Cars you have that are overkill

[Pig Skill]

Difficult to come up with a good title hook to encapsulate what I mean; here goes....

A chap who lives a little further down the lane has just bought an '05 BMW M5. Nice car no doubt, however in these austere times I cant help but wonder why he bought it for his daily commute. I chat to him often and he does indeed use it for his daily drive - mainly motorway routes too.

Now, my point is that the limits of these cars and many other cars of this ilk are so high that it just seems pointless to own one. Running costs are astronomical and the chances to enjoy it and stretch its legs are infrequent to say the least. Why buy one? Why go to the huge expense of running just to bumfart along in an M5?

How many PH'ers do the same - i.e. run something massively unsuited to your daily requirements just to feel good?

Look, I know everyone is entitled to do what they want and all that, and if everyone was sensible then it would be a boring life etc.....blah blah

[v15ben]

I sometimes used to drive the 1.8 miles to work when it rained averaging about 10mph. That is probably overkill for a Clio 182!

Edited by v15ben on Monday 8th November 06:31

[Pints]

Pig Skill said:

How many PH'ers do the same - i.e. run something massively unsuited to your daily requirements just to feel good?

Does an MX5 being used for an 80mile motorway commute count as overkill?
And yes, we do it to feel good. I feel much better getting into the MX5 at the start and end of each day, than I did/do climbing in behind the wheel of my Golf.

[XJSJohn]

I guess running a Nissan 370z and a 2.7l 911 in Singapore probably covers the subject title quite well

[anonymous-user]

No John, I know you use the 370 on the Highway to KL, with 10 pound donations for speeding, my 350 sylva sat in the garage for ayear, while I try to get the doc to reissue my race licence, thats overkill in a wasted maney sense.

[Blues]

If you are asking "why?", there is no better answer than "because I want to and because I can".

[Pig Skill]

Blues said:

If you are asking "why?", there is no better answer than "because I want to and because I can".

Erm, no. I can think of plenty of better answers that are far less irritating and arrogant.

[SLacKer]

Have 5 cars and work from home. I am now contemplating the next two. A complete waste of money for some but I get to use a different car each day if I want to and the roads round here are pretty empty so you can still drive just for the hell of it.

[XJSJohn]

Berw said:

No John, I know you use the 370 on the Highway to KL, with 10 pound donations for speeding,

guilty as charged officer

[Colonial]

Heavily modified S3 that gets driven to the shops once a week do it?

[CommanderJameson]

Pig Skill said:

Blues said:

If you are asking "why?", there is no better answer than "because I want to and because I can".

Erm, no. I can think of plenty of better answers that are far less irritating and arrogant.

But less accurate.

[angryorangefocus]

Pig Skill said:

Blues said:

If you are asking "why?", there is no better answer than "because I want to and because I can".

Erm, no. I can think of plenty of better answers that are far less irritating and arrogant.

well lets hear some of them then i bet the answers will be a long winded way of saying "because I want to and because I can"

[Stu R]

I don't *need* any of my cars, by that metric they're all overkill. Ford F250 perhaps especially so

[bennyboysvuk]

I think for your example of the chap with the M5, I would guess that he derives pleasure from entering a motorway via a roundabout onto a curved slip road where the feel and drive from the V10 that wails away in front of him is thoroughly good fun. Doing the same in a diesel slushbox more suited to the rest of the commute just doesn't quite hit the mark.

[Rawwr]

Accepting the caveat that it's their money and they're free to do with it as they wish, it always pains me to see supercars in London which never get out of first gear. This makes me a sad panda.

[Cock Womble 7]

Pig Skill said:

How many PH'ers do the same - i.e. run something massively unsuited to your daily requirements just to feel good?

Yes.

And why not?

[bob1179]

Blues said:

If you are asking "why?", there is no better answer than "because I want to and because I can".

This is my answer.

Do I really need a 6.0 V8 powered car that does 10mpg, has only two useful seats and pretty small boot considering it's pretty epic size?

No.

I have one because I can.

If you have to ask in the first place, you just don't get it. That is why we are car enthusiasts.

[so called]

I enjoy my Mk2 Tuscan Convertible as my daily.
I also get to drive it back and to to Germany so it gets a blast as well.
Great car, great fun.
Used to do the same runs in a Rover, a Mazda, a Vauxhaul Senetar ..... But when I started buying TVR's the drive changed from being a bit of a drag to something to look forward to.
Cant wait for the drive back to England next Friday.

[Blues]

Pig Skill said:

Blues said:

If you are asking "why?", there is no better answer than "because I want to and because I can".

Erm, no. I can think of plenty of better answers that are far less irritating and arrogant.

got out of bed the wrong side then?

[kambites]

There is certainly no rational explanation for running an Elise as my only car, but I wouldn't change it for anything.