Ranting

dumrick · Post 22 May 2006, 19:46

Tp wrote:http://www.topgear.com/content/features ... /01/3.html[/url]

'The top of the table is filled with Japanese car makers and the bottom is predominantly French'

Renault are third to last!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 34th out of 36, in the UK's biggest independent car satisfaction survey

What I can say is that those results are very far from a european-wide long term study (focusing on number of forced stops for interventions) I read some time ago. Unfortunately, I cannot trace this moment the original source (it was published in a portuguese costumer-defense magazine). I remember Peugeot being 6th best and Citroën together with Mercedes as 7th best.
Is very unsurprising seeing english studies with french cars in the bottom anyway... if english people took only a look at what they used to manufacture...

(yes, because their industry is dead now for mass automotive production, right? That too is unsurprising...)

RH1300S · Post 22 May 2006, 19:50

Don't dig yourself too big a hole with the 'Vette

On real roads very stiff suspension will just tie itself in knots - you need good body control and some suppleness to deal with variable conditions. The 'Vette won't do that.

On the other hand, I'm with you about the bhp/litre stuff. That is no proof of engine building ability in anything other than a capacity limited formula. I'm sure our american friends could build high specific outputs if they chose to. What the 'vette engine is giving is access to a lot of power throughout a very broad range - I suspect it will take yards out of most cars at almost any point in the rev range.

I remember taking a Ducati friend's Ducati out on a track day - I had been using my GSXR570 - a more powerful bike with better acceleration & top speed numbers. What impressed me with the Ducati was that you could tap the power in really early and the engine would start driving immediately - you gained yards coming off a corner. Whereas the gixxer needed a bit of time to wind itself up, then would scream past on the straight - only then needing to brake earlier (going fatster) - all in all a good illustration that torque is damn useful stuff.

Oh yeah - BTW my car has a 1969 pushrod engine and THAT makes 100bhp/litre

- 105 for the F430 doesn't sound so good now

West · Post 22 May 2006, 19:54

The stopwatch doesn't lie but other numbers will sway the reader from the truth. For you American car haters out there please think of a car that can beat the Z06 at the Nurburgring, unmodified, for less than 70K USD.

Unless you have the money (or your parents), why do you talk about owning a Ferrari? The real Ferrari fans stuck with the team when they made sh*tty-@$$ cars on the track and off and before Schumacher came on board. It sounds like some people are just fanboys jumping on the bandwagon

f1.redbaron · Post 22 May 2006, 20:33

West wrote: Unless you have the money (or your parents), why do you talk about owning a Ferrari?

I've been waiting to see who will be the first one to realize this.

The truth really is, that none of us had ever driven a Ferrari, a Lambourghini, or any of these exotic cars we talk about (at least, that is a logical guess). I would imagine that most of us belong in the middle class, and that, at best, we can afford a Mercedes, a BMW or a Lexus.

Recently, one of my friends (just graduated from the university) had bought a brand new Toyota Yaris - his first new car. And, even though he doesn't drive what most of us consider an exciting car, I can see that to him, that Yaris is the best car in the world.

OT - would anybody do this?

http://www.rentexoticcars.com/index.asp ... SportsCars

Would anybody rent a Ferrari for $600CDN ($550USD)/day? Honestly, I know that this is a close as I'll ever come to driving a Ferrari, so I don't think it's that much.

wazojugs · Post 22 May 2006, 21:15

Hang on a sec I actually never started the "Are Renaults more reliable than Ferrari's" if you care to back track to my comments and before we start throw accusations around.

I stated "give me a clio trophy cup that would make me grin far more than driving a prancing horse". Others in the forum have missed read what i have said and put their beloved ferrari caps on.

I was trying to state that pound for pound the clio would give more driving pleasure, as leading UK car magzine has also stated that this is a very good drivers car. Tp has made a mountaint out of a mole hill and blown this out of proportion. And i though Arsenal fans were the worst for dragging things up.

Now i know how Manchild feels.

Tp · Post 22 May 2006, 21:38

Well, you (Wazojugs) was the one who wrongly slated Ferrari's production cars at the start of the topic. I said that I would prefer to have a Ferrari than a Renault (who wouldn't). Then someone said, well for everyday I would have the Renault, as it is more reliable. Then I provided a long list of everything that went wrong with the one we have. But I never compared the reliablities of both manufactures.

And about the "wanting a renault more than a Ferrari", could you imagine someone with the money to walk in a Ferrari showroom and say to the sales manager "Well I'm torn really, between this (Ferrari) and a Renault Clio."

I think you're missing the point the Clio may drive brilliantly, but its the whole experience of driving a Ferrari. The way it sounds, looks, drives, performs, the fact that they are using their technology from their F1 cars (Carbon ceramic disk brakes, semi-auto sequential gearbox and e-diff) to make the best cars money can buy.

Oh yeah - BTW my car has a 1969 pushrod engine and THAT makes 100bhp/litre - 105 for the F430 doesn't sound so good now

Well anything like 100bhp/litre is pretty awesome, the Ferrari by the way has 114bhp/litre. As it is a 4.3 with 490bhp.

wazojugs · Post 22 May 2006, 21:46

someone please post a packet of top trumps to TP to keep him happy...

Tp · Post 22 May 2006, 21:55

wazojugs wrote:someone please post a packet of top trumps to TP to keep him happy...

No need I already have a pack, called Supercars..........

I don't really

dumrick · Post 22 May 2006, 23:57

wazojugs wrote:Hang on a sec I actually never started the "Are Renaults more reliable than Ferrari's" if you care to back track to my comments and before we start throw accusations around.

Yeah, that was me! A Ferrari fan talking about other cars' reliabilty makes me laugh every time.

wazojugs wrote:I stated "give me a clio trophy cup that would make me grin far more than driving a prancing horse".

Only comment really making a good point there was zac's concerning "which one will pull the ladies?"

kilcoo316 · Post 23 May 2006, 12:09

dumrick wrote:Only comment really making a good point there was zac's concerning "which one will pull the ladies?"

Thats easy...

Its the vauxhall corsa with 20" wheels, 0.5" suspension travel and more wings than the F1 grid put together

dumrick · Post 23 May 2006, 13:15

I'm now sure I don't want to meet the girls from Kilcoo, Ireland

kilcoo316 · Post 23 May 2006, 13:25

dumrick wrote:I'm now sure I don't want to meet the girls from Kilcoo, Ireland

I'm taking the piss!!!

I detest the idiots that waste thousands trying to turn a piece of s__t into something it is not, and will never be.

In my experience, the type of car makes no bearing on the type of girl ye get

[But a flashy car doesn't seem to do yer man James Bond any harm

]

manchild · Post 23 May 2006, 16:41

This thread has good effect on the forum - it acts like a magnet and attracts posts that would "pollute" other topics.

So keep on ranting

wazojugs · Post 23 May 2006, 18:03

kilcoo316 wrote:I detest the idiots that waste thousands trying to turn a piece of s__t into something it is not, and will never be.

Have a look at http://www.barryboys.co.uk you will love this

Tp · Post 23 May 2006, 18:17

http://www.topgear.com/content/timetobu ... ages/0477/

What the hell were they thinking