3 things you Love & Hate about your car..
Discussion
Jaguar XK8 4.2
Love:
The looks: (IMHO) it's one of the best looking cars ever made. The late Geoff Lawson simply drew a pretty shape and then put the pen down.
The interior: it's err...cosy shall we say but very nice and well made.
The engine: Only 300bhp on tap, but it sounds fantastic. The 4.2 is reliable too once they sorted the tensioners/water pump out!
Hate:
The weight: It handles fine, but the weight and lack of steering feel mean it just doesn't drive as well as it should. Blunts the performance too.
Lack of space: Interior is very cramped. No space for anything.
The gearbox: The ZF6 is ok, but its very slow and dim-witted compared to the ZF8 in the F-Type. Also, no flappy paddles/manual mode, only J-Gate.
Love:
The looks: (IMHO) it's one of the best looking cars ever made. The late Geoff Lawson simply drew a pretty shape and then put the pen down.
The interior: it's err...cosy shall we say but very nice and well made.
The engine: Only 300bhp on tap, but it sounds fantastic. The 4.2 is reliable too once they sorted the tensioners/water pump out!
Hate:
The weight: It handles fine, but the weight and lack of steering feel mean it just doesn't drive as well as it should. Blunts the performance too.
Lack of space: Interior is very cramped. No space for anything.
The gearbox: The ZF6 is ok, but its very slow and dim-witted compared to the ZF8 in the F-Type. Also, no flappy paddles/manual mode, only J-Gate.
Honda CR-V iVTEC 2nd Gen 2006
Love
1. The engine makes a nice noise, even though its supposed to be the economy version of the engine.
2. The face people always think its going to get stuck where others have failed and got stuck & just doesn't and keeps going.
3. The amount of space.
Hate
1. Almost everyone presumes its either a woman's car or I am over 70 years of age driving a Honda
2. How everyone thinks its a diesel as you would never own a petrol car of that size/type
3. People parking right up to the bumper meaning I can get the rear door open without moving the car
Love
1. The engine makes a nice noise, even though its supposed to be the economy version of the engine.
2. The face people always think its going to get stuck where others have failed and got stuck & just doesn't and keeps going.
3. The amount of space.
Hate
1. Almost everyone presumes its either a woman's car or I am over 70 years of age driving a Honda
2. How everyone thinks its a diesel as you would never own a petrol car of that size/type
3. People parking right up to the bumper meaning I can get the rear door open without moving the car
MX-5 mk3 modified with BBR Super 200, MeisterR coilovers and a Remus backbox.
Likes
1. The handling.
2. The improved power.
3. The new popping and burbling noise it makes.
Dislikes
1. The fact I probably should adjust the ride height again as it's still a bit too low for some speed bumps. When the coilovers were fitted it was ridiculously low and I've already spent a couple of days farting around trying to get it to an acceptable height.
2. The fact someone before has obviously had it resprayed badly as 3 panels have now had lacquer peel away and I'm once again sending it to a spray shop to get it fixed.
3. The inability to completely turn off the traction control in a car that has over 20bhp less than a Fiesta ST
Likes
1. The handling.
2. The improved power.
3. The new popping and burbling noise it makes.
Dislikes
1. The fact I probably should adjust the ride height again as it's still a bit too low for some speed bumps. When the coilovers were fitted it was ridiculously low and I've already spent a couple of days farting around trying to get it to an acceptable height.
2. The fact someone before has obviously had it resprayed badly as 3 panels have now had lacquer peel away and I'm once again sending it to a spray shop to get it fixed.
3. The inability to completely turn off the traction control in a car that has over 20bhp less than a Fiesta ST
E63 AMG
Love:
Performance
Subtlety
Rarity (around here anyway. Just seen another for the first time in over two years, but loads of new M5/3/4s and TOTR Porsches)
Hate:
Having to spend £2.5k to get the audio sorted
Very, very slight clicking noise from the dash somewhere
Not really a hate but can't say I'm impressed with MB dealers in the South Mcr region
Love:
Performance
Subtlety
Rarity (around here anyway. Just seen another for the first time in over two years, but loads of new M5/3/4s and TOTR Porsches)
Hate:
Having to spend £2.5k to get the audio sorted
Very, very slight clicking noise from the dash somewhere
Not really a hate but can't say I'm impressed with MB dealers in the South Mcr region
Edited by popeyewhite on Friday 29th May 18:38
1999 Toyota Avensis road whale
Love
Cost basically sod all to buy and run
I don't need to worry about anyone nicking it
Comfy for distance
Hate
Could do with more power
Crankshaft oil leak
Occasionally smells like dog on a hot day
1985 Lotus Excel
Love
Looks great
I'm enjoying doing it up
It was free
Hate
Still doesn't work
Too far away
Still doesn't work
Love
Cost basically sod all to buy and run
I don't need to worry about anyone nicking it
Comfy for distance
Hate
Could do with more power
Crankshaft oil leak
Occasionally smells like dog on a hot day
1985 Lotus Excel
Love
Looks great
I'm enjoying doing it up
It was free
Hate
Still doesn't work
Too far away
Still doesn't work
Having spent the last 3 days touring around the Somme battlefields, contemplated on the family S-Max:
Love:
1. The elevated driving position
2. The amount of glass
3. It corners like a big family wagon shouldn't
Hate:
1. The low rent cloth interior that shows marks/stains (even water!)
2. Overtaking requires anticipation as its only got 130bhp
3. The slow witted auto box that you have to second guess to extract the most from the engine
And compared to my daily Saab 93 Aero convertible:
Love:
1. The acceleration
2. The roof mechanism is a feat of engineering
3. Cheap to buy and run
Hate:
1. The lifeless steering
2. Inert handling
3. Scuttle shake
Love:
1. The elevated driving position
2. The amount of glass
3. It corners like a big family wagon shouldn't
Hate:
1. The low rent cloth interior that shows marks/stains (even water!)
2. Overtaking requires anticipation as its only got 130bhp
3. The slow witted auto box that you have to second guess to extract the most from the engine
And compared to my daily Saab 93 Aero convertible:
Love:
1. The acceleration
2. The roof mechanism is a feat of engineering
3. Cheap to buy and run
Hate:
1. The lifeless steering
2. Inert handling
3. Scuttle shake
2002 Lotus Elise 111S
Love:
1. No driving assists: No power steering, no ABS, no traction control and no servo assisted brakes. It's a proper driver's car.
2. The noise: Yeah, it's a 4 pot. However the K-Series is rather characterful, especially with a sports exhaust! (Hayward & Scott custom with decat pipe on mine)
3. Attention: The majority of attention the car receives is positive. People have come to over to chat about it and in some cases, posed for photographs with it!
Hate:
1. Seasonal: It's really not that fun driving it throughout the winter months. The wiper blades are rubbish, it occasionally leaks with the soft top (so I fit a hard top instead!) and it's generally an uncomfortable experience.
2. What next?! (Reliability): If everything is working correctly, I always ask myself, "What next?!" Normally something is broken, or is about to break, or is falling off ... (This month: New cylinder head due to head gasket failure. Now it's back in the garage a couple of weeks later, as the front shocks have gone!)
3. Fibreglass: It's light, so it's quick. It's also ridiculously expensive to repair when others hit you!
Try getting a new clam from Lotus too ... Good luck!
Love:
1. No driving assists: No power steering, no ABS, no traction control and no servo assisted brakes. It's a proper driver's car.
2. The noise: Yeah, it's a 4 pot. However the K-Series is rather characterful, especially with a sports exhaust! (Hayward & Scott custom with decat pipe on mine)
3. Attention: The majority of attention the car receives is positive. People have come to over to chat about it and in some cases, posed for photographs with it!
Hate:
1. Seasonal: It's really not that fun driving it throughout the winter months. The wiper blades are rubbish, it occasionally leaks with the soft top (so I fit a hard top instead!) and it's generally an uncomfortable experience.
2. What next?! (Reliability): If everything is working correctly, I always ask myself, "What next?!" Normally something is broken, or is about to break, or is falling off ... (This month: New cylinder head due to head gasket failure. Now it's back in the garage a couple of weeks later, as the front shocks have gone!)
3. Fibreglass: It's light, so it's quick. It's also ridiculously expensive to repair when others hit you!
Try getting a new clam from Lotus too ... Good luck!BMW 320d:
Love:
Practical (low roof bars, split fold rear seats, auto deploying towbar)
Quiet (the quietest car on the motorway I've ever been in, including two S Classes).
Lovely Handling (traditional FE/RWD with the engine and gearbox a long way back)
Dislike:
Diesel engine (petrol isn't an option for me now due to DBW throttle lag, but I'm no fan of diesel).
The steering wheel needs to extend a few cms further towards me and the seat needs to drop a few cms
Suspension bushes are a bit worn now, but obviously I can renew them.
Lotus 2-Eleven
Love:
Performance
Feedback
Handling (but see below)
Hate:
Noisy on the motorway
Feels like it's asleep at legal road speeds
Needs less weight over the rear
The BMW is probably the best daily driver I've ever owned and the Lotus is the best trackday car I've ever driven.
Love:
Practical (low roof bars, split fold rear seats, auto deploying towbar)
Quiet (the quietest car on the motorway I've ever been in, including two S Classes).
Lovely Handling (traditional FE/RWD with the engine and gearbox a long way back)
Dislike:
Diesel engine (petrol isn't an option for me now due to DBW throttle lag, but I'm no fan of diesel).
The steering wheel needs to extend a few cms further towards me and the seat needs to drop a few cms
Suspension bushes are a bit worn now, but obviously I can renew them.
Lotus 2-Eleven
Love:
Performance
Feedback
Handling (but see below)
Hate:
Noisy on the motorway
Feels like it's asleep at legal road speeds
Needs less weight over the rear
The BMW is probably the best daily driver I've ever owned and the Lotus is the best trackday car I've ever driven.
Audi S1 3dr Quattro. I'm not going with hate, more dislike!
Love: acceleration under boost. Four wheel drive traction off the line. Boomy exhaust noise (in Dynamic mode).
Dislike: No way of separating variable damper controls from throttle response (Audi DriveSelect). Absolutely tiny boot (due to change in rear suspension set up and the fact that there's a rear diff under the boot floor). Squeaky clutch pedal when it's hot in the cabin.
Oh, and sometimes it doesn't like going into 3rd when you're nailing it up through the gears.
Love: acceleration under boost. Four wheel drive traction off the line. Boomy exhaust noise (in Dynamic mode).
Dislike: No way of separating variable damper controls from throttle response (Audi DriveSelect). Absolutely tiny boot (due to change in rear suspension set up and the fact that there's a rear diff under the boot floor). Squeaky clutch pedal when it's hot in the cabin.
Oh, and sometimes it doesn't like going into 3rd when you're nailing it up through the gears.
Volvo S60R AWD
Like:
1. Acceleration is simply astonishing for a Volvo! 0-60 in 5.5 seconds isn't too shabby! Guess the AWD system helps greatly here too!
2. Turbo 5 cylinder warble/thrum sounds fantastic... Always... Just sounds so exotic and almost Quattro-esque!
3. Active Four C chassis especially in Advanced mode! Superb handling and great throttle response!
Dislike:
1. Fuel Consumption is a tad scary! Highest average I'm getting is 23mpg over a week commute!
2. 5 Presses to disable the traction control completely?! 😆
3. Hearing they sometimes can be a tad fragile... Mines been all good so far... Touch wood...
Like:
1. Acceleration is simply astonishing for a Volvo! 0-60 in 5.5 seconds isn't too shabby! Guess the AWD system helps greatly here too!
2. Turbo 5 cylinder warble/thrum sounds fantastic... Always... Just sounds so exotic and almost Quattro-esque!
3. Active Four C chassis especially in Advanced mode! Superb handling and great throttle response!
Dislike:
1. Fuel Consumption is a tad scary! Highest average I'm getting is 23mpg over a week commute!
2. 5 Presses to disable the traction control completely?! 😆
3. Hearing they sometimes can be a tad fragile... Mines been all good so far... Touch wood...
Monaro VXR
LIKES:
1) It's quite nippy with a 6.0l LS2 V8 under the bonnet.
2) It's rare. I go for months without seeing another in the UK.
3) I like the V8 Australian Supertouringcar looks.
DISLIKES:
1) The gearbox is crap. Stolen from the Dodge Viper, it's heavy and quite spectacularly imprecise.
2) It needs bigger brakes. The AP 6-pot brakes it should have had from the factory are £2200...
3) It doesn't fit in a standard UK parking space.
LIKES:
1) It's quite nippy with a 6.0l LS2 V8 under the bonnet.
2) It's rare. I go for months without seeing another in the UK.
3) I like the V8 Australian Supertouringcar looks.
DISLIKES:
1) The gearbox is crap. Stolen from the Dodge Viper, it's heavy and quite spectacularly imprecise.
2) It needs bigger brakes. The AP 6-pot brakes it should have had from the factory are £2200...
3) It doesn't fit in a standard UK parking space.
'14 Jaguar XF-S Portfolio
Love:
1. The looks. After more than two and a half years with XFs, I still think they're head and shoulders above anything else in their class. Same goes for the uncluttered un-german interior.
2. Yes it's a diesel, but what an engine. Extremely refined, and hard to tell it's a diesel.
3. The handling. Amazing comfort and roadholding
Hate:
1.The gearbox can do severe changes in Dynamic mode.
2. ??
3. ??
Love:
1. The looks. After more than two and a half years with XFs, I still think they're head and shoulders above anything else in their class. Same goes for the uncluttered un-german interior.
2. Yes it's a diesel, but what an engine. Extremely refined, and hard to tell it's a diesel.
3. The handling. Amazing comfort and roadholding
Hate:
1.The gearbox can do severe changes in Dynamic mode.
2. ??
3. ??
2002 BMW 330i Sport Touring
Love
1. The looks
2. The power curve, by far one of the smoothest, if not as much power as i'd like.
3. Practicality, surprisingly large boot.
Hate
1. The various niggles and problems with these cars.
2. MPG.
3. Subframe mount issues - possible £1500 bill to re-enforce.
Love
1. The looks
2. The power curve, by far one of the smoothest, if not as much power as i'd like.
3. Practicality, surprisingly large boot.
Hate
1. The various niggles and problems with these cars.
2. MPG.
3. Subframe mount issues - possible £1500 bill to re-enforce.
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