My name is TAD, and I have a problem...
Discussion
Welcome to my stupid world, a world that shouldn't exist but it does. A world I am sure is shared by many, some wanting to escape, others wanting to live more time on it.
What is this all about, and what does this have to do with cars? Well, for as long as I can remember, I have always yearned for the fastest, best, most awesome car ever. A feat I have rarely achieved, but that doesn't stop the yearn. Right now I find myself entrenched in it, like others, but I am starting to see that it doesn't matter. Why has this been an issue? Simple. For all of my driving life I have been part of the internet and forums / social media. And these days it is a BHP race and I find myself caught up in that. Right now I face the issue of selling my perfectly fine current car, to jump into something that can be made faster and easily, just so that I know in my head that my car has x BHP and can beat y car, and I can tell people on the internet, who I will never meet, that my car has and can do this. And I really do not know why!! I don't race on the streets, my car is perfectly fast enough as it is, but the want is still there.
And it is utterly pointless.
Who else is on this world? Do you want to get off it, or go in deeper (ooh err)?
What is this all about, and what does this have to do with cars? Well, for as long as I can remember, I have always yearned for the fastest, best, most awesome car ever. A feat I have rarely achieved, but that doesn't stop the yearn. Right now I find myself entrenched in it, like others, but I am starting to see that it doesn't matter. Why has this been an issue? Simple. For all of my driving life I have been part of the internet and forums / social media. And these days it is a BHP race and I find myself caught up in that. Right now I face the issue of selling my perfectly fine current car, to jump into something that can be made faster and easily, just so that I know in my head that my car has x BHP and can beat y car, and I can tell people on the internet, who I will never meet, that my car has and can do this. And I really do not know why!! I don't race on the streets, my car is perfectly fast enough as it is, but the want is still there.
And it is utterly pointless.
Who else is on this world? Do you want to get off it, or go in deeper (ooh err)?
Interesting one isn’t it? I think it’s a natural competitive urge and a status signalling thing. Friends sometimes ask me about what power mods I’ll do to a given car but to me it’s pointless - I’ve had faster cars and I’ve had slower cars, if the car in question is powerful enough to be enjoyable to thread down a winding road and I can already drive as fast as I dare, and break traction if I wanted to, why would I care to spend thousands making it more powerful 
These days I focus on enjoyment mods like sound, appearance, driver experience and so on. And yet the competitive urge is still there - a part of me feels a modified car isn’t taken seriously if you haven’t pumped in some more horsepower even if they would be utterly superfluous.
These days I focus on enjoyment mods like sound, appearance, driver experience and so on. And yet the competitive urge is still there - a part of me feels a modified car isn’t taken seriously if you haven’t pumped in some more horsepower even if they would be utterly superfluous.
Sounds like a classic case of an addition. No different to people gambling more than they can afford despite objectively knowing it's a bloody stupid thing to do.
Try focussing on something else, not just in terms of your buying patterns but in terms of what you talk about with other car enthusiasts, etc? If that doesn't work and it's causing you a problem and/or you want to stop, go and see a counsellor (yes I know that's not the "manly" thing to do but they really can help with this sort of thing sometimes).
In a way I seem to have the opposite problem. I point-blank refuse to ever replace anything which works, even if it's rubbish.
Try focussing on something else, not just in terms of your buying patterns but in terms of what you talk about with other car enthusiasts, etc? If that doesn't work and it's causing you a problem and/or you want to stop, go and see a counsellor (yes I know that's not the "manly" thing to do but they really can help with this sort of thing sometimes).
In a way I seem to have the opposite problem. I point-blank refuse to ever replace anything which works, even if it's rubbish.
Edited by kambites on Friday 19th June 12:36
In the words of Men At Work: You speaka my language.
All too familiar with the want want want for the next, the newest, the shiniest, the faster, the more powerful, the more advanced.
Buying new every 1 or 2 years to get the new shiny shiny proves ... expensive.
I sincerely hope age will dull the want somewhat. At 47 years young however, the want is dulled a little but certainly still present. My current C63 steer is at 2.5 years of age so something of a record for me.
All too familiar with the want want want for the next, the newest, the shiniest, the faster, the more powerful, the more advanced.
Buying new every 1 or 2 years to get the new shiny shiny proves ... expensive.
I sincerely hope age will dull the want somewhat. At 47 years young however, the want is dulled a little but certainly still present. My current C63 steer is at 2.5 years of age so something of a record for me.
I am ducking out of it to get something smaller, less powerful and more fun.
Chasing numbers is the road to madness and financial ruin, nobody needs a 600 + bhp saloon car and to use it correctly you risk your license.
0-100 in 7 seconds, think about that, from a standstill gets you in ban territory in 7 seconds, put your foot down when already moving, you get maybe 4 seconds of full acceleration before a court appearance. Of course you dont have to use all the throttle but then that confirms its largely pointless, someone will say "Nice to know you have it when you need it", no sure what eventualities on the road need that kind of acceleration ?
I was going to get an M4 next but I cant be bothered with the expense, agro, worried about where I park it and spending two weeks s
tting myself every time the post arrives after every blast in it.
I think us blokes, especially petrolhead ones struggle to de-escalate the power wars, or have a less powerful car than other blokes.
Of course its fun, it interesting and I still find myself looking at XFR's and stuff but for what I do, small and fun, with a manual gearbox for the country roads round here.
Secretely found myself enjoying our C1 quite a lot and that was gutless and not really set up for fun.
Chasing numbers is the road to madness and financial ruin, nobody needs a 600 + bhp saloon car and to use it correctly you risk your license.
0-100 in 7 seconds, think about that, from a standstill gets you in ban territory in 7 seconds, put your foot down when already moving, you get maybe 4 seconds of full acceleration before a court appearance. Of course you dont have to use all the throttle but then that confirms its largely pointless, someone will say "Nice to know you have it when you need it", no sure what eventualities on the road need that kind of acceleration ?
I was going to get an M4 next but I cant be bothered with the expense, agro, worried about where I park it and spending two weeks s
tting myself every time the post arrives after every blast in it.I think us blokes, especially petrolhead ones struggle to de-escalate the power wars, or have a less powerful car than other blokes.
Of course its fun, it interesting and I still find myself looking at XFR's and stuff but for what I do, small and fun, with a manual gearbox for the country roads round here.
Secretely found myself enjoying our C1 quite a lot and that was gutless and not really set up for fun.
A big part of it for me is because I'm not just buying cars/bikes to get from A-B. It's not a beige box where the contents don't matter.
Why does that matter? Because in my head I need to justify the purchase to myself. I need to be able to tell myself that it'll be faster, more capable, have better tech, be nicer to look at, whatever it may be. The is especially the case because I'm not changing car/bike because the other is broken and irreparable.
At some point in life it's not just been power, or speed, but price and fuel economy.
But unfortunately the side effect of that is any change in car/bike ends up with me comparing what I'll be getting against what I did, usually using numbers, because they're easy to compare.
If I'm being honest, it's the same for computers, only there it's Gigahertz and Terabytes.
Why does that matter? Because in my head I need to justify the purchase to myself. I need to be able to tell myself that it'll be faster, more capable, have better tech, be nicer to look at, whatever it may be. The is especially the case because I'm not changing car/bike because the other is broken and irreparable.
At some point in life it's not just been power, or speed, but price and fuel economy.
But unfortunately the side effect of that is any change in car/bike ends up with me comparing what I'll be getting against what I did, usually using numbers, because they're easy to compare.
If I'm being honest, it's the same for computers, only there it's Gigahertz and Terabytes.
I think i just did get off.
side from having more cars than is sensible, i sold my 3 year old Maloo, and bought back my 2003 holden ute.
Why, aside from the financial, i actually asked myself what i want from my cars. The answer is maximum enjoyment.
Technically the maloo was better, (much) faster, technically superior in everyway. But i actually got more enjoyment from the older more tactile car.
Likewise, on my trip to scotland last year. I took the stag. It was great. Able to drive it hard. If i took the maloo, driving hard would be an act of stupidity. A crash or jail time beckons.
Lots of people think im mad. But i just asked myself, what exactly is it i enjoy about my cars?
If bragging on the interwb does it for you, maybe carry on as you are? Or you could just brag about it and nother actually bother with the car! No one will know.
side from having more cars than is sensible, i sold my 3 year old Maloo, and bought back my 2003 holden ute.
Why, aside from the financial, i actually asked myself what i want from my cars. The answer is maximum enjoyment.
Technically the maloo was better, (much) faster, technically superior in everyway. But i actually got more enjoyment from the older more tactile car.
Likewise, on my trip to scotland last year. I took the stag. It was great. Able to drive it hard. If i took the maloo, driving hard would be an act of stupidity. A crash or jail time beckons.
Lots of people think im mad. But i just asked myself, what exactly is it i enjoy about my cars?
If bragging on the interwb does it for you, maybe carry on as you are? Or you could just brag about it and nother actually bother with the car! No one will know.
For me properly fast cars were ruined by motorbikes quite early on.
The ability to buy and run something for fiesta money that was massively faster and more exciting than any car I could afford was too much to ignore.
I’ve usually had cars that had a bit of power but never the fastest models. Think BMW 330 rather than M3.
Something like a BMW S1000RR will do 0-60 in 4.6 seconds, 0-140 in 10.
I went down the slippery slope of high performance with bikes but backed off for similar reasons to the posters above. When you’re riding something that makes doing double the speed limit feel sensible maybe it’s time to get something slower!
The ability to buy and run something for fiesta money that was massively faster and more exciting than any car I could afford was too much to ignore.
I’ve usually had cars that had a bit of power but never the fastest models. Think BMW 330 rather than M3.
Something like a BMW S1000RR will do 0-60 in 4.6 seconds, 0-140 in 10.
I went down the slippery slope of high performance with bikes but backed off for similar reasons to the posters above. When you’re riding something that makes doing double the speed limit feel sensible maybe it’s time to get something slower!
Well it's not limited to cars, I see this kit-obsessive behaviour in the photography domain as well.
The professionals get on with the job with decent and reliable kit. They upgrade when it breaks.
The beginner amateurs do their best with what they can afford, and spend more time on learning technique to maximise their results.
The advanced amateurs.. now they're nutters, spending insane amounts everytime a new camera comes out. Often selling their entire lens and camera collection to switch to another system that 'has the edge' and then switching back a few years later. And their output is usually mediocre, of you even get to see it at all. Usually they're too busy on internet fora to actually go out and photograph something
The solution is, sadly, entirely in your own hands and it's a tough struggle.
Go and hang around on Autoste for a while instead of looking at the new shiny cars here!
The professionals get on with the job with decent and reliable kit. They upgrade when it breaks.
The beginner amateurs do their best with what they can afford, and spend more time on learning technique to maximise their results.
The advanced amateurs.. now they're nutters, spending insane amounts everytime a new camera comes out. Often selling their entire lens and camera collection to switch to another system that 'has the edge' and then switching back a few years later. And their output is usually mediocre, of you even get to see it at all. Usually they're too busy on internet fora to actually go out and photograph something
The solution is, sadly, entirely in your own hands and it's a tough struggle.
Go and hang around on Autos
te for a while instead of looking at the new shiny cars here!TheAngryDog said:
Welcome to my stupid world, a world that shouldn't exist but it does. A world I am sure is shared by many, some wanting to escape, others wanting to live more time on it.
What is this all about, and what does this have to do with cars? Well, for as long as I can remember, I have always yearned for the fastest, best, most awesome car ever. A feat I have rarely achieved, but that doesn't stop the yearn. Right now I find myself entrenched in it, like others, but I am starting to see that it doesn't matter. Why has this been an issue? Simple. For all of my driving life I have been part of the internet and forums / social media. And these days it is a BHP race and I find myself caught up in that. Right now I face the issue of selling my perfectly fine current car, to jump into something that can be made faster and easily, just so that I know in my head that my car has x BHP and can beat y car, and I can tell people on the internet, who I will never meet, that my car has and can do this. And I really do not know why!! I don't race on the streets, my car is perfectly fast enough as it is, but the want is still there.
And it is utterly pointless.
Who else is on this world? Do you want to get off it, or go in deeper (ooh err)?
You're right. Thirty years ago it made sense, but on today’s roads, with speed cameras and heavy traffic, it is pointless. What is this all about, and what does this have to do with cars? Well, for as long as I can remember, I have always yearned for the fastest, best, most awesome car ever. A feat I have rarely achieved, but that doesn't stop the yearn. Right now I find myself entrenched in it, like others, but I am starting to see that it doesn't matter. Why has this been an issue? Simple. For all of my driving life I have been part of the internet and forums / social media. And these days it is a BHP race and I find myself caught up in that. Right now I face the issue of selling my perfectly fine current car, to jump into something that can be made faster and easily, just so that I know in my head that my car has x BHP and can beat y car, and I can tell people on the internet, who I will never meet, that my car has and can do this. And I really do not know why!! I don't race on the streets, my car is perfectly fast enough as it is, but the want is still there.
And it is utterly pointless.
Who else is on this world? Do you want to get off it, or go in deeper (ooh err)?
What's the point of having a car which is capable of exceeding the speed limit several times over, can reach the NSL in the blink of an eye, and which has handling capabilities which make a drive at legal speeds relatively mundane. Bragging rights, and, errrr, that's about it.
Far better IMO to have a practical and comfortable car for everyday use, and something relatively low powered, which handles well, on skinny tyres, which provides entertaining driving at legal speeds on twisty roads, and that isn't likely to result in losing your licence.
I reached this conclusion a decade or so ago. Not sure whether it was down to growing up, or becoming boring, or being less aspirational than I was when I couldn't afford stuff that I was aspiring to, or no longer having any interest in impressing anyone, or just not caring what anyone else thinks. Probably a mixture of all of those in varying degrees.
Welcome to a higher plane of existence.
). To be repeated if and when any symptoms recur for lasting immunity.Tim bo said:
In the words of Men At Work: You speaka my language.
All too familiar with the want want want for the next, the newest, the shiniest, the faster, the more powerful, the more advanced.
Buying new every 1 or 2 years to get the new shiny shiny proves ... expensive.
I sincerely hope age will dull the want somewhat. At 47 years young however, the want is dulled a little but certainly still present. My current C63 steer is at 2.5 years of age so something of a record for me.
Same for cell phones, where people will actually queue up for hours to buy this years latest greatest shiniest all singing and dancing phone, where in reality it's almost identical to the one they already own. All too familiar with the want want want for the next, the newest, the shiniest, the faster, the more powerful, the more advanced.
Buying new every 1 or 2 years to get the new shiny shiny proves ... expensive.
I sincerely hope age will dull the want somewhat. At 47 years young however, the want is dulled a little but certainly still present. My current C63 steer is at 2.5 years of age so something of a record for me.
Most hobbies are irrational and many are downright weird to those who aren't interested. Just looking at the subforums on here...
Watches - fancy spending thousands on something that's outclassed as a timekeeper by a 50 quid Casio - nuts.
Home Cinema - fancy spending thousands on equipment that 99% of people would not be able to detect the incremental performance gain from (and don't get me started on bloody gold-plated HDMI cables) - mental
Scale Models - Toys for grown-ups
etc etc.
If it brings you pleasure and you can afford the time and money sunk, it's all good. If any one of these doesn't apply, time to find something else to do. But it doesn't have to make sense.
Watches - fancy spending thousands on something that's outclassed as a timekeeper by a 50 quid Casio - nuts.
Home Cinema - fancy spending thousands on equipment that 99% of people would not be able to detect the incremental performance gain from (and don't get me started on bloody gold-plated HDMI cables) - mental
Scale Models - Toys for grown-ups
etc etc.
If it brings you pleasure and you can afford the time and money sunk, it's all good. If any one of these doesn't apply, time to find something else to do. But it doesn't have to make sense.
I managed to escape this world about 3 years ago.
It's like discovering the matrix. Nobody cares how much BHP your car has, more power won't necessarily mean better/more fun and "more" will never ever be enough. A chance drive in a 100bhp hatch of my youth made me realise what I had been chasing all these years.
I don't own anything newer than 20 years old now. All slow by todays standard and I couldn't even tell you approximately how much BHP each had but all are fun to drive.
It's like discovering the matrix. Nobody cares how much BHP your car has, more power won't necessarily mean better/more fun and "more" will never ever be enough. A chance drive in a 100bhp hatch of my youth made me realise what I had been chasing all these years.
I don't own anything newer than 20 years old now. All slow by todays standard and I couldn't even tell you approximately how much BHP each had but all are fun to drive.
nunpuncher said:
I managed to escape this world about 3 years ago.
It's like discovering the matrix. Nobody cares how much BHP your car has, more power won't necessarily mean better/more fun and "more" will never ever be enough. A chance drive in a 100bhp hatch of my youth made me realise what I had been chasing all these years.
I don't own anything newer than 20 years old now. All slow by todays standard and I couldn't even tell you approximately how much BHP each had but all are fun to drive.
Yup, done the same with the bikes. It's like discovering the matrix. Nobody cares how much BHP your car has, more power won't necessarily mean better/more fun and "more" will never ever be enough. A chance drive in a 100bhp hatch of my youth made me realise what I had been chasing all these years.
I don't own anything newer than 20 years old now. All slow by todays standard and I couldn't even tell you approximately how much BHP each had but all are fun to drive.
For years I saw about 130 bhp as a realistic minimum, peaking at 170bhp before the fear of getting caught got a bit much.
Then I rescued a crashed Ducati ST2 and rebuilt it, 80bhp with a nice noise and character. It’s great to ride with less than half of the power than previous bikes I’ve had.
It is possible to come to terms with your addiction and attempt to control it. Honestly.
When I got my Alfa GT (well it was fast compared to the diesel Colt I had before) I made a concerted effort to drive at/close to the speed limit and not go round corners on two wheels. I was successful up to a point (probably about the time I started to mod it...), but you know, I could handle it.
More recently I got the 370Z which (for me at least) is fast, and again I have vowed to drive sensibly and keep at/near the speed limit. Mostly successfully. I even managed to drive to the office and back (250 mile round trip) and averaged 32mpg, which suggests I am doing something right/wrong. I can handle it. For now.
When I got my Alfa GT (well it was fast compared to the diesel Colt I had before) I made a concerted effort to drive at/close to the speed limit and not go round corners on two wheels. I was successful up to a point (probably about the time I started to mod it...), but you know, I could handle it.
More recently I got the 370Z which (for me at least) is fast, and again I have vowed to drive sensibly and keep at/near the speed limit. Mostly successfully. I even managed to drive to the office and back (250 mile round trip) and averaged 32mpg, which suggests I am doing something right/wrong. I can handle it. For now.
I’ve also found myself in this loop of driving enjoyment verses bhp chasing ego trips.
I had a m135i which I wanted rid of as it was fast but boring and numb. So I got myself a new MX5 RF which was fantastic - really great fun to drive and skid about. But getting outdragged by my friend in his Nissan Leaf (exaggerating a bit but there wasn’t much in it!) was too much for my ego to take so I bought an E90 M3 which had similar issues to the M135i.
I now have an Evora 400 which combines some of the best elements of previous cars and is faster than I have the talent to ever fully exploit - especially on the road. Yet I find myself looking at more powerful cars unnecessary power mods thinking that’s what I need!
Like someone mentioned above I’d probably have more fun in a 100hp 80’s/90’s hatch like I wanted back on the day
I had a m135i which I wanted rid of as it was fast but boring and numb. So I got myself a new MX5 RF which was fantastic - really great fun to drive and skid about. But getting outdragged by my friend in his Nissan Leaf (exaggerating a bit but there wasn’t much in it!) was too much for my ego to take so I bought an E90 M3 which had similar issues to the M135i.
I now have an Evora 400 which combines some of the best elements of previous cars and is faster than I have the talent to ever fully exploit - especially on the road. Yet I find myself looking at more powerful cars unnecessary power mods thinking that’s what I need!
Like someone mentioned above I’d probably have more fun in a 100hp 80’s/90’s hatch like I wanted back on the day
Edited by 62dave on Friday 19th June 15:22
I got into this maybe 4-5 years ago. I had a Focus ST, standard power 225bhp and modified it upto circa 430bhp but that's only half the story, numerous sets of wheels, numerous suspension setups, change of interior, countless other mods, magazine feature and ultimately I chucked 20+ k into a car which originally cost me £6500.
Don't get me wrong I don't regret doing it all, I loved the time I had it and made loads of lifelong friends from the communities I joined but not long after the magazine feature I sold the car for around £9k because I realised I wasn't enjoying driving the car but I was more focussed on what modification would be next, and in reality the car was too fast to be fully enjoyed on normal roads safely.
I sold the car and with the proceeds bought a Mk1 Focus RS which I loved and never modified, I took pride in the fact it was completely stock, that car has since gone and as well as having boring daily cars I've had a series of lower powered but no less interesting (to me) cheap cars-
Mk6 Fiesta ST (cost £1100)
Mk2 MX-5 (Cost £1100)
R53 Mini Cooper S (Cost £900 but needs a little work).
I'm really enjoying owning a selection of cheap fun cars that I can have a lot of fun with on normal roads and when I get bored I can sell them for very little loss and move on to the next thing that catches my eye.
I'm not shedding as such, I also have a Volvo V60 for the family work and the wife a Mini Countryman but I get more pleasure now from cheap lightweight cars with reasonable power-weight ratios
Don't get me wrong I don't regret doing it all, I loved the time I had it and made loads of lifelong friends from the communities I joined but not long after the magazine feature I sold the car for around £9k because I realised I wasn't enjoying driving the car but I was more focussed on what modification would be next, and in reality the car was too fast to be fully enjoyed on normal roads safely.
I sold the car and with the proceeds bought a Mk1 Focus RS which I loved and never modified, I took pride in the fact it was completely stock, that car has since gone and as well as having boring daily cars I've had a series of lower powered but no less interesting (to me) cheap cars-
Mk6 Fiesta ST (cost £1100)
Mk2 MX-5 (Cost £1100)
R53 Mini Cooper S (Cost £900 but needs a little work).
I'm really enjoying owning a selection of cheap fun cars that I can have a lot of fun with on normal roads and when I get bored I can sell them for very little loss and move on to the next thing that catches my eye.
I'm not shedding as such, I also have a Volvo V60 for the family work and the wife a Mini Countryman but I get more pleasure now from cheap lightweight cars with reasonable power-weight ratios
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