Did buying a faster car spoil your classic/weekend car?
Discussion
Ozzie Osmond said:
mrfunex said:
there's a lot more to appreciation of a car than it's 0-60 time and top speed! It's all about what you get from the experience of driving a particular machine.
^^^ Yes, very much this.I have 1 car that will do it in nearly 3.5, 2 that will do it under 4, 1 plus another I regularly drive that will do it under 5, and the X6 40d that is probably about 7?
But the most fun and terrifying is the 40bhp monster that can go faster than it stops.
Simple answer - yes. I bought my TVR 10 years ago , loved it , drove it a lot and enjoyed the experience immensely. Roll on a few years and I've now got an XJR with 400Bhp which has the same 0-60 as the TVR and is a hoot to push on with. Then I bought a merc SLK which was the death knell - the TVR just never got used any more so I sold it last month .
I realised that if I wanted to go for a blast it was just easier to jump in the merc ,hit the roof button then go. Its reasonably quick with paddle shift and handles very well. The TVR was always a case of - hmmm, 10 minutes to get it out of the garage, check the fluids and tyres, get the roof off and stowed vs jump in the merc and go.And I get all the WOT smiles from the Jag.
I realised that if I wanted to go for a blast it was just easier to jump in the merc ,hit the roof button then go. Its reasonably quick with paddle shift and handles very well. The TVR was always a case of - hmmm, 10 minutes to get it out of the garage, check the fluids and tyres, get the roof off and stowed vs jump in the merc and go.And I get all the WOT smiles from the Jag.
s m said:
Thanks for that, thoroughly enjoyable. Especially as i've been thinking of selling my mk2 turbo to try a mk1 for a while. The 4age is a real peach.Bennet said:
I have a well kept '87 AW11 MR2 in the garage which I enjoy on sunny days. I wouldn't get rid of it because I agree with the general consensus at the moment that simple, lightweight, direct cars are dying out and if I sell it now I'll probably never get anything quite like it again. Its 0-60 in 8 or so seconds feels fast enough for my purposes.
If I buy a Z4c, will it spoil the MR2 by making it feel very slow?
Have you done anything similar? What were the cars? Did it spoil the slower car?
Bought a car that I could do 60 in 1st gearIf I buy a Z4c, will it spoil the MR2 by making it feel very slow?
Have you done anything similar? What were the cars? Did it spoil the slower car?
It did 0-60 in 3.6 seconds
0-100 is 7.6 seconds.
0-150 as fast as a Ford GT
Does the ring in 7:22
Could do 200mph
Etc etc etc
Problem is...when you sell it..... almost everything else you can think of buying is going to be much slower.
I'm heading towards a weekend car - a Caterham etc - more raw and a very different experience.
I have mentioned this in several threads... but James Hunt said the most fun he had was in his old Austin A10 ( or was it A35 )....
Skinny tyres, totally underpowered -and it made you really think and plan ahead.
I think he had a very valid point.
Edited by Troubleatmill on Friday 27th May 21:30
My cars are no longer that fast in comparison to a new hot hatch for instance.
However they are more than fast enough for the road and with narrow tyres, they get pushed hard at sane speeds.
I much rather have a car that is dripping in feel and can be tweaked through a corner on the road than something modern with easy speed and high limits. For that reason I will soon be changing my BMW to a smaller, narrower tyre.
So no, I am definitely in the simpler (an inevitably older) car camp.
However they are more than fast enough for the road and with narrow tyres, they get pushed hard at sane speeds.
I much rather have a car that is dripping in feel and can be tweaked through a corner on the road than something modern with easy speed and high limits. For that reason I will soon be changing my BMW to a smaller, narrower tyre.
So no, I am definitely in the simpler (an inevitably older) car camp.
It did a bit!
When I bought my BMW Z4 Coupe I had a 1.5 litre Mazda 323f as a daily, so used the Z4 quite a lot!
But I got fed up with the Mazda so replaced it with a BMW 325ti Compact that could actually accelerate up hills!
Once I got the 325ti I did tend to use the Z4C less, but I am putting that right now!
When I bought my BMW Z4 Coupe I had a 1.5 litre Mazda 323f as a daily, so used the Z4 quite a lot!
But I got fed up with the Mazda so replaced it with a BMW 325ti Compact that could actually accelerate up hills!
Once I got the 325ti I did tend to use the Z4C less, but I am putting that right now!
mobile chicane22 said:
My daily is a ford van and as its a free company one I cant really replace it.
I think if you have a bike licence and have a reasonably powerful bike any car within reason wont give you the exiliration of the bike.
However having moved from company cars ( mostly stodgy estates) to vans for tax and praticallity reasons I'd say I enjoy my weekend car more
Bikes are the elephant in the room as far as motoring fun goes. They spoil cars a bit, but open up a whole new world of enjoyment. I was looking at buying a Porsche Boxster or similar when my CBT was about to run out, so I did my DAS before my eligibility expired (although it would have been wrapped up very quickly inclusive of the DAS course I did as a formality since I already had 2500 miles experience on a 125). Doing the first lesson on the CB500 was a revelation. That and the CBF600 were about 986 type Boxster power. All that in what is considered a capable but dowdy commuter bike. Even the way the revs seemed to fly on on the four cylinder 600 was startling, it made an S2000 feel like a slow-revving diesel by comparison. I think if you have a bike licence and have a reasonably powerful bike any car within reason wont give you the exiliration of the bike.
However having moved from company cars ( mostly stodgy estates) to vans for tax and praticallity reasons I'd say I enjoy my weekend car more
After passing my test I picked up a T595 Daytona, the bike that I wanted so much it spurred me to get my licence. It's just an incredible machine, but really you could take any sports bike and it'd achieve the same end to those seeking fun. Free revving and NA with a very linear power curve, fantastic handling and brakes with beautiful looks. Because I can afford to use it just for fun, I ride it on brilliant B roads in fine weather. It perfectly distills what I really enjoy about motoring. However, it has made spending twice or more what it cost on a car feel like something of an irrelevance. I still like the 986 Boxster but not enough to buy one now, not when there is another toy to play with. I'd much sooner have a second bike, either a sports tourer or an outright tourer.
I have a 350HP GT-Four for the weekend. Yet I have just as much fun in the other half's Ignis Sport with a measly 110BHP. The mere fact I can drive the car at 9/10th in relative safety compare to the Celica where I am already doing over a tonne before I even get going. Sure the Celica has that special feeling when I am caning it around a track but the Ignis Sport is just as much fun on England's roads.
I often ponder selling the Celica and buying a classic like a 900 Turbo, Mk1 MR2 or 205 Gti but I think I will end up buying one to go along side!
I often ponder selling the Celica and buying a classic like a 900 Turbo, Mk1 MR2 or 205 Gti but I think I will end up buying one to go along side!
mrfunex said:
My daily is a Lexus ISF, my weekend/toy/sunny day/track car is a Honda S2000. Both are great fun to drive, but having either one of them alone would mean tiring of that car pretty quickly. I'm even working on getting a 2CV as another toy! (Any arguments to put forward to a wife who thinks having another car on the drive would make the place look like a garage forecourt would be gratefully received....)
My daily driver is without doubt the faster car, but that doesn't make it any more or less 'fun'. Nothing has been spoilt and I've long ago realised that there's a lot more to appreciation of a car than it's 0-60 time and top speed! It's all about what you get from the experience of driving a particular machine.
I have a similar combo although both mine are effectively weekend card as 'daily' is moped and train. The cars are different enough but as above the regular car is actually faster in a straight line at least. My daily driver is without doubt the faster car, but that doesn't make it any more or less 'fun'. Nothing has been spoilt and I've long ago realised that there's a lot more to appreciation of a car than it's 0-60 time and top speed! It's all about what you get from the experience of driving a particular machine.
I think the key is to make sure they are different enough so they do not compete with each other otherwise there will be only one winner.
I'm having the dilemma of what to replace the 645 with currently and thinking something like a CX7 or Murano that has a bit of pace with practicality so that it is vastly different to the N400.
I'm having the dilemma of what to replace the 645 with currently and thinking something like a CX7 or Murano that has a bit of pace with practicality so that it is vastly different to the N400.
SidewaysSi said:
My cars are no longer that fast in comparison to a new hot hatch for instance.
However they are more than fast enough for the road and with narrow tyres, they get pushed hard at sane speeds.
I much rather have a car that is dripping in feel and can be tweaked through a corner on the road than something modern with easy speed and high limits. For that reason I will soon be changing my BMW to a smaller, narrower tyre.
So no, I am definitely in the simpler (an inevitably older) car camp.
205s I guessHowever they are more than fast enough for the road and with narrow tyres, they get pushed hard at sane speeds.
I much rather have a car that is dripping in feel and can be tweaked through a corner on the road than something modern with easy speed and high limits. For that reason I will soon be changing my BMW to a smaller, narrower tyre.
So no, I am definitely in the simpler (an inevitably older) car camp.
I had them on my 328 and run the, on my 325ti as well - standard fit tyres on both
otolith said:
Because sometimes the things that make a car "good" for daily duties also make them a bit dull compared to a weekend car.
Agreed, making them different is key. My caterham and merc auto diesel are very different. They are very good at what they do and not at all interchangeable.
I wouldn't want to thrash the merc around North Wales / a track day on a sunny weekend away with mates. And the caterham would be rubbish at taking me to the station / airport / office at 6am on a wet Monday morning.
mrfunex said:
I'm even working on getting a 2CV as another toy! (Any arguments to put forward to a wife who thinks having another car on the drive would make the place look like a garage forecourt would be gratefully received....)
excellent choice for an eclectic garage. I had one as a fun car many years ago and left the Merc at home on sunny work days!Probably the car i regret selling most. Really. So light and low geared it was very fast 0-20, cornered in a lively manner and rode supremely well. They're cheap to own, run, insure. Appreciating. You smile, everyone smiles with you (well, some bitter males may have been laughing but i don't care about them, seriously the ladies loved it). A proper giggle, especially when you have other (performance) cars to enjoy too.
Best garage is a mixed one. Squeezing everything in to one car simply is a compromise too far for me. Oz, if i had to, maybe it would be a Boxster, but it would be a reluctant choice.
At one stage we had a Mk1 MR2, a MK2 MR2 and a Chimaera.
The Mk1 was pretty much parked on the drive. The Mk2 was rarely used and the TVR was used for most trips.
Ended up selling the two MR2s and getting an estate car......
As above, if they are different then you will use them but if all the cars are 2 seater sports cars, you generally use the one you like the most....
The Mk1 was pretty much parked on the drive. The Mk2 was rarely used and the TVR was used for most trips.
Ended up selling the two MR2s and getting an estate car......
As above, if they are different then you will use them but if all the cars are 2 seater sports cars, you generally use the one you like the most....
Possibly but not definitely. I did have an early 911 and an 135i. Although the BMW was much quicker in a straight line it has never been a car that I would take out for a Sunday morning blast. However, like someone posting above I got (back) into bikes and then found I never took the 911 when I could use the bike instead. Have since sold the 911. In fact I'm so wrapped up in my bikes I just a second car this morning and instead of going for something interesting I've bought a Toyota Aygo!
Matt UK said:
otolith said:
Because sometimes the things that make a car "good" for daily duties also make them a bit dull compared to a weekend car.
Agreed, making them different is key. My caterham and merc auto diesel are very different. They are very good at what they do and not at all interchangeable.
I wouldn't want to thrash the merc around North Wales / a track day on a sunny weekend away with mates. And the caterham would be rubbish at taking me to the station / airport / office at 6am on a wet Monday morning.
Edited by s m on Saturday 28th May 19:27
s m said:
SidewaysSi said:
My cars are no longer that fast in comparison to a new hot hatch for instance.
However they are more than fast enough for the road and with narrow tyres, they get pushed hard at sane speeds.
I much rather have a car that is dripping in feel and can be tweaked through a corner on the road than something modern with easy speed and high limits. For that reason I will soon be changing my BMW to a smaller, narrower tyre.
So no, I am definitely in the simpler (an inevitably older) car camp.
205s I guessHowever they are more than fast enough for the road and with narrow tyres, they get pushed hard at sane speeds.
I much rather have a car that is dripping in feel and can be tweaked through a corner on the road than something modern with easy speed and high limits. For that reason I will soon be changing my BMW to a smaller, narrower tyre.
So no, I am definitely in the simpler (an inevitably older) car camp.
I had them on my 328 and run the, on my 325ti as well - standard fit tyres on both
May also get a cross brace, strut bar and some better pads. Then will look out for a locking diff. Want it to be a great road/GT car. And quite sideways when asked for!
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