MK5 Golf GTI

All Things Mk5 => Mk5 General Area => Topic started by: Frenzy on August 08, 2014, 07:01:57 pm

Title: RANT: GTI ownership in London is a bit turd really
Post by: Frenzy on August 08, 2014, 07:01:57 pm
Just a rant about how owning a GTI in London is a bit shine-a-light. I say bit, i actually mean very. No decent roads nearby to drive on, shocking MPG if you hit gridlock - which there is every chance of during 'normal' hours and then to cap it all of 75% of drivers care nothing for their sh!tbox and so park like khunts, smashing your pride and joy into something resembling a mangled tin can  :fighting:  :sick:

Leaving the enthusiast with the best time of going for a drive in London somewhere after 11pm when the roads mirror the type of traffic you get in the rest of the country.

I say all this because i foolishly attempted to go for a drive this morning (after all that's what the car is there for, i can't spend all my years of ownership just washing it!) I barely covered 20 miles and it took me 2 and a half hours - half an hour of that drive was on decent roads in Surrey, the rest of the time was spent picking my nose/ears/arse/belly button/in between my toes as i sat rotting in god damn traffic  :fighting:

oh and on top of that i may have acquired a NIP. we shall see...  :ashamed:  :grin:
Title: Re:
Post by: RetroRaz on August 08, 2014, 07:12:44 pm
Know what u mean mate. I had a gti in east London and local driving I only saw 20mpg. On motorways I would see 33 - 40mpg. Too much start stop driving and insurance is a killer too in London.
Title: Re: RANT: GTI ownership in London is a bit turd really
Post by: dansmith180 on August 08, 2014, 07:19:32 pm
It's a shame really because these cars are for enjoying, I live about 30 minutes outside London and try to avoid driving in there because it's always a nightmare, if I lived there I would just buy an old Polo or Fabia and smash it about, having something nice in London would be painful.
Title: Re: RANT: GTI ownership in London is a bit turd really
Post by: JoeDarKa on August 08, 2014, 07:25:47 pm
Its great up north  :happy2:
Title: Re: RANT: GTI ownership in London is a bit turd really
Post by: Frenzy on August 08, 2014, 07:28:13 pm
I know mate, it's where i grew up. Great roads for driving and cycling  :happy2:

I was beginning to consider a remap but today's excursion has convinced me it would be an absolute waste  :sad1:
Title: Re: RANT: GTI ownership in London is a bit turd really
Post by: DDM on August 08, 2014, 07:59:31 pm
I know mate, it's where i grew up. Great roads for driving and cycling  :happy2:

I was beginning to consider a remap but today's excursion has convinced me it would be an absolute waste  :sad1:
not that great for cycling, I've been hit twice in the last 18 months, funnily enough by the very same driver too.
Title: Re: RANT: GTI ownership in London is a bit turd really
Post by: biffobear on August 08, 2014, 08:02:49 pm
Move up to scotland, great car free roads
Title: Re: RANT: GTI ownership in London is a bit turd really
Post by: Frenzy on August 08, 2014, 08:08:14 pm
I know mate, it's where i grew up. Great roads for driving and cycling  :happy2:

I was beginning to consider a remap but today's excursion has convinced me it would be an absolute waste  :sad1:
not that great for cycling, I've been hit twice in the last 18 months, funnily enough by the very same driver too.

sorry to hear that. though they can't be any worse than the roads down here...
Title: Re: RANT: GTI ownership in London is a bit turd really
Post by: Rob1 on August 08, 2014, 11:35:22 pm
Yeh owning a gti in London can be expensive, although owning a 1.4 gt is somewhat easier
Title: Re: RANT: GTI ownership in London is a bit turd really
Post by: rich83 on August 08, 2014, 11:54:20 pm
Roads in london are bollocks....
Title: Re: RANT: GTI ownership in London is a bit turd really
Post by: TForrest94 on August 09, 2014, 12:50:13 am
I do love london but im so happy ive moved out a little, visiting the other day took 40 minutes to go 2 miles
Title: Re: RANT: GTI ownership in London is a bit turd really
Post by: xjay1337 on August 09, 2014, 01:00:38 am
I drove into Battersea on the A3 yesterday as was working on customer site...
bottomed out countless times. Stupid speed bumps in the middle of 30 zones.. uneven road camber (my biggest problem) and potholes... buses beeping at me for slowing down for speed bumps, only to be stuck in traffic at red lights anyway... makes no sense!!
Title: Re: RANT: GTI ownership in London is a bit turd really
Post by: Liam0205 on August 10, 2014, 01:46:56 pm
Try driving in Milton Keynes.  :grin:

Accelerate, brake, roundabout, repeat
Title: Re: RANT: GTI ownership in London is a bit turd really
Post by: rich83 on August 10, 2014, 01:55:31 pm
Try driving in Milton Keynes.  :grin:

Accelerate, brake, roundabout, repeat

That's where you are going wrong.... It's accelerate, roundabout accelerate..... :driver:
Title: Re: RANT: GTI ownership in London is a bit turd really
Post by: Liam0205 on August 10, 2014, 02:07:57 pm
Try driving in Milton Keynes.  :grin:

Accelerate, brake, roundabout, repeat

That's where you are going wrong.... It's accelerate, roundabout accelerate..... :driver:

You're meant to go round them, not straight over  :P
Title: Re: RANT: GTI ownership in London is a bit turd really
Post by: JIEEE on August 10, 2014, 10:33:06 pm
Roads in london are bollocks....

Supercar owners in London disagree...
Title: Re: RANT: GTI ownership in London is a bit turd really
Post by: Aweful_Truth on August 11, 2014, 09:42:47 am
I say come visit Cornwall every so often! Lots of fantastic B roads and during the winter the roads are clear 90% of the time  :laugh: :driver:
Title: Re: RANT: GTI ownership in London is a bit turd really
Post by: DaveB@Vagbremtechnic on August 11, 2014, 10:38:06 am
Buy a Prius.....

Live near open roads GTI
Live in London Hybrid

I was in an Auris Hybrid for a hire car last week, and to sit in a traffic jam and move along in silence was pretty good, don't get me wrong it was sh1te to drive but it had BT/Traffic/Huge Aircon/comfy seats and 60mpg and would happily do 85 max on the rare occasion when the M6 wasn't solid

car enthusiasts are a minority, we are being legislated against and its only going to get worse.....

Don't fight it just buy a 1k smart car and this

http://racecarsdirect.com/listing/53764/zip_ford_race_car.html

Resistance is futile

And if you're pissed off give a thought to the guy with the aventador living in Kensington
Title: Re: RANT: GTI ownership in London is a bit turd really
Post by: Frenzy on August 11, 2014, 10:45:21 am
I've actually said to the wife that i'd happily buy an automated car for travel around London because when you're in a car it can hardly be termed as driving - may as well get a robot/computer to do it for you!  :laugh:

I seriously don't understand having a supercar or even high end performance car in London. One guy on our street owns an Audi R8 V10 - pointless!!  :chicken:
Title: Re: RANT: GTI ownership in London is a bit turd really
Post by: Tfsi_Mike on August 11, 2014, 12:19:18 pm

The chaps with the Aventador, 458s, Veyron, Maclaren AMG all seem quite content parking in Kensington and driving around the block all night lol  :driver:
Title: Re: RANT: GTI ownership in London is a bit turd really
Post by: rich83 on August 11, 2014, 12:20:57 pm
Seen a La Ferrari driving around over the last 2 weeks.  :love:
Title: Re: RANT: GTI ownership in London is a bit turd really
Post by: Frenzy on August 11, 2014, 06:51:07 pm

The chaps with the Aventador, 458s, Veyron, Maclaren AMG all seem quite content parking in Kensington and driving around the block all night lol  :driver:

Ah well you see, if you read my original rant you would see that i did say the best time to go out for a drive is at night  :wink:

I've been for a few reasonably progressive drives at night and it's fine (notwithstanding the speed cameras every 100 yards) at that time London roads are nae bother  :driver: