My view of the world has been shaken

My view of the world has been shaken

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Ex Boy Racer

Original Poster:

1,151 posts

191 months

Monday 30th May 2016
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Ok. I'm a car nut, like most of us on here.
Love cars and have been lucky enough to own some pretty nice motors.
Currently have an AM Vantage V12, manual as you would expect of a PH-er. Great car.
So... what has shaken my world?
Drove my OH's new Mazda MX5 today and - dare I say it - it was just as much fun as my Aston. And the Ferrari that I had. Or R8... You see where I'm going on this.
Ok. Missed the performance. Really missed the noise. And certainly I didn't go very fast. But it was just a hoot. Unpretentious, low speed, out and out fun. It felt almost like things were years ago when I was young; didn't expect much but loved everything.
Makes you think, doesn't it?
Still keeping the Aston though.

MDUBZ

833 posts

99 months

Monday 30th May 2016
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I thought fun was all about speed, but i'm coming round to your way of thinking, It's certainly a part of the equation but not the sum total.

Steven_RW

1,727 posts

201 months

Monday 30th May 2016
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Bigger tyres, bigger brakes, bigger engine = higher speeds and bigger bans/crash speeds.

It is why I am driving a Mini with 205 tyres.

RW

Speed_Demon

2,662 posts

187 months

Monday 30th May 2016
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Funnily enough there was a very similar thread a month or two back. Seems to be a great experience even without lots of power.

Beati Dogu

8,862 posts

138 months

Monday 30th May 2016
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I think this is the thread you mean: "Anyone else falling out of love with driving a 'fast' car?"

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...


I'm working my way through that one at the moment.

ashleyman

6,963 posts

98 months

Monday 30th May 2016
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Same here.

Ok, my previous car choices are not as exotic as yours but it's the same feeling. I had a Mitsubishi Colt 1.3 but I killed it by driving it too much. Then I got a Fiesta Zetec S on a 59 plate, needed something bigger and work/wife friendly and got a brand new Golf R. (Wanted a Fiesta ST but the wife doesn't like manuals)

I cannot push the Golf R to more than 60% of it's potential on public roads unless I want to risk being in license loosing territory. Speed is fun, launch control is fun but for that 4 seconds of brief speed up to NSL it isn't enough! Nice DSG snap on 4000RPM or above is cool, but even in 1st gear at 4000RPM you're going over 25 so even getting that snap is a bit rare as you have to continue to feed power after the gear change. Most of the roads near me are 30's and 40's. Not found many good NSL's around the south downs yet which is probably the closest countryside I have. I enjoy going under the railway bridge coming up to home more than most actual drives just to get the snap and it being 5x louder because of the tunnel.

With my Fiesta, it was slower - took 9 seconds to get to 60 but when you were driving it and actually going through gears on good twisty roads pushing the car 80-90% it was so much fun. Same roads in the Golf at the same speeds are just boring! There's a mile long stretch near my house thats a 60 and 2 lanes. In the Fiesta I'd be lucky to hit 70 before it was time to look down and start letting off, in the Golf I'm pretty sure it would do 115 down that before needing to break.

I'm sorely tempted to get another Fiesta and just let my wife run the Golf R. The Golf is great and is a complete killer away from lights but actual driving fun I think I had more of that in my Fiesta.

Of course, the golf is bigger therefore better for work, it's more solid on the motorways, it has cruise and it has a load through so it's perfect for work. Its Auto so the wife loves it. But the Fiesta, I do miss it.

Edited by ashleyman on Monday 30th May 02:17


Edited by ashleyman on Monday 30th May 12:28

AdamIndy

1,661 posts

103 months

Monday 30th May 2016
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I never really bonded with mine but I was using it as a daily. That was until just before I sold it. Lovely day with the roof down and took it out for a thrash. Zero mechanical sympathy shown and it was epic fun! Even hammering it, it would barely break 70mph on the roads I was driving but the handling made up for that.

Great cars to be fair, not so good as a daily though.

Vitorio

4,296 posts

142 months

Monday 30th May 2016
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Its like that James May review where he hates a corsa OPC Ring edition (or whatever) and then skives off to do a review of the new panda. Fun is about pushing on, and in todays traffic pushing a slow car is much easier then pushing a fast car.

I had a 65hp fiesta (newest shape, the 1.0 lump deturboed and detuned) for a month and a half, and the utterly anemic engine (it ran really nicely for a 3 pot though), meant i was pushing it all the time, and every corner was an exercise in braking as little as i could. Do i prefer something faster? sure! Do i think slow cars can be tons of fun regardless? hell yes!

Valgar

850 posts

134 months

Monday 30th May 2016
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Can't quite say I've had the scale of your situation, but since starting a new career that means pretty much zero tolerance to speeding and points, I have felt that fast cars are fairly pointless, I'd much rather have a fun slower car where I can actually enjoy it for more than a few seconds.

I think if you must feel the need for speed then people should look at racing or track days.

As much as it is a stbox on paper, the Perodua Kelisa is one of the most enjoyable cars I ever owned despite being the least powerful.

DJFish

5,917 posts

262 months

Monday 30th May 2016
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Two things about expensive fast cars.

They're expensive.

They're fast.

That means you've got to really drive it to enjoy it, not obsess about resale value or parking dings.
And point two, when you do you'll barely be scratching the surface of its performance 90% of the time, or risking your licence every 5 minutes.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have a 'halo' car, but there's something to be said for cheap, enjoyable performance.

georgeq

110 posts

125 months

Monday 30th May 2016
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A bit inevitable, isn't it. Cars become quicker and more competent every year but the roads don't become wider and speed limits stay the same.

tedman

368 posts

103 months

Monday 30th May 2016
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Best fun I've ever had driving was in a mk1 Ford Ka 1.3 I had as a hire car for the weekend. My daily was a Golf mk4 at the time, which was pretty lardy.

grumbledoak

31,499 posts

232 months

Monday 30th May 2016
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Ex Boy Racer said:
Makes you think, doesn't it?
What have you been reading for the last 97 months? Almost everyone who has driven them says exactly the same thing. They're a hoot.

Vitorio

4,296 posts

142 months

Monday 30th May 2016
quotequote all
Valgar said:
but since starting a new career that means pretty much zero tolerance to speeding and points
Out of curiosity, what are you doing that getting caught speeding would be a serious problem?

Esceptico

7,334 posts

108 months

Monday 30th May 2016
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I know exactly what you mean and have just put my money where my mouth is by having bought a Toyota Aygo. I decided to get a second car. Just going back to work after a couple of years out and have a short commute. Was thinking of doing it by motorbike but think that will be impractical (at least every day). I was thinking of getting something fun, like a Clio Trophy or an old Z4. But when I really thought about it I realised that it was not worthwhile getting a PH car for sitting in traffic and I know that with two of the best, fun motorbikes available sitting in my garage I'd probably not use the second car properly so decided to get an Aygo: fits nicely in the garage, leaving lots of space for my bikes, should average 50 mpg in the real world, has over 3 years of warranty left and hopefully will not cost much to maintain (and will be reliable.) Wife loves it. Daughter told me I'd better not pick her up from school on it!!

SidewaysSi

10,742 posts

233 months

Monday 30th May 2016
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We seem to have a similar thread pretty much every week where someone has this epiphany.

Of course something slower with narrow tyres and proper steering is more fun on road.

Jasandjules

69,825 posts

228 months

Monday 30th May 2016
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Yeah, I often think shall I get a Mk2 MR2 or something just to "play" on the roads.... But at the same time I derive a lot of enjoyment driving the TVR, whether that be cruising along at 30mph or 70mph..... She is just a nice place to be, with the aural pleasure of a V8.

Vitorio

4,296 posts

142 months

Monday 30th May 2016
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Esceptico said:
I know exactly what you mean and have just put my money where my mouth is by having bought a Toyota Aygo. I decided to get a second car. Just going back to work after a couple of years out and have a short commute. Was thinking of doing it by motorbike but think that will be impractical (at least every day). I was thinking of getting something fun, like a Clio Trophy or an old Z4. But when I really thought about it I realised that it was not worthwhile getting a PH car for sitting in traffic and I know that with two of the best, fun motorbikes available sitting in my garage I'd probably not use the second car properly so decided to get an Aygo: fits nicely in the garage, leaving lots of space for my bikes, should average 50 mpg in the real world, has over 3 years of warranty left and hopefully will not cost much to maintain (and will be reliable.) Wife loves it. Daughter told me I'd better not pick her up from school on it!!
Sat behind a 107 for a few miles yesterday, and it got me thinking, i would get on fine with one (aygo/C1/107) of those as my car, it'd be pennies to run etc.. but part of me still wishes they'd made a more powerful version, somewhere around 90-100hp should make it a right laugh.

Valgar

850 posts

134 months

Monday 30th May 2016
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Vitorio said:
Out of curiosity, what are you doing that getting caught speeding would be a serious problem?
Driving instructor - The reputation damage alone would be bad enough

Vitorio said:
Sat behind a 107 for a few miles yesterday, and it got me thinking, i would get on fine with one (aygo/C1/107) of those as my car, it'd be pennies to run etc.. but part of me still wishes they'd made a more powerful version, somewhere around 90-100hp should make it a right laugh.
I think TTS Performance supercharged one to ~120 bhp biggrin

Vitorio

4,296 posts

142 months

Monday 30th May 2016
quotequote all
Valgar said:
Driving instructor - The reputation damage alone would be bad enough
Hah, i was thinking council member in charge of speed humps :P