Car thread - which one?

[Potter]

Nostalgia and desire often don't survive reality*.

I suppose it depends what you want out of it.

If you buy a Ferrari 308 GTS expecting the latest tech and the fastest car on the road then you’d be disappointed, but if it’s an impossible dream come true then it might tick a box.

I don’t want to bare all but I was in a very unhappy place and in a TV room when I was about ten years old and Magnum PI came on, when the Ferrari appeared I pointed at the screen and said “I’ll have one of those one day” to much piss taking from the adults and the kids there who basically said those things didn’t happen to people like me. The soul destroying things was, I thought they were probably right.

[weeksy]

Nostalgia and desire often don't survive reality*.

I suppose it depends what you want out of it.

If you buy a Ferrari 308 GTS expecting the latest tech and the fastest car on the road then you’d be disappointed, but if it’s an impossible dream come true then it might tick a box.

I don’t want to bare all but I was in a very unhappy place and in a TV room when I was about ten years old and Magnum PI came on, when the Ferrari appeared I pointed at the screen and said “I’ll have one of those one day” to much piss taking from the adults and the kids there who basically said those things didn’t happen to people like me. The soul destroying things was, I thought they were probably right.

Assuming you can get in it in terms of price and back out without too much issue, then that sort of dream is clearly a brilliant thing.

But, will it give you anything other than a 3 day fix ? sure there'll be the chase, there'll be the deal, but after that, what ultimately are you doing it for ? To prove yourself right ? Surely the fact you CAN buy it is already doing that ?

[Count Steer]

Nostalgia and desire often don't survive reality*.

I suppose it depends what you want out of it.

If you buy a Ferrari 308 GTS expecting the latest tech and the fastest car on the road then you’d be disappointed, but if it’s an impossible dream come true then it might tick a box.

I don’t want to bare all but I was in a very unhappy place and in a TV room when I was about ten years old and Magnum PI came on, when the Ferrari appeared I pointed at the screen and said “I’ll have one of those one day” to much piss taking from the adults and the kids there who basically said those things didn’t happen to people like me. The soul destroying things was, I thought they were probably right.

Assuming you can get in it in terms of price and back out without too much issue, then that sort of dream is clearly a brilliant thing.

But, will it give you anything other than a 3 day fix ? sure there'll be the chase, there'll be the deal, but after that, what ultimately are you doing it for ? To prove yourself right ? Surely the fact you CAN buy it is already doing that ?

There's a danger that the greater the desire, the greater the come-down after the initial buzz. A close friend was, what I think was, sort of bipolar. Life was a constant cycle of 'If only I had x, then I'd be happy' Get's x (usually at considerable expense), gets a buzz, realises that nothing much has really changed, gets depressed then thinks 'I know, what I need is y, then I'll be happy'. Rinse and repeat, leaving behind a stream of sold x's and y's. Happily she's broken out of the cycle, lives the rural idyll with not a lot of stuff, looks after her bees, plays a squeeze box and was more happy and content and looked it last time I saw her.

The buzz is nice, no denying it, but it can be awfully temporary. (Which I guess fits with advertising, sell the dream and let the buyer deal with the reality).

[Potter]

Nostalgia and desire often don't survive reality*.

I suppose it depends what you want out of it.

If you buy a Ferrari 308 GTS expecting the latest tech and the fastest car on the road then you’d be disappointed, but if it’s an impossible dream come true then it might tick a box.

I don’t want to bare all but I was in a very unhappy place and in a TV room when I was about ten years old and Magnum PI came on, when the Ferrari appeared I pointed at the screen and said “I’ll have one of those one day” to much piss taking from the adults and the kids there who basically said those things didn’t happen to people like me. The soul destroying things was, I thought they were probably right.

Assuming you can get in it in terms of price and back out without too much issue, then that sort of dream is clearly a brilliant thing.

But, will it give you anything other than a 3 day fix ? sure there'll be the chase, there'll be the deal, but after that, what ultimately are you doing it for ? To prove yourself right ? Surely the fact you CAN buy it is already doing that ?

Yeah I wouldn’t buy a 308 just to tick that box, it would kind of be nice but I’m not at all interested in proving anything to anyone else and like you said I don’t need to prove it to myself because I already know I can.
I was just using it as an example.

The F355 is a different thing though I liked it from the minute I first saw one but never thought I’d be able to actually get one. So whilst I’m not out to prove anything, it would sort of be a dream come true type thing.

[Potter]

There's a danger that the greater the desire, the greater the come-down after the initial buzz. A close friend was, what I think was, sort of bipolar. Life was a constant cycle of 'If only I had x, then I'd be happy' Get's x (usually at considerable expense), gets a buzz, realises that nothing much has really changed, gets depressed then thinks 'I know, what I need is y, then I'll be happy'. Rinse and repeat, leaving behind a stream of sold x's and y's. Happily she's broken out of the cycle, lives the rural idyll with not a lot of stuff, looks after her bees, plays a squeeze box and was more happy and content and looked it last time I saw her.

The buzz is nice, no denying it, but it can be awfully temporary. (Which I guess fits with advertising, sell the dream and let the buyer deal with the reality).

They say that progress depends on unreasonable people who are never satisfied.

Otherwise we’d all be happy with coming second, not improving lap times, not buying the new car, etc.

[Wossname]

Given the choice, I’d rather be the “happy” one coming second than the “never satisfied” one.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

Just remembered that I used to know someone with a Porsche 934 that was 2nd at Le Mans, not sure if it was 2nd in class, or overall 2nd. It looked like the 911 that Potter posted a picture of but with really wide back wheels and a deep front spoiler. It went like fuck, top speed was supposed to be about 190mph, but it was very much a road legal racing car, the interior was Spartan.

I did manage to find a reference to it on the internet a few years ago, look up John Bell and Porsche 934.

[Potter]

Given the choice, I’d rather be the “happy” one coming second than the “never satisfied” one.

Me too.
But I don't think the pursuit of improvement necessarily means unhappiness.
I reckon you can be happy at the same time as wanting to do a bit better than you did yesterday.

[Potter]

Just remembered that I used to know someone with a Porsche 934 that was 2nd at Le Mans, not sure if it was 2nd in class, or overall 2nd. It looked like the 911 that Potter posted a picture of but with really wide back wheels and a deep front spoiler. It went like fuck, top speed was supposed to be about 190mph, but it was very much a road legal racing car, the interior was Spartan.

I did manage to find a reference to it on the internet a few years ago, look up John Bell and Porsche 934.

I’m not so keen on the big breeze block front spoiler but the rest of the car is nice.

I think 80’s Porsches are a nostalgia thing for most of us though because my kids reckon they’re really ugly, they’re quite ‘Marmite’. The newer ones are smoothed out and more generic looking and probably appeal to more people.

Like Range Rovers, I prefer the older more block shaped rather than the smoothed out ones that look like any other SUV.

[Taipan]

Fast forward to about 50 seconds in....

I think i must me slightly weird... i'd still rather have my Transit

It's undoubtedly a nicer thing to drive than any 70/80s sports car!

[Potter]

It's undoubtedly a nicer thing to drive than any 70/80s sports car!

I think anything that is focussed in one direction is going to be less generally versatile that an all-rounder, ITMS.

My new 911 was very usable, I think I said before that I could take my mum shopping in the morning and then do a trackday in the afternoon, but it's not even a shadow of how comfortable and plush your Range Rover will be in 99% of most road use applications.

[Taipan]

It's undoubtedly a nicer thing to drive than any 70/80s sports car!

I think anything that is focussed in one direction is going to be less generally versatile that an all-rounder, ITMS.

My new 911 was very usable, I think I said before that I could take my mum shopping in the morning and then do a trackday in the afternoon, but it's not even a shadow of how comfortable and plush your Range Rover will be in 99% of most road use applications.

Oh yes! My wifes Cooper SD is a lot more fun for going fast in than my car for sure, but as you say, my car is a hell of lot more luxurious and comfortable. I'm lcky to have the option of either i suppose.

I think some people love driving nostalgia and some don't. I didn't like a lot of 70/80s sports cars to drive at the time, but I love to see them today. I keep talking myself out of buying a RD400, or suchlike, as I think the memory will be better than the reality, but then a bit of me needs to find that out to be sure...

[ZRX61]

It was quickest from 80 through till 200 ish, never went that quick myself but the journalists did, all the figures they quoted were achieved time and again 0-60 4.5 secs first gear had to be selected intentionally, it would set off in second normally. Off the mark was a violent affair hardly any time in 1st and you were changing gear as fast as you could. there are bargains out there but ou have to really check service history for correct oil filters quite often garages would fit ordinary seven series filters that starved the charger of oil then Boom £5K thankyou please

Explorer ST will do that....

[Slenver]

Only one way to decide this argument...

[ZRX61]

Saw a rather spiffy car in Beverly Hills today. The lime green Pagani Huayra BC Roadster..... $3.4M.

Fucking lush doesn't even come close to describing this vision of lovliness.

[Rockburner]

Let's leave the money out of it (at least for now) but if you were going to buy a classic supercar (from my era), then which one do you reckon holds that classic shape and looks nicer?

I'm genuinely torn, they're both icons of my time.

911 every time.

My Mum had a left hand drive 911 Targa. She actually bought it (iirc) from the factory and drove back from Germany through Holland (probably visiting family) to the UK when I was 6 or 7 .

I have vivid memories aged about 7 of being her "spotter" when she was driving fast and wanted to overtake things.....

I did have the Ferrari F40 poster on my wall, but it was always the 911 I wanted.

[rodbargee]

rodbargee wrote: ↑Wed Mar 13, 2024 9:03 pm
It was quickest from 80 through till 200 ish, never went that quick myself but the journalists did, all the figures they quoted were achieved time and again 0-60 4.5 secs first gear had to be selected intentionally, it would set off in second normally. Off the mark was a violent affair hardly any time in 1st and you were changing gear as fast as you could. there are bargains out there but ou have to really check service history for correct oil filters quite often garages would fit ordinary seven series filters that starved the charger of oil then Boom £5K thankyou please

Explorer ST will do that....

Not really the same though prefer the quiet luxury of the alpina

[dern]

Easy...

[weeksy]

Easy...

Toyota MR2... Errrrrm

[mangocrazy]

Should this thread be merged with the Mid Life Crisis thread?

Just sayin'...