Does having a dull daily make your second car more fun?

unrealrocks

unrealrocks

unrealrocks

Associate
Joined
9 Apr 2004
Posts
856
Location
Nottingham - UK
Having recently changed my daily to possibly one of the dullest cars I've ever owned (Auris HSD) and being very busy with my various work-streams I haven't really had a chance to use my 350Z at all over the last month or so.

Finally today I had some free time and the weather looked good so took it for a blast. Well, first I had to visit Halfrauds for a new battery, un-stick the rear brakes and dry the inside of the windscreen out :eek: but other than that it only took about 2hrs before I was driving it again :rolleyes:

After driving a car with over-assisted electric PAS, a CVT drive-train, that while giving me mid-60mpg and a nice quiet mode of transport, pretty much sucks any fun possible out of driving. It was nice to get into a car with a smaller steering wheel, low driving position and much less assistance across all of the controls - and 'proper' power steering. It felt like a much more special car than when I had been using it almost as a daily during the summer months and certainly even a fairly short and fun drive made me feel far more enthusiastic about the car than when I had been taking it for a full on thrash during the summer - however having no contrast to the driving experience.

Personally - I think having a slightly more bland daily makes any second car you have far more enjoyable!

Thoughts ... or total Motors abuse please proceed! :D
 
On a similar vein I briefly had a 1.0 polo shed for thrashing to work in. Wobbly, slow, heavy steering(in a bad way), rattly. After a week in that jumping into a Civic Type R made it feel like a race car in comparison. :)
 
I don't think I'd ever want to spend most of my driving time in a car I didn't like just so that I could drive one I did like at the weekend.
 
It does make it more of an occasion. When my girlfriend broke her leg, I swapped my MX5 for my dads Citroen Picasso for a couple of weeks for practicality reasons. When I got back into the MX5, it felt incredibly alien. Steering wheel felt tiny, my arse was only a few inches off the floor and the pedals felt heavy. I nearly drove off the road at the first corner as the steering was so much more direct; it just felt outright weird to drive again, but it kind of reinvigorated that feeling of excitement I got from driving it.

The same happened when I had an Astra hire care for a week whilst mine was repaired. Got back into the GT86 at the bodyshop and straight away stalled it.

[TW]Fox;27429224 said:
I don't think I'd ever want to spend most of my driving time in a car I didn't like just so that I could drive one I did like at the weekend.
Click to expand...

Don't think the Op is talking about driving a car he actively doesnt like, just how a relatively mundane car can make a much more driver focused car suddenly feel much more engaging.

You drive a 530d don't you? It's no doubt a great car, but if you were to drive something much sportier and driver focused at the weekends, it would just feel that little bit more "special" I'm guessing.

Driving a fun car every day, you start to take all the things that make it fun and involving - direct steering, firm suspension, engine noise, throttle response, etc - a bit for granted. Going without for a week or so makes you appreciate those qualities a bit more :)
 
Last edited:
Workmate has a mk1 Mondeo diesel as a daily hack and a 55plate e60 M5 for his weekend warrior, that said, he's used the 5 for the past few weeks, well, it's been turning up in the works car park regularly at least!

I Think I would prefer a more interesting daily rather than something too exotic/ pricey to use day to day...

Fox also has his manual e39 530i Sport, I would imagine it's the more fun / driving focussed of the two overall, maybe? I'm guessing the one he'd pick to enjoy driving at a weekend, I certainly would view an e39 Sport as the more interesting of the two although I'm sure overall the f10 is the better car...
 
Last edited:
Scania said:
Fox also has his manual e39 530i Sport, I would imagine it's the more fun / driving focussed of the two overall, maybe? I'm guessing the one he'd pick to enjoy driving at a weekend, I certainly would view an e39 Sport as the more interesting of the two although I'm sure overall the f10 is the better car...
Click to expand...

[TW]Fox;27429357 said:
Without question.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure that a 530d is that much more mundane than a 530i that it would make the latter much more special to drive at the weekends, would it?. Apart from petrol/diesel (and gearbox...is your 530d automatic?), one is just a new version of the same model.

Whereas the OP is going from a good, but mundane, hatchback to a powerful, sporty coupé...it will immediately feel very different.

EDIT: Just read that back, hope that didn't sound rude, I wasn't calling the 5 series a mundane car....you see what I mean, I hope :p
 
Last edited:
I could never understand the guy I bought the E60 off, he drove a new Golf dug dug all week and kept a E60 530i in a carpeted heated garage just to go to the alps and the yacht club (only two places in the sat nav) it wasn't so different from the Golf really.
 
I don't run both concurrently but yes, drove the Silvia like 20 yards the other day first time I've given it any attention for 2 months, feels hardcore after the grandad-mobile, seemed normal when I was driving it every day though.
The GS300 is a great tool for wafting A-B, it's a bit removed form what I'm used to though, so i'm in the process of buying a halfway house, that is an Altezza RS200 Z-ed 6sp. Should be a little more focussed. I like the GS/Aristo chassis, double wishbone all round just feels better than the previous strut equipped cars I've had, despite the comfort oriented suspension.
 
Conscript said:
I'm not sure that a 530d is that much more mundane than a 530i that it would make the latter much more special to drive at the weekends, would it?. Apart from petrol/diesel (and gearbox...is your 530d automatic?), one is just a new version of the same model.

Whereas the OP is going from a good, but mundane, hatchback to a powerful, sporty coupé...it will immediately feel very different.

EDIT: Just read that back, hope that didn't sound rude, I wasn't calling the 5 series a mundane car....you see what I mean, I hope :p
Click to expand...

I was just replying to his question, a 530i is a rubbish weekend car, everything you say there is correct :)
 
I walk to work every day and only drive at weekends.

Doing this makes me appreciate my car a lot more.
I don't have access to a 'daily' or more mundane car but I can imagine that doing the majority of your driving in a practical/boring car like a trade vehicle or something would make anything remotely sporty seem exciting.
 
Conscript said:
Don't think the Op is talking about driving a car he actively doesnt like, just how a relatively mundane car can make a much more driver focused car suddenly feel much more engaging.
Click to expand...

Exactly that - I don't dislike the Auris, its a great car for what it is intended for - sitting in traffic, quietly, and getting you from A to B as economically as possible with some gadgets thrown in. But it certainly isn't fun.

Good to see I'm not alone in this!
 
I think you'd find your daily heavy traffic / low average speed commute to be deadly dull even if you drove a Zonda.

I own a particularly unexciting Honda CR-V, but even enjoy local driving at the weekends as I'm jammed into the Central Line and First Great Western trains during the week.
 
I like the contrast between my daily and summer/fan car.

The Focus is mapped and has adequate power without effort, the trim does not rattle and I feel safe in it. It is far more powerful than the MX5 yet it is just not fun.
The Focus replacement will probably be a diesel again due to the commute I have, and I will most likely go for a smaller engine size as I never use the full pull of the Focus anymore.
I just sit on a dual carriage for 95% of my 40 mile commute.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom