Best vehicle for bikes

[patches]

16 hours ago, buckstopper said:

Isn't the speed limit in NZ like 100? And Kiwis will dob on you (report you) to the cops if you speed. Where would you go to 'clear the carbs' in an RS? Or am i missing something?

Is it like arriving at the coffee shop on your SL7 when you're at 2.5w/kg?

uhummm, excuse me... on some highways it's now as high as 110kph 😅

 

The flashy car upswing in NZ (particularly Auckland) is a fairly recent thing. I'd say over the last 6 years, with a significant boost over the Covid period. This massive increase in high-end luxury and sports vehicles on Auckland roads (not to mention Tesla Model 3's... damn things are everywhere) is a combination of not being able to spend on travel, and the runaway house prices we saw last year (where many made small fortunes), so it left the wealthy with even more money to burn.

Plenty more G63 AMG's, Range Rovers, Audi RS ETrons and even a handfull of McLarens on the roads these days.

Just the other day I saw a young mother (she couldn't have been much over 30), in a blacked out Porsche Taycan Cross Tourismo (similar to the one below).

But yeah, like Jewbacca said, Kiwis for the most part stick to the speed limit, whether they're in a skadonk or a supercar. Rules is rules and most don't buy these hot wheels to go fast or for the "driving experience", (yes, I'm slightly judging all the soccer-mom's in their RS6's), but more as a weird sort of status symbol, mostly to themselves, to say, "you make good money, why shouldn't you have nice things".

They'll buy an RS6 because it's the top model on offer, not because it has 2 glue factories worth of horses under the hood, or handles like a racecar, but simply because it's the best in the catalogue.

Funny thing is though, they seem to do it more to prove to themselves and maybe some close peers. And you can bet they won't be driving a car worth more than their house (something Saffers are often guilty of). If a Kiwis is driving a fancy car, you can almost bet their house is worth 10-20x that, which is also why there's way less judgement when one drives a beater. Plenty of those in suburbs where the median house price is around R35M equiv.

I've only had 1 speeding ticket in my 7 years here, and it was in the first year. Since then it's been the damn tricky bus lanes that have been the bane of my existence 🤬

 

Edited February 13, 2023 by patches

[Danger Dassie]

34 minutes ago, patches said:

When we were at the Volvo dealership for my wife to spec and order her XC40, I did try pretty hard to convince her to go for one of the 2 V70 Cross Countries they had on the showroom floor (sadly we don't get the V90 here).

I'm a big fan of the Scandinavian station wagons. (Realistically I'd be over the moon with a V70 or V90 and don't need an RS6 for my soccer-dad-dream-car 😉).

I also read an article a few weeks back that stated that the V90 was the ultimate luxury station wagon. It took the design, performance, space, features, and luxury of the car all into account and said that overall it far outclassed the German rivals in its price range (many even above).

An old Volvo Cross Country estate.. yes please!

[Kom]

On 2/12/2023 at 5:09 PM, OVERDRIVE said:

@Rgans made a choice yet? 

Also curious? 
 

FWIW any 4-door car can take a bicycle or two, I’m not a fan of bike carriers, find it easier to just take the front wheel off and pack the bike behind the front seats inverted (drive side facing the front).

[RiverInTheRoad]

On 2/13/2023 at 6:59 AM, Jewbacca said:

From what I remember It is 100 in very select areas. In most of the country it ranges from 30 to 70. You don't drive 75 in a 70 zone, you drive 65. 

In 2011 we arrived to oversee the extension of Eden Park for the World Cup. I had 2 other South Africans in the team who collectively accumulated 12 traffic violations in the first 4 days of being there, just between Mt Eden and Eden Park (which is about 2 to 2.5 km).

There is also the common courtesy rule that says if a car is turning right and you are turning left, the car turning right has 'right of way'. This caused some confusion at the start.

The roads are heavily monitored. You just don't speed there. You will get caught and you will get fined. 

I used to do the stretch between Auckland and Helensville to ride at Woodhill and the Helensville trails often and there was about a 15km stretch of road that was 100 AND unmonitored. Everyone still drove 95. 

It was rad. 

While I lived there I drove an ugly as sin Toyota Avensis Station Wagon. I would lose it amongst the myriad of other ugly as sin Toyota Avensi in any given paring lot

To be honest this sounds horrible. Im all for being a safe road user but wow. Sounds like one is out on parole when driving to work.

[Jewbacca]

1 hour ago, RiverInTheRoad said:

To be honest this sounds horrible. Im all for being a safe road user but wow. Sounds like one is out on parole when driving to work.

It is awesome.

Everyone gives way, traffic flows, no one drives in your boot, no one is cutting you off to get one car in front. 

It also doesn't take you that much longer to get somewhere because things move.

I loved being part of a courteous, thoughtful society. 

It's not a case of 'what can I get away with' and 'who cares if I speed/cut in/undertake/hog the right hand lane' etc it's a case of getting there safely. 

lt only seems like parole if you're used to thinking about YOU getting from A to B as fast as possible. There it's more about everyone getting to where they need to go as safely as possible.

It is a mind shift, but it is fantastic

Anyway, OP, get a golf 4 Station Wagon! 

[The Ouzo]

9 minutes ago, Jewbacca said:

It is awesome.

Everyone gives way, traffic flows, no one drives in your boot, no one is cutting you off to get one car in front. 

It also doesn't take you that much longer to get somewhere because things move.

I loved being part of a courteous, thoughtful society. 

It's not a case of 'what can I get away with' and 'who cares if I speed/cut in/undertake/hog the right hand lane' etc it's a case of getting there safely. 

lt only seems like parole if you're used to thinking about YOU getting from A to B as fast as possible. There it's more about everyone getting to where they need to go as safely as possible.

It is a mind shift, but it is fantastic

Anyway, OP, get a golf 4 Station Wagon! 

courtesy to other road users. It goes a loooonngg way to easing congestion.

 

I nearly had a head on collision over a blind rise this morning because some btch in a double cab decided she was more important than everyone else waiting in the queue of traffic and proceeded to pass, over a solid line, on a blind rise, in the oncoming lane.

But like you said, it all about how SHE could get to her destination quicker and stuff everyone else.

[buckstopper]

See, none of that cr*p where I live... Grahamstown is like the Ireland of SA, in a strange way of course. Very courteous. We walked to our meeting this morning at St Andrews College, then to the bakery and home via the Spar.

@JewbaccaGolf 4 sw not a bad idea for 10 years ago but imho getting a bit long in the tooth now.  Also the 1.6 petrol @ 9l/100 around town and diesel schspansiv to fix when they break. And probs also on the midnight spares shopping list, especially headlights, mags, bumpers and grills.

Edited February 14, 2023 by buckstopper
Typo

[Jewbacca]

10 minutes ago, buckstopper said:

See, none of that cr*p where I live... Grahamstown is like the Ireland of SA, in a strange way of course. Very courteous. We walked to our meeting this morning at St Andrews College, then to the bakery and home via the Spar.

@JewbaccaGolf 4 sw not a bad idea for 10 years ago but imho getting a bit long in the tooth now.  Also the 1.6 petrol @ 9l/100 around town and diesel schspansiv to fix when they break. And probs also on the midnight spares shopping list, especially headlights, mags, bumpers and grills.

I forget that it is now a 25 year old car. The time has flown by since my mom had one that I used to borrow for trips in the early 2000s

A meeting at St Andrews..... Are you in PR? 😝

I see Tom Hamilton is on a PR tour in Cape Town this week. 

[buckstopper]

Nah, schmooz

[Nico van Loggerenberg]

3 hours ago, Jewbacca said:

It is awesome.

Everyone gives way, traffic flows, no one drives in your boot, no one is cutting you off to get one car in front. 

It also doesn't take you that much longer to get somewhere because things move.

I loved being part of a courteous, thoughtful society. 

It's not a case of 'what can I get away with' and 'who cares if I speed/cut in/undertake/hog the right hand lane' etc it's a case of getting there safely. 

lt only seems like parole if you're used to thinking about YOU getting from A to B as fast as possible. There it's more about everyone getting to where they need to go as safely as possible.

It is a mind shift, but it is fantastic

Anyway, OP, get a golf 4 Station Wagon! 

Nice to read this after driving 4km through Johannesburg, which is enough to see 4 people jumping red lights at major intersections, 3 people using the right lane turn as a way to get ahead of a traffic queue in the straight lane, and one poor imbecile who though that he had right of way turning right in front of 3 lanes of Sandton traffic. One can dream of better times. 

[Shebeen]

On 2/4/2023 at 10:29 AM, Rgans said:

Budget is between R100k and R150k. 

so @Rgans what did you go for?

 

a lot of undercover petrolheads here are interested!

 

[Rgans]

10 minutes ago, Shebeen said:

so @Rgans what did you go for?

 

a lot of undercover petrolheads here are interested!

 

Bought a Honda jazz 2011 model with a 1.5L engine and only 90 000km on the clock for R115 000. Bought it from webuycars. It is, however, due for a service because of its age. 

[Jewbacca]

4 minutes ago, Rgans said:

Bought a Honda jazz 2011 model with a 1.5L engine and only 90 000km on the clock for R115 000. Bought it from webuycars. It is, however, due for a service because of its age. 

The Magic Seats!

Enjoy!

[The Ouzo]

1 hour ago, Rgans said:

Bought a Honda jazz 2011 model with a 1.5L engine and only 90 000km on the clock for R115 000. Bought it from webuycars. It is, however, due for a service because of its age. 

winner winner chicken dinner

[Me rida my bicycle]

3 hours ago, Rgans said:

Bought a Honda jazz 2011 model with a 1.5L engine and only 90 000km on the clock for R115 000. Bought it from webuycars. It is, however, due for a service because of its age. 

Happy packing 😁 

[Nico van Loggerenberg]

6 minutes ago, Me rida my bicycle said:

Happy packing 😁 

My record is 5 bikes and accessories... ANY CHALLENGERS?!