Automotive

The A290 looks very cool and I look forward to driving one early next year and the Ionic 5N is one I have been considering. Only problem is some of the interior finishes don’t match the asking price. Have you considered a Macan GTS ?

A great one irrespective 👍🏻

The big 'flaw' in his opinion is that it is simply to potent ... I can understand him, coming from a time where we were amazed by how fast a 139hp Golf 16V was or even when we got our hands on the E30 M3 ... we could floor the throttle and do stupid stuff that would put us in jail nowadays.

Now imagine our 'spirit' and 'youth' suddenly returned to 1990 but our bodies in 2024 and they let us drive your 500hp+ beats in today's traffic. I am pretty sure we would be put away for the rest of our life.

What I haven't mentioned yet is where you drive this car, I can imagine driving the M3 in the mountains or Wales with low traffic, good overview of the roads etc ... the situation changes.

Although I still think that the most fun can be had with much lighter and slower cars ... I must be getting old .

You might remember the 1M i had on loan back in 2017/18.

I really loved that car a lot, the interior was so much nicer than my younger 120d M-pack.

The manual gearbox was sweet, the suspension was amazing, the engine was a jewel.

For me this car was so fast (okay, too fast), but the 340 hp was IMO more than enough, this car didn't need more but I think it did need that power. In other words, it was spot on !

Every time I drove this car it (and I as well) felt special ... but ....

Then I got into the Clio .. and every time I told myself I wouldn't sell the Clio to buy this 1M, even if I thought and still think the 1M is soo much more special.

The playfulness and response of the Clio simply make it the 'better' or should I say more enjoyable car.

Getting out of the Clio and into the 205, a much lighter car with again more feel of speed is off course again a step towards less comfort etc ... but with it 775 kilos it is too light and vulnerable. That is 465 kilos lighter than the Clio, maybe a car around 1000 kilos with a manual gearbox and a decent NA engine might be THE perfect car for me. Which actually takes us to the Clio 2 RS with the 172 or 182 hp 2 liter engine. I never tried one but I do remember a drive in a Clio 2 with a 65 hp 1.5 diesel, off course it was dead slow picking up speed but once at 'speed' .... dear God .... I still remember taking a highway exit at probably topspeed (160 kph) so I think I'd better not try the 172/182 hp variant . The fun this car gave was out of this world, I still don't know why I haven't bought one .

So back to your M3 .. and AMG ...

Sell one and buy 5 other cars ... Clio, 205, Saxo ... 106 or whatever. You will never be the same again lol

Bim

The Type-R is considered the best hot hatch ever, together with the Megane 3 RS.

Both Yaris and Civic are manual and turbocharged, great cars.

You could also consider the Megane 3 RS, but take one with a cup pack,  preferably a Trophy 275 or a Red Bull, those have LSD. The Megane will cost you less than the Yaris and Civic and will offer at least as much fun. When you sell it you'll probably won't loose any money either .

You could also go full bonkers on a Clio 3 RS like mine .

https://k-tecracing.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoqS6QI-Wt-yF-ig7uyO_D77jZ2YNdcuWXjv81KqKZ4640COBP0O

;-)

Bim

There's something about the Yaris that makes it feel a bit ... vulnerable ... maybe just my feeling.