FAO Blueblaster....
24 July 2008 | 07:21 PM
#2
Scooby Regular
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,070
Likes: 0
LOL....OK here we go.
I'm not going to labour the running costs argument. When road tax was £200 and Superunleaded was 90p/litre the running costs were bad enough, but now they aren't, in my opinion, justifiable. It's not just the monetary value, it is the way they make you feel. Today I would be putting in £65-70 per fill up and would get three 70 mile return trips to work before I had to put yet more fuel in. Almost immediately after you drive out of the petrol station the fuel needle has started to move. And before I get some wise crack about everyone knows what they cost to run and if you can't afford it don't buy it, I'd like to point out that I could and still can afford it quite easily.
But leaving running costs aside, the final straw was that once the novelty factor had worn off it became abundantly clear that the car was no fun whatsoever. Motorways are boring whatever car you're in, but what about those famous twisties I hear you cry? The fact is that the grip levels are so high and the engine so powerful that you have to be going so fast to have any fun whatsoever that I think it's dangerous. I pushed my car to the point of nearly ending up in a hedge in order to find any sense of fun and still failed miserably.
In the end most of the owners on here drive the car they do because it is also sort of their hobby. There is a huge social scene involved with ownership from being waved at by other owners (that is nice) to huge gatherings. But leaving that aside, the high in-your-face costs plus the lack of any fun means that I'd rather save 4 grand a year and drive a diesel car of equal value. That way this year I'll get two weeks in China and a week's skiing at Xmas for me and the missus for 'free'.
I hope that sounded balanced and won't elicit the usual "f*ck off and die" comments I usually get when I tell the truth.
I'm not going to labour the running costs argument. When road tax was £200 and Superunleaded was 90p/litre the running costs were bad enough, but now they aren't, in my opinion, justifiable. It's not just the monetary value, it is the way they make you feel. Today I would be putting in £65-70 per fill up and would get three 70 mile return trips to work before I had to put yet more fuel in. Almost immediately after you drive out of the petrol station the fuel needle has started to move. And before I get some wise crack about everyone knows what they cost to run and if you can't afford it don't buy it, I'd like to point out that I could and still can afford it quite easily.
But leaving running costs aside, the final straw was that once the novelty factor had worn off it became abundantly clear that the car was no fun whatsoever. Motorways are boring whatever car you're in, but what about those famous twisties I hear you cry? The fact is that the grip levels are so high and the engine so powerful that you have to be going so fast to have any fun whatsoever that I think it's dangerous. I pushed my car to the point of nearly ending up in a hedge in order to find any sense of fun and still failed miserably.
In the end most of the owners on here drive the car they do because it is also sort of their hobby. There is a huge social scene involved with ownership from being waved at by other owners (that is nice) to huge gatherings. But leaving that aside, the high in-your-face costs plus the lack of any fun means that I'd rather save 4 grand a year and drive a diesel car of equal value. That way this year I'll get two weeks in China and a week's skiing at Xmas for me and the missus for 'free'.
I hope that sounded balanced and won't elicit the usual "f*ck off and die" comments I usually get when I tell the truth.
24 July 2008 | 07:38 PM
#4
Scooby Regular
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,070
Likes: 0
Because:
1. I didn't want to take a brand new car around a track.
2. I didn't want to get through tyres and brakes any faster than I was doing already.
3. It was my road car and I had always managed to have fun in previous road cars. Even if I did track days I would still be left with a car that was no fun on a day to day basis. That was pointless given the costs involved.
1. I didn't want to take a brand new car around a track.
2. I didn't want to get through tyres and brakes any faster than I was doing already.
3. It was my road car and I had always managed to have fun in previous road cars. Even if I did track days I would still be left with a car that was no fun on a day to day basis. That was pointless given the costs involved.
24 July 2008 | 08:43 PM
#7
Moderator
iTrader: (4)
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 18,687
Likes: 0
From: The Terry Crews of moderation. P P P P P P POWER!!
LOL....OK here we go.
I'm not going to labour the running costs argument. When road tax was £200 and Superunleaded was 90p/litre the running costs were bad enough, but now they aren't, in my opinion, justifiable. It's not just the monetary value, it is the way they make you feel. Today I would be putting in £65-70 per fill up and would get three 70 mile return trips to work before I had to put yet more fuel in. Almost immediately after you drive out of the petrol station the fuel needle has started to move. And before I get some wise crack about everyone knows what they cost to run and if you can't afford it don't buy it, I'd like to point out that I could and still can afford it quite easily.
But leaving running costs aside, the final straw was that once the novelty factor had worn off it became abundantly clear that the car was no fun whatsoever. Motorways are boring whatever car you're in, but what about those famous twisties I hear you cry? The fact is that the grip levels are so high and the engine so powerful that you have to be going so fast to have any fun whatsoever that I think it's dangerous. I pushed my car to the point of nearly ending up in a hedge in order to find any sense of fun and still failed miserably.
In the end most of the owners on here drive the car they do because it is also sort of their hobby. There is a huge social scene involved with ownership from being waved at by other owners (that is nice) to huge gatherings. But leaving that aside, the high in-your-face costs plus the lack of any fun means that I'd rather save 4 grand a year and drive a diesel car of equal value. That way this year I'll get two weeks in China and a week's skiing at Xmas for me and the missus for 'free'.
I hope that sounded balanced and won't elicit the usual "f*ck off and die" comments I usually get when I tell the truth.
I'm not going to labour the running costs argument. When road tax was £200 and Superunleaded was 90p/litre the running costs were bad enough, but now they aren't, in my opinion, justifiable. It's not just the monetary value, it is the way they make you feel. Today I would be putting in £65-70 per fill up and would get three 70 mile return trips to work before I had to put yet more fuel in. Almost immediately after you drive out of the petrol station the fuel needle has started to move. And before I get some wise crack about everyone knows what they cost to run and if you can't afford it don't buy it, I'd like to point out that I could and still can afford it quite easily.
But leaving running costs aside, the final straw was that once the novelty factor had worn off it became abundantly clear that the car was no fun whatsoever. Motorways are boring whatever car you're in, but what about those famous twisties I hear you cry? The fact is that the grip levels are so high and the engine so powerful that you have to be going so fast to have any fun whatsoever that I think it's dangerous. I pushed my car to the point of nearly ending up in a hedge in order to find any sense of fun and still failed miserably.
In the end most of the owners on here drive the car they do because it is also sort of their hobby. There is a huge social scene involved with ownership from being waved at by other owners (that is nice) to huge gatherings. But leaving that aside, the high in-your-face costs plus the lack of any fun means that I'd rather save 4 grand a year and drive a diesel car of equal value. That way this year I'll get two weeks in China and a week's skiing at Xmas for me and the missus for 'free'.
I hope that sounded balanced and won't elicit the usual "f*ck off and die" comments I usually get when I tell the truth.
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24 July 2008 | 08:51 PM
#8
Possibly the best post ive seen from blueblaster and i hate to admit but i would by lying if i said i wasnt beginning to feel the same away about my scooby ownership.
the track day comments are very valid as well, I often get the question from people at work if i go on track, although one of the reasons for not tracking is since i had the paint correction done on my car id hate it to get blasted in stonechips etc.
the track day comments are very valid as well, I often get the question from people at work if i go on track, although one of the reasons for not tracking is since i had the paint correction done on my car id hate it to get blasted in stonechips etc.
Last edited by S3TH; 24 July 2008 at 08:55 PM. Reason: typo & addition
24 July 2008 | 09:47 PM
#9
Fair enough BB. Some good points as ever. I think you summed it up when you used the 'opinion' word. In my opinion the extra cost of owning an Impreza over e.g. a Focus TDi or similar is worth it for the enjoyment I get from it, although difficult to measure I know.
Neither of us are wrong. We just have different opinions.
Neither of us are wrong. We just have different opinions.