Cars & Motorbikes Let's talk cars...

2003 that would have been... I was studying uni and working part-time at NRMA. A colleague there had just bought an S15 which I was quite envious of, though I do remember my dream car being a Celica SX/ZR around the same time.

My car at the time was my parents' old Astra, which I traded in the next year for a 2004 Hyundai Getz manual so I could learn and practice heel-and-toe

I'm a bit of a sucker for brand new cars (9 out of 11 have been brand new) but with some investments to balance it can work out. e.g. this quarter I'm spending about $3k in car parts and to offset that about $30k in managed funds

 

I loved the mx5 when I test drove it. But I just simply couldnt fit in it with the top up. My head was about 2 inches taller than the roof.

The mini roadster that I ended up buying was very similar to the mx5 roadster. The mini was maybe slightly more fun even just because of the exhaust note and the fact it was turbo and quicker than the mx5.

I tried another roadster the nissan 370z. But it was so heavy and properly boring in comparison to the mini and mx5.

 

They are pretty pricey for a low km car in the used market. Like nearing 50k if you want one with under 40000ks

 

Wow interesting response on how both of us view these cars, I've driven the latest 328i/335i and the Cruze, rate them excellent for what they do, great everyday driving. The Cruze I found to be dull and boring compared to the bmw's, but I haven't lived with these cars to fully appreciate their short comings.

 

I agree and came to the exact same comparison with the 370z. I still don't understand that car but so many people love it. Can't work it out.

 

I think our immediate impressions are the same... the BMW is fancier, feels a bit more involving, etc etc. However after living with the BMW for a while you notice that it simply doesn't cope with some bumps/undulations well at all, regardless of which mode the adjustable suspension is set to.

I don't remember picking up the Cruze from Hobart RedSpot (because it's a dull hire car after all) but after a day or two of driving through the sweeping hills down past Kingston, onto a ferry and all around Bruny Island, we realised that it was perfectly judged for Australian roads and made mince meat of sections that would have had my BMW skittering and porpoising.

 

I find it so frustrating that manufacturers insist on a "sporty" suspension tune in Australia with our roads. Stiff inevitably ends up making the cars handle WORSE on our roads when you want to go for a blat in the hills, and you have to put up with it for the 90% of time you're not speeding around. Late model BMW's are notorious for an unsettled ride.

 

I think the more vanilla you go, the better the ride/handling balance Last service, BMW gave me a base 320i loaner with no options, and it felt great.

That said, I daily drive my Lotus to work because it rides better than every BMW I've driven... though not quite as smoothly as a Cruze

 

I really like the hard ride in cars. Makes me feel more connected to the road if I can feel what's going on.

But I get where you are coming from. A more luxurious softer ride has it's benefits too.

 

More than simply the hardness of the ride, I find the body control is the biggest determinant of what we perceive as "ride comfort". A harder riding car that settles itself quickly after a bump can be more relaxing than a soft floaty car that takes several car lengths to return to normal.

 

It's a dark art getting suspension right. I like the e92 m3 with edc. I find the m240 is too soft in sports plus but good in comfort.

 

Good point.

My mini has solid feeling suspension. But apparently the jcw is even more solid and grips worse on rough roads as a result.

My brother had a drive of my car and said his original mini was way harsher than mine. So that would have probably tested even my tolerance.

Im interested to drive the polo gti because a performance tuner I talked to said its motor is great but chasis sucks for putting down the power compared to more capable front wheel drive hot hatches. So I wonder what that means in practice?

 

The Polo GTI has the most well sorted ride I've ever experienced in a short wheelbase FWD car with a solid beam axle rear end. It's incredible what they did to balance handling with the daily drive. It's particularly impressive given my Vanilla Polo TSI rode and handled terribly because of the aforementioned characteristics.

 

This version seems better priced for the amount of k's and age?

https://carsales.mobi/cars/details/BMW-328i-2013/SSE-AD-4895178

 

225kw 3L twin turbo vs 2L 180kw single .. depends if power is your thing.

 

I have the 2L 180kW in my 428i, it's not bad (especially with the fake induction noise piped through the speakers) but it's quite laggy. Don't even think about having a traffic light GP with a small N/A hatchback, you'll get smashed.

 

Always preferred the 335i, more power.

 

Surely 0 to 100 in 5.9 seconds cant mean it's too slow off the line?

What about with launch control?

Worst case scenario a stage one flash tune for $1400 puts power up 40kw to 220kw...

 

Mo power mo money...

 

0-100 times say nothing about what happens in the first few carlengths. It's not slow off the line, but it's not zippy either.

Launch control is incredibly finicky, all the conditions need to be just right and even then it doesn't work sometimes. The worst thing is that when it doesn't want to work, you look like an idiot sitting still spinning up the rear tyres (or maybe just one).

Have been down the tuning route with my previous car (my Golf R was the local test bed for the Viezu tunes) and yeah, not a fan. Again, peak power is not a reliable indicator of future performance... woops I mean performance off the line