Less is more?

[rotaryjam]

After many years of motoring and owning some quick and interesting cars, I'm starting to feel like the slower, more boring cars are actually more enjoyable for the every day urban driver!?

Driving my wife's Fiat 500 and thrashing it to within an inch of its life and flinging it around corners at maximum velocity I find more enjoyable than cars rhat have 4x the power because you simply can't use any of it and if you did you'd either be in someone's front drive or way over the speed limit.

I appreciate if you are blessed with a range of country roads nearby then it may well be different.

Am I alone?

[interstellar]

Nope , but it’s an age thing I think.

I just changed from a F90 M5 to a 520d M sport touring.

I prefer it.

I just couldn’t use the M5 so it seemed a waste of money and fuel driving it at 30 everywhere.

[Krikkit]

Ragging a slow car can be just as much fun as having a little squirt in a quick one, the key is to own both so you can pick and choose imho.

But even more than that, I find driving multiple cars lets you appreciate their strong points more than just driving one car all the time. e.g. A little hatch with a zingy engine which is very chuckable and light, counterpointed with a comfortable GT or saloon.

[biggbn]

rotaryjam said:

After many years of motoring and owning some quick and interesting cars, I'm starting to feel like the slower, more boring cars are actually more enjoyable for the every day urban driver!?

Driving my wife's Fiat 500 and thrashing it to within an inch of its life and flinging it around corners at maximum velocity I find more enjoyable than cars rhat have 4x the power because you simply can't use any of it and if you did you'd either be in someone's front drive or way over the speed limit.

I appreciate if you are blessed with a range of country roads nearby then it may well be different.

Am I alone?

Always felt this, my favourite cars out if many owned have been Cinq Sporting, StreetKa, 1200cc '72 Beetle and old 1.9 tdi beetle cabrio. More fun, less speed, more involvement in the process, and a more intimate process at that

[Cold]

If less is more, think how much more more would be.

[Jaguar99]

Yeah, I have seen this myself over the years

For a long time I chased bigger more powerful cars and wouldn’t even consider anything smaller than Mondeo-sized

It culminated with an X300 Sovereign which is still the most comfortable and best cruising car I have owned

The change started with a change about ten years ago into a Fiesta. It had all the toys which helped the transition and was a revelation. Motoring suddenly became less of a faff in car parks, when cleaning and when paying bills

Truth be told the Fiesta was a bit too small for my needs and I have been very happy the last few years with smaller-SUVs/crossovers as they are easy to live with and tick all the boxes

I do admit I spend more time than I should browsing Auto Trader, eBay, Bonhams, etc with man maths and all kinds of justifications going through my mind but my will power just about keeps me in check

[Heathwood]

Perhaps less of the wrong/unnecessary stuff and more of the good stuff? Probably the car that’s put one of the biggest smiles on my face (albeit as a passenger) in 30 years of motoring is a 106 Rallye.

[swisstoni]

James Hunt famously violated his Austin A35 van around London in favour of any exotica he would no doubt have had access to.
Similarly Stirling Moss, another central London dweller, much preferred thrashing modest stuff around the capital.

[anonymous-user]

For me definitely an age thing, I've run Mercs, beemers etc, enjoyed them but about 8 years ago I had a change of tack. I looked at what I actually use a car for and decided that for the most part I was wasting my time with bigger engined cars and starting running small, simple ones. Just as much fun when you feel in the mood, miniscule running costs and parts are cheap and plentiful. I can't see me going back now.

[Haltamer]

Krikkit said:

I find driving multiple cars lets you appreciate their strong points more than just driving one car all the time. e.g. A little hatch with a zingy engine which is very chuckable and light, counterpointed with a comfortable GT or saloon.

I've found myself in that position -
I've got an FK8 Civic, Dad has a Jaguar XF Sportbrake that I often end up providing chauffeur services in.

The automatic box, apparent absence of any ARB's and generally wafting weight transfer makes such a complete departure from the Civic, but they're both very enjoyable to drive in their own ways, and it's always refreshing going from one to the other - Back into the Civic for handling, and the Jag when you want to set the volume knob to drive and waft around.

Equally, recently had a drive in a freshly passed friends' auto-manual 5 speed Aygo; All of 78BHP and 3 in the car made for a very entertaining hustle down a country lane - We even caught up with a Focus ST

[MB140]

I’m turning 45 in a couple of months. I’ve had some nice powerful cars over the years. I currently have a 2016 m135i. I keep looking at what to replace it with.

I look at all sorts of powerful cars then think. Why the f do I want to be tied down to a£400-500 a month payment for a car that provides nothing more than I currently have. The bmw doesn’t cost me £400 a month in fuel and maintenance. I’ve had it since New so one it’s history. It’s reliable and comfy. Does all that I need it to do return 40mpg on a long run (which most of my driving is).

When it does come to the point it has to be replaced I’m hoping EVs will have reached the point where

a) You don’t have to sell your family jewels to buy one. I always buy never lease/pcp.

b) It has a real world range of 300miles. Yes I need a real world 300 miles for my work/life situation as it stands at the moment.

[mintmansam]

Had a GR Yaris and Fiesta ST 2.0

Recently sold the GR Yaris, fantastic car

However I realised the Fiesta ST (£800) could still do the same journeys and adventures as the GR Yaris and more as I wasn’t paying for the GR

I’ve gone from having more to doing more. Something I wished I learnt earlier in my years, but glad I know now.

Plan is to use extra funds to do more track days, holidays and adventures.

I get a sense of huge freedom not having something new and special and having more money to do the spontaneous things

I used to get bogged down in modifying as well, and the newer GR was expensive to modify.

GR also kinda car where using WOT got in trouble semi quickly, I prefer to push a slower car more

Edited by mintmansam on Saturday 13th August 06:53

[RDMcG]

Surely it depends on your usage.

I have a variety of cars for different purposes-a couple of GT3RS for track days and a bit of hooning, a Jeep for off-roading and some quick road cars.

Long term fan of ICE cars.

However,as the ability to have easy charge points develops I will definitely get an EV in the very mid range-something like a Kia as a shopping trolley.

[biggbn]

In this kind of weather I've had as much joy from 200 quid Saab 900 convertibles and MX5s as anything else!!

[Haltamer]

A video that I watched a couple of days back comes to mind on this actually,
https://youtu.be/-r-a5Xj8MoY

I challenge you to find a lap in a supercar where everyone looks like they're having this much fun

[siovey]

I've had some pretty quick stuff over the years. I don't even own a car now as I wfh. I only get to drive the wife's mini 'one' every now and then. To be fair, I quite enjoy it. It's not at all quick , obviously, but seems fun to chuck round corners. I think my next car will be a mini cooper s. Not a fast car as such but good fun I expect!

[Unreal]

All depends on the journey and road conditions. I have a diesel estate for lugging crap about and driving on busy roads. I have a variety of performance cars for when I know the roads will be quiet and I'm driving purely for pleasure. I don't get frustrated driving the diesel - I just go with the flow. The performance cars get used as intended or there's no point.

No way would I be happy with one car for every journey but if I had to choose and it was viable, I'd always choose performance first.

[kooky1976]

Totally get this. Sold my CLS55 as it was going to get me a ban or prison time and genuinely have more fun in our 20 year old Mini 1.4D. I am 46 though.

[Wills2]

interstellar said:

Nope , but it’s an age thing I think.

I just changed from a F90 M5 to a 520d M sport touring.

I prefer it.

I just couldn’t use the M5 so it seemed a waste of money and fuel driving it at 30 everywhere.

Yeah I can get with that after a string of M3/M5/X3M I went to a 730d I do like it, it's lovely. But do I miss the power and tautness of the M cars..yes (I'd be lying if I said anything else.) But I prefer the 730d in many respects to the M cars.

[Bobupndown]

Unreal said:

All depends on the journey and road conditions. I have a diesel estate for lugging crap about and driving on busy roads. I have a variety of performance cars for when I know the roads will be quiet and I'm driving purely for pleasure. I don't get frustrated driving the diesel - I just go with the flow. The performance cars get used as intended or there's no point.

No way would I be happy with one car for every journey but if I had to choose and it was viable, I'd always choose performance first.

Powerfully built company director no doubt