What am I getting wrong about sports cars?
Discussion
Let's not let this excellent thread get derailed.
Whilst working on my MX5 during lockdown I came across this great video of a 1974 roadster: 'This Alfa Romeo Spider Is A Well-Oiled Multitool' It has been locked on Petrolicious and YouTube but it is still live on DailyMotion I urge you all to spare 2 mins as it is beautifully shot and will hopefully get us back on track
Whilst working on my MX5 during lockdown I came across this great video of a 1974 roadster: 'This Alfa Romeo Spider Is A Well-Oiled Multitool' It has been locked on Petrolicious and YouTube but it is still live on DailyMotion I urge you all to spare 2 mins as it is beautifully shot and will hopefully get us back on track
I had an NB 20th Anniversary Edition for a few years - lovely car, 1.8L with a rare 6 speed gearbox, LSD and in a lovely electric blue colour combo.
Drove it down to Lake Como and back via the Cote d'Azure and the Nurburgring.
Unfortunately I was about an inch too tall for it, so with a helmet on track my head protruded about 1 inch above the top of the windscreen frame and on top of that, it was underpowered for race tracks.
I was in the process of supercharging it when I managed to kill two engines in pretty short order trying to learn how to power slide it, I guess from oil starvation, so the lesson there is: definitely don't do donuts in one!
Drove it down to Lake Como and back via the Cote d'Azure and the Nurburgring.
Unfortunately I was about an inch too tall for it, so with a helmet on track my head protruded about 1 inch above the top of the windscreen frame and on top of that, it was underpowered for race tracks.
I was in the process of supercharging it when I managed to kill two engines in pretty short order trying to learn how to power slide it, I guess from oil starvation, so the lesson there is: definitely don't do donuts in one!
braddo said:
It may surprise you that many people would prefer a leisure journey on a nice sunny day in an old Alfa Spider than in the cheapest 911 you can buy. That's as likely to happen for people in their 20s as people in their 70s.
Spoken by a man - sorry - gender neutral human - with a cheapish 911. So They must know. You need an Alfa instead. My mate had a Karmann Ghia. He took me for a spin.
I did feel like I was risking serious injury because it was so old that everything felt very Very fragile. He did accidentally get into a little slide exiting a corner. We had about 15 minutes to prepare and react because it was telegraphed way in advance and we were going really quite slow - compared to modern machinery. It definitely felt like an event. And almost everybody was staring and even pointing at us.
Did I enjoy it - yes.
Would I buy one - absolutely not.
What the folks arguing about old Alfas and the like forget is that the overwhelming majority of people under 60 don't care a jot about classic cars, and many people across the board don't really care about cars at all.
Given the choice between some old 'classic' or something modern, most non-pensioners are going to pick the car with space, a USB socket and airbags. They don't really care how much you enjoy driving it.
Reminds me of when I first got a motorbike. I was in good nick, nice bike, etc. I expected the ladies to come running. It was exclusively old men telling me what they used to ride.
Given the choice between some old 'classic' or something modern, most non-pensioners are going to pick the car with space, a USB socket and airbags. They don't really care how much you enjoy driving it.
Reminds me of when I first got a motorbike. I was in good nick, nice bike, etc. I expected the ladies to come running. It was exclusively old men telling me what they used to ride.
Baldchap said:
I expected the ladies to come running. It was exclusively old men telling me what they used to ride.
With the exception of gold diggers and those rare women who ARE petrolheads, a nice / fast / classic car really doesn't figure on their list of what they're looking for in a bloke.
Standing joke in the NSX community is that it's a bloke-magnet.
Depends... I once took a Celica convertible to a treasure hunt on a summer's evening
It was a mate's 'Young Christian' group
The girls were literally fighting over who was coming with me
I'll admit it's a very rare occurrence
I have had a few women shout 'nice car' but it's usually young lads
It was a mate's 'Young Christian' group
The girls were literally fighting over who was coming with me
I'll admit it's a very rare occurrence
I have had a few women shout 'nice car' but it's usually young lads
braddo said:
A slightly cheesy comment is elevated to:
Maybe you're a lawyer for the compo face crowd?
In the 21st century people still drive to pubs and restaurants in cars; people still like drives in a sports car; people still go on dates; middle aged people still get divorced
It may surprise you that many people would prefer a leisure journey on a nice sunny day in an old Alfa Spider than in the cheapest 911 you can buy. That's as likely to happen for people in their 20s as people in their 70s.
...and many people are still blind to mysogyny (as well snobbery around how much a person's car costs).996 Turbo Time said:
... reeks of 1970s mysogyny....
Maybe you're a lawyer for the compo face crowd?In the 21st century people still drive to pubs and restaurants in cars; people still like drives in a sports car; people still go on dates; middle aged people still get divorced
It may surprise you that many people would prefer a leisure journey on a nice sunny day in an old Alfa Spider than in the cheapest 911 you can buy. That's as likely to happen for people in their 20s as people in their 70s.
Baldchap said:
braddo said:
The discussion wasn't about using a car (classic or otherwise) to as a pick-up tool. It was about the literal journey of a couple going to a country pub on a sunny day etc. Even non-car people smile at nice old cars.
My point is that typically, other than old people, virtually nobody cares about classics either way.My partner is a prime example. She’s not at all a car person, will notice the very flash stuff more as a nod to my own interest, but will eagerly point out a classic sign a smile (usually accompanied by a, “isn’t that so cute” comment).
996 Turbo Time said:
So you've passed through misogyny and snobbery and are just going for straight insults now?
Bravo.
You might find you get a little more respect once you’ve been here more than 5 minutes, and don’t persist in ruining a good natured thread, with a variety of motoring viewpoints that we were all enjoying. Bravo.
Go and throw your weight around in The Lounge, or else get back to the topic with something positive to add to the discussion.
sassthathoopie said:
996 Turbo Time said:
So you've passed through misogyny and snobbery and are just going for straight insults now?
Bravo.
You might find you get a little more respect once you’ve been here more than 5 minutes, and don’t persist in ruining a good natured thread, with a variety of motoring viewpoints that we were all enjoying. Bravo.
Go and throw your weight around in The Lounge, or else get back to the topic with something positive to add to the discussion.
otolith said:
Anyway, where were we before the handbags came out?
I was stating some facts and everyone was agreeing with Me.I've using my little 986 daily. Most days getting the roof down including today. A few spits of rain but so far so good. I even had a passenger in a white van start talking to me at some traffic lights. He wanted to tell me that my car needs cleaning. Seemed a bit odd for a stranger to say to Me. If anyone here has not driven a convertible then its worth mentioning that this happens a lot. People just start talking to you, I mean I don't do that. But it happens to Me.
ATM said:
I was stating some facts and everyone was agreeing with Me.
I've using my little 986 daily. Most days getting the roof down including today. A few spits of rain but so far so good. I even had a passenger in a white van start talking to me at some traffic lights. He wanted to tell me that my car needs cleaning. Seemed a bit odd for a stranger to say to Me. If anyone here has not driven a convertible then its worth mentioning that this happens a lot. People just start talking to you, I mean I don't do that. But it happens to Me.
I took a wrong turn in Hebden Bridge recently (well, not technically a wrong turn so much as the waypoint I had put into Google maps was not on the route to the next one so I needed to turn round and rejoin the main road) and turned round in a little retail centre. Couple of boys aged about 12 yelled "REV IT!!" at me, so I did. Seemed to make them happy, though it was only the little four cylinder Elise. Didn't have the roof off, mind.I've using my little 986 daily. Most days getting the roof down including today. A few spits of rain but so far so good. I even had a passenger in a white van start talking to me at some traffic lights. He wanted to tell me that my car needs cleaning. Seemed a bit odd for a stranger to say to Me. If anyone here has not driven a convertible then its worth mentioning that this happens a lot. People just start talking to you, I mean I don't do that. But it happens to Me.
996 Turbo Time said:
braddo said:
A slightly cheesy comment is elevated to:
Maybe you're a lawyer for the compo face crowd?
In the 21st century people still drive to pubs and restaurants in cars; people still like drives in a sports car; people still go on dates; middle aged people still get divorced
It may surprise you that many people would prefer a leisure journey on a nice sunny day in an old Alfa Spider than in the cheapest 911 you can buy. That's as likely to happen for people in their 20s as people in their 70s.
...and many people are still blind to mysogyny (as well snobbery around how much a person's car costs).996 Turbo Time said:
... reeks of 1970s mysogyny....
Maybe you're a lawyer for the compo face crowd?In the 21st century people still drive to pubs and restaurants in cars; people still like drives in a sports car; people still go on dates; middle aged people still get divorced
It may surprise you that many people would prefer a leisure journey on a nice sunny day in an old Alfa Spider than in the cheapest 911 you can buy. That's as likely to happen for people in their 20s as people in their 70s.
But you have just joined so wouldn't know that.
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