The Petrolhead Society

Hey all,
This is TSR's new place to talk about cars! All cars!
Seeing as we have a group, I thought we should have a thread to talk about our love and passion for cars!
Anyone feel free to join in! But let's keep it about cars/bikes/various other automobiles.

But no hate/disrespect for others tastes! We will all get along!

Here we go!

Am I the only one that thinks new BMWs are ugly af? Apart from the X5 and 5 series. I feel the rest of the range look terrible.

No youre not! I also dislike them (except the M4, that thing looks awesome!)
Do you like the E60 M5?

E60 models are beautiful. My dad still has his car and even though its just ticked over 130000 he wont upgrade. He just doesn't like the new BMW shapes.

They sure are! Glad im not the only one!
Theres no need to upgrade if he doesnt want to! The milage just shows the reliability of it!
No i dont blame him!

Hes driven the F10 520d, it drives nice but the interior feels smaller despite is being a slightly larger car. The boot is smaller and the leather seats feel cheap. He's said the visibility is quite poor as well.

Ah right well if he prefers the older one, then he may as well keep it!
But yeah that's quite odd from the new car.
You'd expect it to feel more premium but I guess they didn't out as much effort into the new car then!?

Hey all,
This is TSR's new place to talk about cars! All cars!
Seeing as we have a group, I thought we should have a thread to talk about our love and passion for cars!
Anyone feel free to join in! But let's keep it about cars/bikes/various other automobiles.

But no hate/disrespect for others tastes! We will all get along!

Here we go!

No they made the leather standard, previously it was an option (an expensive one at that) so all the bog standard 2.0 diesel cars come with the crappy cheap leather. The 3.0 diesels have the nice premium leather we're used to.

Anyone watch the Hungarian GP?

Anyone watch the Hungarian GP?

Yep, wish I didn't though, complete snoozefest.

Looking for a new car to meet the following criteria:
£9k max
hatch/estate capable of fitting a mountain bike in the back with the seats down (tow bar would also be nice but not essential).
real world average mpg of 38-40combined 42+ on a motorway run at 70.
enough power for b-road overtakes, something like 0-60 in 9s is a decent step up. and generally a fun drive
air con/climate control
cd changer, mp3 cd compatability or usb (if it has ipod/iphone steering wheel functionality even better!)
petrol
manual gearbox
rear tinted windows would be a nice bonus.

No more than 7/8 years old, preferably under 60k miles too.

Got about 3 months to find one before mine fails its MOT and I don't really want to pay for new tyres and tracking on a car worth £100. Daily commute consists of ~2miles at 30mpg and 3-4 miles of 40/50mph. Also frequently do 150+ mile trips to visit family,

So far I've considered
Civic Type R FN2 (so much for the mpg requirements )
Civic EX (lots of toys, but not that keen on the interior)
mk3 ford focus titanium x (I like the toys), one nearby for £8k in a 1.6ecoboost engine.
Fiesta is too small for me and common as muck
Alfa Romeo Guilietta (looks good, seems to be fast and economical enough, but alfa reputation is somewhat offputting, seems to be hit or miss getting a good one? Also looked at the Brera, but the shape of the rear looks too much of a ball ache to lift a bike into the back.
Don't trust VW so the Golf is out.
Like the E60 3 series, but they're a bit pricey and parts likely more expensive than the rest.
Volvo c30 maybe a touch small, old v40/50/60/s40 all a bit old now but i like the styling, new models out of budget and seem to all be diesels anyway.

Daily commute consists of ~2miles at 30mpg and 3-4 miles of 40/50mph. Also do 150+ mile trips to visit family, friends 3-5 times a year so a decent level of comfort, refinement and quietness (The Type R doesn't really meet those I know, but its just lovely).

Any thoughts? Anything I've missed? Asking for a lot I know, but petrol heads are the people to ask!

Thinking about it, i dont think there were any actual overtakes for position were there? The race was ****!
Do you watch IndyCar? If not, go do it now! Its the best racing ever!

VW Scirocco maybe? (Why dont you trust VW?)
I was gonna say a Mazda MX5 but you aint getting a bike in that haha!
But yeah Scirocco, Type R, maybe a Mazda 3?
Audi A3 is a good option too!
The Brera is a car im considering for myself tbh!
Renault Megane maybe or a Peugeot 207 GTi
Theres a few options for you!

Damn BMW!
Thats just strange now then!
Surely they could include the same leather for all the cars!?

Didn't Palmer overtake someone? Kimi must have taken a few. Does Button count, he got overtaken loads when his hydraulics failed
I don't, never been able to get into it. Want to watch WEC again, but its not worth paying for when I work weekends and miss every race. BTCC is back this weekend, looking forward to that! WRC is always impressive to watch, although I fear the new regulations have too much aero and make them too planted to look wild and on the edge.

The whole emissions thing has put me off them, I know every manufacturer tweaks their tests to make stuff seem more economical, but VW took it to a whole other level.
Have looked at MX5's for about 18 months now, but the bike thing has stopped me.
Mazda 3 just isn't fast from what I've seen, interior is a bit bland as well.
Have gone off the A3, liked them for a while, but something is holding me back now.
If the Guilietta interior was in the Brera I would buy one right now tbh.
Nothing French lol!
Don't like the mk2 focus, so an ST version of that is out, mk3 ST too pricey still sadly, mk3.5 has a much tidier interior that I really like, but its just too expensive.

Yep, wish I didn't though, complete snoozefest.

Looking for a new car to meet the following criteria:
£9k max
hatch/estate capable of fitting a mountain bike in the back with the seats down (tow bar would also be nice but not essential).
real world average mpg of 38-40combined 42+ on a motorway run at 70.
enough power for b-road overtakes, something like 0-60 in 9s is a decent step up. and generally a fun drive
air con/climate control
cd changer, mp3 cd compatability or usb (if it has ipod/iphone steering wheel functionality even better!)
petrol
manual gearbox
rear tinted windows would be a nice bonus.

No more than 7/8 years old, preferably under 60k miles too.

Got about 3 months to find one before mine fails its MOT and I don't really want to pay for new tyres and tracking on a car worth £100. Daily commute consists of ~2miles at 30mpg and 3-4 miles of 40/50mph. Also frequently do 150+ mile trips to visit family,

So far I've considered
Civic Type R FN2 (so much for the mpg requirements )
Civic EX (lots of toys, but not that keen on the interior)
mk3 ford focus titanium x (I like the toys), one nearby for £8k in a 1.6ecoboost engine.
Fiesta is too small for me and common as muck
Alfa Romeo Guilietta (looks good, seems to be fast and economical enough, but alfa reputation is somewhat offputting, seems to be hit or miss getting a good one? Also looked at the Brera, but the shape of the rear looks too much of a ball ache to lift a bike into the back.
Don't trust VW so the Golf is out.
Like the E60 3 series, but they're a bit pricey and parts likely more expensive than the rest.
Volvo c30 maybe a touch small, old v40/50/60/s40 all a bit old now but i like the styling, new models out of budget and seem to all be diesels anyway.

Daily commute consists of ~2miles at 30mpg and 3-4 miles of 40/50mph. Also do 150+ mile trips to visit family, friends 3-5 times a year so a decent level of comfort, refinement and quietness (The Type R doesn't really meet those I know, but its just lovely).

Any thoughts? Anything I've missed? Asking for a lot I know, but petrol heads are the people to ask!

Nah that would add £2000 to list price. They're trying to compete with Audi. Audi interiors are on spot on right now. Lovely steering wheels, lovely sports leather and alcantara seats.

In the pits he did, not sure about on track though. He did get some at the start actually, i forgot about that haha!
No, he was going so slow so everyone wouldve got him anyway!
Its just the best for me! Wheel to wheel action 100% of the time! No tire saving, a little fuel saving (they still refuel in the races), equal cars, no ****s given!
Its mental!
The WEC is awesome too! Did you see LeMans at least this year? That was just heartbreaking tbh!
It sure is! And im going to Snetterton to see it live too! Excited for that!
Whl do you support in it?
Agreed! The coverage isnt the best but its decent! Im excited for these new cars! They look badass! And im sure theyll be just as mad to watch as before! Theyll be fine!

I couldnt care less about that tbh but i understand your reasoning there. But yeah they did go a bit over the edge didnt they!?
The MX5 is supposedly a great car, but not very practical though!
What the sport one? Really?
Hmm well idk what it is tbh.
I like the Brera interior tbh, its superb!
Why does everyone have such a downer on French cars!? Theyre not that bad, theyre rather good in fact!
What do you actually like then? Because there isnt much else out there tbh

There's nothing with VWs. The emission scandals doesn't affect mpg nor does it affect any petrol models. For your budget, you cant go wrong with a VW GOLF GT TDI - easily 50mpg combined and you'll get plenty of poke from the GT engine. EDIT: you're better off with a petrol model..You hardly do any miles.

I'm sure I remember someone on new tyres going round the outside of someone else, maybe at the last corner?
I think they should bring back refuelling in F1, yes its more costly and yes its added danger, but if it livens up the show, and WEC has so few fires these days, if F1 copied its fuel then tyres approach in the pits, no-one would drive off with the rig still attached. They can't attack because they have to save fuel and the fuel hurts the tyres, then they have no tyres left when the fuel is burnt off. Mind you the Mercedes advantage is just a little silly too.
I read up and then watched the last few laps, definitely heartbreaking! Going to le mans is on my motorsport bucket list!
Nice, I've been a couple of times, some good spots to watch from, just a royal pain to leave at the end of the day. I'll be at Brands Hatch for it in October. I support Neal/Shedden, would like to see Tom Ingram in the 3rd Honda if they run it again, he would go well and work with them well I think. How about yourself?
At least we have coverage though! I miss the days of Subaru, Mitsibishi etc

Agreed, the MX5 has zero practicality, but would be a great second car one day.
The sport model is like finding rocking horse poo, so few about! The previous gen Mazda 3 looked far better I thought too.
Everyone I know who has had a french car has had nothing but problems with it.
The cars I like are all out of budget really, I'll likely compromise and get another Focus or Civic Type R.



No, but still leaves me not trusting them. I'm on 6-8k miles a year so won't touch a diesel

Anyone else not understand why BMW still have that mpg dial instead of putting it on an lcd readout? It just looks a bit dated now. Both current and previous (2009) 3 series tourers, in white with tinted windows looks fantastic tbh.