If you had to choose...

[TameRacingDriver]

You have a limited budget. You have to decide what you would prefer that you can afford.

Would you:-

1. Have a less powerful car, but could drive twice as often due to economy, or...

2. Have a car twice as powerful, but could only drive half as often

And why...?

[kambites]

Less power. I don't rate power in road cars much anyway.

[pthelazyjourno]

Lotus or Caterham, job done.

[eldar]

kambites said:

Less power. I don't rate power in road cars much anyway.

Agreed. Less power means more anticipating, planning and road reading. Different skills needed.

[shambollic]

Could you not just get a better paid job?

[Jasandjules]

More power than my Chimaera or the Passat?

[Fantuzzi]

pthelazyjourno said:

Lotus or Caterham, job done.

THIS, plus Elise.

[Meoricin]

The starting point needs to be defined. More time driving would be fine, but if you're comparing a 60bhp car to a 120bhp car, with a driving time of up to 3 hours a week vs 6 hours, then the decision is a bit different to comparing a 500bhp car to a 1000bhp car, with a driving time of 30min vs 1hr.

[anonymous-user]

On Track: Less power, More time
On road: Less time, More power

[TameRacingDriver]

Meoricin said:

The starting point needs to be defined. More time driving would be fine, but if you're comparing a 60bhp car to a 120bhp car, with a driving time of up to 3 hours a week vs 6 hours, then the decision is a bit different to comparing a 500bhp car to a 1000bhp car, with a driving time of 30min vs 1hr.

OK, for the sake of argument:-

Less powerful car = 100 bhp / tonne @ 40 MPG

More powerful car = 200 bhp / tonne @ 20 MPG

[Steffan]

The sheer unadulterated direct driving experience that I get from ultralight V8 sports cars is the nearest I can still get to pure pleasure not involving a woman. I no longer need to drive on business. Rattling along country byeways (safely) in a real rocket is pure pleasure for me.

I can understand that motorway barges are great for cruising on crowded roads. I choose to barrel along leafy lanes instead. Being 4 inches off the floor does add a certain piquancy. Forty miles of pure fun is my daily tonic when conditions and SWMBO allows.

[otolith]

Difficult to answer, because the thing that stops me spending more time driving is lack of time, not lack of fuel. That was even the case when i had the RX-8. Also complicated by the tendency for cars intended to be fun to be given more power, and for low powered cars to have uncharismatic engines. I can't think of many recent 100bhp/ton cars that I also happen to find interesting.