by "4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30" (4muddyfeet)
Published 04/10/2017 at 06:17
by "4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30" (4muddyfeet)
Published 04/10/2017 at 06:17
No Tags
STARS: 8
Seriously though. As some of you know -especially euromeet Oppos- I hate my Skoda vRS wagon. While it performs admirably in almost all respects that I require it to (low road tax, good insurance, very practical, upto 60 emm pee gees (you kay), fast and fun given the right arena, fairly handsome, has a tow bar, it babies) I can’t help feeling that IT HAS NO SOUL.
My Land Rovers are noisy, uninsulated, rattly squeaky and leaky, rusty, unreliable, not particularly cheap to run, and generally just a pain in the arse. I also have a rusted out Skoda Felicia pickup that hasn’t seen tarmac for at least a year, it’s going mouldy inside, the white paint is cream and dust and streaked with rust bleeds, the rear hatch has completely fallen off. And yet, these cars all put a big smile on my face when I see them. I actively pat the Series LR whenever I see it under its cover. Soon old girl, soon. My Defender find new ways to amuse my wallet on a weekly basis. They all have their foibles, and it gives them tons of character, I want to drive every one of them every single day. This is something that I just don’t get with the vRS.
Maybe hate is a bit strong. The vRS can make me smile. It’s comfortable and fun on winding roads (or the Nürburgring), it has a radio (neither of my Land Rovers have radios, and curiously enough my Felicia has a Land Rover radio which, as per the rules, doesn’t work), apart from the DPF issues it’s proven very reliable and doesn’t show any signs of stopping soon - but there is no joy in using it daily, there is no looking back at it while I walk away in a car park, if it died a fiery death then so what? I wouldn’t weep. It just does things that I ask it to, fits stuff in the boot, travels long journeys without missing a beat, lets a baby sleep while a girlfriend ignores me in the front seat. I have absolutely no passion for it whatsoever, and only now do I see passion as a crucial part of car ownership.
So this brings me to Japanese Imports. What could go wrong?
286bhp RWD wagon sounds good, right? This Autech Axis S Stagea is available, inspected and insured, delivered to port of my choosing for a shade under the value of the Skoda. It also has a genuine mileage of 66,000 km... It’s not even broken in.
The spare change will be more than enough to register it over here and get the first year tax out of the way. So why shouldn’t I? It will do all of the things the Skoda can do, but with even more boot space and legroom, and has got the same V6 NA lump under the bonnet as the 350Z, so there’s plenty of scope for a few peppy little add-on’s later. Yes it’s an auto, but there’s not much choice in that regard.
It even comes with a spare set of wheels and tyres.
I’ve always felt like I need the practicality of an estate car, especially considering my lifestyle and commitments, so this could be a rare car that might just inject some passion into me for something that is supposed to be a practical workhorse. The vRS is logical, too logical. I want something for me.
"bingham123" (bingham123)
04/10/2017 at 06:25, STARS: 0
buy it and swap the gtr front on to it
"pip bip - choose Corrour" (hhgttg69)
04/10/2017 at 06:27, STARS: 0
of course the Skoda is soulless, it uses parts from ze Germans.
"FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem" (fuelstratifiedinjection)
04/10/2017 at 06:28, STARS: 0
Do it. The Octavia just didn’t look like it belonged to you haha.
"Flavien Vidal" (flyingfrenchy)
04/10/2017 at 06:47, STARS: 1
If you want a car from around here, I can help out....
"4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30" (4muddyfeet)
04/10/2017 at 07:07, STARS: 0
If anything I’d put the R34 front end on. Either way, ££££!
"4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30" (4muddyfeet)
04/10/2017 at 07:07, STARS: 1
I know what you mean. Someone as undeniably cool and amazing as I am shouldn’t be seen in a glorified taxi :D
"4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30" (4muddyfeet)
04/10/2017 at 07:10, STARS: 0
Messaged
"FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem" (fuelstratifiedinjection)
04/10/2017 at 07:14, STARS: 0
You sure hauled ass like a taxi driver on the Ring with that smoke machine!
"4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30" (4muddyfeet)
04/10/2017 at 07:16, STARS: 0
It’s the only time I enjoy the car unfortunately. It is good. I just hate it.
"duurtlang" (duurtlang)
04/10/2017 at 07:31, STARS: 0
Life’s too short for boring cars. If the Skoda is boring to you and you can afford something that still meets your requirements while not being boring to you, you should absolutely go for it.
Having said all that, is a bigger/heavier (just a guess), just as reliable, slushboxed, much more expensive to run, uglier (opinion), probably just as fast Nissan going to do a better job at putting a smile on your face?
I totally get why you see the Skoda as just an appliance, but I’m not seeing a non-appliance in the Nissan. So what’s the big difference between the two? Admittedly I know very little about those specific Nissans, nor do I especially like Nissans.
"FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem" (fuelstratifiedinjection)
04/10/2017 at 07:36, STARS: 1
Just like I love the Golf Plus despite it being lame, ugly and soulless.
At least you own other cars with soul.
"4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30" (4muddyfeet)
04/10/2017 at 08:06, STARS: 0
I don’t disagree with any of your points. In a way I’m hoping the RWD will help inject a bit of daily fun into it. That, and the fact that it’s quite a unique car with a larger scope for ‘personalisation’. Staying with estate cars, what are my other options aside from some balls-out Mercedes or BMW touring? They’re still very much appliances, but also have a certain je ne sais quoi which gives them a bit of personality. I’m trying to stay fairly modern to keep some home comforts that my other cars miss out on, and a petrol engine would also help.
"duurtlang" (duurtlang)
04/10/2017 at 08:29, STARS: 1
Don’t get me wrong though, that Nissan might be absolute perfection. I have never seen one in my life and certainly have never driven one. I just don’t, you know, see it.
Excluding the Germans makes this harder. It’s not my cup of tea as it’s a bit of a boat and the seats and interior are horrible, but my father in law owns a Dodge Magnum RT (5.7L V8). Chassis is quite decent. You could get it as a Chrysler 300C or Lancia Thema as RHD (?), which would fix some of the interior issues I have with the interior of the Dodge. It’s got an LPG conversion (tank in place of spare wheel) which makes it as cheap to drive as a diesel.
Maybe an Alfa Romeo 156 or 159 wagon with V6? Wasn’t there a Rover 75 based MG wagon with the RWD drivetrain of the V8 Ford Mustang? (edit: MG ZT-T) Maybe something Australian sourced? Other than that I can’t think of much. Focus ST Wagon? Some Opel-sourced VXR Vauxhall? I’m merely brainstorming here.
Reading this the Stagea isn’t that bad of an idea at all. Is there any way for you to test drive a Stagea or something similar with a slushbox on the same platform?
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
04/10/2017 at 08:55, STARS: 0
I highly recommend doing this. Calling the Skoda Soulless: I’m not sure that Autech Axis S Stagea has any more soul? It looks a bit boring at least (that front???). It is different and RWD/V6 so I for one hope you’ll do it. Flavien will help you out!
"Conan" (ske1n)
04/10/2017 at 09:01, STARS: 0
I would drive it if I could. Do it.
"RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht" (ramblininexile)
04/10/2017 at 09:05, STARS: 0
If the only character in the car is turning on a lamp every now and then to warn you that the particulate trap’s buggered up, I can see how it might come up lacking in a comparo.
"4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30" (4muddyfeet)
04/10/2017 at 09:33, STARS: 0
I had the DPF removed and replaced it with 44 horses, so that fixed that little issue. Aside from the extra oomph and mountains of torque, it didn’t do much else to make the car feel better.
"DutchieDC2R" (dutchiedc2r)
04/10/2017 at 09:34, STARS: 0
Now that Im reading the other comments....cant you get a Maloo or something similar there? Ute my friend, go for a Ute!!!..:P
How about a Accord Type-S? Subaru Impreza? You can get spicy versions of the Legacy in Japan as well (GT Twin Turbo’s I believe), Impreza?
"4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30" (4muddyfeet)
04/10/2017 at 09:35, STARS: 0
Perhaps. There’s one that gets into my local shop, 2.5t with an auto. Shop owner says that it’s a dog, but it might be worth asking the owner of I can have a drive. Pretend that I’m a hardcore JDM bro and really want one like his. Hopefully he won’t try and sell it to me.
"RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht" (ramblininexile)
04/10/2017 at 09:43, STARS: 0
I thought you had. I was remarking that that seemed the only character to my eye, and now you’ve removed that eccentricity, tragic as it was...
"BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires" (biturbo228)
04/11/2017 at 05:07, STARS: 0
I’m fairly certain that in other areas, the sensation you’ve described is called ‘Stockholm Syndrome’...
But here it’s absolutely normal :)
The Stagea is something a little out of the ordinary, and RWD is definitely fun giving it the boot out of T-junctions ;) I say go for it