I've become bored of cars.
Discussion
OP is correct and I can understand the ennui of the modern fast motor. Tbh every fast car I’ve had for the last 20 years has probably been too quick - my current F Type R isn’t boring but is outright too fast to not offend the general public/constabulary.
The answer isn’t a bike - they’re wonderful but that’s a different question. Old cars are the way back to proper fun and engagement. To be honest the older the better as far as I’m concerned and you also gain the fun of fiddling about with them.
My old 911 strikes a decent balance and is still quick but something sporting and prewar is better again.
The answer isn’t a bike - they’re wonderful but that’s a different question. Old cars are the way back to proper fun and engagement. To be honest the older the better as far as I’m concerned and you also gain the fun of fiddling about with them.
My old 911 strikes a decent balance and is still quick but something sporting and prewar is better again.
V1nce Fox said:
Bike.
Getting my bike license killed my love of cars. I now drive an outlander PHEV, and it's my favourite car ever! Cars are now something to be overtaken, unless it's raining of course as I'm a fair weather rider 
I live in a semi-rural area and it's just getting too busy with cars, cameras and they keep dropping the speed on long straight bypasses to 40. Bike deals with all this nicely.
One of the problems with modern cars is they feel like they are cosseting you from the rawness that driving can be. 70mph feels like you're doing 40, for instance.
While my MGF lived, the half empty suspension system reminded me what driving can be like when you're not sheltered away from the experience with electronic aids.
While my MGF lived, the half empty suspension system reminded me what driving can be like when you're not sheltered away from the experience with electronic aids.
Know Mr H makes a lot of people on here hot and bothered so here's some Lotus joy:
https://youtu.be/p14NM_HwM0I
https://youtu.be/p14NM_HwM0I
Modern cars are boring.... Golf R is a prime example of it, Over engineered, bloated and too many electronics. It's a Golf your nan could do 150mph in it easily.
There's a reason, 1980s/1990s hot hatches and performance cars have gone bananas in price, Its not all about outright performance, Its the feel of man and machine, the pure mechanicals, the noise of turbo flutter, the little pops you get on overrun from actually driving it hard (Not just a £300 eBay special remap) The smell of fumes and a hot exhaust, the fact you can work on them yourself and don't need a laptop and electronics degree.
Go buy a cheap Saxo VTS, 106 GTI and it'll be 10 times more fun as a drivers car.
There's a reason, 1980s/1990s hot hatches and performance cars have gone bananas in price, Its not all about outright performance, Its the feel of man and machine, the pure mechanicals, the noise of turbo flutter, the little pops you get on overrun from actually driving it hard (Not just a £300 eBay special remap) The smell of fumes and a hot exhaust, the fact you can work on them yourself and don't need a laptop and electronics degree.
Go buy a cheap Saxo VTS, 106 GTI and it'll be 10 times more fun as a drivers car.
SidewaysSi said:
Know Mr H makes a lot of people on here hot and bothered so here's some Lotus joy:
https://youtu.be/p14NM_HwM0I
5.50ish: "I would sacrifice so much of modern cars' performance for how this car feels."https://youtu.be/p14NM_HwM0I
I earlier said S3 Exige, but this vid makes so much sense.
So:
SidewaysSi said:
Nah, has to be an S1. The S3 is a fat old thing...
SidewaysSi said:
Know Mr H makes a lot of people on here hot and bothered so here's some Lotus joy:
https://youtu.be/p14NM_HwM0I
I enjoyed that vid. CH has had some life when it comes to cars for sure. https://youtu.be/p14NM_HwM0I
I always remember him from his Autocar days, and it is crazy at how fast time goes by I reckon.
I need to rectify having never driven a Lotus myself, I've sat in a couple at the motorshow, but that's it!
Funnily enough I've been thinking about this too of late.
My brother gives me his copies of Evo when he's finished them and I sat down to have a read through the latest one the other night....only to be struck by the realisation I really wasn't all that interested. I flicked through it in a matter of minutes and into the recycling it went. There's a new £m+ supercar along every 5 minutes, they all look pretty much the same thanks to packaging and legal regulations but something else I realised was that most cars no longer have their own 'character'.
With everything now being fly-by-wire and controlled by electronics, all the interaction points aren't real - they're just whatever a clever boffin programmed them to be. Cars no longer have their own ride or handling characteristics that make them distinctive, it can all be changed with the press of a button. A supercar can ride like a wafty barge and a 2-ton+ barge can be made to corner flat. Engine sounds aren't real any more and even on my car there's a distinct change in throttle response, steering and handling when switching between driving modes etc - it's like driving a different car. Clever but...why?
My point is that it makes reading about the latest xyz supercar a bit moot as it can all be changed with a laptop and some code. Add in the ever-increasing demonisation of drivers and actually enjoying a car, hatred borne of 'politics of envy' (see the Labour MP's tweet above), the proliferation of other drivers' idiocy, every third car having a dashcam and a self-righteous dick eager to upload its contents and the whole endeavour has, for me, lost its appeal.
I think unfortunately I'm just another former petrolhead cowed (or almost) into submission. Even with something 'fun' it's only fun if you can drive it and those opportunities are (very) few and far between. Sadly it feels like the end of a golden age of motoring.
My brother gives me his copies of Evo when he's finished them and I sat down to have a read through the latest one the other night....only to be struck by the realisation I really wasn't all that interested. I flicked through it in a matter of minutes and into the recycling it went. There's a new £m+ supercar along every 5 minutes, they all look pretty much the same thanks to packaging and legal regulations but something else I realised was that most cars no longer have their own 'character'.
With everything now being fly-by-wire and controlled by electronics, all the interaction points aren't real - they're just whatever a clever boffin programmed them to be. Cars no longer have their own ride or handling characteristics that make them distinctive, it can all be changed with the press of a button. A supercar can ride like a wafty barge and a 2-ton+ barge can be made to corner flat. Engine sounds aren't real any more and even on my car there's a distinct change in throttle response, steering and handling when switching between driving modes etc - it's like driving a different car. Clever but...why?
My point is that it makes reading about the latest xyz supercar a bit moot as it can all be changed with a laptop and some code. Add in the ever-increasing demonisation of drivers and actually enjoying a car, hatred borne of 'politics of envy' (see the Labour MP's tweet above), the proliferation of other drivers' idiocy, every third car having a dashcam and a self-righteous dick eager to upload its contents and the whole endeavour has, for me, lost its appeal.
I think unfortunately I'm just another former petrolhead cowed (or almost) into submission. Even with something 'fun' it's only fun if you can drive it and those opportunities are (very) few and far between. Sadly it feels like the end of a golden age of motoring.
Edited by Funk on Thursday 19th May 12:04
Funk said:
Funnily enough I've been thinking about this too of late.
My brother gives me his copies of Evo when he's finished them and I sat down to have a read through the latest one the other night....only to be struck by the realisation I really wasn't all that interested. I flicked through it in a matter of minutes and into the recycling it went. There's a new m+ supercar along every 5 minutes, they all look pretty much the same thanks to packaging and legal regulations but something else I realised was that most cars no longer have their own 'character'.
With everything now being fly-by-wire and controlled by electronics, all the interaction points aren't real - they're just whatever a clever boffin programmed them to be. Cars no longer have their own ride or handling characteristics that make them distinctive, it can all be changed with the press of a button. A supercar can ride like a wafty barge and a 2-ton+ barge can be made to corner flat. Engine sounds aren't real any more and even on my car there's a distinct change in throttle response, steering and handling when switching between driving modes etc - it's like driving a different car. Clever but...why?
My point is that it makes reading about the latest xyz supercar a bit moot as it can all be changed with a laptop and some code. Add in the ever-increasing demonisation of drivers and actually enjoying a car, hatred borne of 'politics of envy' (see the Labour MP's tweet above), the proliferation of other drivers' idiocy, every third car having a dashcam and a self-righteous dick eager to upload its contents and the whole endeavour has, for me, lost its appeal.
I think unfortunately I'm just another former petrolhead cowed (or almost) into submission. Even with something 'fun' it's only fun if you can drive it and those opportunities are (very) few and far between. Sadly it feels like the end of a golden age of motoring.
Congratulations. You've just won PH 'new cars are boring/driving is rubbish these days' cliche bingo.My brother gives me his copies of Evo when he's finished them and I sat down to have a read through the latest one the other night....only to be struck by the realisation I really wasn't all that interested. I flicked through it in a matter of minutes and into the recycling it went. There's a new m+ supercar along every 5 minutes, they all look pretty much the same thanks to packaging and legal regulations but something else I realised was that most cars no longer have their own 'character'.
With everything now being fly-by-wire and controlled by electronics, all the interaction points aren't real - they're just whatever a clever boffin programmed them to be. Cars no longer have their own ride or handling characteristics that make them distinctive, it can all be changed with the press of a button. A supercar can ride like a wafty barge and a 2-ton+ barge can be made to corner flat. Engine sounds aren't real any more and even on my car there's a distinct change in throttle response, steering and handling when switching between driving modes etc - it's like driving a different car. Clever but...why?
My point is that it makes reading about the latest xyz supercar a bit moot as it can all be changed with a laptop and some code. Add in the ever-increasing demonisation of drivers and actually enjoying a car, hatred borne of 'politics of envy' (see the Labour MP's tweet above), the proliferation of other drivers' idiocy, every third car having a dashcam and a self-righteous dick eager to upload its contents and the whole endeavour has, for me, lost its appeal.
I think unfortunately I'm just another former petrolhead cowed (or almost) into submission. Even with something 'fun' it's only fun if you can drive it and those opportunities are (very) few and far between. Sadly it feels like the end of a golden age of motoring.
One final point - I used to be obsessed with what I would buy next.
Closely watching the classifieds as time and depreciation do their thing and the next dream vehicle descends ever closer to my available funds.
NOT SO FAST.
The last couple of years just killed that type of anticipatory excitement.
Now I just feel like a dick for ever having sold a car. It's frankly depressing.
Browsing the classifieds is just an horrendous FOMO experience.
I mean fricking RS4 Convertibles for £30K++!
Mid-£20K Z4Ms...
13-year old GTRs £40K+...
14-year old 997 Turbos mid-£50K...
Closely watching the classifieds as time and depreciation do their thing and the next dream vehicle descends ever closer to my available funds.
NOT SO FAST.
The last couple of years just killed that type of anticipatory excitement.
Now I just feel like a dick for ever having sold a car. It's frankly depressing.
Browsing the classifieds is just an horrendous FOMO experience.
I mean fricking RS4 Convertibles for £30K++!
Mid-£20K Z4Ms...
13-year old GTRs £40K+...
14-year old 997 Turbos mid-£50K...
I think there is an element of boredom with modern cars; they’re bloody fast, better is almost every objective measurement but there’s something missing.
I felt very similar to the OP about my M140i; on paper it seemed perfect. Fast, semi-practical with relatively cheap running costs. Yet, once I got over the feeling of acceleration, I lost interest very quickly. Despite what I thought it was going to delivery, in the end it was all a bit meh.
I ended up swapping it for an old 130i which lots of my mates thought I was absolutely bonkers going from a car that I had owned from new to 15 year old 130. I bloody loved that car, I had to do some maintenance but I did what I could myself and enjoyed learning. Whilst ‘slow’ imparted to a modern hot hatch it was loads of fun to drive, and was everything my M140i wasn’t.
In the end it was getting a bit small with a growing 7 year old, so I swapped it for an old 335i which I’m enjoying so far.
I felt very similar to the OP about my M140i; on paper it seemed perfect. Fast, semi-practical with relatively cheap running costs. Yet, once I got over the feeling of acceleration, I lost interest very quickly. Despite what I thought it was going to delivery, in the end it was all a bit meh.
I ended up swapping it for an old 130i which lots of my mates thought I was absolutely bonkers going from a car that I had owned from new to 15 year old 130. I bloody loved that car, I had to do some maintenance but I did what I could myself and enjoyed learning. Whilst ‘slow’ imparted to a modern hot hatch it was loads of fun to drive, and was everything my M140i wasn’t.
In the end it was getting a bit small with a growing 7 year old, so I swapped it for an old 335i which I’m enjoying so far.
Narcisus said:
I'm also bored of cars would someone give me an F-Type R please so I can be un-bored ? Thankee..
You can have mine if you like 
but it wouldn't solve the OP's issue, as it's far too big and fast for UK roads. I would offer the OP one of my other cars: an Up! GTI, as it's great fun.
E36Ross said:
Modern cars are boring.... Golf R is a prime example of it, Over engineered, bloated and too many electronics. It's a Golf your nan could do 150mph in it easily.
There's a reason, 1980s/1990s hot hatches and performance cars have gone bananas in price, Its not all about outright performance, Its the feel of man and machine, the pure mechanicals, the noise of turbo flutter, the little pops you get on overrun from actually driving it hard (Not just a 300 eBay special remap) The smell of fumes and a hot exhaust, the fact you can work on them yourself and don't need a laptop and electronics degree.
Go buy a cheap Saxo VTS, 106 GTI and it'll be 10 times more fun as a drivers car.
For someone who might want something a little more modern I would add the N/A Swift Sport to that list. (mk1 or mk2). Very raw and still affordable, with similar characteristics to those cars you mention and very reliable also. Lots of fun without much chance of losing your license. There's a reason, 1980s/1990s hot hatches and performance cars have gone bananas in price, Its not all about outright performance, Its the feel of man and machine, the pure mechanicals, the noise of turbo flutter, the little pops you get on overrun from actually driving it hard (Not just a 300 eBay special remap) The smell of fumes and a hot exhaust, the fact you can work on them yourself and don't need a laptop and electronics degree.
Go buy a cheap Saxo VTS, 106 GTI and it'll be 10 times more fun as a drivers car.
In two minds about this.
No doubt the modern cars are more capable ,safer,predictable and hugely more powerful than their predecessors. I once had a new E39 M5 that for me at the time was close to perfection without looking the part.
I have some more modern Porsches now, all very capable but my old 997RS is still a simple 6speed with no stability control that can do sudden bad things on a wet track and is still hugely engaging at more normal speeds.
I am towards the end of buying performance cars and agree with the OP that there is much less interest in seeing an exotic or expensive car now.
Cars last longer more are being produced.
Look how many sports cars Porsche or Ferrari
build now..
If I saw a Gordon Murray for instance I would certainly look but every new performance car gets massive web coverage ,tests and so on and by the time I see one I feel as if I have driven it. Find are the days of going to the motor show for that first look.
I rarely buy a new car these days having had a test drive.
I find myself beginning to think about an EV some time in the future.
At some point the branding police will come up with the new moniker for PH “to reflect the future”. No more Piston.
Voltheads? Middle laners? The old tag “Speed Matters “ is gone. Maybe “Slow and safe”?
No doubt the modern cars are more capable ,safer,predictable and hugely more powerful than their predecessors. I once had a new E39 M5 that for me at the time was close to perfection without looking the part.
I have some more modern Porsches now, all very capable but my old 997RS is still a simple 6speed with no stability control that can do sudden bad things on a wet track and is still hugely engaging at more normal speeds.
I am towards the end of buying performance cars and agree with the OP that there is much less interest in seeing an exotic or expensive car now.
Cars last longer more are being produced.
Look how many sports cars Porsche or Ferrari
build now..
If I saw a Gordon Murray for instance I would certainly look but every new performance car gets massive web coverage ,tests and so on and by the time I see one I feel as if I have driven it. Find are the days of going to the motor show for that first look.
I rarely buy a new car these days having had a test drive.
I find myself beginning to think about an EV some time in the future.
At some point the branding police will come up with the new moniker for PH “to reflect the future”. No more Piston.
Voltheads? Middle laners? The old tag “Speed Matters “ is gone. Maybe “Slow and safe”?
I think the trouble is that fast cars are a bit like feeding an addiction where they quickly lose their novelty and excitement, and then your looking for your next (bigger, faster, more exciting) hit. Fortunately I recognised this many years ago and got my kicks from club racing, while sticking with rapid sensible barges for road duties before I killed myself.
However have spent the last year owning a cracking modified MK1 Audi TT which provides all the handling joy, without doing a million MPH, genuinely makes me grin everytime with the old school turbo wooshes and flutters (yes i'm 48)
However have spent the last year owning a cracking modified MK1 Audi TT which provides all the handling joy, without doing a million MPH, genuinely makes me grin everytime with the old school turbo wooshes and flutters (yes i'm 48)
E36Ross said:
Modern cars are boring.... Golf R is a prime example of it, Over engineered, bloated and too many electronics. It's a Golf your nan could do 150mph in it easily.
There's a reason, 1980s/1990s hot hatches and performance cars have gone bananas in price, Its not all about outright performance, Its the feel of man and machine, the pure mechanicals, the noise of turbo flutter, the little pops you get on overrun from actually driving it hard (Not just a 300 eBay special remap) The smell of fumes and a hot exhaust, the fact you can work on them yourself and don't need a laptop and electronics degree.
Go buy a cheap Saxo VTS, 106 GTI and it'll be 10 times more fun as a drivers car.
Yeah, one tyre fires out of junctions, terminal understeer from pushing on slightly harder than usual, smelly exhausts, oil burning, oil leaks and having to thrash the motor to get any sense of urgency out of it are traits I was glad to leave behind in the 80s/90s.There's a reason, 1980s/1990s hot hatches and performance cars have gone bananas in price, Its not all about outright performance, Its the feel of man and machine, the pure mechanicals, the noise of turbo flutter, the little pops you get on overrun from actually driving it hard (Not just a 300 eBay special remap) The smell of fumes and a hot exhaust, the fact you can work on them yourself and don't need a laptop and electronics degree.
Go buy a cheap Saxo VTS, 106 GTI and it'll be 10 times more fun as a drivers car.
People call that drama, fun, excitement, whatever. I call it annoying.
I would sooner take a Golf R that effortlessly wafts itself and it's occupants along the road in comfort, than any of those crashy, jiggly, unsophisticated has-beens from 25 years ago.
For those wanting to be annoyed by their Golf R, it's just a simple case of slamming it, fitting a big boy exhaust, dialling in a pops and bangs map, leaving it in drift mode and just nailing it everywhere.
Cannot disagree with any of the observations here. I am in same camp as the OP and most others. I guess it's partly an age thing (60+ in my case). I used to be fanatical about cars and now that I can afford to be a bit daring I have lost interest! This included car mages. The turning point being when so many column inches are devoted to reviewing "the tech"; yawn! I sold my M235i recently because half the journeys were a chore; not the car's fault, just rubbish road surfaces and congestion. I find it difficult to whittle down what I really want. I have a 435D convertible now which has the perfect ride quality for me and the reserves of torque that I find quite thrilling when overtaking. I am sold on modern auto boxes now when mated to a 6 or 8 cylinder engine.
One of my kids has just bought a Skoda Citigo, Can't wait to try it out.
One of my kids has just bought a Skoda Citigo, Can't wait to try it out.
It’s ironic that we now have a ridiculous selection of decent handling and fast cars available now, yet the roads have never been so busy, so restricted and penalties so strict.
Just about any ordinary car will crack 0-60 in less than 8 or so seconds - go back to the 90s and it was only your GTi etc that did that, and back then the place wasn’t so busy, festooned with cameras and you wouldn’t get your photo in the paper for taking your hands off the wheel or whatever.
Just about any ordinary car will crack 0-60 in less than 8 or so seconds - go back to the 90s and it was only your GTi etc that did that, and back then the place wasn’t so busy, festooned with cameras and you wouldn’t get your photo in the paper for taking your hands off the wheel or whatever.
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