Is there any point in having a quick car in the SE anymore
Discussion
ust something I've noticed a lot recently, don't get me wrong I appreciate performance cars a lot but I find myself asking if there's any point in having one in SE England, particularly as a daily driver.
The roads are nearly always busy due to sheer volume of traffic(plus constantly getting slowed up by cyclists re inacting the Olympic route but that's another topic) and there is a huge lack of 'good' driving roads compared to up North, Scotland etc.
I enjoy my car, the sound, the looks and yes the power on the rare opportunity I get to use it, but am increasingly starting to think what's the point as for most journeys it's a case of shoveling triple the amount of petrol in to sit in the same traffic jams.
Has anyone else in London/The Home Counties come to a similar view?.
The roads are nearly always busy due to sheer volume of traffic(plus constantly getting slowed up by cyclists re inacting the Olympic route but that's another topic) and there is a huge lack of 'good' driving roads compared to up North, Scotland etc.
I enjoy my car, the sound, the looks and yes the power on the rare opportunity I get to use it, but am increasingly starting to think what's the point as for most journeys it's a case of shoveling triple the amount of petrol in to sit in the same traffic jams.
Has anyone else in London/The Home Counties come to a similar view?.
Was in the same postion that i couldnt justify the total expense of running my old Z4MC. Its not like that its even that expensive to fuel and run but the limited chances of using as it should just meant it was a waste 90% of the time and that 90% was a bloody expensive choice of car to use.
I however miss it like crazy and although my 1 series is more than good enough with its toys and comforts its back end cant be prevocked unless its damp and the tractor sound at idling around is just horrid.
I have very fond memorys of early morning commutes through edinburgh on the cobble streets not going anywhere fast but enjoying the sound and the moments of being a nob with getting the back end to skip out.
But i now get free(ish) servicing, no tax and 50 mpg... thats compared to (for this year anyway) £1100 servicing, £475 tax and 23mpg oh and £900 for warrenty.
I however miss it like crazy and although my 1 series is more than good enough with its toys and comforts its back end cant be prevocked unless its damp and the tractor sound at idling around is just horrid.
I have very fond memorys of early morning commutes through edinburgh on the cobble streets not going anywhere fast but enjoying the sound and the moments of being a nob with getting the back end to skip out.
But i now get free(ish) servicing, no tax and 50 mpg... thats compared to (for this year anyway) £1100 servicing, £475 tax and 23mpg oh and £900 for warrenty.
So you don't drive around Hertfordshire then.
A414 from M1 to Hertford. Is this road unrestricted because I can be into 3 figures and various performance exotica flash past as if I'm stood still.
Re Z4MC. Never had a warranty and have never needed it. Had it 4 years, been all over in it in all weathers and yes, parts do fail - it needs a new drivers side cup holder.
A414 from M1 to Hertford. Is this road unrestricted because I can be into 3 figures and various performance exotica flash past as if I'm stood still.
Re Z4MC. Never had a warranty and have never needed it. Had it 4 years, been all over in it in all weathers and yes, parts do fail - it needs a new drivers side cup holder.
This is one of the reasons I sold my old Alpina. Even going out early on a Sunday morning, the roads are busy and there aren't many decent ones in the south east (I live in Hertfordshire). Maybe doing trackdays in the past and trips to the Alps have shown me how good roads can actually be.
Having lived in the SE and Scotland I feel reasonably capable of answering.
Yes, Scotland has some amazing roads - Borders, A1 past Berwick for the coastal view, anything north of Fife - pretty much driving nirvana, but a bit of a spread to get to these places.
The SE doesn't have this in any great degree, but there are some good roads.
For starters, the A414 is a cracker - Welwyn out past Herford is always a winner. Some of the back roads of Essex around Rochford/Rayleigh are a blast - so keeping a performance car has its merits, but I agree there is less on offer than the more notable places.
Yes, Scotland has some amazing roads - Borders, A1 past Berwick for the coastal view, anything north of Fife - pretty much driving nirvana, but a bit of a spread to get to these places.
The SE doesn't have this in any great degree, but there are some good roads.
For starters, the A414 is a cracker - Welwyn out past Herford is always a winner. Some of the back roads of Essex around Rochford/Rayleigh are a blast - so keeping a performance car has its merits, but I agree there is less on offer than the more notable places.
This is the first time I've seen a question like this qualified with the "SE" bit. In all other similar threads "Why have a fast car?" etc, the question is usually asked by people hailing from the SE and fails to note that the sheer population density is not present throughout the whole of the UK.
To answer... probably not unless you regularly drive outside of the area. If you remain local (and therefore stuck with the traffic), I'd have thought a nice V6 turbo diesel would provide you with a brisk pace and acceleration when required, mixed with some reasonable efficiency.
To answer... probably not unless you regularly drive outside of the area. If you remain local (and therefore stuck with the traffic), I'd have thought a nice V6 turbo diesel would provide you with a brisk pace and acceleration when required, mixed with some reasonable efficiency.
). Walter Sobchak said:
ust something I've noticed a lot recently, don't get me wrong I appreciate performance cars a lot but I find myself asking if there's any point in having one in SE England, particularly as a daily driver.
The roads are nearly always busy due to sheer volume of traffic(plus constantly getting slowed up by cyclists re inacting the Olympic route but that's another topic) and there is a huge lack of 'good' driving roads compared to up North, Scotland etc.
I enjoy my car, the sound, the looks and yes the power on the rare opportunity I get to use it, but am increasingly starting to think what's the point as for most journeys it's a case of shoveling triple the amount of petrol in to sit in the same traffic jams.
Has anyone else in London/The Home Counties come to a similar view?.
I think if you go in with that view and attitude, then no, there is no point.The roads are nearly always busy due to sheer volume of traffic(plus constantly getting slowed up by cyclists re inacting the Olympic route but that's another topic) and there is a huge lack of 'good' driving roads compared to up North, Scotland etc.
I enjoy my car, the sound, the looks and yes the power on the rare opportunity I get to use it, but am increasingly starting to think what's the point as for most journeys it's a case of shoveling triple the amount of petrol in to sit in the same traffic jams.
Has anyone else in London/The Home Counties come to a similar view?.
But the reality is, there are still plenty of great and quiet roads in the SE. But if all you do is drive trunk roads and city centres. Then you are just missing out.
And I'm sure if you commuted in or around Manchester it really wouldn't be all that different.
You need to plan some fun drives to make it worthwhile these days.
Could mean getting up early/late night runs when things are quiet. Or like I have done, plan some road trips to Wales/Scotland/Europe where you can really enjoy the car for what it was made for.
One of these trips every few months will make it worthwhile.
Either that or regular track days. Basically anything that will give you a chance to really use the car as in daily driving that just doesn't happen often at all now.
Could mean getting up early/late night runs when things are quiet. Or like I have done, plan some road trips to Wales/Scotland/Europe where you can really enjoy the car for what it was made for.
One of these trips every few months will make it worthwhile.
Either that or regular track days. Basically anything that will give you a chance to really use the car as in daily driving that just doesn't happen often at all now.
I'm with you OP. I used to drive up and down the M4 everyday in my XJR averaging 23mpg. I must have been able to use more than 50% power about twice a week when a miraculous gap appeared in the traffic.
I had a break from that trip earlier in the year so sold the XJR.
However, my new contract has me back doing the same trip again. But this time I decided diesel was the way to go as the out and out power of the XJR was totally wasted.
So I bought myself a RR TDV8, which is way slower than the XJR, but still more than nippy enough for the motorway and is more of an "occasion" to drive after 6 years in XJRs.
And an added bonus is the extra 3mpg from the RR TDV8 !
I had a break from that trip earlier in the year so sold the XJR.
However, my new contract has me back doing the same trip again. But this time I decided diesel was the way to go as the out and out power of the XJR was totally wasted.
So I bought myself a RR TDV8, which is way slower than the XJR, but still more than nippy enough for the motorway and is more of an "occasion" to drive after 6 years in XJRs.
And an added bonus is the extra 3mpg from the RR TDV8 !
Bearing in mind that all roads in the uk are subject to increasingly ridulous speed limits and even worse draconian enforcement together with the points,bans issue etc etc there's not a lot of point in having anything that's even reasonably quick unless it's going to be taken to the continent regularly.In which case it's mainly just the risk of some fines depending on where it is and at what times of the day.
Edited by XJ Flyer on Thursday 17th October 14:23
Rawwr said:
One thing I don't think I'll ever understand is why people want a performance car for commuting. I'm never in that much of a hurry to get to work.
I'm with you there, the majority of my driving is commuting, so I drive a diesel with enough poke to be able to overtake the dawdlers on the rare occasion there isn't anything coming the other way. If I want to have fun I'll take the bike...to somewhere outside the South East.
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