Quote:
Originally Posted by PopsnBurbles
I don't know. I think cars should start to get slower or at least not get much faster. The general driving competence (at least in Los Angeles) is pretty low that I don't trust the average person driving around in a 4s 0-60 mph weapon. Even a financially irresponsible teen can get an M3...No thank, you. Get me 10 miles away from that person.
Heck, a 7s 0-60 E90 328i is plenty fast enough that it can get dangerous fast for the average consumer. Especially when these cars are relatively attainable for a working teenager...
I'm saying this exactly because a sub 5 second car (135i) is more than scary enough already and can get you in a dangerous situation with a bit of carelessness or arrogance.
On the topic of this car, the Toyo-Baru 86 is right where it's at for a fun, daily-able, and economic.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by XMetal
To echo kyriian's sentiment, a "sports car" is not all about 0-60, or straight line speed. Can your 4000lbs Mercedes GLC300 keep up with the Toyobaru when the road isn't straight? People get too caught up in the 0-60 times these days. Teenagers in their Corollas/Civics are trying to drag race me at stop lights all the time when I'm in the Mcoupe for some reasons.
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When the road isn't straight, that's what I have the M2 for (and soon an SS 1LE). It will space both the Toybaru and the GLC by similar distance.
And I do hear what you're trying to say about a cheap, slow, but fun car. But what does the driving an underpowered coupe prepare you for? There isn't much oversteer to manage, and when it occurs, it occurs s-l-o-w-l-y in comparison to more powerful options.
Next you jump into a proper 400+ HP car with an EXTRA 300 lb-ft, and realize your reflexes are not there, and this is a whole new ball game. Because how can you learn to manage excessive power with less than 190 lb-ft of tire spinning torque??
I learned to drive fast on a C5 Z06. Then when I got a Mustang GT, I had to learn more, because that car always wanted to go sideways and kill me whenever I gave it a chance. Tracking that car for 5 years was a great way to hone skill, butt gyro, and driver's reflexes. When I switched to the M2 after that, it felt very easy to drive fast. I didn't have to do as much to keep it in check.
I imagine stepping from an 86 into an M2C takes a learning curve. From the Mustang to M2 the curve is reversed. In a "calm down on the steering wheel, the car will sort itself under constant throttle" sort of way.
My point is that if the car doesn't have more power than you as a driver can handle from the start, you're not learning as much as your otherwise would. So yeah, perhaps you won't crash right away in a 86, and instead you will in an M4, or a Mustang, or a Vette, when the 86 gives you a false sense of "skill." Because the skill required to handle half the power and 1/3 of the TQ, is less than half the skill you otherwise might acquire. That's why I think it's a missed opportunity. $36k turbo or supercharged version would do well with a lot of drivers.