Losing your petrolhead mojo
Discussion
Having left London 7 or so years ago I've enjoyed blatting around in a fairly eclectic mix of cars - really enjoying driving every day. Cars made so little sense during the week in London, I ran a shed in town and kept a Caterham for the weekend! Since having kids, my daily driver has been almost exclusively a commuter, using a family car at weekends. Having sampled many things I bought a Cayman as in my opinion the ultimate daily drive (in the real world 
) I've always been a borderline obsessive petrolhead with a house full of far too many car mags...
In May this year I was advised I was likely to lose my work parking permit (for nonsensical reasons I'll not go into) - in October this becomes reality. The office is rather in the middle of nowhere with no viable public transport options and no safe / affordable options for parking a half decent car. I tried and tested the scooter option (too slow, unstable and too little road presence) and went on to get a full bike license and get a 600cc bike. This will be my main transport with a sheddy old car for station/icy road days and the Caterham as a weekend/high days /holidays option.
I've really lost all interest in cars
, not renewing my EVO subscription, not toying with what my next car might be - something I've never experienced in the last 20 years.
Anyone else lost interest in cars through circumstance?
) I've always been a borderline obsessive petrolhead with a house full of far too many car mags...In May this year I was advised I was likely to lose my work parking permit (for nonsensical reasons I'll not go into) - in October this becomes reality. The office is rather in the middle of nowhere with no viable public transport options and no safe / affordable options for parking a half decent car. I tried and tested the scooter option (too slow, unstable and too little road presence) and went on to get a full bike license and get a 600cc bike. This will be my main transport with a sheddy old car for station/icy road days and the Caterham as a weekend/high days /holidays option.
I've really lost all interest in cars
, not renewing my EVO subscription, not toying with what my next car might be - something I've never experienced in the last 20 years. Anyone else lost interest in cars through circumstance?
Yeah, couple of crappy dealer experiences and some big household expenses have made me go "f
k it can't be arsed" so just sticking with what I've got for the daily drive and may sell the TVR next spring.
Don't even have time to wash them myself any more...
Maybe in a couple of years time I'll get it back.
Hasn't stopped me doing my usual classifieds dreaming though just can't bring myself to spend the money at present, so all is not lost.
k it can't be arsed" so just sticking with what I've got for the daily drive and may sell the TVR next spring.Don't even have time to wash them myself any more...
Maybe in a couple of years time I'll get it back.
Hasn't stopped me doing my usual classifieds dreaming though just can't bring myself to spend the money at present, so all is not lost.
I lost interest in cars for a while when in London. Got into bikes for a few years. Then got into off roading bike and lost interest in bikes as well. One day on a holiday I decided I simply must have a TVR Cerbera and then had interest in cars again. I'm now only running a 997 C2S as (my) ultimate every day car but even that is so rediculously good at everything I'm starting to lose interest.
Don't sweat it, you will come back after a while or find another interest
Don't sweat it, you will come back after a while or find another interest
Bikes done it for me so still a petrolhead but just less wheels! The Tuscan went because when it was sunny and dry (ideal for the Tuscan) I was always drawn to the bike. The Chim went because I just never used it at all. I have also lost that constant look out for a next car, will keep the E46 M3 (which I haven't driven for about 2 weeks now) I have for a while then probably get an E93 M3 which I imagine will be the end of the road as far as nice cars go. My EVO arrived in the post this week and remains unopened Just feel a slight sense of apathy towards cars recently, where as before they consumed me!
Just feel a slight sense of apathy towards cars recently, where as before they consumed me!I've always been bonkers about cars since I used to sit on my potty (allegedly) going "brrrrm brrrrm" and pushing my toy cars around.
I very nearly came to the "fk it" stage when I owned a Merc R230 SL500 - jesus tittyfking christ that was a st car. Cost me a fortune in repairs, almost all of which weren't "reasonable", they were down to poor design and manufacture and Mercedes making stuff unnecessarily complex and indulging in some sort of technological w@nkfest.
Got rid of it and leased a diesel SLK. Which I loved so much I leased another when it went back - it has very much "de-stressed" me. I now keep my spannering up to date on bikes and the OHs AWD V70, meaning that she has a beautifully maintained car.
I very nearly came to the "f
k it" stage when I owned a Merc R230 SL500 - jesus tittyfking christ that was a st car. Cost me a fortune in repairs, almost all of which weren't "reasonable", they were down to poor design and manufacture and Mercedes making stuff unnecessarily complex and indulging in some sort of technological w@nkfest.Got rid of it and leased a diesel SLK. Which I loved so much I leased another when it went back - it has very much "de-stressed" me. I now keep my spannering up to date on bikes and the OHs AWD V70, meaning that she has a beautifully maintained car.
I used to love driving, but now when I go out for a drive I find myself wanting to end the journey as soon as possible. Where I live the roads are great but the irony is when the weather's good enough to enjoy them they are full of a mixture of people either doing 30mph everywhere or going way too fast around blind corners with their drivers side wheels over the line. Plus the fact that cars are great fun for the 3 months you get between things breaking or needing done.
Fartgalen said:
Please go into the nonsensical reasons.
This. With respect to petrolhead mojo, I feel a bit like that sometimes. I used to be very bothered about what car I had and while i've never had anything exotic, my choice of car has been very important to me. However a few years back I just had to get a car at short notice and running costs swere a major consideration. So i've ended up with an 03 plate Diesel Focus estate which i've been running for 3.5 years now. Recently the chance has arisen for me to replace it with something cheap but more interesting so i've been browsing the classifieds for a car around £3k. Plenty to choose from but part of me is thinking why bother. It's kind of liberating having a car that I don't care about. I dump whatever I want in the boot, I wash it once a year, I don't care if it get's scratched, it's cheap to run and little niggles are just ignored. Someone bumped the back of me a while back and scratched the paint work. I just told them to forget about it because I couldn't be bothered with the hassle of getting the bumper painted. I came out of a shop recently and someone had keyed it but it was a minor irritation. I'm not sure I want to go back to a place where I care if my car gets damaged and having a daft interior rattle bothers me.
Yeah definitely, running costs, 3 kids under 8, working hours and missus who isn't a petrolhead all, being the key reasons why I only ever drive bargain bin snotters these days. 10 years ago, when I was single, used to have a nice classic, and a smart daily, with plenty of time, money, and energy to tinker with and play with them. Have none of these things now, so only bothered about an A-B car.
Having kids steers a completely different set of priorities that puts you off cars.
Plus, there really is no difference at all between modern mid ranged cars so you are left with exotica which is of no use because either you can't fit the kids or they are hoovering up the fun money.
Sports cars before becoming a parent. Crap cars while raising kids. GT when they have fked off. That's life's norm.
Just pity the fathers who had the crap cars before having kids as they now know they've wasted one of life's vital windows. At least you had the Caterham and you can't really better that.
What about a Moggy 3 wheeler and an alarm clock set to 4am?
Plus, there really is no difference at all between modern mid ranged cars so you are left with exotica which is of no use because either you can't fit the kids or they are hoovering up the fun money.
Sports cars before becoming a parent. Crap cars while raising kids. GT when they have f
ked off. That's life's norm. Just pity the fathers who had the crap cars before having kids as they now know they've wasted one of life's vital windows. At least you had the Caterham and you can't really better that.
What about a Moggy 3 wheeler and an alarm clock set to 4am?
I lost interest with cars a while back. I still enjoy a decent steer but I don't aspire to own things anymore. Subscriptions to various mags have long ceased and tbh I don't even buy them when travelling. The tipping point for me was when I realised that I enjoyed tinkering with them more than driving them and when I discovered a new hobby (cycling) I had very little time to actually go for a proper drive. Apart from that the roads are full of traffic, camera's etc so I feel I have probably had the best of it in the 80's and early 90's I still wish I hadn't sold the NSX but we had a new house and all the boring things to do to it therefore it had to go. Even a Caterham became a bit of a chore and with the annual mileage dropping to 1000 or so it was a waste just sitting around. There have been many benefits to no longer giving a damn about cars. I don't worry about car park dents, or where I park it (the shed). I don't have to wash the car every week and then spend hours detailing it only to have a bird dump on it the next day. When I pass a gritter lorry I don't see an increased heart rate and if a stone flicks up underneath my first thought isn't 'I wonder if that chipped the paint?'. There is so much value in older cars with higher mileage. New cars turn me off completely, I just can't see the value..unlike a £5K bike
I still wish I hadn't sold the NSX but we had a new house and all the boring things to do to it therefore it had to go. Even a Caterham became a bit of a chore and with the annual mileage dropping to 1000 or so it was a waste just sitting around. There have been many benefits to no longer giving a damn about cars. I don't worry about car park dents, or where I park it (the shed). I don't have to wash the car every week and then spend hours detailing it only to have a bird dump on it the next day. When I pass a gritter lorry I don't see an increased heart rate and if a stone flicks up underneath my first thought isn't 'I wonder if that chipped the paint?'. There is so much value in older cars with higher mileage. New cars turn me off completely, I just can't see the value..unlike a £5K bike yonex said:
I lost interest with cars a while back. I still enjoy a decent steer but I don't aspire to own things anymore. Subscriptions to various mags have long ceased and tbh I don't even buy them when travelling. The tipping point for me was when I realised that I enjoyed tinkering with them more than driving them and when I discovered a new hobby (cycling) I had very little time to actually go for a proper drive. Apart from that the roads are full of traffic, camera's etc so I feel I have probably had the best of it in the 80's and early 90's I still wish I hadn't sold the NSX but we had a new house and all the boring things to do to it therefore it had to go. Even a Caterham became a bit of a chore and with the annual mileage dropping to 1000 or so it was a waste just sitting around. There have been many benefits to no longer giving a damn about cars. I don't worry about car park dents, or where I park it (the shed). I don't have to wash the car every week and then spend hours detailing it only to have a bird dump on it the next day. When I pass a gritter lorry I don't see an increased heart rate and if a stone flicks up underneath my first thought isn't 'I wonder if that chipped the paint?'. There is so much value in older cars with higher mileage. New cars turn me off completely, I just can't see the value..unlike a £5K bike
Good post. I still wish I hadn't sold the NSX but we had a new house and all the boring things to do to it therefore it had to go. Even a Caterham became a bit of a chore and with the annual mileage dropping to 1000 or so it was a waste just sitting around. There have been many benefits to no longer giving a damn about cars. I don't worry about car park dents, or where I park it (the shed). I don't have to wash the car every week and then spend hours detailing it only to have a bird dump on it the next day. When I pass a gritter lorry I don't see an increased heart rate and if a stone flicks up underneath my first thought isn't 'I wonder if that chipped the paint?'. There is so much value in older cars with higher mileage. New cars turn me off completely, I just can't see the value..unlike a £5K bike jcelee said:
Deciding length of tenure should be the only determinant of who gets a permit, regardless of distance traveled, availability of public transport, business criticality, child care responsibilities, seniority (with the exception of the very most senior of course)...
You aren't moving to an office in Staines/Feltham are you? It sounds very similar to a situation i am in. My car mojo is mostly going becuase they cost a f
king bomb to do anything fun with. I'm taking my car to scotland for a week, i have to head up to the highlands for a family thing so adding a quick loop of some of the better roads in and i'm looking at £300+ in petrol for a weekend, and it will finish off my tyres, and the car is in for tracking tomorrow to make sure it's good on the roads and this is before accomadation, food or being stuck on the M6 for 4 hours on Firday night.
It's f
king stupid.I don't quite get how having to use a cheaper car or superbike to commute can have such a negative effect on your petrolhead mojo when you know that there is a Catherham sat in the garage ready and waiting. Perhaps you need some track time!
I've never associated a person's "petrolheadness" (not a real word is it) by the car they drive, I guess I know too many people who you spot around town in a ropey series 1 land Rover or Merc estate whilst the super cars/classics rest and others who have for example a Mini diesel as a daily driver but is absolutely motorsport mad travelling all around the world to see F1 etc.
I've never associated a person's "petrolheadness" (not a real word is it) by the car they drive, I guess I know too many people who you spot around town in a ropey series 1 land Rover or Merc estate whilst the super cars/classics rest and others who have for example a Mini diesel as a daily driver but is absolutely motorsport mad travelling all around the world to see F1 etc.
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