Are new cars dull?

[01samuelr]

Had my car for over 2 years and starting to get that itch to change it. It's a astra vxr whilst being a good at everything i need it to be car, I want something else, something like a classic scoob in the shape of a rb5. What i want is the enjoyment i used to have chucking a £800 MG ZR down the back roads, do you internet people think a classic scoob will give me that.

Basically is the way to an exiting car a jump back in time?

Edited by 01samuelr on Sunday 29th September 20:48

[schmalex]

To be honest, I don't think you'd get any more pleasure from a Subaru.

A classic Subaru is a very quick and capable car and you'll only end up using a tiny percentage of its capability driving on the road.

Something you can drive at 9/10 on the road would be a lot more fun IMO

ETA Yes they are dull. I find it very difficult to get inspired by modern day cars. They have no soul, no passion, no quirks.

I have a damn sight more fun driving my old S3 Land Rober than my every day car, as the Landy is an exercise in maintaining momentum and getting the lines through corners right as, with a top speed of 58, if you cock a corner up or have o lose a lot of speed, it takes an age to build it back up again.

Edited by schmalex on Sunday 29th September 21:09

[Jasandjules]

Yes they are. Generally far too removed from the actual drive IMHO.

Something like a MK1 MR2 is as lot of bang for your buck (and perhaps more rust than you can shake a stick at too).

[xRIEx]

I don't think they are any moreso than new cars of old (IYSWIM), it's just that, from my point of view, I can't afford the interesting new ones. The old interesting ones I can afford (or can pretend I can afford).

[alephnull]

I drove the new Evoque recently, and it felt very 'engineered'. The gearchange was so anodyne. Barely any noise or sensation of speed, ever. Steering felt pretty disconnected...I found it very boring to drive, but easy to do some major motorway miles.

[torres del paine]

Not this st again!

Plenty of old/ classic cars that are dull and crap to boot.

So no.

Sometimes I wonder if this place has been infiltrated by members of the Morris Marina owners club.

[Monkeylegend]

torres del paine said:

Not this st again!

Plenty of old/ classic cars that are dull and crap to boot.

So no.

Sometimes I wonder if this place has been infiltrated by members of the Morris Marina owners club.

I owned a Morris Marina for 4 years, it was dull.

[Wacky Racer]

Yes definitely dull. They start when you want them to, have efficient engines that return good mpg figures, stop when you want them to, and very rarely leak oil or break down.

[Wills2]

An old exciting car is still exciting, same goes for a new exciting car.

As for the post about the Evoque, were you really surprised it was dull?

Dull whether old or new is dull.

[J4CKO]

torres del paine said:

Not this st again!

Plenty of old/ classic cars that are dull and crap to boot.

So no.

Sometimes I wonder if this place has been infiltrated by members of the Morris Marina owners club.

You have to choose the right modern, just gone to a 350Z and it is as characterful and enjoyable as the 944 that it replaced, but then the 350Z is meant to feel a bit old school, Mustangs have a similar feel, I think most hot hatches are pretty engaging and to be honest, our Citroen C1 has a fair bit of enjoyment for something with no power, even the Galaxy handles and goes well, I used to think old cars were the zenith but they really arent, especially when you take in the lack of dependability, speaking as someone who has been stranded by a 944 a few weeks back and someone who assisted my uncle with his temporarily broken (but still lovely) Riley earlier today, just ignore age, if you like a car of any age, just go for it and be sure of your spannering with older ones, it comes with the territory.

[T0MMY]

For what it's worth , I had a classic JDM WRX and whilst it was extremely capable, I always felt I would either die in it or end up in jail as you had to be going at warp speed to feel like you were pushing it round corners.

I bought an MX5 for my missus and it was so much more fun to drive that I reclaimed it off her and sold the scooby. If you want a good all rounder that's practical (forgetting fuel economy) and brilliant for covering ground quickly then they're great, but for pure enjoyment the MX5 was far better for the road (and track). To be fair though if I had to have a 4 seater again I'd get another one, or a 306GTI6/Xsara VTS if any good ones still exist. They're very very good too, never would have thought I could enjoy a FWD so much.

Seriously though, whilst I know it's become the default answer on here and I never thought I could stomach so little power, MX5s really are bloody brilliant if you're a keen driver.

Edited by T0MMY on Sunday 29th September 22:59