That" drive just when you're considering selling your car...
Discussion
I've been contemplating selling my Elise for a little while and changing to a GT86-something I can enjoy more of the time free from the worry about damp, greasy roads (in fact, playtime in the GT86!), fibreglass damage thanks to inconsiderate parking and the fuzzy security of a service plan & five year warranty. I've also had the nagging feeling I'd fallen out of love with the Elise.
I took the Elise out for a blat today as the winter sunshine had shown its face and the roads were free of salt/water/mud/crap. Guess what? The Elise served up one of those magical drives where the stars aligned and everything in the world just seemed alright. It felt utterly faithful to my inputs, the steering chattered away with feel, the engine barked away and I felt a part of it more so than for a long, long time.
Why do cars do this? The second you consider actually biting the bullet and making the change, they remind you of all the reasons you bought it in the first place. Guess that GT86 order will have to wait for a little longer (until hopefully I can afford the pair of them)...
I took the Elise out for a blat today as the winter sunshine had shown its face and the roads were free of salt/water/mud/crap. Guess what? The Elise served up one of those magical drives where the stars aligned and everything in the world just seemed alright. It felt utterly faithful to my inputs, the steering chattered away with feel, the engine barked away and I felt a part of it more so than for a long, long time.
Why do cars do this? The second you consider actually biting the bullet and making the change, they remind you of all the reasons you bought it in the first place. Guess that GT86 order will have to wait for a little longer (until hopefully I can afford the pair of them)...
Sort of similar.
I used to ride motorbikes all the time, but after copping the latest of many bans (this was back in 1999) I jacked in riding on the road and went racing.
Once I'd smashed my body to pieces and spent enough money to have bought a nice flat outright on racing (an addiction to rival most drugs
) I had a year of no bikes at all. Then I decided to get another, but something not too mental. I bought an older Ducati.
I didn't use it much - it was a bit of a classic anyway, and absolutely mint, so I kinda started to get more enjoyment out of just looking at it and polishing it!
Then I started to get tight for money, so decided it had to go. Besides, in the 5 years I had owned it, it had seemed to have doubled in value
A local Ducati specialist said they'd take it on sale or return.
Typically it was a lovely warm summers day when I went to take it to the shop. Part of me didn't want to tempt fate by going for a blast, but I did anyway.
Annoyingly, everything was perfect - the weather, the roads, the bike....I spent a good 2 hours having a blast. I remember trundling down to the 'T' junction where left went down to the bike shop, and right lead me home.
I NEARLY turned right It was a very close run thing. I decided that I would take the bike to the dealer, and if it didn't sell within a week or two, it wasn't meant to be and I would go down and rescue it.
Got a phone call three days later telling me there was a large cheque waiting for me. Ah well
I do miss it though.
I used to ride motorbikes all the time, but after copping the latest of many bans (this was back in 1999) I jacked in riding on the road and went racing.
Once I'd smashed my body to pieces and spent enough money to have bought a nice flat outright on racing (an addiction to rival most drugs
) I had a year of no bikes at all. Then I decided to get another, but something not too mental. I bought an older Ducati.I didn't use it much - it was a bit of a classic anyway, and absolutely mint, so I kinda started to get more enjoyment out of just looking at it and polishing it!
Then I started to get tight for money, so decided it had to go. Besides, in the 5 years I had owned it, it had seemed to have doubled in value
A local Ducati specialist said they'd take it on sale or return.
Typically it was a lovely warm summers day when I went to take it to the shop. Part of me didn't want to tempt fate by going for a blast, but I did anyway.
Annoyingly, everything was perfect - the weather, the roads, the bike....I spent a good 2 hours having a blast. I remember trundling down to the 'T' junction where left went down to the bike shop, and right lead me home.
I NEARLY turned right
It was a very close run thing. I decided that I would take the bike to the dealer, and if it didn't sell within a week or two, it wasn't meant to be and I would go down and rescue it.Got a phone call three days later telling me there was a large cheque waiting for me. Ah well
I do miss it though.
When I got my first Elise I parted exchanged a DC2 for it, a DC2 that I had owned and loved for three years. All the way there I was having similar thoughts 'am I doing the right thing' Turned out I loved the Elise too.
OP, having seen a pic of your Elise I would not sell it, them Speedlines
..........but if you do, drop me a PM as I am still hunting for an S1 that I want!
OP, having seen a pic of your Elise I would not sell it, them Speedlines
..........but if you do, drop me a PM as I am still hunting for an S1 that I want!
Same feeling with my E46, I've deliberately not driven it for most of the month to stop it having that effect.
I did my "last" trackday at Snetterton in August, followed by a "last" roadtrip around Scotland in October, and again followed by a "last" trackday at Knockhill at the start of this month. It needs tyres and brake pads before it goes anywhere, but surely I can't spend money on brakes and tyres and let it go without giving it another proper run?
I did my "last" trackday at Snetterton in August, followed by a "last" roadtrip around Scotland in October, and again followed by a "last" trackday at Knockhill at the start of this month. It needs tyres and brake pads before it goes anywhere, but surely I can't spend money on brakes and tyres and let it go without giving it another proper run?
Tickle said:
When I got my first Elise I parted exchanged a DC2 for it, a DC2 that I had owned and loved for three years. All the way there I was having similar thoughts 'am I doing the right thing' Turned out I loved the Elise too.
OP, having seen a pic of your Elise I would not sell it, them Speedlines
..........but if you do, drop me a PM as I am still hunting for an S1 that I want!
Stop tempting me! OP, having seen a pic of your Elise I would not sell it, them Speedlines
..........but if you do, drop me a PM as I am still hunting for an S1 that I want!
Did you end up selling your Elise then?I'm hoping for some more good weather to keep on enjoying drives like today.
I took a mate out in my exige after id already agreed a sale on it. He loved it and i fell back in love with it, but in the end let it go as keeping 2 cars was getting silly.
I do miss it but it spent most of its life sitting there getting dirty until a nice weekend came along when i want busy or hungover.
I do miss it but it spent most of its life sitting there getting dirty until a nice weekend came along when i want busy or hungover.
deltashad said:
It snowed here last night, I invested in some winter tyres and a car cover and it made a huge difference. The lotus was a joy to drive and had no moments of poo coming out of my bum.
I don't fancy driving mine in such weather simply to preserve it. I've got another car (and a bike) to use/commute with when the weather isn't so good, it's on a limited mileage policy and it's garaged. Yup, I'm a tart. I've been considering selling my car for a little while for a couple of reasons:
1. I'm now going to be doing about 20k miles a year, half of which is in stop start traffic, and I really don't enjoy driving it in that sort of environment. It's not the most pleasant car to do so in (not very comfortable and the clutch is quite heavy!)
2. I've driven an MR2 again and sort of fell in love with the idea of having one (and it's more comfortable
)
1. I'm now going to be doing about 20k miles a year, half of which is in stop start traffic, and I really don't enjoy driving it in that sort of environment. It's not the most pleasant car to do so in (not very comfortable and the clutch is quite heavy!)
2. I've driven an MR2 again and sort of fell in love with the idea of having one (and it's more comfortable
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