The other day I passed a brand new Mercedes E63 AMG on the road. It was colored in that stark Mercedes silver and, of course, decorated with AMG badges, so as to let the next guy driving the E350 know that this car will get the kids to soccer practice and back before the cake is done baking.
The E63 is but one of the many horsepower-packed cars offered today. Many car companies have moved towards offering bigger engines throughout their model line. The numbers are staggering. Mercedes, for instance, offers a 604hp engine in their S65 AMG, coupled with a frightening 738 lb-ft. Honda even offers a 271hp 3.5-liter V6 in the Accord sedan. These numbers are far and above those of the new cars being produced just ten years ago. It is truly shocking that a S65 will do 0 to 60mph in less time than, say, a Ferrari 360 Modena, which was first produced just less than a decade ago.
It seems to me that car companies have missed out on what constitutes “fun” driving with their insistence on offering bigger engines throughout their model line. An enjoyable time behind the wheel has nothing to do with how quickly you can reach 60mph, or how effortlessly your car can leap from 55mph to triple digits. In fact, having fun while driving is not something a car company can even build into their models, which seems to be their aim in many instances, as evidenced by their marketing strategies that emphasize how much fun you will be having behind the wheel of their newest over-powered beast.
There is an old driver’s adage: there is nothing more fun than driving a slow car fast. Borrowing mom’s Chrysler Town and Country and slinging it around an empty parking lot may very well be equally as fun as beating some punk kid in a Subaru WRX at a stoplight while driving your Audi RS6 to the office in the morning.
Most every car enthusiast started off driving a piece of junk when they first got their driver’s license, and we all remember well how much fun it was to drive that car…
The E63 is but one of the many horsepower-packed cars offered today. Many car companies have moved towards offering bigger engines throughout their model line. The numbers are staggering. Mercedes, for instance, offers a 604hp engine in their S65 AMG, coupled with a frightening 738 lb-ft. Honda even offers a 271hp 3.5-liter V6 in the Accord sedan. These numbers are far and above those of the new cars being produced just ten years ago. It is truly shocking that a S65 will do 0 to 60mph in less time than, say, a Ferrari 360 Modena, which was first produced just less than a decade ago.
It seems to me that car companies have missed out on what constitutes “fun” driving with their insistence on offering bigger engines throughout their model line. An enjoyable time behind the wheel has nothing to do with how quickly you can reach 60mph, or how effortlessly your car can leap from 55mph to triple digits. In fact, having fun while driving is not something a car company can even build into their models, which seems to be their aim in many instances, as evidenced by their marketing strategies that emphasize how much fun you will be having behind the wheel of their newest over-powered beast.
There is an old driver’s adage: there is nothing more fun than driving a slow car fast. Borrowing mom’s Chrysler Town and Country and slinging it around an empty parking lot may very well be equally as fun as beating some punk kid in a Subaru WRX at a stoplight while driving your Audi RS6 to the office in the morning.
Most every car enthusiast started off driving a piece of junk when they first got their driver’s license, and we all remember well how much fun it was to drive that car…
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This begs the question...You can pick three vehicles (you have a garage for each)with these requirements:
ReplyDelete1. Impress the neighbors for under $100K
2. Never want to stop driving for under $45K
3. Crush Rice Rockets for under $25K
1) I would have to go with a used Lamborghini. They are over-the-top, wild beasts. Perhaps an early Countach, which embodied the outlandish glamour of the 1970s. Alternatively, I might go with, say, a 1992 Diablo VT. These cars scream 'wealth', as well as 'look at me', all in a supercar-like package. Not sure if I would want it to leave the garage often, unless I had a Lamborghini mechanic in the family...
ReplyDelete2) My penchant for BMWs definitely wins out here. For less than $15K you can purchase a first-generation 1988 BMW M5. In my opinion, it is the purest driver's car (in sedan form) ever made: old-fashioned manual, minimal technology, and a wonderful engine. I could imagine driving it each and every day until the engine gave out...and never growing tired of it.
3) Nothing beats a 'Rice Rocket' like American Muscle. I would suggest a used Corvette, perhaps even a high-mileage Z06. Alternatively, I might go with a straight-line queen: the Saleen Mustang. However, when the day comes that you can find a good Dodge Viper for under $25K, that will surely be the ideal answer.
If I might be so bold as to weigh in...
ReplyDelete1) Nothing impresses quite like a Ferrari. If you have a Lamborghini then the neighbors are going to think that you either are a drug dealer from the mid 1980's are that you want to be one. For under $100k I feel like I have to go with a 355. There wouldn't be a 360 or a 430 if there wasn't a 355, and I think you'd be hard-pressed to argue that those cars justify the higher expense.
2) For under $45k, that's an awfully big range. I'm going with the MINI Cooper S. Yes, it may not be an original Leyland Mini, but I can tell you, you never want to stop driving this car. I had one for a week and I drove it at least 450 miles in that time. For one or two people it's the perfect size and it will absolutely go like stink.
3) I have nothing personal against 'rice rockets.' I mean, what's wrong with dreaming? After all, power is an illusion. But, if I want to know for sure that I can beat that Civic Si, I'm going with a (my personal/biased favorite) a 1987 Grand National. I'm speaking from experience here.
I think Nick's a little bit off, expecting to get a Saleen Mustang for under 25-grand. A Vette, yeah, but a Saleen? Mmmm... I don't know.