You think you want....

[J4CKO]

Ever get a car in your head and think it is the answer to all your requirements, fits your budget and geernally feels like the right thing to do ?

I did this with a Clio 182 but drove it and didnt get on with it at all but am not sure whether a 5 mile test drive is enough to "get" a car, I quite fancy an MX5, it being part of the Pistonheads bucket list but I need to sell my car, set a budget, go looking, find a decent one with the right spec etc but I am worried that when I drive it it might not be what I hoped for.

I guess I am askign how you get experience of a certain car to see if its for you without owning one anyway or messing people about on test drives just to see if it is what you want, I understand thats kind of the point of the test drive but usually it just ends up round the block to see if its knakcered or not. I drove one briefly in the late nineties but cant remember and have passengered in one on a track day which was epic fun.

Its not like you can rent a MK1 MX5 is it ? how do you verify it is actually what you want before going to all the hassle and potentially ending up with something you dont really like ?

[Chrisw666]

J4CKO said:

Its not like you can rent a MK1 MX5 is it ?

http://www.mazda-mx5-hire.co.uk/

http://www.greatescapecars.co.uk/

[Chris71]

I'd try and get a ride with a keen owner who's not trying to sell the car. If it's an enthusiast's car you're bound to find someone who's happy to talk you through the ownership experience, take you out for a ride and maybe let you have a bit of a drive. You can do all that without taking up the time of someone who's looking to secure a sale.

I went round to a friendly local Chimaera-owning PHer before I bought mine, for example, to check if you could get a saxophone case in the boot. I'd never met the guy before, but he was perfectly happy to show off his p&j. Went out for a passenger ride along a good local road and knew instantly I wanted one. Job done.