The car thread 2.

[charlesr]

Unsure if serious.... Just in case - although I like the looks, most of my car lust comes from the drive. The CR-X is like a go kart - subterrainian CoG and a flex-free body. The Forrester STi is probably pointless, but it's an Impreza with a different shell, so has that same low CoG (boxer engine) and 4x4 idiot mode (and 330bhp) so is super fun to drive. And it makes Vikki squeal like she's [stuff censored]



edit: lol - I was too busy watching that vid a few times to realise you had already mentioned "go kart" naka

[QualityChimp]

I'm sure the CR-X is a lovely drive, but it looks like the kind of car chavs love.

In their mind, it looks like this:
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In reality, it looks like this:
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[charlesr]

These days unfortunately, it's classic car buffs and anyone with the skills to restore them - they tend to be rust held together by paint. 25 years old. They are going up in value.

[charlesr]

There does seem to be a theme though. Me and Lucy love the Chav cars. Oddly we hated most of the cars we ended up with.

Along the way:
Orion 1.6GL - atrocious (my first car - which then put me off cars for 10 years - had motorbikes instead).
Lucy had:
Corsa - worse than the Orion
CR-X - brilliant car. Like a 2seater mini-estate car when the rear shelf seat was folded out the way.
Then Lucy's company cars started. They were chosen for her:
Golf 1.6 - totally boring. No redeeming features
Focus 1.6 - would rather stab myself than have another one of these
chrysler cruiser - funky looks but totally rubbish in all other areas
VW Beetle - just no. No. No. No. No. No. How something this expensive could be made so bad is beyond me.
Then I got a company car:
Fiesta Diesel Zetec - brilliant handling, totally gutless. I don't think the turbo did anything except make a tiny noise.
Then Lucy got an Impreza Sport (2L non-turbo) - finally a car that was fun again. Firing around other cars on mountain roads in France was a laugh. 4x4 was hilarious.
She sold that and got a Legacy RE - massive, refined, razer sharp handling, just a bit underpowered.
I missed the Impreza, so bought a Turbo version - holy moly, fast, tight, big enough to throw the mountain bike in the back. For the roads round me (potholes and manure), it is perfect.
Someome in a lorry tore the front off Lucy's Legacy, so we got a Honda Civic 1.6 Exec (easy to sell quickly) while waiting for a Legacy WR Ltd to appear for sale. The Civic was ok once we had put sport tyres on it - deathtrap on the plastic cheapy tyres that came on it. Lovely to drive at a normal pace, but lacking any excitement. A perfect everyday car I suppose.
Finally a WR Ltd appeared and it was everything we had hoped - fast, astonishingly good round corners, super grand tourer - great for the trips to France camping or for hooning around the Tesco roundabout....

[QualityChimp]

I would've got a Civic after your suggestion, Chaz.

I even had a look at a couple and got a little obsessed with them, but my uncle was selling his car off cheap and got that instead.

[Brad]

I like the car history Charles :-)

My car history:

Mk 1 Cavalier - Loved it. bouncy. Mine was hand pained in white. You could see the brush strokes on it. Classy.


MG metro - Awful

Mk 3 (I think) Astra - Functional


Focus Mk1 - great everyday car

Discovery Mk1 - Quite good fun, useful for chucking a bike in. Could carry 7 people (a requirement at the time)


Grand Scenic - Utterly dreadful in every way

Then I had another Focus as a stop gap until now:

[Brad]

Back to the giant minis, last weekend I saw a man effortlessly taking a full-suspension mountain bike out the back of a Mini, both wheels still attached to the bike! My Land Rover Disco is the only vehicle I've owned where I could do that!

[charlesr]

Colin, tell me about the S2000.

What are they like on longer journeys?
Does it have enough power to break traction off the throttle alone (i.e. not clutch in 1st effort, but during normal acceleration in a straight line)?
Easy to drive?
Lucy has been looking at them.

[CMcK]

I've only had a few shots of my mates S2000 but I have to point out the gearshift is utterly sublime.

[Colin]

Owned three S2000's Charles, absolutely love them. On long journeys it can get a bit tiring as the roof is reasonably noisy, or at least it was on my first one, I had two GT's after that one so if I drove from say Scotland to London I always popped the hard top on for the journey. On warm tyres and in good weather they have simply superb grip, in the wet though if not driven sensibly you can soon see the world begin to spin, as I found out on a wet slip road in my first one. Brilliant to drive, best gear box I've ever had in any car I've ever owned, no contest. Engine needs revved hard and kept in the power band to get the most out of it for fast travel, otherwise they're pretty docile. As the revisions went on the set up changed considerably to cut out the snappiness, I owned the three versions and preferred my last the most (2007) though others prefer the rawer early cars. Definitely a car that needs to be experienced in my opinion, just don't expect bonkers fast. At the time when I bought my last one brand new, I still didn't even consider a Boxster or Z4M instead, that's how much I loved them.

My last one, day after I bought it -

[Jamie]

Been waiting for the status of my Golf order to change, checking the website everyday, it's been stuck like this since the first week in November

[CMcK]

The last time I bought a new Golf it took nine months to arrive. I hope you don't have to wait quite that long.

I have been reading a bit about the Mk VII Golf Estate R and really quite fancy getting one. Although for that money a good second hand mid engined Porsche would be my preferred choice.

[charlesr]

Cheers Colin.
So that bodykit, that's not standard in 2007 is it - is that a Honda option? I like.

[Jamie]

I've been quoted as March for delivery, it doesn't help the waiting that i keep checking to see if the tracker has changed.

Yeah the R estate does look good, if i was after an estate think i'd go for the S4 Avant though. Porsche would be great, doubt i'd get the family and the dog in one though

[charlesr]

It will be all the sweeter when it turns up