Where in the world would you go to be a "car bum"?

[delusional]

We've all heard of the notion of the ski bum; those for whom skiing is such an important part of their life that they choose to make it the main focus. It's a notion that's spread to other sports like mountain biking, and causes floods of Australians and Brits to congregate on places like Whistler.

All of these sports have the ultimate list of places to be a bum (Whistler is pretty high whether you ski or bike).

But what if you wanted to be a car bum? It's not really a thing that I've come across, largely I guess due to the costs involved in running a fast car. But forgetting cost for the sake of discussion, where would be ultimate car bum destination?

If we pull from biking & skiing there is a list of things that makes a destination:

• Great terrain for your sport - in our case that would probably be a mix of track & road (roughly equating to park & backcountry)
• A thriving community for your sport
• Good possibility of employment (ideally in the sector, but not required)
• Awe factor. Hard to quantify this, and I'm not sure how important it really is independently of the others, but if a place is talked about in hushed tones among the faithful then this embodies it with a certain awe in those visiting.

The only place I can think of is the Nurburgring, but having never been I'm not sure if that offers the "backcountry" road driving and / or much in the way of employment.

[cheddar]

[Pommygranite]

The UK.

You have motoring nirvana and don't even know it.

Great roads
Cheap fast cars
Lots of Motorsport to get involved with
Not many traffic police
High tolerance to speed limits.

[dtmpower]

NZ?

[cheddar]

dtmpower said:

NZ?

Great empty roads but 62mph maximum speed limit and intolerant traffic police.

[vit4]

In all seriousness I would suspect either parts of Scotland or Wales; fantastic roads, good cars are cheap, there are just about all types of motorsport within a couple of hours. The only downsides are the price of fuel and sadly the general public's attitude both of 'speed kills (and therefore overtaking etc)' and jealousy. The latter seems to be ever-increasing .

[Captain Cadillac]

It's a very tough call...

UK:

Amazing roads in excellent condition
Used cars are stupidly cheap
Wonderful and plentiful race tracks
Courteous drivers
You can own any car you want if you have the cash
Very active "scene" for lack of a better word

Bad parts: Weather, cost of fuel and servicing

Southern California:

(I'm into classic Porsches and American cars, with a lean towards traditional hot rods and Kustoms)

This is where Kustoms and Hot Rodding come from and where they still thrive
The weather is perfect. Unless you're at the beach cars don't rust
Incredible events
Some good tracks nearby
Canyon and Mountain roads
Huge car culture

Bad parts: traffic can be insane, drivers suck, it's America so no modern TVR for you.

[delusional]

Pommygranite said:

The UK.

You have motoring nirvana and don't even know it.

Great roads
Cheap fast cars
Lots of Motorsport to get involved with
Not many traffic police
High tolerance to speed limits.

Interesting, after thinking about this I'd started to think the UK would be pretty high on the list as well. There's so much motoring greatness stuff packed into such a small space. I was thinking somewhere on the Welsh border would be pretty good; close to the great roads in Wales, easy access to lots of tracks in England, some reasonably good places to find work.

I don't have that motoring nirvana any more though: I started thinking about this because I moved to Canada to ride my bike.

[greygoose]

Captain Cadillac said:

It's a very tough call...

UK:

Amazing roads in excellent condition
Courteous drivers

I'd disagree about the excellent condition of the roads and half (or more) of the drivers are muppets.

Somewhere around the Nurburgring would be my choice, roads are in a lot better condition, unlimited motorways nearby, good lane discipline, plenty of exotic and new cars being tested in the local area and a small racetrack to get acquainted with.

[dtmpower]

Thailand? Drive on the left, cheap cost of living - and from the RWB video , a growing appreciation of sports cars and driving. Cheap mechanics and I am guessing cheap fuel.

[LaurasOtherHalf]

The nurburgring as you say, plenty of Brits living the car life over there.

Just ask dale lomas!

[Bitofbully]

Pommygranite said:

The UK.

You have motoring nirvana and don't even know it.

Great roads
Cheap fast cars
Lots of Motorsport to get involved with
Not many traffic police
High tolerance to speed limits.

Great roads full of people in Far Eastern hatchbacks doing 40mph and few overtaking opportunities due to traffic density.

Cheap fast cars, but ever increasing insurance costs and we don't really have the roads to make the most of anything really quick.

I'll give you the motorsport.

Not many traffic plod, but far too many cameras and vans.

Are you serious? - my last ticket was for 57mph in a 50mph limit on a dual carriageway.

[Earl'Dingleberry]

[Crafty_]

Captain Cadillac said:

It's a very tough call...

Southern California:

(I'm into classic Porsches and American cars, with a lean towards traditional hot rods and Kustoms)

This is where Kustoms and Hot Rodding come from and where they still thrive
The weather is perfect. Unless you're at the beach cars don't rust
Incredible events
Some good tracks nearby
Canyon and Mountain roads
Huge car culture

Bad parts: traffic can be insane, drivers suck, it's America so no modern TVR for you.

SoCal for me, forget modern stuff, hot rods all the way.

[DeolTheBeast]

Having experienced the 'Ring - anywhere within a 20km radius of the region would do me. Great roads, great cars, plenty of workshops and places to stay. Top place.

[Jimbo.]

Pommygranite said:

The UK.

You have motoring nirvana and don't even know it.

Great roads
Cheap fast cars
Lots of Motorsport to get involved with
Not many traffic police
High tolerance to speed limits.

...and Europe on your doorstep!

[LotusOmega375D]

How about the Fatherland in general? There's something rewarding about seeing an Autobahn sign with a city 160km (100 miles) or more away and reaching it within the hour, without having to worry about the police or speed cameras.