Your guilty motoring pleasures......
Discussion
Despite being a longtime performance car/bike addict and desperate for another Mk1 Golf Gti, I just cannot seem to resist looking at bloody 10 year old Volvo V70 Luxo-diesel-barges. I really, really want one 
There I've said it now, it's all out in the open, go on, confess it feels great
There I've said it now, it's all out in the open, go on, confess it feels great
Small basic cars
I drove my Mrs Mom's Kia Picanto at the weekend - so basic it doesnt even have a temp gauge or central locking - but the all round visibility was amazing, it was plenty nippy enough ( even though it was useless at anything over 40mph ) and so light and easy to drive - great fun.
I dont think I could actually live with one every day though
I drove my Mrs Mom's Kia Picanto at the weekend - so basic it doesnt even have a temp gauge or central locking - but the all round visibility was amazing, it was plenty nippy enough ( even though it was useless at anything over 40mph ) and so light and easy to drive - great fun.
I dont think I could actually live with one every day though
Only a recent one I guess. I did my CBT not long ago and am quite taken with the idea of a 125cc bike to tool around on.. a new Honda 125cc is like £2,600, does 120MPG (£18 to fill the tank), costs about £20 to tax.. honestly they seem like some kind of cheap motoring well kept secret!
If I am driving up the motorway/dual carriageway and I see a car driving with the roof down or a window open I have to drop it to the lowest possible gear and cane it past. Childish and irresponsible but I just can't help myself. Similar thing with Audi TT's.
I actually love driving small hatchbacks with minimal power and wringing every last drop out of them, actually find that more rewarding than driving my car at 6/10ths (I can't drive it any better than that).
I actually love driving small hatchbacks with minimal power and wringing every last drop out of them, actually find that more rewarding than driving my car at 6/10ths (I can't drive it any better than that).
I quite like buying s
tty mundane cars that need work, bit of tidying etc, pootling round in them for a bit and then punting them on. I dont always make a profit, but they always leave in better nick than when they arrived. I'm currently driving an old Escort, it's a total shed but so far I've changed some sensors, got the rad fan working, replaced the knackered cat, sorted out the interior, just given it a nice tidy up. It needs welding next really, new sill on drivers side, a new wheel bearing and possibly an ebay special rear bumper.
It's quite refreshing driving a car that cost under £250 a reasonable distance, and not breaking down. When I was younger, I never filled my cars up with more fuel than I needed at the time, incase the next breakdown was curtains for the car
tty mundane cars that need work, bit of tidying etc, pootling round in them for a bit and then punting them on. I dont always make a profit, but they always leave in better nick than when they arrived. I'm currently driving an old Escort, it's a total shed but so far I've changed some sensors, got the rad fan working, replaced the knackered cat, sorted out the interior, just given it a nice tidy up. It needs welding next really, new sill on drivers side, a new wheel bearing and possibly an ebay special rear bumper. It's quite refreshing driving a car that cost under £250 a reasonable distance, and not breaking down. When I was younger, I never filled my cars up with more fuel than I needed at the time, incase the next breakdown was curtains for the car
Chicane-UK said:
Only a recent one I guess. I did my CBT not long ago and am quite taken with the idea of a 125cc bike to tool around on.. a new Honda 125cc is like £2,600, does 120MPG (£18 to fill the tank), costs about £20 to tax.. honestly they seem like some kind of cheap motoring well kept secret!
My Mrs had a cheap chinese knockoff of a CG125 when she was learning and I found it hilarious to ride if you kept off fast roads. The lack of acceleration meant momentum was everything, and it was so light you could chuck it around like a bicycle. I can see why pizza delivery riders get such a bad reputation the XJ600 she replaced it with is nowhere near as much fun but at least she can now keep up with traffic.TheTurbonator said:
Rover 75, especially the V8 one.
When it comes to 'fun cars' I've got quite hardcore tastes, but for a daily drive I love the cosseting, slightly kitsch, environment of my Rover 75 auto. Waftastic and it has more charm than the dynamically superior German offerings.
RizzoTheRat said:
My Mrs had a cheap chinese knockoff of a CG125 when she was learning and I found it hilarious to ride if you kept off fast roads. The lack of acceleration meant momentum was everything, and it was so light you could chuck it around like a bicycle. I can see why pizza delivery riders get such a bad reputation the XJ600 she replaced it with is nowhere near as much fun but at least she can now keep up with traffic.
To be honest I was surprised at how quickly the bike i rode (think it was a Yamaha YBF125) got up to 50-60MPH.. I mean that was like the end of the world, but acceleration was fairly brisk! I absolutely loved it! Gotta get one sorted! the XJ600 she replaced it with is nowhere near as much fun but at least she can now keep up with traffic.One of my favourite cars was a Nissan Sunny 1.4.
Objectively, it was terrible. Slow, noisy, not particularly economical, and with pretty poor ergonomics, it was nevertheless indestructible, handled far better than I expected, and a succession of clod-hoofed au pairs didn't manage to break any parts.
It cost £300, and I sold it three years later for £250. Nothing - NOTHING - went wrong with it in 15,000 miles. All it needed was oil changes and MOTs, so the total cost of running it, other than fuel, was about £150.
It may have been utterly terrible from a Petrolhead point of view, but it was a really dependable little thing, which fulfilled its design brief perfectly. And I'd love another one as a car walking/going to the tip car.
Objectively, it was terrible. Slow, noisy, not particularly economical, and with pretty poor ergonomics, it was nevertheless indestructible, handled far better than I expected, and a succession of clod-hoofed au pairs didn't manage to break any parts.
It cost £300, and I sold it three years later for £250. Nothing - NOTHING - went wrong with it in 15,000 miles. All it needed was oil changes and MOTs, so the total cost of running it, other than fuel, was about £150.
It may have been utterly terrible from a Petrolhead point of view, but it was a really dependable little thing, which fulfilled its design brief perfectly. And I'd love another one as a car walking/going to the tip car.
Anything with a soft floaty ride, I can waft down the road listening to my favourite music and ignore other road users.
Would be even better if I could tape up the mirrors and pretend I'm the only one on the road. Probably causing 50 mile tailbacks and 100's of accidents, but for me it would be bliss in this pot holed rat-race.
Would be even better if I could tape up the mirrors and pretend I'm the only one on the road. Probably causing 50 mile tailbacks and 100's of accidents, but for me it would be bliss in this pot holed rat-race.
Edited by Major Fallout on Wednesday 13th March 11:32
monthefish said:
Long wheelbase cars or, more specifically, factory long wheelbase versions of regular car (not limo stretches).
Eg BMW 740iL or S500L (or even the little known Rover 75 lwb!)
The ultimate was the BMW L7...
Saw one of these on the M25 recently, had no idea what it was until now. Looked pretty menacing on the move!Eg BMW 740iL or S500L (or even the little known Rover 75 lwb!)
The ultimate was the BMW L7...
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