Life goals & dream cars......

[renmure]

The only car I can remember really desiring when I was younger was a wedge shape Lotus Turbo Esprit. I remember reading the car mags at the time and thinking that it looked like it was just wow!! Being impulsive I got one as soon as I jot a proper job and could afford it and was naive enough to give no thoughts to the running costs or potential financial ruin that might have been on the horizon. Fortunately when I sold it 2 years later to help fund a house purchase it had cost nothing other than petrol and insurance.

I don't think I ever paid any attention to Ferrari or Lamborghini costs when I was younger since they appeared to be on a different level of expensiveness to anything I was likely to aspire to so there was never any need to think about the cost. Even nowadays when driving the Ferrari you meet car minded folk at petrol stations who chat away about the car but it is obvious most have no idea whether they are looking at a £60k or a £160k car, which is pretty much how I was before l gave any though to getting one.

[KevD]

I didnt set time limits ( although I probably should)

Subaru impreza turbo - proper classic saloon version in blue with gold wheels. [If I could get insurance for £400 I'd probably buy one for winter for 2-3k and hopefully sell it again for similar amount. I don't do a lot of mileage though]
Ferrari 355/456 ( I could substitute for 360)
Lotus elise - tick that box at 26. I don't think I can bring myself to ever sell it though, I'd like to hand it down etc. Scary thought.

[kerryxeg]

I used to go to the garage in inverurie when my dad's car went for a service, they sold fords and lotus. Being a practical kid, I preferred the Eclat to the Esprit, well it had back seats and without those there would be nowhere for me to sit. All seems pretty funning now, especially when you look at the Eclat - slightly boxy!

At Uni I had a poster of a venitian blue 911 turbo on the wall in every place I stayed, it was the inspiration to keep working into the night on many occaisions. Resulting in a purchase a few years ago and a long term rebuild..........no sense whatsoever, but it just feels right. I've still got the poster as well.......must get it a proper frame for the man cave.

[StiflerMR2]

Nice story Kerry, gives me hope that I'll get that 456 yet

Scotty, granted that 458 looks pretty special!

[steviej]

Kerry - quote "I used to go to the garage in inverurie when my dad's car went for a service, they sold fords and lotus."
We used to go down there at lunchtime from the academy and drool at the cars, (previous to the proper garage in harlaw they used to have an old place we went to somewhere near to benzies bike shop off the high street, where they prepped a super stock for crimond) happy days. Always had a love for the early 911 turbo too but still not owned one yet.

When I was a kid, my first "love" was the baby Elan in the tv show the avengers, later in life the garage i worked in's office lady had a son who was into lotuses, he always had an elan or europa, when he bought the place over I got to work on them when the normal workload was quiet, bit of restoration and fitting spider parts etc, great job while it lasted .

[Corranga]

Having been a life long car geek / fan / whatever, i set similar goals..

I wanted a Mini since I was 5 or 6 or so when I first saw the Italian Job. Instant favourite car and favourite film!
Around the same time, the F40 was released and it became my proper dream car, in the course of a year or so I had a dream car and an attainable car.
In 96/97 when I first saw the S1 I fell in love with that too, and vowed I'd have one, so I've been pretty lucky!

I wanted a cool car at 25, now I kinda classify my first car - a 1984 Mini as cool, so I actualy achieved that at 17, then again a few years later when I bought my 2nd Mini, then again at 25 when I bought the Elise. I also decided I wanted a Ferrari at 35 - I keep telling Erica a 355 for 35

Realistically, i'm 29 now and don't really see any reality behind me buying a Fezza in 6 years, but heck, i've got one of the nicest looking versions (imo) of one of my all time favourite cars, I love every moment I spend in it, and Erica and I just bought a house I honestly never thought I'd ever have anything like. Life's pretty good right now

Chris

[Corranga]

oh, and as for the 456... When it was released, I fell in love with it. I have some models of it in the attic somewhere, to me, it's one of the classiest cars Ferrari ever made. Should it be a Maserati instead? Maybe, but it's by no means wrong that it has a prancing horse on it, and for me, it's prettier, classier and much more elegant than modern alternatives like the Bentley Continental.

Chris

[RDH]

Am I alone in thinking this is the prettiest Ferrari made in the last 20 - 30 years? Something about it just makes me want to buy one, take a month of work and head down to the south of France with the wife and tour europe.


Bit of a pointless post but I guess it'd be nice to find out peoples dream cars......

Nope - I'm with you on the 456; there was one pretty similar to the spec in your link parked outside my flat about 3 months ago! Lovely! Laura didn't really "get" it, but I like it! but then I did have a baby blue Elise for 5 years

[glasgowwestie]

I loved cars as a kid, but the thing that did it for me was on my paper-round was a Giugiaro Esprit that I loved. We lived near to a posh area, and every day I lingered at that car that the owner never seemed to drive, wishing the he (father of a swotty girl in my class) would notice and let me have a ride - he never did. My dad used to say the only way to get a Lotus of my own was to work hard at school and at work. I didn't listen of course and proceeded to flunk my A-Levels, spend my youth going out to clubs (the 1980s), drinking and partying. I got a job in an architects office and got myself a nice Triumph Spitfire 1500 which I could just afford to buy and run. A few years past and I went to Uni and subsequently accidentally worked my way up the ladder. In 2004 I had enough money to buy an S2 Elise and have never regretted it. The car can put a smile on my face like nothing else. Material things don't really matter, and I wouldn't swap the many years of going out and having fun with friends, but if you do work hard you deserve something concrete (or plastic!) to show for it, rather than pissing it all up against the wall... My journey has perhaps taken a bit longer than others that are more goal-orientated, but you can't really change your nature? Like others here I quite fancy a supercar someday, but know deep down I'll never really be able to properly enjoy it on British roads and that the Elise can generate easily enough fun (and points on a license). That said, I'd definitely want a Lamborghini for a month, say... Oh and I never liked any Ferrari until the 458, except maybe the Daytona.

[Mr Momo]

I'm not a fan of big cars, but the 458, Gallardo and new Aventador are ticking all the boxes for me. There is something about giving them presence and integrating the design, but at the same time, being a little off the wall (which the MP4-12C doesn't have, in my view).

I caught TG last night, with Hammond in the Aventador - I was gawping at it - would look good in that bright green seen on the Gallardo

Too big for Scotland though

[Tommy Twist]

I've never set long-term goals as such for owning certain cars, despite been reasonably keen on cars and driving since I passed my test. I do remember reading many a glowing review of the Elise when it was introduced during my early driving years. I recall promising-sounding phrases such as "great driver feedback", "superb balance" and "huge driver involvement"... but frankly I couldn't really relate to any of that. 0-60 in under 6 seconds sounded appealing though

And so followed many years of car purchases based on looks, deluded brand loyalty, straight line performance and supposed 'value for money'. I think I hit rock bottom when I found myself driving a MkI Skoda Octavia VRS... "why don't I enjoy driving through bends any more?", I began to ask myself. Perhaps this 'handling' business was an important aspect
of driving enjoyment after all? So after the Octy I moved on to Imprezas for a while, which put me into the right ball park, especially after playing with the suspension a bit (OK, a lot). However, that association came to an end a few months ago when I finally decided to stop messing around with four seats plus boot, and here I am with an Elise – and enjoying it very much so far!

So, as much as a Ferrari F430 has on paper all the right "dream car" ingredients for me, I image that a Honda-engined Elise with a very nice suspension setup would be my ultimate driving machine for the twistier Scottish roads (also taking into account the handy soft top and the loveable looks). But who knows, perhaps in five years my aspirations will have changed, and I'll be trying to figure out how to sneak a Caterham R500 past the missus..

[tut]

Manual though, not automatic as most of them were.

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2679006.htm £28K

tut

[RDH]

Manual though, not automatic as most of them were.

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2679006.htm £28K

tut

Cat C though - more difficult to shift on. I've also been surfing PH for 456's, but given my 3rd impending redundancy in 4 years - I'll hold off for now!

[Modena Scotland]

My goal is to have Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Porsche, TVR, Lotus, Caterham, Noble, Bentley, Jaguar and Rolls Royce all at once

Mark, I like the 456 too

[Noops]

I've never set long-term goals as such for owning certain cars, despite been reasonably keen on cars and driving since I passed my test. I do remember reading many a glowing review of the Elise when it was introduced during my early driving years. I recall promising-sounding phrases such as "great driver feedback", "superb balance" and "huge driver involvement"... but frankly I couldn't really relate to any of that. 0-60 in under 6 seconds sounded appealing though .

None of the above fantastical wording in mags from yesteryear apart from the 0-60 under 6 seconds .However I did see this thead yesterday and thought I was in a Time Warp as I looked out my window this morning after Noops Jr returned back from Glasgow last night with wait for it a 19 year old Yota Starlet GT Turbo..in rather good nick and with a little tiny 1339 cc with turbo knocking out 160 + hp weight about the same as an holiday case with silly dump valves... this a nutty little car with back seats and a boot goes from 0-60 in rather a quick fashion