Guilty secrets...
Discussion
What cars do you like but cannot really justify, or your love of them simply defies conventionally held opinion? I have rather eclectic taste so will keep my list quite short as I could rattle on and on...
I would love a late model Vauxhall Insignia GSi, petrol or diesel, no preference. They are not that quick but I love the way they look and the vast cabin...they just seem 'old school', and I love a big Vauxhall...
Volvo V60 Polestar, but the 4 pot turbo/supercharged job. I'd have one of these over any equivelant quick Audi or BMW and bask in the knowledge I am in an inferior car...but I just love them...
Nissan 370z Nismo. Over a Cayman? Or Z4? Yes, all day, every day. Old school charm, kids sketch book styling, big old bruiser likely poorer in every way to the competition but I don't WANT the competition...
Porsche Boxster 718...but in base four pot spec. My dream porsche. And I don't know why.
That's four to go on with, there are many, many more, but I feel so much better after this brief confession...
I would love a late model Vauxhall Insignia GSi, petrol or diesel, no preference. They are not that quick but I love the way they look and the vast cabin...they just seem 'old school', and I love a big Vauxhall...
Volvo V60 Polestar, but the 4 pot turbo/supercharged job. I'd have one of these over any equivelant quick Audi or BMW and bask in the knowledge I am in an inferior car...but I just love them...
Nissan 370z Nismo. Over a Cayman? Or Z4? Yes, all day, every day. Old school charm, kids sketch book styling, big old bruiser likely poorer in every way to the competition but I don't WANT the competition...
Porsche Boxster 718...but in base four pot spec. My dream porsche. And I don't know why.
That's four to go on with, there are many, many more, but I feel so much better after this brief confession...
Corrado VR6. Already put myself through this trauma once, in the early 2000s when bits were relatively easy to obtain. Just as well, as it was easily the most unreliable car I’ve ever owned. I can’t imagine how much more difficult it would be to maintain now, but for sheer FWD handling and a lovely engine note, I’d have another go.
Lotus Elan M100. A late series 2 car, as they have about 100 improvements over the earlier cars, but they still sound like a ballache to own. Don’t care, however annoyed I’ll be with myself, I need to get it out of my system.
Widebody Mitsubishi Starion Turbo. I’m starting to get an unhealthy obsession with these, and my Boxster S may well be the victim of circumstances should I find the right car, and space be required.
Another Lexus IS-F. No justification required, a brilliant, none obvious choice compared to the competition.
Lotus Elan M100. A late series 2 car, as they have about 100 improvements over the earlier cars, but they still sound like a ballache to own. Don’t care, however annoyed I’ll be with myself, I need to get it out of my system.
Widebody Mitsubishi Starion Turbo. I’m starting to get an unhealthy obsession with these, and my Boxster S may well be the victim of circumstances should I find the right car, and space be required.
Another Lexus IS-F. No justification required, a brilliant, none obvious choice compared to the competition.
biggbn said:
Volvo V60 Polestar
Nissan 370z Nismo.
Nissan 370z Nismo.
Heaveho said:
Corrado VR6.
Lotus Elan M100.
Widebody Mitsubishi Starion Turbo.
Another Lexus IS-F.
Perfectly reasonable, if eclectic IMO.Lotus Elan M100.
Widebody Mitsubishi Starion Turbo.
Another Lexus IS-F.
biggbn said:
Vauxhall Insignia GSi
Porsche Boxster 718 4 pot.
Ok, this is odd!! Porsche Boxster 718 4 pot.
The nearest to a guilty secret I have is a massive desire for an F-type (in a few years when the kids don't need transporting everywhere...) but thinking I should just get an ND MX5 as they're almost as good looking and much cheaper to run.
P38 Range Rover. They were crap new and they’re worse now but there’s something about them, especially the special editions like the Holland and Holland and the Overfinchs back when they shoehorned V8 Chevy engines under the bonnet.
Lincoln LS. I know it’s just aJag S-Type underneath but the LS the closest thing in terms of looks to the Sentinel from Grand Theft Auto III.
Toyota Land Cruiser 70 series. Expensive and probably a massive pain both logistically and financially to maintain but it could be the last car I ever buy.
I also echo OP’s statement on the Insignia.
Lincoln LS. I know it’s just aJag S-Type underneath but the LS the closest thing in terms of looks to the Sentinel from Grand Theft Auto III.
Toyota Land Cruiser 70 series. Expensive and probably a massive pain both logistically and financially to maintain but it could be the last car I ever buy.
I also echo OP’s statement on the Insignia.
Heaveho said:
Corrado VR6. Already put myself through this trauma once, in the early 2000s when bits were relatively easy to obtain. Just as well, as it was easily the most unreliable car I ve ever owned. I can t imagine how much more difficult it would be to maintain now, but for sheer FWD handling and a lovely engine note, I d have another go.
Lotus Elan M100. A late series 2 car, as they have about 100 improvements over the earlier cars, but they still sound like a ballache to own. Don t care, however annoyed I ll be with myself, I need to get it out of my system.
Widebody Mitsubishi Starion Turbo. I m starting to get an unhealthy obsession with these, and my Boxster S may well be the victim of circumstances should I find the right car, and space be required.
Another Lexus IS-F. No justification required, a brilliant, none obvious choice compared to the competition.
Corrado VR6 for me too. My uncle owned dealer 810 in Cumbria and I saw the last Storm (Green with beige) they had for sale sitting for months unsold and un reg. it went in the end but I loved that thing.Lotus Elan M100. A late series 2 car, as they have about 100 improvements over the earlier cars, but they still sound like a ballache to own. Don t care, however annoyed I ll be with myself, I need to get it out of my system.
Widebody Mitsubishi Starion Turbo. I m starting to get an unhealthy obsession with these, and my Boxster S may well be the victim of circumstances should I find the right car, and space be required.
Another Lexus IS-F. No justification required, a brilliant, none obvious choice compared to the competition.
Will add Polo G40 to the list too.
Proof I definitely don't feel the need to keep up with the Joneses!
125bhp 1.8 with heated seats, AC and cruise.
I like the idea of a mechanically simple point and squirt thing that I don't need to be precious about and I can fix anything on it for buttons. I don't think they rot, metal roof seems to work on most I see for sale for under £1k. I know for sure there are approx. 1,000,000 other cars that fit that description, but my background and stupid brand loyalty mean I keep looking at these on Marketplace.
Always wanted a mark 4 Honda Prelude even now when they are not that fast and have a ghastly interior. Could never afford one when I was younger. The other guilty secret is my lust for a Ferrari 612 which most people seem to despise along with a manual 456. My other guilty secret was a Flying Spur but I scratched that itch and it’s now a guilty pleasure.
geeks said:
Zafira GSi, don't need one, I know the reputation of such things on PH, I know they are likely terrible, don't really know why but I have always wanted one.
I can understand this having accidently owned one, it was a main agent part ex deemed scrap. Which really means the person in charge saw no value in sending it to auction and they had given 200 quid or less for it. It seems there are plenty of people who think the same, after giving it a good thrashing for a few days I advertised it for a very sensible price, it was paid for unseen including a delivery charge 30 minutes later. My email went into overdrive.
I thought it was a lot of fun for not a lot of money, well specced quick thing for the family lol, cannot be any worse than a hot hatch to own ?
A properly sorted 1960s Mini Cooper S.
I learnt to drive in one, my parent's rally car when I was 15 and loved it to bits.
1330 cc Broadspeed converted, just about reached 100 mph wuth everything shaking.
I learnt to drive proper at 17 in an 848cc Mini, PNU 315E.
The only other car that came close to Mini handling for me was a Peugeot 205.
For about the next 25 years I compared the drive of every car I owned or drove to the Minis, and was left feeling short changed.
Right up to the day I part exchanged my Renault Safrane for a 5 year old Lexus LS 400 mark 1 in 1995.
The rear wheel drive and the smooth 4 litre V8 were a world apart from anything else I had driven up to then.
I have driven a Mini some distance since then, a 1988 Mini in 2001.
I managed to get from Cambridge to Birmingham in appaling traffic and dire weather before actually falling out of the car at a service station on the M6 due to severe cramp in my left leg.
So I hanker after both an old style Mini or a Lexus 400/430/460 now, but the answer has to be no.
Comfort for a now 72 year old frame being lacking from the Mini, and the lack of a dog department in the Lexus.
All my cars now have to have a dog department, though the back seat of the Mini plus a harness could do at a pinch.
I learnt to drive in one, my parent's rally car when I was 15 and loved it to bits.
1330 cc Broadspeed converted, just about reached 100 mph wuth everything shaking.
I learnt to drive proper at 17 in an 848cc Mini, PNU 315E.
The only other car that came close to Mini handling for me was a Peugeot 205.
For about the next 25 years I compared the drive of every car I owned or drove to the Minis, and was left feeling short changed.
Right up to the day I part exchanged my Renault Safrane for a 5 year old Lexus LS 400 mark 1 in 1995.
The rear wheel drive and the smooth 4 litre V8 were a world apart from anything else I had driven up to then.
I have driven a Mini some distance since then, a 1988 Mini in 2001.
I managed to get from Cambridge to Birmingham in appaling traffic and dire weather before actually falling out of the car at a service station on the M6 due to severe cramp in my left leg.
So I hanker after both an old style Mini or a Lexus 400/430/460 now, but the answer has to be no.
Comfort for a now 72 year old frame being lacking from the Mini, and the lack of a dog department in the Lexus.
All my cars now have to have a dog department, though the back seat of the Mini plus a harness could do at a pinch.
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