Car things you've never done despite being a petrolhead...

[M12MTR]

Never tracked my cars......

[cerb4.5lee]

Sam.M said:

Donuts

I've not done one since I had my 200SX...but I do recommend that you try it some time.

[i prefer a flan]

In my opinion if you've never exceeded 200MPH you can't class yourself a petrol head - guilty myself. Need to rectify that.

[Pica-Pica]

M12MTR said:

Never tracked my cars......

Nor me - but been on test circuits with development vehicles. However, these tend to be short, discrete and repetitive tests. Best was a trailer tow test up and down Gross Glockner for PAS testing. Swarms of cyclists everywhere, nearly ruined the test.

[RobM77]

i prefer a flan said:

In my opinion if you've never exceeded 200MPH you can't class yourself a petrol head - guilty myself. Need to rectify that.

Exceeding 200mph is pretty much limited to a particular type of car. For example, most racing cars (F3, FR, FF, Sports 2000, Radicals etc) can't get close (they're built to corner), most lightweight track cars (Caterham, Atom, 3-11 etc) can't get close either, and most sports cars can't either (Elise, Boxster, Exige, etc). You also need a very particular type of road or a runway - very few race tracks allow 200mph+, because they're designed to test cars around corners, other than US ovals of course.

[dapper]

Haven't done much, but then at 20 y/o I don't have the money to do much except basic mods either.

Planning on a nurburgring trip next year.

[Dave Hedgehog]

never owned a diesel and never will

[swampy442]

Never been to Goodwood or Beaulieu
Never owned a reliable Volvo (every other bstard seems to do 300k miles in them with no issues)
Never driven an electric car

[Pothole]

Track day
Supercar
Convertible

[RDMcG]

Like most people have done and missed lots, but there are a few things I have not done that I would like to do:

- drive an early E-type
-drive a car from the thirties
-track day at Monza
-own a Citroen SM

[Speed Badger]

I've never bought a car worth more than my yearly wage.

[Dog Star]

Zarco said:

Never been to the 'Ring.

Same here; the potential for MASSIVE bills, damages/jail for killing someone/negligence, armco damage, ending up in hospital etc. The risks to me look totally unacceptable.
Shame - it looks brilliant.

[Howard-]

I've never done a track day either. Not in my own car, anyway. I did a Vauxhall VXR promotional day many years ago where I got to drive an Astra, Corsa, and Insignia VXR around Thruxton. It was quite good fun but it didn't capture me enough to want to spend a fortune (in extra costs) doing it with my own cars. That's not to say I won't ever do it if/when I own an appropriate car but meh, I enjoy driving in general. I don't need to be tearing round the same little track lap after lap to love it.

I have zero interest in driving round the 'Ring mainly because I'm too scared of what could go wrong, and how much it'll cost if it does.

Never owned an Alfa. To me they appear shoddily built and overrated.


I mean.. The list of "things car enthusiasts do" is endless, but these are the main ones for me.

[nickfrog]

Dog Star said:

Same here; the potential for MASSIVE bills, damages/jail for killing someone/negligence, armco damage, ending up in hospital etc. The risks to me look totally unacceptable.
Shame - it looks brilliant.

If you go on a track day or rent a car on TF/track day, the risk is pretty small. Your exposure in a Swift is basically €2500 excess plus armco damage. To stack a Swift, you really have to go some or be extremely unlucky. You won't have any third party liability on a track day.

[RobM77]

nickfrog said:

Dog Star said:

Same here; the potential for MASSIVE bills, damages/jail for killing someone/negligence, armco damage, ending up in hospital etc. The risks to me look totally unacceptable.
Shame - it looks brilliant.

If you go on a track day or rent a car on TF/track day, the risk is pretty small. Your exposure in a Swift is basically €2500 excess plus armco damage. To stack a Swift, you really have to go some or be extremely unlucky. You won't have any third party liability on a track day.

I've done three or four standard touristfarten days and really enjoyed myself, but friends of mine who go regularly now do so almost exclusively on trackdays for this very reason. Out of those TF visits of mine though, I must say I've not had any scary moments at all. With all the blind crests and my track knowledge nowhere near race levels I never really drove the place totally flat out, as I would at Silverstone or Brands Hatch for example; I've always had some room for error. That said, people dropping oil is quite common there, and the blind crests can hide accidents or slow cars, so you can get unlucky even if you're careful.

The ring is one hell of a place though, and if you're interested in track driving and cars I'd highly recommend a visit. If you don't want to drive, I'd recommend booking a ring taxi ride and then just hanging out at one of the popular viewing spots around the track - there are always interesting cars and bikes going round.

[nickfrog]

RobM77 said:

The ring is one hell of a place though

Indeed, a green one

Even after around 300 laps I still leave a good margin, particularly in places like SX. https://www.bridgetogantry.com/video-is-schwedenkr...

4 days at the end of May. I can't wait.

[biggles330d]

Seems I'm doing pretty well, but never a..

v10, v12 or flat or rotary (but have a 3, 4, 5, straight 6 and v8, diesel, petrol and pure electric)
Alpine pass or unlimited autoroute (but have an alpine tunnel, Route Napoleon, NC500, many continental road trips)
Anything Italian or American (but have German, Brit, Jap, French)
1000 miles in a day (but have got over 700 a couple of times)
Dedicated 2 seater (but strangely at the moment a Disco commercial with 2 seats, a TT with little more than 2 seats and an i3s thats the only practical 4 seater in the household).
Nurburgring (well, on a coach when I was a kid, but have Le Mans and classic, Goodwood FOS and classic, Silverstone F1)
Motorbike.
Classic... but I think that might be the next one. Just can't decide how modern a classic but maybe one that ticks off several of the above!

[RobM77]

nickfrog said:

RobM77 said:

The ring is one hell of a place though

Indeed, a green one

Even after around 300 laps I still leave a good margin, particularly in places like SX. https://www.bridgetogantry.com/video-is-schwedenkr...

4 days at the end of May. I can't wait.

It's certainly got some corners that make you think a bit!

I'm quite comfortable driving flat out at most circuits and hold a few lap records here and there, but there are many places at the ring where I just don't have the balls to be truly flat out - Schwedenkreuz is a great example. Even without running through the whole lap, the bit straight after that is loony too: down through Fuchsröhre and up into Adenau Forst must take amazing commitment for the fast drivers. It really is on another level compared with the likes of Cadwell or Snetterton. I'm just not brave enough to drive it truly quickly.

[healeyneil]

I've never driven an MX5 😀

[S2r]

I've never...

Owned a RWD car
Owned a BMW, sporty Renault, Imprezza, MX5 or Golf GTi
Had anything with more than 5 cylinders
Done the 'ring or track day and to be honest they don't really appeal, lots of money driving hundreds of miles to sit in a paddock waiting do10 laps before driving home again... I raced motorbikes for a couple of years and I seem to remember that there was a lot of waiting then as well
Bought winter tyres