Do you have sports cars as well?

[AceOfHearts]

Thinking out loud here and wondering what other peoples opinions were on the subject.

I've had my TVR for 12 years now, and was always my pride and joy. The last few years however, I have only done around 1500 miles a year in it.

This is mainly due to the fact that any sunny summers day I will 95% of the time choose to go out on the bikes instead. Do you guys find the same thing?

This has prompted me to put it up for sale as its not getting the use it deserves and is costing quite a lot to have just sitting around. It's quite a wrench though as I have had it since I was 19 and was my first 'good' car

[Klippie]

Opposite for me my I’ll usually take the car (Porsche Cayman S) before the bike it’s faster and can corner much harder...still love my STR to bits though.

[srob]

I’m fortunate enough to be able to borrow some pretty cool cars from work. I took my (lifelong motorcyclist) dad out in a V6 Exige to a local town and thinking it’d be a treat for him I showed him how hard it accelerates but then we were about 15 cars back from a tractor on a single lane road. He said “yeah it’s quick but I’d have been there by now on my Deauville”.

Basically true. No matter how fast your car is you’d make faster - and ultimately have more fun - on any motorbike on UK roads.

[Esceptico]

About three years back I bought a nice, manual 997.2 thinking I would split my time between bikes and car. Apart from commuting never used the Porsche as every opportunity for a weekend drive/ride ended up with a ride. Given up on cars for the moment. Have a Golf TSi (motoring white goods).

I have had thoughts of a Caterham though as most bike like car and I could take my daughter/ wife out with me.

[UnluckyTimmeh]

I have a Mx5 and a 1970s Lotus Elan Sprint to use near enough whenever I want to.

I’ve been lucky enough to drive a lot of lovely cars in my work life, but I’d always take a bike unless it’s snowing or icy.

One thing I’d love to ride is a classic bike. Pre 50s sort of thing. One day, maybe.

[Tasmin200]

I like both. I get as much enjoyment from 2 or 4 wheels which does seem unusual. I have friends from both sides of the argument but none who love driving and riding.

[Tasmin200]

AceOfHearts said:

This has prompted me to put it up for sale as its not getting the use it deserves and is costing quite a lot to have just sitting around. It's quite a wrench though as I have had it since I was 19 and was my first 'good' car

I don't get this part. I've got vehicles that some years maybe only do a few hundred miles. So what? I like them, you don't have to justify owning them to yourself. If it's not causing hardship why not keep it and enjoy those 1500 miles next year as well?

[clen666]

Growing up I was always into cars but never had the funds to match my ambition, a few French hot hatches was about as far as it got.

Bikes are so much more accessible, for the price of a cheap hatchback you can have something that will out accelerate most things on the road.

I’ll always have a soft spot for cars, if I have the disposable income to pay for something nice then I will, but I’ll now stick to bikes for the fun, so much cheaper

[George29]

I’d choose a car before a bike on the road and the opposite on a track

[AceOfHearts]

Tasmin200 said:

AceOfHearts said:

This has prompted me to put it up for sale as its not getting the use it deserves and is costing quite a lot to have just sitting around. It's quite a wrench though as I have had it since I was 19 and was my first 'good' car

I don't get this part. I've got vehicles that some years maybe only do a few hundred miles. So what? I like them, you don't have to justify owning them to yourself. If it's not causing hardship why not keep it and enjoy those 1500 miles next year as well?

I know what you are saying, but with storage, running costs and maintenance it's an expensive thing to just use occasionally. It's not a case of causing hardship but more that I'm just enjoying the bikes more at the moment and having the car there is costing money that could be better spent I guess.

I still love the car and am in no rush to sell, but it's probably been 3 years of very light use with at least another 2 years in the future that's prompted the thoughts of selling.

[NITO]

Yes. CLS63S, it’s a beast of a car but basically pointless, there is too much traffic to enjoy a car like this, every journey becomes more a frustration.

Commuting on the bike has me arriving 10-15 minute or more earlier than a car, purely for being able to make overtakes of very slow traffic (tractors, lorries etc) that are trying to squeeze oversize vehicles down roads that are not wide enough for 2 way lorry traffic. It’s a lot more fun, cheaper and I don’t have to worry about kerbing alloys or clipping wing mirrors which is always a concern with the wide CLS.

Basically it’s been up for sale on and off countless times and was a mistake for me. I’ve lost an exquisite bike in depreciation alone and it has spent the last few months Sorn’d because I refuse to fork out £565 a year on rfl. That’s before Merc dealers bend you over at every opportunity. I’ve done 7,700 miles in three years and just put first set of rears on it.

Basically I’m done with cars now. I get more fun driving a pickup and van about!!

[SAS Tom]

I’ve got an MX5 and at the moment I tend to use it more than the bike. In previous years I’d have always taken the bike over a car but the Mazda is getting much more use at the moment. I know the bike is faster but that isn’t the only measure of fun. The car is also more practical. I can go to work in it and take my girlfriend out whereas my current bike isn’t a particularly good choice for a pillion.

For me it’s a better proposition for track days too. I’ve had a bike that I used on track and obliterated it at Cadwell Park from making a small mistake. Although it’s not impossible to crash the Mazda there’s a lot more room for error and usually you just end up going it a bit sideways which is fun anyway.

I do see the other side of it though. It’s much easier to store a bike than a car and maintenance is easier too. For the days like today when it’s raining it’s not great watching your car dissolve.

I think it’s down to how whether you’re happy spending the money or not. My bike is a old and is only appreciating at the moment. I do a few hundred miles a year on it and it costs me about £300 per year for tax, insurance, mot and fuel. The tax alone on the car is more than that so I don’t think I could justify keeping it if I only did a few hundred miles a year.

[Triaguar]

Merc SL, well it's my wife's actually, that is used as an everyday vehicle. Renault Clio is the commuter. I used to only have a motorcycle and the Joy's of commuting and going shopping etc on one has long since waned. Hence the sports bike. You have got to have spent some serious money on a car for the road that gives as much fun as a litre sports bike if one is 'out playing'.

[bogie]

Yes, I like an open sports car, didn't bother to pass car test until 10 years later than bike test though and still prefer 2 wheels. I do enjoy a convertible car to go on longer touring holidays with other half in the car versus bike touring solo.

I try to spread the mileage around. If I have a day free, weather is nice, may go out early morning and get a couple of hundred miles in on 2 wheels, come home at lunch and go out in the afternoon in the car. I measure how good a year ive had by how many fun miles ive got in on the car and 2 bikes, if I can do 3-4k pleasure miles on each bike and car ive had a good year.

If it got to a point where the car was only doing 1k miles or so it would have to go, couldn't justify the running costs for that. Its all about free time for hobbies and the weather, im working towards having more of the former, shame we cant control the latter a bit more

Edited by bogie on Sunday 7th June 09:04

[black-k1]

I sold my TVR because I was doing very few miles in it as the bike was the "weapon of choice" for sunny days out. I found I was making myself take the TVR in an attempt to justify it then not enjoying the run due to amount of traffic and that it now seems that overtaking in a car is viewed by most road users as a worse crime than drink driving.

I rarely miss it.

[gareth h]

srob said:

I’m fortunate enough to be able to borrow some pretty cool cars from work. I took my (lifelong motorcyclist) dad out in a V6 Exige to a local town and thinking it’d be a treat for him I showed him how hard it accelerates but then we were about 15 cars back from a tractor on a single lane road. He said “yeah it’s quick but I’d have been there by now on my Deauville”.

Basically true. No matter how fast your car is you’d make faster - and ultimately have more fun - on any motorbike on UK roads.

Not sure about that, I’ve got a 410 Exige (and a Diavel) was just saying to a mate the other day that get the Exige at peak torque and overtakes are almost motorcycle quick (and I’m not talking Deauvilles) although the size means you can’t take the liberties you would on a bike

[Cylon2007]

I've got A Street Triple RS and an MX5 the MX5 is my daily driver as well as fun car, the bike gets used for ride outs on nice days, occasionally or commute and normally a couple touring holidays with mates each year. I seem to do about 6k miles in each yearly. But the MX 5 is actually driven far more regularly than the bike gets ridden.

[wa16]

i don't have a car any longer gave 335 up (not very sporty but it did shift) - i have access to a sports car (wife's) if needs be, but driving a car for fun in GB, unless you go to the remote parts, is not worth it any longer. Any fun has been squeezed out, something we appear to have sleep walked into with little questioning by the masses as to the veracity of the restrictions - much like something else.

Any interest groups that question the restrictions are just dangerous fools - much like something else.

[AceOfHearts]

black-k1 said:

I sold my TVR because I was doing very few miles in it as the bike was the "weapon of choice" for sunny days out. I found I was making myself take the TVR in an attempt to justify it then not enjoying the run due to amount of traffic and that it now seems that overtaking in a car is viewed by most road users as a worse crime than drink driving.

I rarely miss it.

That is exactly the situation I am in! Most of the miles I do in it now are because I just feel guilty for not using it, and not really out of enjoyment.

Its a difficult car for me to personally value though as I have poured countless hours and money into it over the last 12 years to make it what it is today (turbocharged 400bhp/ton)

The Holden Ute 5.7 is my daily car which I will be keeping so it's not as though I will be without an 'interesting' car at least

[Krikkit]

I haven't owned cars in the same leagues as you guys, but I find myself totally unfazed by car speed now.

What it does mean is I appreciate a good engine and sound over everything else, regardless of speed.