I've become bored of cars.

[mattman]

i love cars - i've just fallen out of love of spending a fortune on them - some of the prices of pretty bland boxes are eye watering to me and having the newest model no longer interests me.

I'm all for people buying new cars though, don't get me wrong, they all need to filter down through the system.

I'm currently on my 63rd car as i get bored of the ownership experience quickly - i realised i get my enjoyment from the hunt and search or buying a car so i've changed tac in the last 12 mths and bought some interesting (to me) cars at the cheaper end of the market - buy them, fiddle with them, clean them up, drive and enjoy them, so that when i get bored again I can hopefully sell without losing too much. Looking for stuff that i should have bought when i was younger or didn't get the chance to experience first time round.

So far i've had a Mk1 MX5, Alfa Romeo Spider, Mini Convertible and just picked up a 120d convertible - i get a lot of enjoyment out of playing with them while knowing if it all goes horribly wrong i'm not massively out of pocket.

the wife just thinks i'm a saddo and i should buy myself a "proper" car

Edited by mattman on Tuesday 24th May 17:01

[SuffolkDefender]

LamedonM said:

Probably OP does not understand how to drive a rear wheel torque car. Select your M button to choose: Sport for engine, Sport + for suspension, comfort for steering and choose 3 for the DCT gear change. Hold your nerve, brake late or let off accelerator slightly when approaching a bend, and place the wheel at the Apex of the bend, accelerate gently out of the Apex and the bend, pay attention to the sound and the grip of the wheels, feel the magic of M differential, feel the sensation of being pushed out.
You would appreciate you have one hell of a car

It won’t be as nimble as a smaller, but you would still enjoy it

Oh driving god, we of the PH congregation bow to your superiority! Thanks for the driving tips, what would we do without such willing and capable mentors....:yawn:


PS - apex doesn't need to be capitalised and wheels, as far as I know, provide neither sound nor grip. The latter is certainly the job of tyres.

You're welcome.

[Missy Charm]

SuffolkDefender said:

LamedonM said:

Probably OP does not understand how to drive a rear wheel torque car. Select your M button to choose: Sport for engine, Sport + for suspension, comfort for steering and choose 3 for the DCT gear change. Hold your nerve, brake late or let off accelerator slightly when approaching a bend, and place the wheel at the Apex of the bend, accelerate gently out of the Apex and the bend, pay attention to the sound and the grip of the wheels, feel the magic of M differential, feel the sensation of being pushed out.
You would appreciate you have one hell of a car

It won’t be as nimble as a smaller, but you would still enjoy it

Oh driving god, we of the PH congregation bow to your superiority! Thanks for the driving tips, what would we do without such willing and capable mentors....:yawn:


PS - apex doesn't need to be capitalised and wheels, as far as I know, provide neither sound nor grip. The latter is certainly the job of tyres.

You're welcome.

I have driven a rear wheel drive torque car, well a rear wheel drive car with some torque, and am rather baffled by LamedonM's advice.

The car I drove had an 'M' button, but pressing it switched the radio to medium wave rather than altering anything to do with the engine. Is the suggestion that the best songs to listen to whilst driving fast are on medium wave stations? DCT gearchange presumably stands for 'double clutch technique'; it's a useful thing to know, but most cars have synchromesh these days.

The idea of placing the wheel at the apex of the bend is interesting. Is one supposed to stop the car and detach the steering wheel such that it can be put on the road at the tip of the bend? Perhaps it's some sort of offering to the gods, although it sounds rather like it would slow one down. Should one do it at every corner?

My car did have an 'M' differential, assuming 'M' means middle and refers to the location of the differential within the back axle. Fortunately there was no sensation of being pushed out.

[Luke.]

mattman said:

i love cars - i've just fallen out of love of spending a fortune on them - some of the prices of pretty bland boxes are eye watering to me and having the newest model no longer interests me.

I'm all for people buying new cars though, don't get me wrong, they all need to filter down through the system.

I'm currently on my 63rd car as i get bored of the ownership experience quickly - i realised i get my enjoyment from the hunt and search or buying a car so i've changed tac in the last 12 mths and bought some interesting (to me) cars at the cheaper end of the market - buy them, fiddle with them, clean them up, drive and enjoy them, so that when i get bored again I can hopefully sell without losing too much. Looking for stuff that i should have bought when i was younger or didn't get the chance to experience first time round.

So far i've had a Mk1 MX5, Alfa Romeo Spider, Mini Convertible and just picked up a 120d convertible - i get a lot of enjoyment out of playing with them while knowing if it all goes horribly wrong i'm not massively out of pocket.

the wife just thinks i'm a saddo and i should buy myself a "proper" car

Edited by mattman on Tuesday 24th May 17:01

Coming around to this way of thinking. Currently on the hunt for a mark 1 SLK320.

[lornemalvo]

SuffolkDefender said:

LamedonM said:

Probably OP does not understand how to drive a rear wheel torque car. Select your M button to choose: Sport for engine, Sport + for suspension, comfort for steering and choose 3 for the DCT gear change. Hold your nerve, brake late or let off accelerator slightly when approaching a bend, and place the wheel at the Apex of the bend, accelerate gently out of the Apex and the bend, pay attention to the sound and the grip of the wheels, feel the magic of M differential, feel the sensation of being pushed out.
You would appreciate you have one hell of a car

It won’t be as nimble as a smaller, but you would still enjoy it

Oh driving god, we of the PH congregation bow to your superiority! Thanks for the driving tips, what would we do without such willing and capable mentors....:yawn:

PS - apex doesn't need to be capitalised and wheels, as far as I know, provide neither sound nor grip. The latter is certainly the job of tyres.

You're welcome.

"Probably OP does not understand how to drive a rear wheel torque car. Select your M button to choose: Sport for engine, Sport + for suspension, comfort for steering and choose 3 for the DCT gear change. Hold your nerve, brake late or let off accelerator slightly when approaching a bend, and place the wheel at the Apex of the bend, accelerate gently out of the Apex and the bend, pay attention to the sound and the grip of the wheels, feel the magic of M differential, feel the sensation of being pushed out.
You would appreciate you have one hell of a car"
And we have a winner for the most patronising post of the year. The arrogance is staggering.

[lornemalvo]

mattman said:

i love cars - i've just fallen out of love of spending a fortune on them - some of the prices of pretty bland boxes are eye watering to me and having the newest model no longer interests me.

I'm all for people buying new cars though, don't get me wrong, they all need to filter down through the system.

I'm currently on my 63rd car as i get bored of the ownership experience quickly - i realised i get my enjoyment from the hunt and search or buying a car so i've changed tac in the last 12 mths and bought some interesting (to me) cars at the cheaper end of the market - buy them, fiddle with them, clean them up, drive and enjoy them, so that when i get bored again I can hopefully sell without losing too much. Looking for stuff that i should have bought when i was younger or didn't get the chance to experience first time round.

So far i've had a Mk1 MX5, Alfa Romeo Spider, Mini Convertible and just picked up a 120d convertible - i get a lot of enjoyment out of playing with them while knowing if it all goes horribly wrong i'm not massively out of pocket.

the wife just thinks i'm a saddo and i should buy myself a "proper" car

Edited by mattman on Tuesday 24th May 17:01

I feel exactly the same. After many years of a very limited income, I'm in the happy position that I could buy almost anything I want but almost nothing new does it for me. Those that do appeal to me are stupid money for nearly new ( I don't want to wait months to change). I really fancy a change but nothing appeals

[Brett748]

I used to be so obsessed with cars that all I could think of was the next rung up the car ladder and what to get next. Like you I realised that I really don’t find modern performance cars exciting. Fortunately this stopped the never ending cycle of discontentment with that I currently had.

I’ve got a W204 C63 now and I absolutely love it. The engine dominates every journey and most of the time
I drive it no differently than a 220CDI but the engine still excites me, all the time.

Get something with a great engine and you won’t look back. You

[SuffolkDefender]

Well, as of today my M3 is sold, and it’s only lost just over a grand in the 16 months since I bought it, which is pretty amazing - and far from the norm.

[cerb4.5lee]

SuffolkDefender said:

Well, as of today my M3 is sold, and it’s only lost just over a grand in the 16 months since I bought it, which is pretty amazing - and far from the norm.

That is proper awesome.

I've had the F82 M4 for 14 months, and in comparison it has lost about £5k.

FFS...I wish that I preferred 4 door cars now for sure!

[romeodelta]

OP, do you have kids?

I have been a car nut since I was a kid and have been lucky enough to own some things I never thought I'd be able to and see most exotic metal on the planet.

I'm still into it, but this very much desensitises you and inevitably as you get older spending money on cars and driving around like your hair is on fire becomes less of a priority.

Nowadays, I get my kicks from my young lad enjoying car shows and other car events as the innocence and wow factor are still there for him.

[Jaguar steve]

cerb4.5lee said:

Steve is really making me want a nice boat instead now to be fair!!

Well why not?

If you're bored with cars as a hobby or finding owning one out of the ordinary is more of a pain than a pleasure then get out and move on to something else instead to occupy you spare time and cash.

Anybody can do that anytime and any thoughts of a loss of status or pride if you do exist solely in your head and absolutely nowhere else.

If it's a boat you choose then a capable offshore one you can live on for weeks and sail anywhere needn't cost more to keep than the monthlies on some rented driveway Bling and unlike fuel and roads the wind and seas are free to use. It's a huge plus too, for me at least that the skill set needed to navigate and passage plan to a destination are immeasurably more rewarding and life enhancing than just jumping into a car, poking some buttons on a sat nav and driving there.

[SuffolkDefender]

romeodelta said:

OP, do you have kids?

I have been a car nut since I was a kid and have been lucky enough to own some things I never thought I'd be able to and see most exotic metal on the planet.

I'm still into it, but this very much desensitises you and inevitably as you get older spending money on cars and driving around like your hair is on fire becomes less of a priority.

Nowadays, I get my kicks from my young lad enjoying car shows and other car events as the innocence and wow factor are still there for him.

Yes absolutely - just the one lad. He's mega into cars and it's much the same as you - we go to the car shows and he's obsessing over Mk1 MX5s, GTRs and Huracans. I think that is part of it for sure. We go to shows all the time, we're off to the FOS in a month or so and he loves all that, still wide-eyed at everything he sees. I love that part of it.

[SuffolkDefender]

cerb4.5lee said:

That is proper awesome.

I've had the F82 M4 for 14 months, and in comparison it has lost about 5k.

FFS...I wish that I preferred 4 door cars now for sure!

Yes the M3 certainly loses less than the M4 - less of them for one thing, both brilliant cars though. I paid £37.2k in March 2020 and it's sold for £36k yesterday.

[carinaman]

Missy Charm said:

The car I drove had an 'M' button, but pressing it switched the radio to medium wave rather than altering anything to do with the engine.

That'll be one of those old school analogue cars.

[coldel]

lornemalvo said:

SuffolkDefender said:

LamedonM said:

Probably OP does not understand how to drive a rear wheel torque car. Select your M button to choose: Sport for engine, Sport + for suspension, comfort for steering and choose 3 for the DCT gear change. Hold your nerve, brake late or let off accelerator slightly when approaching a bend, and place the wheel at the Apex of the bend, accelerate gently out of the Apex and the bend, pay attention to the sound and the grip of the wheels, feel the magic of M differential, feel the sensation of being pushed out.
You would appreciate you have one hell of a car

It won’t be as nimble as a smaller, but you would still enjoy it

Oh driving god, we of the PH congregation bow to your superiority! Thanks for the driving tips, what would we do without such willing and capable mentors....:yawn:

PS - apex doesn't need to be capitalised and wheels, as far as I know, provide neither sound nor grip. The latter is certainly the job of tyres.

You're welcome.

"Probably OP does not understand how to drive a rear wheel torque car. Select your M button to choose: Sport for engine, Sport + for suspension, comfort for steering and choose 3 for the DCT gear change. Hold your nerve, brake late or let off accelerator slightly when approaching a bend, and place the wheel at the Apex of the bend, accelerate gently out of the Apex and the bend, pay attention to the sound and the grip of the wheels, feel the magic of M differential, feel the sensation of being pushed out.
You would appreciate you have one hell of a car"
And we have a winner for the most patronising post of the year. The arrogance is staggering.

I hope he comes back on and tells us he is a heavily built successful company director as well...

[coldel]

Interesting read. I have a kind of self imposed price limit on cars I buy, currently around the £15k mark. I also like to try and buy cars that are not often seen around. Its quite a challenge! But it does keep the interest there. Last year me and some guys hired a track for a day of just going for it, to get that need to stretch the legs of the car out in a legal and safe way. I think just owning high performance cars and pootling around UK cities is generally going to make you think 'what am i spending all this money for' so I would definitely advise getting road trips in with friends, track days, just to keep the excitement going...oh and remember to put your wheel on the apex!

[swisstoni]

C70R said:

That's it, lads.

We've done it.

We've completed "I hate new cars/the current state of the roads/what's the point?" bingo.

We can close the thread down now.

A cliche comment in itself.

[nickfrog]

Jaguar steve said:

Well why not?

If you're bored with cars as a hobby or finding owning one out of the ordinary is more of a pain than a pleasure then get out and move on to something else instead to occupy you spare time and cash.

Anybody can do that anytime and any thoughts of a loss of status or pride if you do exist solely in your head and absolutely nowhere else.

If it's a boat you choose then a capable offshore one you can live on for weeks and sail anywhere needn't cost more to keep than the monthlies on some rented driveway Bling and unlike fuel and roads the wind and seas are free to use. It's a huge plus too, for me at least that the skill set needed to navigate and passage plan to a destination are immeasurably more rewarding and life enhancing than just jumping into a car, poking some buttons on a sat nav and driving there.

The people I know who have boats also have non shed cars. Some have both partially for status reasons I am sure. But most have both to use/enjoy them and couldn't give a st about status.

Basically it has nothing to do with how someone spends their spare cash on, whether a boat or a car or a motorbike or a £10k bicycle or all of the above at the same time.

The slight difference being that the car also has a purely functional role, ie mobility whereas the boat rarely has, unless you live in Venice or are a fisherman.

So if anything it is possible that the proportion of people choosing a boat for status is likely to be higher than the proportion of people choosing a car for status.

[SidewaysSi]

Jaguar steve said:

cerb4.5lee said:

Steve is really making me want a nice boat instead now to be fair!!

Well why not?

If you're bored with cars as a hobby or finding owning one out of the ordinary is more of a pain than a pleasure then get out and move on to something else instead to occupy you spare time and cash.

Anybody can do that anytime and any thoughts of a loss of status or pride if you do exist solely in your head and absolutely nowhere else.

If it's a boat you choose then a capable offshore one you can live on for weeks and sail anywhere needn't cost more to keep than the monthlies on some rented driveway Bling and unlike fuel and roads the wind and seas are free to use. It's a huge plus too, for me at least that the skill set needed to navigate and passage plan to a destination are immeasurably more rewarding and life enhancing than just jumping into a car, poking some buttons on a sat nav and driving there.

Totally with you on this actually. My new hobby is attending S&M parties so I understand the pleasure and pain point you make very well indeed.

They are a lot cheaper than running a car or boat and the skillset required to do it well needs constant honing. Certainly far more than lazing around on a boat eating prawns.

Definitely a life enhancing hobby and you soon realise that the only material thing you really need is a whip. Real leather of course.

[nickfrog]

In fairness eating tasteless prawns in a plastic container washed down with cheap wine would be similar to a prolonged stay in a dungeon for me but we're all different I suppose.

Edited by nickfrog on Wednesday 25th May 10:26