Weekend cars. Worth it nowadays?

[aeropilot]

tankplanker said:

Weekend car for me is something that can be enjoyed without going fast, such as a Morgan or a classic or similar, were the pleasure can be had driving the car.

^This for me as well.

[caelite]

I kind of like having a car that does everything, love hot hatches and fast wagons for that reason. Hate commuting in a slow car as the majority of my commute is b-roads and I like to 'make progress'. Currently rolling about in a shogun which just doesnt have the oomph to pass traffic safely even at 40. Although ive had that at a couple of offroad events which are also a hoot.

On the weekend I love kayaking and mountainbiking, my small hot hatch handles this fine with a nice set of roofbars. Also eats up the odd track day and 3am b-road blast.

[dirtbiker]

Bennet said:

The theory I work on at the moment is that it's a mistake to just go for a drive for the sake of enjoyment. It leads to frustration and increased risk taking.

This is an interesting point and one that I've never really given any thought. I quite often find myself going out for a drive just for the sake of and do, almost certainly, take more risks than I would if I was just going from A to B. That said I often find that I'm in the wrong car if I don't deliberately go out for fun!

[shoestring7]

SWoll said:

shoestring7 said:

..or learn to ride a bike. When you're riding a short, narrow vehicle with >500bhp/tonne you don't get held up by other road users.

SS7

The issue with tractors pulling out and dumping st all over the road becomes more problematic though...

Not for me. Had a couple of mates who've had big off's over the years and at 6.4 and 16 stone I've also never found a sports bike I feel comfortable on.

Big adventure bikes are comfortable for the larger gent, and still give you all the overtaking potential you need. I've done 1500 miles touring Wales over the summer with my 13 y.o. on the back. Great father/son times.

SS7

[SWoll]

shoestring7 said:

Big adventure bikes are comfortable for the larger gent, and still give you all the overtaking potential you need. I've done 1500 miles touring Wales over the summer with my 13 y.o. on the back. Great father/son times.

SS7

Good for you and I'm sure it was huge fun. Unfortunately I can't get past the safety side of biking personally, especially with the poor quality of roads and driving I often come across. Also, starting again at 40 having not ridden in 20 year sounds like a recipe for disaster.

[simonr100]

I have 2 weekend cars and I love using them, cyclists going two/ three abreast is really annoying but they generally move over quickly, if they don't then they get a blast of the horn and a drenching from the washer jets after I overtake - we all need to share the road.

[aeropilot]

simonr100 said:

if they don't then they get a blast of the horn and a drenching from the washer jets after I overtake

[tankplanker]

I find a gentle nudge on the back wheel works wonders

[C70R]

More generally, I think I'd really struggle to find enjoyment from driving if I was doing 25k+ miles for work (I take public transport). Surely with spending multiple hours of every single workday behind the wheel, the last thing you'd want to do is also spend your free time there?

It's absolutely possible to have fun with a car in the UK. But, you need to do one of three things:
1. Get up before the crack of dawn on weekends
2. Accept that there will be traffic to hold you up at some point
3. Go out on track if you feel you're not going quickly enough on the road

[jamieduff1981]

C70R said:

More generally, I think I'd really struggle to find enjoyment from driving if I was doing 25k+ miles for work (I take public transport). Surely with spending multiple hours of every single workday behind the wheel, the last thing you'd want to do is also spend your free time there?

I'm not far off that milage for work, and you're right - I very seldom want to go out on additional drives. Seldom isn't never though, and there are family errands. I find it's nice to be able to take a different / more challenging car on a drive I need to do anyway sometimes. Not all the time, but sometimes.

[SWoll]

jamieduff1981 said:

C70R said:

More generally, I think I'd really struggle to find enjoyment from driving if I was doing 25k+ miles for work (I take public transport). Surely with spending multiple hours of every single workday behind the wheel, the last thing you'd want to do is also spend your free time there?

I'm not far off that milage for work, and you're right - I very seldom want to go out on additional drives. Seldom isn't never though, and there are family errands. I find it's nice to be able to take a different / more challenging car on a drive I need to do anyway sometimes. Not all the time, but sometimes.

Did the train thing for a while when based in 1 place but now I can be all over the country for different projects so find it too restrictive. I've found that a car with decent luxury, refinement, an auto gearbox and good stereo is perfect for weekdays and as it's not compromised by attempting to be too sporty or performance orientated I still crave driving something completely different just for fun. If I had sportier model and attempted to do both I'm sure I'd be far less interested.

[stumpage]

Is it worth it? On those days when I have to get something from the garage. I ask myself that question every time, my Toy sitting there all still, all quiet and waiting with that little tear of oil dripping from under the engine somewhere, the thin layer of dust on the shiny black paint, and the little blink blink of the battery conditioner as if it's on life support. Is it worth it? Is it worth the Insurance, Tax, Service costs, Spares, improvements for those small amount of miles each year (Don't want to think what the £ per mile cost is). Is it....Is it?

Well on those days when I open the garage and fire it up the whole world changes. A big smile appears on my face, all my worries fade away, the noise, the vibrations, one blip of the throttle and I can feel the engine straining on it mounts and as I roll out of the garage into the sunshine my worries melt away. Out for an hour fast or slow with the wind in my hair and it's better than any shrink. Is it worth it? OHHHHH YES.

As my kids say 'Mr Grumpy drives it off and Mr Happy brings it back'.

Edited by stumpage on Monday 26th September 16:45

[aeropilot]

stumpage said:

As my kids say 'Mr Grumpy drives it off and My Happy brings it back'.

[X5TUU]

I think this is a really fair point and I have toyed over the idea of a weekend car many times (increasing over the past 18mths) and haven't because I don't think it would get the enjoyment I would want from it. As other posters have said I think an occasion car is more the ticket but then it's the clear expense of having a fezza / lambo sat in the garage

[anonymous-user]

Bennet said:

The theory I work on at the moment is that it's a mistake to just go for a drive for the sake of enjoyment. It leads to frustration and increased risk taking.

For me, driving is better enjoyed by chance, as and when you happen to find yourself in the right place at the right time.

I do have second car, and I'll take it if I suspect a journey might afford the chance for enjoyable driving. But if it doesn't I haven't lost anything. I was going there anyway.

This right here is my view as well. When I first got my bmw I was always out for fun but got frustrated 9.5/10 times because I was getting held up. Then I realised that I was enjoying myself more when going somewhere and a nice opportunity came to frutation. Unfortunately I don't have enough money at the moment for 2 car options otherwise I'd do it. But like you I'd have the comfy car for commuting and the fun car for everything else. Just make sure you're using your fun car for everything else and not just now and again otherwise it's a bit pointless IMO.

[KevinCamaroSS]

We both use our 'weekend' car as an occasional commuter as well. We cover maybe 5K miles per year and enjoy all of them, regardless of it is a commute or a pleasure drive. You do not need to drive fast to enjoy a drive if you have the correct car. As a previous poster said "Goodbye Mr(s) Grumpy, hello Mr(s) Happy".

[Tickle]

Staffordshire has the Elan Valley to the West over the border and north Wales not too far away.

Very empty roads on Friday morning for me. Early starts on a weekend or day off is the only way I use my weekend car, with the exeption of a country pub or farm shop drive/bumbling along the lanes.

From Friday morning in north Wales:



Very worth it IMHO!

[TameRacingDriver]

AB57 said:

This right here is my view as well. When I first got my bmw I was always out for fun but got frustrated 9.5/10 times because I was getting held up. Then I realised that I was enjoying myself more when going somewhere and a nice opportunity came to frutation. Unfortunately I don't have enough money at the moment for 2 car options otherwise I'd do it. But like you I'd have the comfy car for commuting and the fun car for everything else. Just make sure you're using your fun car for everything else and not just now and again otherwise it's a bit pointless IMO.

I agree and for what its worth, that's why for me personally, having a fun car as my main car (as well as cost) is my preference. You just don't know when that opportunity will turn up. My car is a good blend of luxury and a sporting drive, so I find pretty much all drives enjoyable, even the fairly dull ones.

[AdamIndy]

Apologies for the seriously crap picture.(a phone picture taken of a laptop screen) but yes, a weekend car can still be fun. Wales has plenty of roads with little or no traffic. Some crackers too. I wasn't the only one enjoying this road on Saturday. A beautiful sounding 997 GT3, a vxr corsa giving it the berries, a few 182/197/200 clio's, a couple of subaru's etc. Judging by the black lines on that particular corner, ALOT of people have fun there. No doubt most people here will know this road.

[AdamIndy]

stumpage said:

Is it worth it? On those days when I have to get something from the garage. I ask myself that question every time, my Toy sitting there all still, all quiet and waiting with that little tear of oil dripping from under the engine somewhere, the thin layer of dust on the shiny black paint, and the little blink blink of the battery conditioner as if it's on life support. Is it worth it? Is it worth the Insurance, Tax, Service costs, Spares, improvements for those small amount of miles each year (Don't want to think what the £ per mile cost is). Is it....Is it?

Well on those days when I open the garage and fire it up the whole world changes. A big smile appears on my face, all my worries fade away, the noise, the vibrations, one blip of the throttle and I can feel the engine straining on it mounts and as I roll out of the garage into the sunshine my worries melt away. Out for an hour fast or slow with the wind in my hair and it's better than any shrink. Is it worth it? OHHHHH YES.

As my kids say 'Mr Grumpy drives it off and Mr Happy brings it back'.

Edited by stumpage on Monday 26th September 16:45

Ah the life of an MX5 owner.

I do agree with everything you say by the way.