Your Car, How do you feel about it?

Civic Type R GT

Quite like it and it is certainly fun when you treat it to plenty of the loud peddle, but I can't help but feel a little hollow in owning it. Also the low seats and harshest or harsh rides is destroying whats left of my already now knackered L4 Vertibrae, so after only one year it been traded in. I got a good deal on a flat cap and pipe to with a Honda CR-V which should be with me in the next few days, easy to get into and much smoother on the road.

....though I will miss not having a hot hatch :(
 
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2004 Alfa 156 GTA.


Good Points: It's been wholy reliable the past 8 months i've owned it, with £40 being spent on new droplinks over that period of time. Fantastic sense of occasion for a car of it's type, puts a big smile on my face owing to the sound of the engine/exhaust, great performance when pushing on, on decent surfaces. Surprisingly good on the motorways too. Gets noticed/talked about positively by those who've driven/passengered in it. Just a great feeling to own a car which feels "special" everytime you drive it, be it on a country road, or the weekly trip down to Morrisons. Kids seem to love it too, practical enough to carry the required gubbins for a family of 4, 1 week holiday.

Bad Points: Crap mpg round town, fortunately I dont use the car too often (4k miles in 8 months), which negates the mpg somewhat. The Air-Con struggled in the Summer heat down here. Skittish when really pushing on over broken/uneven surfaces, with frequent bottoming-out. The undertray gets a real punishing on these cars.

Will regret selling it whenever that is, and hard to think what will replace it within my estimated budget.
 
Integra Type-R - DC2

Feelings: Stupid stupid car because I couldn't get the bushes in easily last night. Rust seems to like to appear whenever it wants...... That is all the negatives but I don't really give a damn about them in the grand scheme of things as everytime I get her out on the road, I get DOMS from the sheer use of grinning muscles in my face. VTEC makes me go y0 y0 !!!!

Epic car and cannot wait to finish the Suspension and Brake Rebuild/Upgrade and see how good this car really is!
 
2005 Toyota Corolla T-Sport

Only had it a couple of months, back in 2005 I worked for a Toyota franchise dealer and the facelift T-Sport came out with a list of improvements over the pre facelift, one of the lads had one as a demo and I was lucky enough to drive it along with the same model Celica's. I absolutely loved it, I had a Civic VTI at the time and it was everything I liked about that but quicker, better looking, more modern, better interior etc i'm a massive fan of high revving four cylinder engines incase you havent gussed

5 years on and I can eventually afford one after owning all sorts of different Hondas and getting a little bored of the older style Honda interiors, the Corollas interior is so much nicer compared to what i'm used to and a much better equipment level, the amount of kit you get is amazing for the used price I paid, the engine sounds amazing and the Lift engagement is addictive and aggresive. The standard handling is fantastic, absolutely love driving it, its the first car i've had in a while where I find myself looking for excuses to go for a drive in it. Its great on fuel too.

A couple of things I dont like though, the brakes are terrible and do not suit the cars engine at all, they fade quickly and even when they are not to hot they are weak and spongey, the Civic Type-R I test driven had far superior brakes.
Honda make amazing gearbox's and I feel i've been spoiled with them, the Toyota's is ok but it would have been nicer if it was a bit more precise and reverse wasnt in such a stupid place.
The standard stereo and speakers are absolute pants but then so are most, best one i've ever experianced as standard was my old Audi quattro's
The wheels being 16's have advantages but they do look a little small even on my facelifts lower suspension, on the pre facelift they look laughable
The car doesnt have a mark on it at five years old, leaving it in car parks etc is a bit worrying but nevermind
 
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My car: RenaltSport Mégane RS 250 Cup

It's awesome. I've always loved hot-hatches, right from owning my first one which was an equally awesome XR3i way back in 1990. Owned my previous hot "hatch" (Mégane 2.0 16v) for 14 years and loved that too.
 
My car: Mondeo 2.0 Ghia (2004)

Feelings:

Well, having just come from an Audi A3 2.0 TFSi which was pretty much fully loaded, it's very noticable, even though the mondeo itself isn't lacking in toys, and even has toys that my audi didn't, it's just the audi has toys i miss, leather, integrated bluetooth and Bose sound to name but three, but this is nothing compared to the decrease in power i now have, i've always like the acceleration on the audi, both from a stand still and from rolling, it was a doddle to overtake in the audi, in the mondeo, it seems ever so much more of a chore in accelerating, even though the books say it will do a 0-62 sprint in 9.9, it seems longer.

Don't get me wrong, had i not come from my Audi, i suppose i'd be praising the mondeo for what it is, after all, it's not a bad car by any means, it's got plenty of toys as mentioned, including the touch screen sat nav, so it's not a pov spec motor.

The one thing i do like though is the fact i'm not worried about it getting marked or scratched as i don't care about it as much as i did the audi, it's only a stop gap car for me, and will sell for what i paid for it in a year or so anyway. Linked in with this is the size of the boot, and the fact i don't care about filling it with junk to take to the tip etc. Some of you may think i'm being snobby and i would imagine to some, my car is a nice car, and i'm not disagreeing, i'm just disappointed because of what i've been used to.
 
1995 golf gti 16v.

on 225k miles. stacks of modifications. 101% reliable, never not got me to my destination once in 4.5 years. fantastic to drive, any trip can turn into a last ditch attempt qualifying lap, it eggs you on to be really bad.

sometimes im not in the mood for such a hard ride, i lived with it for so long but i cant live with it like i used to. needs tarting up.

2000 golf gti 1.8t
i bought the car with a remap, ive made further tweaks to the map, i think im age the very limit of what i can get safely from the turbot. i refreshed the suspension and lowered it far too much. the ride height can be a pain day to day but the car is quiet, comfortable and quick. still miss the S4 but have to remind myself that the S4 made me a fair wedge.

its a bit dull to drive once youve got bored of going quickly in a straight line, but its quiet and comfortable so i can forgive it
 
My car: Mercedes SL500

Despite having owned it for about 5 months now, it always puts a massive grin on my face every single time I drive it, clean it, or even go near it! I love the deep and throaty V8 noise, the look of the thing, the effortless silky-smooth power, the luxury and the auto box is the best I've driven. The only difference between cruising at 70 and double that is a slight increase in road noise and despite the weight, in sport mode the handling is reasonably sharp.

Sure, it drinks fuel and is a bit heavy on the tyres, but it's worth it. It makes you feel special. Oh, and when the sun comes out, pop the roof down and the fun starts all over again!

The downsides? Well, buy a bad one and it'll throw a few £1k+ bills at you every year for fun. Buy a good one and it'll do the same. Black is incredibly difficult to keep clean (hardly the fault of the car, though) and the realisation that the only way to improve on it, is to buy another SL. No other manufacturer makes a car like it.
 
Relentless81 said:
2005 Toyota Corolla T-Sport

Only had it a couple of months, back in 2005 I worked for a Toyota franchise dealer and the facelift T-Sport came out with a list of improvements over the pre facelift, one of the lads had one as a demo and I was lucky enough to drive it along with the same model Celica's. I absolutely loved it, I had a Civic VTI at the time and it was everything I liked about that but quicker, better looking, more modern, better interior etc i'm a massive fan of high revving four cylinder engines incase you havent gussed

5 years on and I can eventually afford one after owning all sorts of different Hondas and getting a little bored of the older style Honda interiors, the Corollas interior is so much nicer compared to what i'm used to and a much better equipment level, the amount of kit you get is amazing for the used price I paid, the engine sounds amazing and the Lift engagement is addictive and aggresive. The standard handling is fantastic, absolutely love driving it, its the first car i've had in a while where I find myself looking for excuses to go for a drive in it. Its great on fuel too.

A couple of things I dont like though, the brakes are terrible and do not suit the cars engine at all, they fade quickly and even when they are not to hot they are weak and spongey, the Civic Type-R I test driven had far superior brakes.
Honda make amazing gearbox's and I feel i've been spoiled with them, the Toyota's is ok but it would have been nicer if it was a bit more precise and reverse wasnt in such a stupid place.
The standard stereo and speakers are absolute pants but then so are most, best one i've ever experianced as standard was my old Audi quattro's
The wheels being 16's have advantages but they do look a little small even on my facelifts lower suspension, on the pre facelift they look laughable
The car doesnt have a mark on it at five years old, leaving it in car parks etc is a bit worrying but nevermind
Click to expand...

Ive also got a 2005 tsport. great car, really relaible. Not sure I would agree with the fuel consumption, averaging about 30mpg.

Its also developed a knocking noise from either a wheel bearing or drive shaft, and it likes to overheat in traffic or not warm up in cold weather.

I got a set of drilled grooved disks from ebay, with pads for £180, massively improves the braking
 
rallyfan1986 said:
Ive also got a 2005 tsport. great car, really relaible. Not sure I would agree with the fuel consumption, averaging about 30mpg.

Its also developed a knocking noise from either a wheel bearing or drive shaft, and it likes to overheat in traffic or not warm up in cold weather.

I got a set of drilled grooved disks from ebay, with pads for £180, massively improves the braking
Click to expand...

30's great compared to the 22 I was getting in my Prelude although the Prelude was a fair bit quicker

If your on Toyota owners club post up about the noise, might get some help on there, sounds like it might be the thermostat thats gone

I need to do something about the brakes but it had new OEM discs and pads 8k ago :(
 
VW Polo '95 1.6

It's old, it needs some TLC but it drives fine and it's enough to get me to and from work everyday.

Fedup of having an old car already, once I've built the driveway I will be replacing with something nicer and newer.
 
Relentless81 said:
30's great compared to the 22 I was getting in my Prelude although the Prelude was a fair bit quicker

If your on Toyota owners club post up about the noise, might get some help on there, sounds like it might be the thermostat thats gone

I need to do something about the brakes but it had new OEM discs and pads 8k ago :(
Click to expand...

I was thinking it might have been the thermostat, just looks a bit of a pain to get it out.

Yep im a member on TOC, i'll ask their advice!
 
2001 Honda Insight - Petrol Hybrid 1.0 IMA VTEC-E.

Good:

Errrmmm

Cheap to run in all aspects- Fuel (71mpg average over 30k), tyres last 40k+, 2.5litre oil changes, £0 road tax. not much to go wrong.
Travelling places makes fuel costs a none issue. For example going to watch Simon at Rockingham 50miles each way is pocket money cost and first 10k business miles I use it for my Ltd Company are essentially free petrol.
Ermmmm.....
Turns heads.
Inertia of a housefly - just not quite the grip of a limpet. You learn a lot about maintaining momentum.
Won't rust - even the rear drums are aluminium.
Fast enough for my typical driving - have overtaken 3 cars in one move on my usual B road to work :p Reasonable enough on motorway for such a car and the long gears mute the engine. 2500rpm @75mph! Enough grunt from the electric motor to not make it totally useless at that speed, although top speed can be done in 3rd, 4th or 5th.
Styling and design were no where near the design reviews, styled by wind tunnel not pencil. Decent enough interior with digital climate control display! ;)
Developed a good knowledge of hybrids which is paying dividends now.

Bad:
Turns heads - Image isnt everyones cup of tea.
Noise - fair bit of tyre roar and can only hear engine above 4k when atleast it sounds like a mini-V6.
EPAS is gash.
Only 2 seats prevents a lot of potential use at the weekends.
Rear suspension tired and dampers are £110 each and I cant find aftermarket replacement beam mount bushes.
Limited tint to glass and area makes it a bit of a greenhouse, non exactly ideal when the climate control effects MPG so much.
No steering wheel adjustment.
 
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My car: 2000 Fiat Seicento SX

My feelings: It's a grossly underpowered little shoebox of a car with comedy cornering traits. It's cramped, slow, terribly noisy at motorway speeds and can't deal with the merest breath of a crosswind without coming over all wobbly. The rear brakes and parking brake cause trouble at least once a year. It's a terrible car.

And I love it. I love the sense of danger you get as it leans right over onto the doorhandles when you're really pushing on a country road. I love how easy it is to work on at home with no garage, a less-than-comprehensive toolkit and a pile of mud and rubble for a driveway. I love how it's ridiculously cheap to run. I love playing the 'momentum game' when driving on A-roads and motorways, seeing how much speed I can carry so I don't have to drop down to 4th and wind it back up.

It was the first car I drove on the road when I was 17 and almost ten years later I haven't found a compelling reason to get rid of it and have something else as my daily driver.
 
Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi Ghia.

Absolutely fine, not had a problem with it so far, does/has everything i could want for my needs.
Sure would like something more 'special' but i simply can't justify it when i think it through :p
 
'09 Volvo C30

I really like this car and it is great as a daily driver. Its very comfortable, well built, gets good mpg (its a diesel) and it looks great. Nothing has gone wrong with it, I cant fault it for what I need in a every day car.

'67 Triumph GT6 Mk 1

I love this car. Its great to drive, it sounds amazing and it IMO looks stunning. Its not cheap to run though with it being such an old car. Build quality wasn't triumphs strong point and as such it does need to be looked after properly. However, after only owning the car for about 3 months I cant ever see myself selling it.
 
2009 Renault Megane R26.R

Feelings: Love it, never been so content with any car I've owned so far, Jekyll and Hyde personality in a good way - decent at cruising/economy and pretty comfortable, fabulous at balls on fire driving, great sense of occasion on every drive, fun, rare, FWD (so best wheel drive tbh), more talent than I'll ever posess, nice secure plastic windows, not like these brittle glass things, just brill.

Does have some shortcomings though, the engine whilst potent and works well with the package, sounds so dull and deserves something a bit more exciting, doors like to leak and leave pools of water in the door pocket, very restrictive view with harnesses on, lack of rear seats should be a problem but I'm a loser and have no friends so hasn't been too much of a hindrance.
 
BMW X6 35D

Loving it. It’s my first four wheel drive. It took one look, a test drive and it was love at first sight with this one. It’s agile, very comfortable, quick and has lots of torque. It’s just fun to drive and always brings a smile to my face. You would never expect a vehicle of this size to be so agile but it is. It is big but you soon adapt.

A downside is rear visibility but the bonus is that you don’t get to see ugly mugs at lights and they can’t see anything apart from some exhausts.

I couldn’t be happier, the 530i Touring seems like a barge now and at present all I want a faster one.
 
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Relentless81 said:
30's great compared to the 22 I was getting in my Prelude although the Prelude was a fair bit quicker

If your on Toyota owners club post up about the noise, might get some help on there, sounds like it might be the thermostat thats gone

I need to do something about the brakes but it had new OEM discs and pads 8k ago :(
Click to expand...

sounds like you wanna put new brake fluid in.

rallyfan. sounds like you want a new stat
 
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