Do certain cars make you drive like a p****?
Discussion
Having spent another weekend getting tailgated by low spec Audis whilst driving the speed limit, my question is, is it always the person or do some cars/vehicles just make you drive like a p*ick?
If I'm honest, I probably drove like a bit of a p*ick when I owned my Peugeot 205 GTi but my excuse is that it wasn't that pleasant/comfortable to drive slowly in and was much more enjoyable with a "flat out" everywhere approach but probably through luck, I never actually got a speeding ticket in it! The cars that I owned either side (Astra 1.4 and MX5), I drove quite normally.
I was a bit older when I owned my Impreza WRX, so mostly drove it sensibly but sometimes the urge to drop it into 3rd and blast past a line of traffic on a wave of boost was too strong to ignore but it could cruise in a relaxed manner too. The Evo VIII that I had a brief drive in was probably worse in this respect. Like my 205, not a very enjoyable car to drive slowly in ie a bit laggy and crashy but when fully lit, an entirely different matter! But I made the right choice with the WRX, as I wouldn't have held onto my licence for long in the Evo! I've not ridden a 1 litre sports bike but if it's anything like an Evo, that would explain a lot too!
Finally, a white Ford Transit c. 2013 (pre-Transit Custom). Now the large white van driver is right up there with the low spec Audi A3/A4 driver typically in the drive like a p*ick stakes but having experienced one first hand, it kind of makes a bit more sense to me now. The power delivery was a bit all-or-nothing, the clutch very switch-like, the NVH like nothing else I have ever expereienced and the seat so uncomfortable and unsupportive (like a church pew) that I couldn't get to my destination quick enough so that I could stop driving it. I may have tailgated a few people in the outside lane to coax them out of the way and thrown my weight around in a few width restrictions, as who's going to argue with a Transit? I need to rent a large van in a few weeks for a house move, so I'll see if they have got any more comfortable/refined and I quite fancy a Transporter/Transit Custom Kombi as a do-it-all family workhorse, so that will be interesting to see!
So, if you're a p*ick, are you always going to drive like one whatever you are driving or is sometimes the car responsible/partly responsible?
If I'm honest, I probably drove like a bit of a p*ick when I owned my Peugeot 205 GTi but my excuse is that it wasn't that pleasant/comfortable to drive slowly in and was much more enjoyable with a "flat out" everywhere approach but probably through luck, I never actually got a speeding ticket in it! The cars that I owned either side (Astra 1.4 and MX5), I drove quite normally.
I was a bit older when I owned my Impreza WRX, so mostly drove it sensibly but sometimes the urge to drop it into 3rd and blast past a line of traffic on a wave of boost was too strong to ignore but it could cruise in a relaxed manner too. The Evo VIII that I had a brief drive in was probably worse in this respect. Like my 205, not a very enjoyable car to drive slowly in ie a bit laggy and crashy but when fully lit, an entirely different matter! But I made the right choice with the WRX, as I wouldn't have held onto my licence for long in the Evo! I've not ridden a 1 litre sports bike but if it's anything like an Evo, that would explain a lot too!
Finally, a white Ford Transit c. 2013 (pre-Transit Custom). Now the large white van driver is right up there with the low spec Audi A3/A4 driver typically in the drive like a p*ick stakes but having experienced one first hand, it kind of makes a bit more sense to me now. The power delivery was a bit all-or-nothing, the clutch very switch-like, the NVH like nothing else I have ever expereienced and the seat so uncomfortable and unsupportive (like a church pew) that I couldn't get to my destination quick enough so that I could stop driving it. I may have tailgated a few people in the outside lane to coax them out of the way and thrown my weight around in a few width restrictions, as who's going to argue with a Transit? I need to rent a large van in a few weeks for a house move, so I'll see if they have got any more comfortable/refined and I quite fancy a Transporter/Transit Custom Kombi as a do-it-all family workhorse, so that will be interesting to see!
So, if you're a p*ick, are you always going to drive like one whatever you are driving or is sometimes the car responsible/partly responsible?
Edited by Starsky80 on Tuesday 1st September 23:18
TBH I drove like that in every car I had until I bought a Ford Scorpio 2.8i Auto in my early thirties that just didn't encourage that sort of thing!
A string of fairly mundane cars followed until I bought a Seat Leon Cupra in my early 40s and that brought out the inner hooligan again, although I was over the p**** stage by then.
But then I bought my first BMW after that so everyone assumed I was a p**** until Audi took over prickdom!
A string of fairly mundane cars followed until I bought a Seat Leon Cupra in my early 40s and that brought out the inner hooligan again, although I was over the p**** stage by then.
But then I bought my first BMW after that so everyone assumed I was a p**** until Audi took over prickdom!
Not a car, but a bike. I had a Honda CRF450R supermoto, titanium and carbon everything, full titanium Akrapovic exhaust that spat flame on the overrun. For some reason it just made me ride like an utter t
t, wheelies everywhere, popping and banging and it stood out like a sore thumb.
I stopped riding it as I was going to get myself in bother.
t, wheelies everywhere, popping and banging and it stood out like a sore thumb. I stopped riding it as I was going to get myself in bother.
Age more than type of car I'd say. Certain types of car attract a certain age group.
17-25 I know I did things and made overtakes in my Ford Focus that when I find myself there in a much more powerful car at the age of 40 I quite often wonder wtf my friends and I were thinking.
The people I know of with low spec Audis are young sales reps (newer ones) or younger guys in older ones.
17-25 I know I did things and made overtakes in my Ford Focus that when I find myself there in a much more powerful car at the age of 40 I quite often wonder wtf my friends and I were thinking.
The people I know of with low spec Audis are young sales reps (newer ones) or younger guys in older ones.
I've been a bit racy in the past. XR2i, XR3i, 325i Sport. Then others that were interesting/worthy if you're a car-person.
I'm now running a FF W212 E63 from 2010 which I'm actually a little bit scared to fully open the taps on. Amazing engine and overall character but a bit old Nokia inside. fking love it though..
We've just bought an 2017 mapped Mini Cooper that is quite frankly the best hooner I've had since the XR2. It digs,skips,nips, jiggles and flies to a hilarious degree. I walk past the E63 (10 MPG when switched off overnight...I swear!
) to this little Mini.
Full circle
I'm now running a FF W212 E63 from 2010 which I'm actually a little bit scared to fully open the taps on. Amazing engine and overall character but a bit old Nokia inside. f
king love it though.. We've just bought an 2017 mapped Mini Cooper that is quite frankly the best hooner I've had since the XR2. It digs,skips,nips, jiggles and flies to a hilarious degree. I walk past the E63 (10 MPG when switched off overnight...I swear!
) to this little Mini.Full circle
Edited by Bubbas Grill on Wednesday 2nd September 00:29
I think that sporty cars with firm setups and high revving engines can bring out the worst in people- it has done with me for sure. Now I’m a bit older maybe less so but I do find that with the Flying Spur I waft along serenely and never drive like a dick nor get wound up by other bad drivers
German cars in particular seem to be the domain of the p**** these days, Mercs seem to be quite popular, i had one catch me up this morning on the way to work. It's a 30 limit and i was doing 27mph and he must have been doing 50 the speed he caught me up, then swerving all over the road, flashing his headlights in an attempt to make me go faster all because he was late for work.
BMW 1 series, especially the 135 and 140 seem to be driving by merchants who seem to think everyone wants to hear their car pop and bang and usually found slowing down for bridges before flooring it.
BMW 1 series, especially the 135 and 140 seem to be driving by merchants who seem to think everyone wants to hear their car pop and bang and usually found slowing down for bridges before flooring it.
Entry level TDI cars seem to attract a certain type, especially as second owners. Many of these are a bit dim and don t understand how to drive these engines smoothly.
Put foot all the way down, nothing, nothing and then whoosh. You re on the verge of kissing the car in front. Now, you feel your progress is being curtailed so you flash your lights and beep your horn as you don t have the road awareness to overtake.
This applies to diesel from other manufacturers.
Put foot all the way down, nothing, nothing and then whoosh. You re on the verge of kissing the car in front. Now, you feel your progress is being curtailed so you flash your lights and beep your horn as you don t have the road awareness to overtake.
This applies to diesel from other manufacturers.
Edited by Moodyman1 on Wednesday 2nd September 08:00
I will be 60 in a few months and to be truthful I still drive like a prick whenever possible...but I choose the place and time to do it.
Having bikes from when I was 16 years old only upped my addiction to speed, my first taste of acceleration from a 600cc sports bike was a day I will never forget...and a 1000cc is just mental.
It doesn't matter what I drive I'll still have a go in it, over the years I've had some in-between cars while waiting on the nice ones to arrive and had a great time driving them, K11 Micra, a wreck of a Polo estate, a bog standard Astra and a Polo Coupe...all got driven on their door handles.
This behaviour is why I can't stand people dawdling along, they are spoiling my fun.
Having bikes from when I was 16 years old only upped my addiction to speed, my first taste of acceleration from a 600cc sports bike was a day I will never forget...and a 1000cc is just mental.
It doesn't matter what I drive I'll still have a go in it, over the years I've had some in-between cars while waiting on the nice ones to arrive and had a great time driving them, K11 Micra, a wreck of a Polo estate, a bog standard Astra and a Polo Coupe...all got driven on their door handles.
This behaviour is why I can't stand people dawdling along, they are spoiling my fun.
My wife owned a Ford Focus ST Mk2.5 for about three years.
I freely admit that ever time i got behind the wheel of that car, I drove it like a lunatic - there was just something about it that encouraged you to thrash it!
I would clarify, though - no tailgating, dangerous overtaking or general Audi driver stupidity. Just fast everywhere when i could get away with it.
I freely admit that ever time i got behind the wheel of that car, I drove it like a lunatic - there was just something about it that encouraged you to thrash it!
I would clarify, though - no tailgating, dangerous overtaking or general Audi driver stupidity. Just fast everywhere when i could get away with it.
mac96 said:
So, from the thread so far, if we want a relaxed drive, we have to drive a Flying Spur (nice if you can afford it but few made) or a Rover 75 (old, probably unreliable, and not many left anyway).
So that leaves the other 99,9% of us with a problem!
I don't think anyone mentioned a Flying Spur or that 99.9% of people had a problem.So that leaves the other 99,9% of us with a problem!
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