Change of pace.

[Stallard12]

PSpent a lot of time investigating and finally made a decision - I bought a Kia !   Never thought I would, have always driven Audis and Cadillacs, but when I decided to change, the Kia Cadenza looked to be just right.  It is a full size luxury car, impeccable finish and every safety feature and comfort feature available.  100,000 mile drive train warranty, has sport mode etc, a truly luxurious drive.  As I said, I couldn't ever have imagined myself buying what I always thought of as a chancy product from a company just learning the business, boy was I wrong!

What do y'all drive ?  Bas, love your Corsair !

[Evil Sid]

I drive a microcar paris edition.

Not as grand as it sounds. it is a 500cc, twin pot, belt driven automatic with two gears, forward and backward.

sold as a four seater but only if you have a couple of dwarves in the back. very economical though currently getting six months to the gallon with current lockdown restrictions....😷...🤣

[Davy51]

For my sins ,a Ford KA ,had it four years now cost £300 which ,when you take away the insurance money i got from my previous Ford Fiesta ,equates to actually £50. I can honestly say i have got through my adult life with old bangers & a wing & a prayer.

[Bill]

My cars may not be so environmentally friendly but then again, they’re not used that much these days. My daily drive is a 2.2 litre Alfa Romeo Brera that I’ve had from new fourteen years ago.  It’s got 160.000 miles on the clock but it still looks good and goes well and despite what people say about Alfas, I’ve never found I needed a good pair of walking shoes.

Bill

[Bill]

 

My second car was a retirement present to myself, a 4.7 litre Ferrari powered V8 Maserati Grandturisimo. I’ve had this now for two years but it spends most of it’s time just sitting in the garage I built especially for it. It’s not a practical due to it’s size making parking near impossible and that probably accounts for why it’s only averaging 1000 per year.

Silly forum wont allow me to post a picture more than a couple of kilobytes what is this the stone age lol

Bill

[Stallard12]

Exotic Bill !  Proud of you old man.   Is there a rust problem with your Alpha, or are you a lucky one ?  Would love a Masseratti, much more practical than the Ferraris.  I started with Audi 100 LS from Grappenhall Motors back in the 70's, had a new one each year for three years, sold my last one, top of the line SE a week before I moved to Texas.  Funny, the Audi Club now say that they can find very few records of the SE and if I still had it, it would be worth a fortune !

[Bill]

I’ve had some small rust issues with the Alfa but unlike Texas it’s pretty much unavoidable here. I just get anything that needs replacing changed but because it’s not a mainstream model and given it’s age, parts are expensive and difficult to source. Fortunately, I found a good independent Alfa specialist who knows his stuff and had has never ripped me off. It’s a bit of trek having to drive all the way to Sandbach for service but it’s well worth it.

The cars are a bit exotic but I’ve always liked a nice car. A lot say they don’t understand why I’d want a car like this to get from A to B but for me it’s a thing of beauty. I could spend even more for a piece of modern art to just sit and stare at, but at least I get the enjoyment that these cars provide compared to most others. The Mazza would be great in Texas but it’s a bloody nightmare in our tiny parking spaces.

 

Bill 😊

[Stallard12]

I love a big luxurious ride.  I was lucky enough to arrive in Texas when full size cars were the norm, it was like riding on a cloud.   That's why I went with the Cadenza, it's about the biggest car available outside the Rolls and Brantley stuff and with blond leather seats and paneling, wood grain (imitation), every conceivable safety devices and a pretty much silent ride it's a joy. Went three hours out and three hours back to the casino yesterday and it was just like a comfy armchair.

On the other hand, one day I went away from a red light, glanced in my mirror and every other car was a hundred yards back!  A little further down the road my wife said, "It feels a little bumpy in here today".  Did a quick check and found that I had somehow hit the mode button and was I 'sport' mode.  It is fast, but I'd rather have sleepy.

I have had plenty of fun in those little cars Sid.  In the early sixties, my sisters boyfriend bought an Isetta bubble car and as he couldn't drive he asked me to teach him, in return I could use the vehicle anytime.  Forty mph was great exciting fun.

[Bill]

Back in the seventies when I lived in DC, I had a big 5 litre Ford that apart from its badge, looked carbon copy of the Mercedes of that time. Very comfortable and quiet but it didn’t have much go in it despite its engine size. Each time I got back to the UK, I always noticed how thin the door of my Corsair was compared to my US car.

Both my cars are focused more on the driving experience rather than comfort which is not the best choice on our bumpy roads. In terms of power, the sport button on the Maserati is always off and in fact I often run it in ice mode just to prevent wheel spin and waking the dead. I have to drive it like I have an egg under my foot to avoid looking like a plonker which takes all the fun out of it.

 

Bill

[Stallard12]

We are very much alike in some ways Bill, but apparently not in driving !   Maybe my early life of Ford Anglias, Hillmaman Minx, basic Ford Cortinas and Vauxhall Victors molded me into the non exciting, but competent driver that I am.  Although, when, due to retirement boredom, I spent eight years driving a 55 foot cross country tour bus, it really paid off, my passengers were usually asleep after the first five miles !

What a great conversation, pity more people didn't join in, methinks that a few people on here need to get another life. Boring!

[Evil Sid]

My brother is an american car fan and has had a few over the years. his latest is a day van. tricked out with more lights than blackpool with electric seat in the back that at the flick of a switch becomes a double bed. Currently off the road due to his heart op and the fact that he can't get it started, even the auto electrician is stumped at that one.

I do remember one of his  first ones was a cadillac with a bonnet that you could land a helicopter on and suspension that would make you sea sick if you dabbed the brakes when coming to a stop. the wheels stopped but the car rocked for about five minutes. can't remember what engine was in that thing,was mooted to be a souped up undercover police car at one time,but it had a 0-60 of about eight feet.

[Bill]

Yes it is interesting, well for us two at least, but cars aren’t everyone’s cup tea and in any case there’s just not enough people on this forum to expand on this.

As for my driving, well Mrs Green is normally in the passenger seat so I drive like the old man that I am. The vast majority of time you’ll find me in the slow lane behind a lorry, trying to bet the best mpg numbers but you don’t buy these sorts of cars to do that all the time.

I do the occasional track day and a bit of cart racing which is still a lot of fun but these days my fourteen-year-old grandson continually beats me.  

 

Bill  

 

[Stallard12]

The thing is Sid, we don't have to stop very often !  Size and comfort is a major requirement.  The drive to my sisters home in Amarillo takes 13hrs, San Antone is a five hour drive, El Passo is a straight shot of 837 miles and you don't even get out of Texas.  Our specialist doctors and fancy shopping are in Houston, which is a 100 miles away and takes an hour and a half and we do these trips with just pee and food stops.

Most of the old big cars had around 6 liter V8 engines that were very inefficient, about 8 mpg, but gas was only 25c per gall, so there was no incentive to improve them.  Today the V6 and V8's are extremely efficient, I get 27 mpg out of my full size SUV with gas at $1.60 gall.

As you know Bill, driving is different over here, wide roads, higher speed limits, less stressful and in Texas, you probably spend 60% or more of the time on cruise control.

[Evil Sid]

unlike round warrington at "rush" hour when you spend most of your time in neutral....🤣

as i say not sure what the engine in it was but i do remember it was knocking on for two ton in weight and had more gadgets than most modern cars these days have. electric and heated seats being just one. the speedo was the only problem as it went up to about 140 and my brother was once clocked at close to 190....

[Bill]

Finally worked out how to make some more space to allow pictures to be posted. Anyhow here's my other car that dosn't get used much.

Sid, had to Google your car because I'd never heard of that make. Surprised to see it looks quite normal, was expecting something a bit weird. I was just thinking a second hand one of those might be a good cheap base for a conversion to all electric given the engine is so small and the back seats would be easy to lose.

[Evil Sid]

think the council eletric van is made by the same firm.

The back seats are not much use unless you are a small child or under five foot. they do come out very easily. the bottom part is velcroed to the plastic shell and the back rest has two retractable bars either side so that comes off easily. can then be placed in the footwell at the back to provide another couple of inches boot space. enough room for at least three large suitcases or two large dead bodies if folded up right....🤫

also pretty light weight as well at around 600kg if i remember rightly.

[Bill]

The back seats of my Alfa are so tight they're really only suitable for small kids. Drop them down though and it's got about as much room as an estate car. 

So what sort of mpg to you manage from that little engine? 

 

Bill

[Evil Sid]

in theory bill i should get around 62 to the gallon. however i have an ongoing fault with the engine management system that they cant seem to pinpoint so i actually get half that. Problem is that nobody that i can find does a remapping for them., at least in the uk.

a full tank in my previous microcar would get me around 200 miles between fills and that had a leak on the petrol tank  this one is around a hundred miles per tank. (3.5 gallons)

[Bill]

I thought it might have been a lot higher than that but thinking back, there was a top gear program where they pitted a small car against a powerful BMW where the BMW just had to keep up with the smaller one running flat out. Amazingly, the big BMW returned better mpg figures. My Alfa tends to average about 29mpg but the other with twice the engine size still manages 22 (24 on a longer run.) Still rubbish I suppose compared to modern cars.

 

Bill 😊

[Stallard12]

Horses for courses !  If I went electric I'd get about halfway to my doctors appointment when it died and in Sid's car, I'd need an emergency chiropractor session.😀

Why bother with electric anyway?  It will probably take some kind of fossil fuel to produce the electricity and a certain amount of mineral oil for lubrication.  So, fossil fuels will run out in 200 years, plus or minus a hundred and all this agitation will mean it will run out in 210 years.  I bet in 300 years the kids will really think back fondly and love the eco warriors, ya really think.

As you can see, I'm a very compassionate person!  I look at it this way, we get 70 to 80 years to enjoy a wonderful life, I grasp that with both hands and try to make everyone's time here as enjoyable as possible, well most.  Selfish?  I don't think so, I don't think there was anyone in the 17th and 18th centuries wringing their hands and worrying about me every time a hundred thousand horses crapped!   Plus, it's awfully arrogant to believe that man can realistically change mother natures mind.  If you think that, come on down and sit thru a hurricane.

Well there you go, a whole new controversial mess to chew on.  The devil makes me do it !

 

[Bill]

It’s the two very different countries problem again so nobody can take issue with what you say. I’d probably think the same if I lived where you are, where a single shopping trip is often as far as what I’d do here in a month. Over here though, electric does make economic sense for our relatively shorter runs but for those needing more miles, it’s still fossil fuel or a hybrid.

But it isn’t the case that we’re all eco-warriors over here but more the fact that all the major car manufactures are moving away from fossil fuels and soon, it’ll be electric or nothing. Plus, we have an increasing number of cities where petrol/diesel cars either aren’t allowed, or heavy charges apply and as a result people are thinking twice before buying new cars in the hope that prices will come down.

As regards needing fossil fuel for the electricity, we’ve been moving away from that for years now and in fact we now have many days each year where the vast majority of energy comes from none fossil. I guess we’ve still got plenty of oil and coal but we’re just saving it so we can sell it to you when yours run out. 😊

 

Bill 😊

[Stallard12]

You're exactly right Bill, I was pretty much tongue in cheek, having a bit of fun, guess I made it sound too serious.  Love your Mazda, very classy.  I know that you say that it stays in the garage, but how often do you use it?  What year is it?

[Evil Sid]

Only reason i drive the microcar is because they don't make the del boy buggies anymore and i can't be bothered getting a car license at my age, so have to have something to run on a motorbike license.

Been a sad year for me as i have had to let the Harley go due to an arthritic hip, meaning i could no longer get my leg over.

Oh by the way stal i had a word with the boss and he said he didn't make you do it at all....👹

[Bill]

My Mazda, nice one ha ha, stays in the garage mainly because these days, there’s not really anywhere I’d want to go. We’ve been out for a couple of weekend runs, but they’ve been a bit miserable with deserted hotels and half the places all closed. Other than that, it's useless for parking or taking stuff to the tip but it gets the occasional run when the weathers good just to keep it in good condition.

The cars itself if a 2011 model and its previous owner was Derek Ricahrdson, the owner of the London Wasps rugby team and former dot com multi-millionaire. I guess that he had several cars because he’d only put just over 20k on the clock. I’ve checked down the backs of the seats but no luck. ☹

I did my research and could see that age depreciation comes down rapidly in the first few years then plateaus out so much that overall, it’s costing me considerably less than having a ordinary new car, providing of course I don’t have any major engine issues. The thing is with the classics, providing I can keep the miles low, there’s every chance that I could sell the car for more than I paid for it.

I checked out your Kia specs and it all looks rather good. Here in the UK, Kia are normally associated with smaller low cost cars but in recent years they’ve expanded into the corporate market with larger and more powerful models. One of the lads at work recently bought a Kia Stinger which I think may have the same 3.3 engine as yours. It’s about as fast as the Maserati but has all the modern bells and whistles for less than half the price.

 

Bill 😊

 

[Stallard12]

Sorry Bill, I meant Massa ! I know what you mean, nowhere to go, can’t tootle around Cheshire and stop for beans on toast and tea on a Sunday anymore and visiting family is frowned upon. We are in the same boat.  Our insurance companies are refunding parts of the premium monthly due to lack of driving time.

the Kia Cadenza is Kia’s flagship and the size and finish are top of the line in luxury.  Mine is white with a crystal white finish, looks great.  When I tried to buy touch up for it in case I might need it sometime, I couldn’t get it.  They told me that the Cadenza has five factory coats of paint and touch ups are only formulated with three and they can’t get a match.  I just know that the sucker is tough, not one single stone chip on the front after 5000 miles.  I can get the same color in thee coat by using the Forte model touch up, but they won’t guarantee a perfect match.