I had a bit of an epiphany over the weekend that I thought I would share.
As everyone knows; cars & the excitement that they bring can fade over time, leaving us searching for bigger, badder purchases to get our kicks driving.
The last month has been a bit like this for moi; Clio feeling a bit sluggish what with the hot weather, rear beam creaking badly, cracked windscreen, 3 months of insect life on the front bumper, knackered brakes - just generally needed some time, loving & £££ spent.
This weekend just gone by I drove a van everywhere, probably did a good 400 miles in it. Big barge of a thing with a gearbox that felt like you were stirring soup it's so vague, turbo lag measurable in geological time scales, brakes made from jaffa cakes and a horizontal steering wheel with about 1/4 of a turn play; making motorway driving a challenge just to stay between the white lines.
Took it back today and got back into the clio - it was instantly like meeting an old friend, the feeling when you first put your foot down after having just bought it. I haven't had that sensation in longer than I care to remember.
The whole car felt so dialed, so precise and eager to abuse some twisting roads :evil: So much so I left for work at 8.30 this morning, and my usual 30min journey became 2 hours as I invariably took a long route; including every stretch of epic road I could think of with a massive grin on my face as I darted through & around the miserable crowds of commuter buses.
So if you do high milage and find it easy to get 'used' to a car, take my advice & rent a shed for the week and leave your pride and joy at home, you'll be amazed at what you've been missing when you get back into it
As everyone knows; cars & the excitement that they bring can fade over time, leaving us searching for bigger, badder purchases to get our kicks driving.
The last month has been a bit like this for moi; Clio feeling a bit sluggish what with the hot weather, rear beam creaking badly, cracked windscreen, 3 months of insect life on the front bumper, knackered brakes - just generally needed some time, loving & £££ spent.
This weekend just gone by I drove a van everywhere, probably did a good 400 miles in it. Big barge of a thing with a gearbox that felt like you were stirring soup it's so vague, turbo lag measurable in geological time scales, brakes made from jaffa cakes and a horizontal steering wheel with about 1/4 of a turn play; making motorway driving a challenge just to stay between the white lines.
Took it back today and got back into the clio - it was instantly like meeting an old friend, the feeling when you first put your foot down after having just bought it. I haven't had that sensation in longer than I care to remember.
The whole car felt so dialed, so precise and eager to abuse some twisting roads :evil: So much so I left for work at 8.30 this morning, and my usual 30min journey became 2 hours as I invariably took a long route; including every stretch of epic road I could think of with a massive grin on my face as I darted through & around the miserable crowds of commuter buses.
So if you do high milage and find it easy to get 'used' to a car, take my advice & rent a shed for the week and leave your pride and joy at home, you'll be amazed at what you've been missing when you get back into it
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