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

I completely agree. I have a Focus that I use for work which is fine but the MX5 feels great to take out for a blast on the weekend.

The times that I've had to use the MX5 as my only car I hated it and couldn't really be bothered to take it out for a proper drive.
 
I haven't driven my Supra in a few weeks now and have had to use a Honda CRV in it's absence.

The CRV feels like a soft tank in comparison, especially with winter tyres.
Functionally it does everything you would want our of a car, goes from a->b, it's comfortable, spacious etc but there is no fun to found with it.

Though the supra isn't always the most practical, it always leaves you satisfied after a drive. Can't wait to get back to it.

If I could choose a 'sports' orientated car over a more practical commuter as a daily then I would probably chose to, just because of how involved it makes you feel.
 
I wouldn't want a dull car for a daily. To be fair I get the train but my "regular" car is different to my "occasional" car... 4 door hatchback for the regular family car and a 20 year old coupe for my occasional car. Yes the contrast does make you appreciate each car on its own merits.
 
All depends on your situation.

I was skint so had a SDI Daily doing 120 miles a day and the TT for weekends, sensible move, however I hated the SDI so much I had to upgrade to a Polo TDI 9N3 which Im much happier with, you have to at least strike some sort of balance, the SDI was so boring (a great car being super reliable and cheap to run) but just soo boring!

Im now 3 miles from work and on over 3 times the money and going to trade the Polo in for a TT RS for any "daily" trips I might need!
 
I use my seat leon for work mainly, its far from bad, but its a fridge on wheels. It does the job, its reliable, its super cheap to run, practical/spacious etc

This works for me 99% of the time in all honesty and a second car for that blast you want at the weekend.

Its the perfect combo for me.
 
Of course! Daily Audi A1 is efficiently dull with only the S-tronic gearbox to make it interesting. Weekend MX-5 is fantastic by comparison, and Aprilia Caponord motorbike (for those extra, extra long weekends ;) ) feels even better.

Daily car is a necessity, everything else is just for fun :)
 
[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.
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Got to agree with this comment. But then I guess it depends on how you define dull.

When I had my A3 2.0 TDI (back before the 170 bhp versions) I had it mapped, so was producing around 170 BHP. Not a huge amount of power, but was enough to make it decently fleet, and with the H&R suspension, it made a competent daily. I did however, during my ownership of this car, have a 1.8T Golf GTI chucking out 240 BHP, then a Golf V6 4Motion, then an Audi S4 (V8). They were all decently capable cars, but only the S4 actually felt special enough to be considered an decent enough step up from the daily.

The daily was than changed out for a A4 2.0 TDI 143 avant, then a 177 avant, then a e91 335d, all while keeping hold of the S4 (which I owned for 18 months). The 335d felt as quick as the S4, so that was swapped for a Range Rover.

Now I have my 530d and my (e46) 330i, and, to be honest, the 530d, whilst remaining the daily, is the better drive. I'll likely keep running decently quick, and nice cars as dailies, as I don't want to spend the majority of my driving in something that isn't as nice. I had my 1.9 TDI passat at the same time as my 530d, and despite being around 10 mpg better, I only did 10k in that last year, compared to the 18k I did in the 530d.

I get the point in running a second, more fun car, as a toy, but I would never be considering anything with less than 300 BHP to be suitable as such a vehicle (classic motors aside, like RS Mexicos or old Golfs etc). I'd rather do my miles in something I like to be honest. And if I can't afford a second car that is suitably special, I'd rather spend the running costs of such a second car on running a more desirable daily car.
 
This is very much my 'issue' at the moment. Can drive anywhere up to 3000 miles per month, but usually average 20-25k per year. Have a 'mundane' car in the 350hp 535d, which is mostly as fast at what it's doing as anything that isn't a petrol V8/V10 with turbos/superchargers. A weekend car that was slower than my mundane car would not be enjoyable for me.

It's like it makes my only options that get me any real benefit are to run something like an M5 as my daily or buy a Ferrari for the weekend.
xs2man said:
I'd rather do my miles in something I like to be honest. And if I can't afford a second car that is suitably special, I'd rather spend the running costs of such a second car on running a more desirable daily car.
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Agree with this. The thought of spending 10 hours a week in something slow and a bit naff does not enthrall me. The E60 is bad enough :p In some respects I have the ideal daily in a reasonably reliable, reasonably economical, reasonably inexpensive to maintain and reasonably fast car. It's just where do I go from there...
 
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Depends if you only define fun as staring line speed. A 535d is like a boat in corners and you can hardly throw it around.

I guess numbers mean everything though
 
Simon said:
Depends if you only define fun as staring line speed. A 535d is like a boat in corners and you can hardly throw it around.

I guess numbers mean everything though
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Those corners you throw cars around on motorways and A roads? :p hence "mostly as fast at what it's doing"

95% of that 25k is in a situation where straight line performance is the only fun you can have. It's pretty boring for the other 5%, but as a result is very suited to caressing my butt to the office.

If I replace it with another 'all rounder' then it's only going to be something like an M3/M5-type car, as I don't want to drop below reasonable comfort and spec for commuting. If I have a weekend car, then it's going to need to be pretty special to really feel all that much better for the minute amount of time spent hooning around some fun roads.
 
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Isn't a fun car one that you buy to have fun and drive on decent roads and tracks ?

Rather than just drive to your work location at the weekends
 
Clarkey said:
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.
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When are you getting the RS200? How much are you looking to spend?
 
Simon said:
Isn't a fun car one that you buy to have fun and drive on decent roads and tracks ?

Rather than just drive to your work location at the weekends
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Sure. If you're going to have two cars, then the "just the weekend" car doesn't need to be particularly comfortable. However, if it isn't either very quick or very special, what's the point? Most of the 'fun cars' people imagine are pretty middling. It's an annoying trade off all the time unless you can afford something special.
 
PMKeates said:
Sure. If you're going to have two cars, then the "just the weekend" car doesn't need to be particularly comfortable. However, if it isn't either very quick or very special, what's the point? Most of the 'fun cars' people imagine are pretty middling. It's an annoying trade off all the time unless you can afford something special.
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This exactly. I can't imagine an MX5 being much more fun than the 535d. Sure, it'll go round twisties better, but then what? It is hardly what I would call special enough to be considered the "special weekend toy", when your daily is something like a 6 cylinder 5 series. Unless, of course, it's a purposefully stripped out, track only toy.

I agree with the "toy" having to be special. Along the lines of a 911, or building candy's R34 GTR. These ARE special cars. MX5's, CTR's, R32's and the like just aren't "special" enough to be running another car as a daily drive when they would work fine for this in most cases.
 
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