... I have no idea what you speak of.

 

Spent a lot of time for 10 years in Miatas, both stock and built turbos. There is a certain appeal to driving a slow car fast, to be sure, and I will wager you will NEVER learn to road race by starting in a 911 Turbo or other HiPo car. The car's power will bail you out and tend to cover up your crappy driving. A momentum car like a Miata or FRS will force you to learn to drive. And of course, the price of a mistake is much lower in terms of both money and skin.

That said, once I moved to a Boxster S 10 years ago, I just couldn't be happy in a Miata again UNLESS it was an economic necessity. Then, I'd be happy as a clam, knowing I was making a wise financial decision. Hell, that's why I stayed in Miatas long after I was making a lot of money -- I'm just built that way.

But changing back to a slow car for non-financial reasons? Not for me, at least not exclusively. I have an 04 986S I've had since new and it is thoroughly enjoyable, a much better handling car than the 996TT, easier to drive fast because of its lighter weight and more linear power delivery. Sounds great, looks great, top goes down, what's not to like.

But it's a long way from a Miata or BRZ.

 

Thanks for all the replies.

Well I'm a former F2000 racer and actual BMCCCA instructor (though I'm thinking about quitting). Driving the Turbo at sane speed is boring, to me anyways. These cars were not built to be driven at 100kmh (highest speed limit in Canada). Both the car and me are just too capable for this.

Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy getting on it. It is a blast. But I hit 160kmh (100mph) without even trying. It is a X50 with UMW reflash. It builds speed sooo easily and that's the main problem. You see, where I live, we have a special law. Anything over 160kmh is considered extreme speeding and the infraction costs a minimum of 10points and 1000$. I think over 200kmh your car leaves on a flat bed and you on the back of a police car.

I know the FRS is slow. But the limits are low and the you can be on the throttle for more than 4sec. You can wag its tail as its a playful car at regular speed limits. I had a Miata back in the days, it was a fun car even at very low speed.

I'll test drive one this week. I'll let you know. Maybe I'm nuts.

 

No maybe's about it..but have fun on the test drive...

 

That's not quite true,if you have the desire to learn and become a good driver, you can learn in whatever you drive. I did probably 3-4 events in a 430 hp E39 M5 before moving straight to my Turbo after that. Just so happened an acquaintance has just got a nearly identical car. In fact his was better prepared than mine. He had been racing in the IMSA lites championship with multiple wins. We were both on our second event in the Turbo and my time was faster by 5 seconds by the end of the weekend.

If you are paying attention, it's easy to tell how the AWD and power is helping you, when you change to another platform, you just have to be mentally prepared. And in fact driving with turbos and lag presents other challenges like keeping the revs up, modulating the power and staying in the power band.

Driving slow cars does not mean you will be fast in fast ones. We see that all the time.

 

Completely agree. I actually don't exceed the speed limit by that much on the roads (I save it for the track), which is why I haven't had the need for a radar/laser system thus far -- but I do get up to speed a little sooner than most other cars .

 

Which can also get you a ticket. All at the discretion of the cop. I've heard of people getting street racing tickets when it is just them taking off fast from a light by themselves.

 

I realized what I don't like about my Turbo. I was a racer, tracked all my cars for years and been instructing for like 6. I like to push my car(s). I like to play with them a little. So, what I realized is, I can't play with the Turbo and I sure can't push it in any way. Anything more than 3/10th would get me in jail.

The only gear I can reasonably push all the way to redline is 2nd. Yes I can push first to redline, but it goes so quickly, I almost always short-shift to not bang on the rev-limiter.

What's fun with Miatas and FRS type of cars is you can push them almost to 10/10th and you still ain't losing your license. Of course drifting around the corner might get you a long discussion with a policeman. But drifting around a corner in the TT will get me in jail as I'd (undoubtly) be going much faster than I would in a much lesser car.

 

This is basically where I stand. I don't see myself giving up the Turbo now that I have it but sometimes it is frustrating how much of a waste it is driving it on the overcrowded and overpoliced streets here.

 

I'd say it comes with the territory of owning any supercars these days -- the car can do much more than you can safely, sanely, or legally do on the street. For me, knowing that there's still 7/10ths more that the car is capable of is part of the fun. Who wants to think "that's all there is" when pushing their cars?

If the basic issue is that one doesn't have the self control to drive a supercar at 3/10ths, then you're probably right that a different car is a better option. It's like folks who don't own a TV mainly because they worry that they'll watch it all the time. Just don't give into the temptation.

 

I don't think it is a matter of temptation, just a matter of fun. For me, pushing the turbo will always be the most fun, but in a slower car, you may be able to have less fun more often (if that makes sense).

 

be thankful Quebec is easy here in Ontario 50km/h (35 mph) will cost you roadside car seizureand huge fines up to 10k.
Tell you what trade you my C4S for your turbo, problem solved.

 

I hear you. Don't get me wrong -- there are plenty of cars beyond the turbo that could be just as (or more) fun to drive. Some cars handle better, some cars sound better, some cars look better, etc. However, at least for me, it wouldn't make sense to get something with only less power and performance -- just so I could push the car to its limits more. There'd have to be some of these other attributes in order to consider making a switch like this.

 

I guess the grass is always greener, lol.

On the "other" side of the spectrum, enthusiasts are usually craving more power, more hp, more torque....

I guess there is such thing as having too much power.

 

Well it's not like the C4S is slow... But I did consider getting a Carrera or C2S. I don't know, these are still quite powerful.

There is such a thing as too much power. Especially on the street, where policemen seems more hungry than ever.

I guess the racer in me wants to push the car and not just hold it back. I'm glad I realized this. Now I know the FRS might be too underpowered. Maybe a M3 E46 would be just right. Gotta think about this.

*Edit to add, Ontario is really bad when it comes to speeding! I thought Qc was as bad as it gets!