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Thread: Driving "Enjoyment"?

  1. #1
    Pickles is offline Substantial Contributor to the Forum Last Online: 29-03-2024 @ 10:54 AM
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    Thumbs down Driving "Enjoyment"?

    I've been thinking about this for a while, & some comments on the current "EPA" thread have prompted this thread rather than "hijacking" that one.
    I have come to the conclusion that I'm not able to enjoy my driving as I used to. Can't make any "wheel slip", can't do over 60ks in the suburbs, even in the remotest area it's normally 100ks, 110 on a freeway. I drive a car, like most of you, that will do 250+, but I simply am not allowed to do it,.....& I don't. Of course, it's also well engineered, safe, with very good brakes, handling etc.
    I'm not saying I'm a "good" driver, I'm probably slower than most, conservative, & very aware of my own ability (or lack of). So, I've never done anything stupid in 50 yrs of driving, but I have had "fun". I've done the occasional "wheelie", even if it was a "one wheeler" in my 1959 FC Holden. But I could also drive that car at 70/75MPH in complete safety,...can't do that now, even though cars are a squillion times safer.
    Speed Cameras, radar, differing speed zones..I mean, they've just put 6 MORE "all angle" cameras on the Monash,......has there ever been a serious accident in that location?..NO,....so it must be revenue raising??? AAHH right, it's all about speed?...Yeah right,..well I'm sick of it. I don't drive around the suburbs much anymore, I prefer Wifey to have to put up with what "driving" is like these days.
    I'll tell you something that most of you will probably laugh at. We bought a new C63 a couple of years ago, now done 26000ks mostly country cruising. Just bought a Landrover Defender, 90KW & 360NM, it is SLOW..getting off the line, but I tell you what, when ya get to 60ks, it's just as enjoyable to drive as the C63, it's a bit "quirky", but it's good. Same in the 100k zones, the Defender sits on 100k at 2000RPM, it sits on 100k just as well as the C63 does. For sure, it ain't in the same place as the C63 for power & speed, but I'm not really noticing it, 'cause I can't do any real SPEED at all.
    So, I've put the C63 up for sale, if it doesn't sell, Wifey will have the quickest shopping car she'll ever need. I actually think the car's too good for that, but that's what will probably happen.
    Bear in mind, I am getting old, but believe me, driving "enjoyment" is not what it used to be.
    Cheers, Pickles.

  2. #2
    whitels1ss's Avatar
    whitels1ss is offline Powertrain Control Last Online: 29-03-2024 @ 11:08 PM
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    Re: Driving "Enjoyment"?

    Quote Originally Posted by Pickles View Post
    Speed Cameras, radar, differing speed zones..I mean, they've just put 6 MORE "all angle" cameras on the Monash,......has there ever been a serious accident in that location?..NO,....so it must be revenue raising??? AAHH right, it's all about speed?...Yeah right,..well I'm sick of it.Cheers, Pickles.
    Have you been booked by speed cameras a few times buddy?

  3. #3
    v8dude78's Avatar
    v8dude78 is offline Forum Contributor Last Online: 25-05-2023 @ 01:04 PM
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    Re: Driving "Enjoyment"?

    Agree 100% Pickels
    And those "speed cameras" are about 200 meters past VARIABLE speed signs
    So 1 minute could be 100 and next 80 then back to 100 and so on

    Not revenue raising MY ARSE

  4. #4
    IJ.'s Avatar
    IJ. is offline One of the Top Contributors to the Forum Last Online: 02-08-2018 @ 01:19 PM
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    Re: Driving "Enjoyment"?

    Agreed, I'm old enough to remember the bad old days when cars weren't all that good but you didn't cruise around in a constant state of near panic about 3Kmh over the posted limit..

    When I go down to Melbourne I rarely drive in the suburbs letting my GF handle that "chore" in her Corolla as the standard of driving and constantly being on edge have taken away any enjoyment there once was (I LOVE to drive).

    3 Years ago I moved to the Country and I live just left of the middle of nowhere, my "street" is a 100Kmh zone and the many back roads around me give me some level relaxation with many of them being tight, winding and fun even at the posted limits, if it wasn't for this I'd have sold up all of my cars and bought a Cruze and left it stock to be used as "Transportation"..

    This year I'll be attending as many track days and hillclimbs as possible, with any luck the 1000M sprints as well, I have a mate that has a MOUNTAIN of Toyota parts and an old Mk1 Supra Shell that was going to SIMS to be crushed shortly, I've suggested we sweep all the parts into it and build a Track Toy that doesn't have to fit any class and only has to be "Safe" and in no way meet any of the road legalities.

    Maybe this will bring back some of the lost Joy, while cars are so much "better" these days it's taken away from the pleasure of building as it's become so expensive and technical just to make them run, point in case when I converted my AWD Tonner from V6 to V8 it took me a year to sort out the electronics enough to have both TRAC and ABS with numerous trips to get help from experts..

  5. #5
    VX2VESS's Avatar
    VX2VESS is offline One of the Top Contributors to the Forum Last Online: 27-02-2017 @ 11:37 PM
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    Re: Driving "Enjoyment"?

    Not as good these days...too many cars, to many idiots, too many in the right lane. Can't drive without someone being annoying everyday, so yeah not much fun these days.
    When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

  6. #6
    HSV,_I_GOT_ONE's Avatar
    HSV,_I_GOT_ONE is offline Fair Contributor to the Forums Last Online: 22-07-2019 @ 11:04 AM
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    Re: Driving "Enjoyment"?

    Part of the reason I had sold my Clubsport is what Pickles is talking about. You just can't use performance cars the way they are meant to be used here. I had 2-3 times a year at track days and Powercruise events where I had a ball but to have my car parked up for pretty much the rest of they year at a cost of $2.5k without even taking into account fuel, depreciation and maintenance just didn't make sense.

    Government taxes and over zealous policing trying to rain in more "voluntary" tax money has really killed off the motoring scene. The way Pickles feels about his Defender is pretty much the same way as I feel about the Jeep. As a shopping trolley and commuter and sticking to the letter of the law its in everyway just as good as the Clubsport was and in many ways better! Take our crap roads and the ridiculously sized traffic calmers and speed bumps in shopping centres these days. Half the reason why I stopped driving the clubsport was because it was getting wrecked by poor roads, steep driveways and high speed bumps. The Clubsport was standard ride height, running on 18's with a 40 profile and it was still bottoming out on most speed humps and driveways and even buckled two rims in the 8 years I owned it.

    Really love my cars but we just don't have the roads or the correct mindset/culture for it in this country anymore. I've moved onto motorbikes to give me that buzz now and am enjoying the experience thus far.

  7. #7
    Pickles is offline Substantial Contributor to the Forum Last Online: 29-03-2024 @ 10:54 AM
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    Re: Driving "Enjoyment"?

    Quote Originally Posted by whitels1ss View Post
    Have you been booked by speed cameras a few times buddy?
    Nope, only one speed camera fine I think, so long ago I can't remember.
    Pickles.

  8. #8
    jono0309 is offline Forum Contributor Last Online: 17-02-2016 @ 07:54 PM
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    Re: Driving "Enjoyment"?

    I know what you mean. Thats why when I drive my car, its normally at night so there hardly any retards around.

  9. #9
    GTS LSA's Avatar
    GTS LSA is offline Forum Contributor Last Online: 15-08-2014 @ 10:19 PM
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    Re: Driving "Enjoyment"?

    Agree with the sentiments of the thread & comments so far

    I find the frustration of the other idiots my main fun killer, I haven't lost a point off my licence in 25 years for anything, not to say I dont have a bit of fun now and then, but I am not an idiot, & I guess have been a tad luck with the camera's....

    But I "LOVE" to drive..... anything at any speed.... Having said that, I found when I had my EVO track car and doing 10 to 12 "speed" and "track" days each year... the novelty wore off and the pain in the ar$e factor got very high and very expensive... that's just me.... I like to keep things simple

    So GTS = great car to drive daily, can do a few track days and enjoy it without spending massive $$... and can go SPEED and get my MOJO back, without worrying about losing my license... (still plenty of idiots on the track as well, but you can get good groups of "track smart" people & have a ball)
    "I'm a control freak. That's why I drive a Commodore", Mark Skaife

  10. #10
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    Re: Driving "Enjoyment"?

    Too true Pickles, these attitudes pretty much shaped our new car market as well.

    You can see why there is demand for SUVs because of all this. If speed limits are low and rigorously enforced then low drag/frontal area don't matter, so you may as well have a big boxy spacious vehicle. If roads are poor then low profile tyres are a pain so you may as well have high profile tyres. Highways speeds are low then body roll isn't too much of an issue so you don't need sports suspension, may as well have soft long travel suspension instead.

    Imagine if you were designing a large family car for Australia's conditions today. You'd design an SUV, bad aero doesn't matter, good ground clearance, soft suspension for our crap roads. You certainly wouldn't come up with a Commodore. Basically a Commodore is perfect for smooth high speed autobahns, where low drag, smaller frontal area, low ride height, low profile tyres and sports suspension are all good attributes. Unfortunantly we don't have Autobahns here in Australia. Holden benchmarked the VE against the late 90's BMW 5 series (which was one of BMW's best cars) at the same time as BMW moved into building SUVs like the X5 etc.

    If we had high speed autobahns between cities I think new car buyers would flock back to sedans/wagons. Doing 200kph in an SUV around a high speed sweeper would scare the sh!t out of many people. I think there is relationship between car body height and speed, cars became lower from the 30s until the 70s as roads improved and we could travel faster and wanted less body roll and better high speed handling. But then as speed limit enforcement became stricter and speeds reduced car body heights increased because high speed handling didn't matter so much.

    Cheers, Matthew
    I spent most of my money on unreliable cars and less reliable women, the rest I wasted.
    W.C. Fields

  11. #11
    whitels1ss's Avatar
    whitels1ss is offline Powertrain Control Last Online: 29-03-2024 @ 11:08 PM
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    Re: Driving "Enjoyment"?

    Quote Originally Posted by Pickles View Post
    Nope, only one speed camera fine I think, so long ago I can't remember.
    Pickles.
    Yeah exactly as I expected, I am the same.
    Hey we all call them revenue cameras,
    we all hate the damn things and we hate paying the fines
    but they have certainly slowed a few of us down at least just a little.

    Not so bad yet around here but when I drive through Melbourne I am very aware not to get booked and checking my speed often, they are a PITA.
    They have taken all the fun out of driving, I remember even speeding up when I was tired on an interstate trip so as not to go to sleep.
    You ever wonder why so mant drivers crash due to falling asleep at the wheel these days?

  12. #12
    GR346 is offline Forum Contributor Last Online: 07-08-2017 @ 11:48 AM
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    Re: Driving "Enjoyment"?

    I can completely understand your sentiments and at times feel the same but I still get a lot of enjoyment from driving, even at legal limits.

    I spend a fair bit of the time detailing the clubby and cruising into work in a super clean, bright yellow burbling/shaking 8 still does it for me. The looks you get, the smiles, the thumbs up and the idiots that think they have something to prove when alongside you always makes it interesting. I guess part of what makes me enjoy driving is the feedback I get when people see something they don’t normally see. I still get track days through the club which pretty much satisfies my “need for speed”.

    I suppose a big difference is that Canberra doesn’t have the terrible roads that NSW does or an overabundance of speed humps. For now, I still enjoy getting into the car regardless of the restrictions.

  13. #13
    VNV8 is offline Fair Contributor to the Forums Last Online: 06-01-2020 @ 03:24 PM
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    Re: Driving "Enjoyment"?

    I absolutely agree with pickles, and GTSLSA is even more accurate.

    The other factor for some, i.e. me, is the traffic conditions. Not having the option of keeping a runabout and having the VE as a weekender, it is mainly a daily driver. Only a 20min trip each way, but with an average speed of 30km/h there isn't much fun to be had! Mostly sitting in traffic, in some cases waiting 5mins+ to get through a single set of lights (4-5 cycles), and then when finally moving, I'm stuck behind a camry or a hatchback driving 10k's under the limit. Approximately 5km of that commute is in an 80km/h zone (don't worry it's one of the last that I can think of) and I'm constantly stuck behind shitbuckets driving 10-30km/h under the limit. I often think, while stuck at lights surrounded by boring shopping trolleys, why pay for a 6.0L V8? Plus after it's been driven through thunderstorms, hidden policemen and the hatchback-soup all week I rarely feel like going for a cruise, but I force myself whenever I can.

    A daily runabout would solve this problem, but I'd be paying for a second car, and couldn't justify keeping both for long. Like many of you I'd probably end up selling the V8 and keeping the shitter. Which would break me heart! I love driving a 'capable' car with some personality and points of difference, and still do enjoy driving, especially once out of the city. I think that's the key really, get away from the congested suburbs and CBD's, out of peak times, as often as you can, wind down the windows and enjoy the fresh air & exhaust note.

  14. #14
    Blown Monaro's Avatar
    Blown Monaro is offline Forum Contributor Last Online: 28-03-2024 @ 09:33 AM
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    Re: Driving "Enjoyment"?

    I'll say I'm enjoying driving and riding as much as I ever have, and I've been around for awhile. Drive to work is 130Km round trip, can still use a radar detector over here and a squirt out to 200km/hr always puts a smile on the dial. Not as good as the old days for sure, getting caught at 40km/hr over and losing the car just makes you that bit more careful. Be thankful for what we have got and make the most out of it. Your a long time dead.

  15. #15
    Wonky's Avatar
    Wonky is offline One of the Top Contributors to the Forum Last Online: 18-01-2024 @ 01:35 PM
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    Re: Driving "Enjoyment"?

    I’m in a different situation to most due to my disabilities. Given I can no longer do anything physical my car gives me a sense of freedom and enjoyment I can no longer really get anywhere else. Fortunately even at official “old fart” status (60 later this year ) I’ve always loved modded cars and still get a buzz from the awesome sound my car makes when I floor it. For some reason I also get a perverse kick pulling up to a disabled car parking spot with a car nobody expects a disabled person to be driving – a loud, low, cammed ute.

    Fortunately the fact I can no longer work means I don’t have to drive in peak hour traffic very often at all and for most of the past 35 years we’ve lived “in the country”. The first traffic lights I hit driving from here in any direction are about 10 minutes away. Therefore I most definitely still love driving my car but can definitely appreciate the sentiments of most others in here.

    PS Pickles – if $100+k falls into my lap soon I’ll buy your C63! Having been in Mustanger’s I know how good they are and know yours will have been meticulously looked after!

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