whats your ideal car for a 2 week europe tour?
Discussion
Oilchange said:
Thanks, I might take a look at themnish81 said:
paulmnz said:
for £15k a boxster S has to be the answer.
- fun to drive - check
- convertible - check
- reliable - check
- aircon - check
- reasonably economical - check
- good brakes - check
- comfortable - check
- luggage space - check
I have considered this, but it'd also double as a daily driver in London where it would be pretty difficult to park. anything above 4000mm length is hard to park. still, the fun might be worth the impracticality. personally I'm leaning towards a (pre-2014) mini convertible or a peugeot 208 GTI with sunroof though. something I can daily drive but would still be fun to tour with - still nowhere near a boxter S I admit- fun to drive - check
- convertible - check
- reliable - check
- aircon - check
- reasonably economical - check
- good brakes - check
- comfortable - check
- luggage space - check
Stop being a pussy!!!!!
A battered and tatty older Citroen Berlingo, Renault Kangoo or Peugeot Partner. The European weapon of choice for millions of people.
You can drive one almost anywhere there's a dirt road or sand track, plough it through mud and snow and fords that'd bog almost everything except a 4x4 and if you take a couple of sleeping bags you can comfortably kip overnight in it.
If it breaks beyond a roadside bodge every village garage in Euroland and way beyond will have parts readily available and can fix it quickly and cheaply and without drama. If you get really unlucky and it's completely FUBAR'd because its only worth buttons you just give it away for parts right there and then, hire a car and carry on your road trip without any further grief or aggravation.
You can drive one almost anywhere there's a dirt road or sand track, plough it through mud and snow and fords that'd bog almost everything except a 4x4 and if you take a couple of sleeping bags you can comfortably kip overnight in it.
If it breaks beyond a roadside bodge every village garage in Euroland and way beyond will have parts readily available and can fix it quickly and cheaply and without drama. If you get really unlucky and it's completely FUBAR'd because its only worth buttons you just give it away for parts right there and then, hire a car and carry on your road trip without any further grief or aggravation.
Z06. 200 mph car for the autobahn, comfortable, great handler for the odd euro track and for the passes, left hand drive and really practical too. We've had 2 push bikes in the back when visiting friends in Le Mans. 2 weeks worth of camping and hiking equipment and even a large inflatable kayak.
Only done one Eurotrip so far and I took this -
Drove from Leeds to Spa in a day and got out feeling as fresh as a daisy, great car for long trips.
I'm doing another next month and I'm taking this -
Nowhere near as refined or classy but it will be fun on the right roads.
If I had the cash then I'd go with either of these -
The supercharged V8 in the XKR is brilliant but the howl of the 4.7S is intoxicating. Hopefully I'll be able to own and take one on a Eurotrip one day soon.
Drove from Leeds to Spa in a day and got out feeling as fresh as a daisy, great car for long trips.
I'm doing another next month and I'm taking this -
Nowhere near as refined or classy but it will be fun on the right roads.
If I had the cash then I'd go with either of these -
The supercharged V8 in the XKR is brilliant but the howl of the 4.7S is intoxicating. Hopefully I'll be able to own and take one on a Eurotrip one day soon.
I've done big trips to Europe three times at least (well, trips with over 2,000 miles of European content).
First one was in my E46 330Ci Clubsport. Faultless. Very enjoyable having the sunroof open and rear windows open, nice bit of light and airflow without feeling like you're in a wind tunnel. For 21 year old me, this was as good as it got.
Some years after that, I did a similar trip in a 996 911. It had sports suspension, bucket seats, etc... but was very comfortable on European roads. Much more at home there than in the UK, where it was a stiff and uncomfortable thing. Only a boggo C4 with a GT3 kit but good for 160mph on the GPS and very stable too. Only problem was fairly difficult stowage.
Then I did it in my Z4 M coupe. Reasonable boot space, very pretty, and fast. No problem hitting the limiter. Easy to drive - as with the 911 the comfort of the car was a non-issue in Europe, but it was terrible at home. A very good companion. The convertible version is great but boot space compromised.
Recommendations for a Boxster are fairly spot on I would have to say. Convertible, fun to drive, ample storage.
I have also done a few trips in.... less conventional cars.
First one was in my E46 330Ci Clubsport. Faultless. Very enjoyable having the sunroof open and rear windows open, nice bit of light and airflow without feeling like you're in a wind tunnel. For 21 year old me, this was as good as it got.
Some years after that, I did a similar trip in a 996 911. It had sports suspension, bucket seats, etc... but was very comfortable on European roads. Much more at home there than in the UK, where it was a stiff and uncomfortable thing. Only a boggo C4 with a GT3 kit but good for 160mph on the GPS and very stable too. Only problem was fairly difficult stowage.
Then I did it in my Z4 M coupe. Reasonable boot space, very pretty, and fast. No problem hitting the limiter. Easy to drive - as with the 911 the comfort of the car was a non-issue in Europe, but it was terrible at home. A very good companion. The convertible version is great but boot space compromised.
Recommendations for a Boxster are fairly spot on I would have to say. Convertible, fun to drive, ample storage.
I have also done a few trips in.... less conventional cars.
CambsBill said:
Did a couple of thousand miles around Norway in this last year - far more comfortable than you'd expect
Not a one-off either, we've taken it to Le Mans and Switzerland prior to that.
Perfect choice. I have done several 1000mile+ Euro trips in various Atoms and provided it doesn't rain too much they are an excellent choice. Usual strategy was get the motorway legs out of the way on days one and the last day and be on scenic twisty roads the remaining time.Not a one-off either, we've taken it to Le Mans and Switzerland prior to that.
At £15k though I would find it hard to look past an SL55
Ben
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