and I enjoy driving once again. I can't see myself reverting to driving for any reason other than my own pleasure.
Surprised more people havn't mentioned motorbikes.
Bike pro's:
Way easier to make progress in city areas
Cheap/free parking
Cheaper tax
Cheaper insurance
Only one reg plate so cameras aren't quite as much of a threat
Much better MPG to performance ratio
Very cheap to get a bike with performance on par with cars in the 6 figures
Cons:
No fun in cold, rain
Cant carry much
More dangerous
Easier to steal
I have a car and bike. The bike i use for commuting and fun in the spring/summer, which keeps the miles down on my car and is an absolute blast on country roads. I can filter past the queueing angry CEO's in their leased German brands with a smile on my face
Bike pro's:
Way easier to make progress in city areas
Cheap/free parking
Cheaper tax
Cheaper insurance
Only one reg plate so cameras aren't quite as much of a threat
Much better MPG to performance ratio
Very cheap to get a bike with performance on par with cars in the 6 figures
Cons:
No fun in cold, rain
Cant carry much
More dangerous
Easier to steal
I have a car and bike. The bike i use for commuting and fun in the spring/summer, which keeps the miles down on my car and is an absolute blast on country roads. I can filter past the queueing angry CEO's in their leased German brands with a smile on my face
Am I the only one who enjoys their car on track days? Its surprising how few people seem to track their performance car. It's bound to be the only place where even a fraction of a car's potential can be used compared to the open road.
And the a couple of Ring/Spa trip every year with mates for good measure : job done.
And the a couple of Ring/Spa trip every year with mates for good measure : job done.
Just thought I'd throw my hat into the ring.......
As I often have to endure the relentless queues and jams littering our country, I have adopted the annoying habit of when sitting next to a car with an engine bigger than, say, 1400cc, or power output greater than around 80bhp and looking at it and mouthing to myself "What's The Point".
The road congestion in the UK is NEVER going to get any better. It will DEFINITELY get a lot worse. Therefore, 3.5 litre, 160bhp cars are a waste of money/fossil fuels/the environment/the future of our children's health.
If the misguided idea that you are impressing the neighbours/friends/relatives/work colleagues and this is your motive for driving a "Whats The Point" car, you need to take a long look in a mirror.
As I often have to endure the relentless queues and jams littering our country, I have adopted the annoying habit of when sitting next to a car with an engine bigger than, say, 1400cc, or power output greater than around 80bhp and looking at it and mouthing to myself "What's The Point".
The road congestion in the UK is NEVER going to get any better. It will DEFINITELY get a lot worse. Therefore, 3.5 litre, 160bhp cars are a waste of money/fossil fuels/the environment/the future of our children's health.
If the misguided idea that you are impressing the neighbours/friends/relatives/work colleagues and this is your motive for driving a "Whats The Point" car, you need to take a long look in a mirror.
Mastodon2 said:
You're in the wrong end of the country to be using the performance of a car like that.
My thoughts exactly. Mind you, I don't own a fast car anymore. I have a hybrid for day to day stuff which works brilliantly, and I have a sports bike for fun. Riding the bike to work is nice but not a patch on riding nice B roads, so I can see why the appeal of a fast car you can't use would quickly wane.
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