Shocked_ on 6/4/2012 at 07:48
Thats only some € cents more expensive than in here. I paid 1,71€ coupe of days ago for a liter of 95 octane E10. The price is right there with Subjeff's prices when you begin going North and 98 octane E5 costs 5 € cent more where ever you go. I live in Western Finland where prices are "OK" for the lack of a better word.
Get this. Recent survey says that gas prices in *Finland* have actually DROPPED during the last 20 years. It is all mathematics of course because they base it on an average persons monthly salary. It has risen about 1k€ during that time and gas percentially less. The fact doens't actually light my life on fire because I make about ½ what average person makes. That I think makes me in official sense poor!
heywood on 6/4/2012 at 10:33
I spend a fair bit of time there for work and I sometimes wonder why everybody in Britain isn't driving turbo diesels (granted a lot are), what with the petrol prices and the propensity of many to drive as fast as they can get away with. Just yesterday I was driving north to London on the M3 and about 1/3 of traffic were rocking along at 90-100 mph in cars that probably get mid-20s mpg at the speed limit.
FWIW, my first car was a '76 Mercury Marquis land yacht that I inherited in '88 and learned to drive on. It was resplendent with all the 'luxury' features that failed within 5 years like pneumatic headlamp covers and power locks. It was HUGE and challenging to parallel park. It had a 460 cu in. plant (7.something liter) but only made around 190 hp because it was one of the first model years under new emissions and economy standards (catalytic converters, lean tuning, etc.) I think it got about 11 mpg around town and 15 on the highway. It had loads of torque off-idle and worked well for towing my Dad's boat, but otherwise I don't have any fond memories of it. My second car was an '84 Grand Marquis station wagon, another hand-me-down. It had a 302 (5 liter) that made 155 hp. Suspension was crap. Brakes were scary. But it was super comfortable and good for hauling my friends around.
1950s and 1960s American cars are cool, but the '70s and '80s were dark days for the US auto industry. I have no nostalgia for the cars I had. Then again, I'm more of a motorcycle guy than a car guy.
SubJeff on 6/4/2012 at 13:04
Yeah, everyone speeds in the UK. Or drives too slow. I often wish I could fire a blue shell to get the asshat holding everyone up out of the way; on 2 lane 70mph limit roads you get the "slow" lane going at 50ish and some total dongbowl in the "fast" lane going at 60 with a big queue behind him/her. Why? Get out of the way.
On the other hand you just cannot stick to a 50 or 60mph limit (where that is in force) without someone tailgating because they want to go faster. It never makes any difference either - I let them pass then meet them again at the lights/roundabout where I'll pass them and have to do the whole dance again.
What cars were these heywood? The 20mpg ones? Fwiw at steady 70-75mph in 6th I get up to 35mpg.
heywood on 12/4/2012 at 02:36
Quote Posted by Subjective Effect
Yeah, everyone speeds in the UK. Or drives too slow. I often wish I could fire a blue shell to get the asshat holding everyone up out of the way; on 2 lane 70mph limit roads you get the "slow" lane going at 50ish and some total dongbowl in the "fast" lane going at 60 with a big queue behind him/her. Why? Get out of the way.
On the other hand you just cannot stick to a 50 or 60mph limit (where that is in force) without someone tailgating because they want to go faster. It never makes any difference either - I let them pass then meet them again at the lights/roundabout where I'll pass them and have to do the whole dance again.
What cars were these heywood? The 20mpg ones? Fwiw at steady 70-75mph in 6th I get up to 35mpg.
Vauxhall vans, full size BMW and Audi saloons, etc. I may be exaggerating a bit, but the only petrol cars I've averaged over 30 mpg with are compacts with 1.6L engines.
I usually enjoy driving in the UK (and have the tickets to prove it :ebil:). Courtesy and lane discipline are a lot better there than here in Australia or the US. In parts of Australia the speed limit enforcement can be so over the top that nobody bothers getting out of the way for faster traffic because normally there isn't any. Spending a week puttering around Adelaide at 60 km/h makes me want to put a gun to my head. New South Wales isn't so bad, but I still don't really like driving here.
Quote Posted by Matthew
I just bought a new car. It's a Citroen DS3 DSport Plus and I like it. It's basically this with chrome wing mirrors and various extra bits of kit.
Looks like fun. That's more my kind of car: small, light, hatch back, reasonably quick, handles like a roller skate. What I'd really like is a BMW 120d Sport 5-door with 6sp manual. I like the fuel economy of a diesel and the turbo lag is generally less annoying than with a petrol engine.
Matthew on 12/4/2012 at 13:13
Quote Posted by heywood
Looks like fun. That's more my kind of car: small, light, hatch back, reasonably quick, handles like a roller skate. What I'd really like is a BMW 120d Sport 5-door with 6sp manual. I like the fuel economy of a diesel and the turbo lag is generally less annoying than with a petrol engine.
I looked into diesel but with the smallish mileage that I do annually it ended up having higher running costs per mile than the petrol, so no-go for me. Plus it meant I got 155bhp, yes please.
As for the 1 Series they're very nice cars! The rear-wheel-drive configuration of the current model wouldn't suit me due to the poor access to my home during winter conditions, as it'd probably be too much for the RWD traction-wise. Still, I understand that the 2012 model may well have a more traditional FWD setup at some point.
Edit: wheee I just blew £100 on detailing and waxing products, an idiot is me.
st.patrick on 12/4/2012 at 19:17
Quote Posted by Matthew
As for the 1 Series they're very nice cars! The rear-wheel-drive configuration of the current model wouldn't suit me due to the poor access to my home during winter conditions, as it'd probably be too much for the RWD traction-wise. Still, I understand that the 2012 model may well have a more traditional FWD setup at some point.
It won't have FWD, that's for sure. BMW's reserving the upcoming compact FWD platform for its new "i" brand, the first that's gonna get it is the new electric-powered i3 city car.
As for the DS3 1.6 THP, it drives and handles really well, though it lacks a bit of that "direct response" that Mini Cooper S has. If I were picking something along these lines, my money'd be probably split between Mazda MX-5 2.0 (even though its boot is a glorified glovebox) and Peugeot RCZ 1.6 THP (the more powerful 200hp version).
Matthew on 13/4/2012 at 08:05
I tell you what, if we're talking about small boots then the A1 must take the cake, it's basically a lunch serving tray. The Peugeot looked very nice but doesn't appear to give great value for what it is (I wonder, off-hand, if the THP engine in the 156bhp version is the same as the one in my car?).
As for the Mazda, I wasn't looking for a sports car but it is a lovely wee motor in price, looks and performance. Someday, perhaps (if they take the RX-8 off the market anyway!).
SubJeff on 14/4/2012 at 20:44
There will be no more new RX8s anymore. The rumoured RX9 is going to be a different class of car (if it ever appears) - much bigger, much more powerful, more more expensive. If you want something small and sporty from Mazda you'll have to get an MX5. And if you want more power you'd be better off with an RX7 than an RX8. I wish they still made some of the later RX7s because I don't want an old one but I really like them. Just look at this beauty, a seriously modified RX7, and by seriously I mean over 400bhp modified:
Inline Image:
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f192/cyman33/IMAG0028-1.jpgdemagogue on 14/4/2012 at 23:00
Nice, I love how that car looks in the photo. Mazdas have always been one of my favorites, probably my very favorite if we're talking about brands I'd actually buy -- as I think I mentioned the last time we had a car thread. They look great. Not insanely pricy. Japanese. Good reputation. Named after the Zoroastrin deity of light. What's not to love?
