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On an off topic note, I drove my friends E36 328 cabriolet to birmingham on Friday night and just now I've been driving my sisters (my old) E46 325... I'm starting to miss having a manual gear stick 
The M5 is great, but it felt like I was getting more enjoyment from the less powerful manuals. It could also be due to the fact they are easier to hit the limits in and somehow "feel" faster even though they are no where near, I can't even see the limits of the M5 let alone get close to them.
Don't get me wrong, I love my M5 and it's going to be hard to replace when the time eventually comes but... I don't know, I think I'm just missing my 325
The M5 is great, but it felt like I was getting more enjoyment from the less powerful manuals. It could also be due to the fact they are easier to hit the limits in and somehow "feel" faster even though they are no where near, I can't even see the limits of the M5 let alone get close to them.Don't get me wrong, I love my M5 and it's going to be hard to replace when the time eventually comes but... I don't know, I think I'm just missing my 325
On an off topic note, I drove my friends E36 328 cabriolet to birmingham on Friday night and just now I've been driving my sisters (my old) E46 325... I'm starting to miss having a manual gear stick
Don't get me wrong, I love my M5 and it's going to be hard to replace when the time eventually comes but... I don't know, I think I'm just missing my 325
Your perception is right.
As colossal as the e60 & new f10 M5's are, neither (imo) get close to the feel of something like the e28 original.
Same could be said of the M3 - a spirited drive in the e30 is far more "fun" than in its later brothers, even if the later cars would leave it for dust in a straight line.
Yeah that's exactly it! I reckon I'd have to take it on a track to have as much fun. Well, ok I don't mean what I'm saying to sound as strong as it does because I am having loads of fun in the M5 but after driving my old E46 today I realised it was not exactly the same type of "fun". Maybe I should get something small and fun as a second car to satisfy both cravings.
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Not sure if "boring" is the word I'd use but you are right, the only real time I've had any fun so far is with a 911 on the motorway and with a Gallardo down my favourite country lanes.
Maybe once I get used to exploiting the cars handling limits I'll be able to enjoy it more, but to be honest I'm scared to turn the traction off fully as even in MDM mode I have some 5p-50p moments!
Maybe once I get used to exploiting the cars handling limits I'll be able to enjoy it more, but to be honest I'm scared to turn the traction off fully as even in MDM mode I have some 5p-50p moments!
Oh yeah, I forgot you're in the same boat now with yours too. It is very useful for that purpose and also for the occassional "power craving" I sometimes get when I feel the urge to just go for it. But it does take away from the "hire-car thrash" feeling of less powerful motors.
I can understand the American craving of power on their straight roads with all their traffic light GPs, but in England where the fun comes from the twisties it is down right scary at times! But I guess that is just my lack of driving skill with this much power.
I can understand the American craving of power on their straight roads with all their traffic light GPs, but in England where the fun comes from the twisties it is down right scary at times! But I guess that is just my lack of driving skill with this much power.
This is partly why the Mx-5 has such following despite being pretty low on power! They're so much fun to drive and you can give the car some welly and still be within legal speeds whilst grinning. 
In most quick cars when you floor it and find 3rd gear you're nearly reaching the national speed limit so that can be boring if you fear losing your license.
Sounds like you need to take the M5 on some track days.
In most quick cars when you floor it and find 3rd gear you're nearly reaching the national speed limit so that can be boring if you fear losing your license.Sounds like you need to take the M5 on some track days.
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Maybe you're like me and just drive everywhere regardless of speed limits?No way; every time I put my foot down and hear the engine and exhaust it makes me smile, then the feeling of relentless power gives me an ear to ear grin
I can imagine sticking to the speed limit with a powerful car would be incredibly boring. Absolute best-case I am 7 seconds of full power from the speed limit. Come off a roundabout at 30 going in to an NSL I am less than 4 seconds away.
Maybe you're like me and just drive everywhere regardless of speed limits?
Same, I am not the most respectful to UK speed limits... but in the M5 it is so refined and not as raw as the M3 that you have to do stupid speeds to feel that excitement which is just silly. 170 feels like 80/90.
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One thing that's nice about US driving is shortish freeway onramps are a great excuse to hit the loud pedal
Equally the offramps are often as short and usually seem to curve quite sharply so you get lots of practice stamping on the brake pedal - still you don't have anything like gears to distract you...
Maybe you're like me and just drive everywhere regardless of speed limits?
I can imagine sticking to the speed limit with a powerful car would be incredibly boring. Absolute best-case I am 7 seconds of full power from the speed limit. Come off a roundabout at 30 going in to an NSL I am less than 4 seconds away.
Even cruising at high speed in most modern cars is boring (if you're used to older cars anyway) as there is no real sense of speed until 120+ in my experiences , especially if the stretch of track
is empty.I think we have concluded that the speed limits all need to be raised yearly in accordance with the power gain of the five most prominent high performance cars.
Well, high speed cruising isn't really meant to be exciting. I'd be really ****ed off if the 535d was "exciting" at 80 in 6th! I'd ideally like it to drive itself!Even cruising at high speed in most modern cars is boring (if you're used to older cars anyway) as there is no real sense of speed until 120+ in my experiences , especially if the stretch of track
No
It will brake on the cruise stalk though, so I can take my feet off the pedals for the duration of a cruise even if I have to slow.
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Sounds interesting but what about all the other cars currently on the roads - do they get to go at the new and increased speed limits or is it only the specific high performance cars that get to go at the new speed limits and any subsequent cars? It'll get wildly confusing if the latter.
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