A casual, aggressive drive thru the mountains

I live on the beach so when I go on vacation, I prefer to go to the mountains. For my birthday we had a cabin in the mountains, but it was every bit of 30 minutes to get to dinner. Twisting, turning, sharp turns…everything you’d expect when you have to ascend or descend a mountain to get to your destination. I had rented a frickin Hyandai Senata for the trip…not realizing the scenario I’d be faced with. It was SO boring. The car got thru it just fine but 30 minutes of that type of driving with a car that has no balls got boring quick.

So what car should I have in that situation in the future? I’ve been there as a teenager in a Toyota MR2 and it was fun as fuk! As we were driving I kept saying I wish we were in a Porsche or a BMW M2. They seem perfect for that environment. But after I got home, I started to wonder if an all wheel drive car would be better…so I don’t have to worry about the back wheels coming out from under me. A Corvette could be fun in that situation but it kind of has to be YOUR Corvette or else is overpowered and you might be meeting your maker if you push it too hard.

So what are some of the available answers? How can you have fun in short area bursts where you have enough power to do what you want, but aren’t so overpowered that your WILL becomes effective immediately.

My answer was going to be MR2 before I read far enough. I had one for 7 or 8 years, and it was fun, but totally impractical. Great for that type of road.

I have to imagine a mid-engine Vette would be a riot there.

My favorite, though is a good sports bike. I had a Honda 600 F4i for a while, and there’s nothing like taking something like that through the twisties.

My wife has an AWD Infinity Q50. We drove down this morning from the Stanley hotel in Estes Park on US 36 to Lyons and then on to my son’s band competition near Golden.

I like using the manual function to downshift with turns on the way down. I like seeing how little I can use my breaks…to my wife’s chagrin. It drives my wife nuts sometimes when she sees the Tac peg out and hears the engine roar due to some of my downshifting in tight turns…Definitely a secondary piece to my enjoyment.

I wanted to take the Peak to Peak down to Nederland and descend through Boulder Canyon (twisty sum bitch)…but she would have none of it.

Anyways, I enjoy mountain driving. I definitely feel like I’m engaged with the road. It’s just enjoyable for me.

Lotus.

Mid-engine car that’s built, basically, like a track-day car. Low, nimble and mildly powered. It’s the type of vehicle that can probably do more than the driver can, but is mild enough that the driver doesn’t easily get in over his head.

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Hmm, I’m going to toss this out and see if it has what you want from a car.
https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?listingId=606297696&zip=48201&referrer=%2Fcars-for-sale%2Fsearchresults.xhtml%3Fzip%3D48201%26city%3DDetroit%26incremental%3Dall%26seriesCodeList%3D5_SERIES%26makeCodeList%3DBMW%26sortBy%3Drelevance%26location%3D%5Bobject%2BObject%5D%26state%3DMI%26searchByDma%3Dfalse%26engineCodes%3D6CLDR%26firstRecord%3D0%26marketExtension%3Dinclude%26relevanceConfig%3Ddefault%26searchRadius%3D50%26isNewSearch%3Dfalse&numRecords=25&seriesCodeList=5_SERIES&searchByDma=false&firstRecord=0&makeCodeList=BMW&searchRadius=50&makeCode1=BMW&modelCode1=BMW540IXD&clickType=listing

I don’t know what you are looking for in terms of budget or passenger capacity. This M540i gives you the spaciousness of that sad rental Hyundai while being something you will actually enjoy driving. This version uses a turbo I-6 with around 330 HP and 330 lb-ft of torque. That’s not a huge amount of power in a 4,000 lb car, but that torque comes on at a low 1,400 rpm. It’ll give you quick bursts of power every time you want to pick the speed up after a curve.

This particular BMW is listed for $49,000. I won’t flat out ask what your budget is because, you know, it’s rude. You can bring that number down a lot by getting something older or “lower spec”. Of course this could also just be a whole lot more car than you need.

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Hmm, interesting. I hadn’t thought about Lotus. When I see them they remind me of MR2’s, so it would make perfect sense that they could be as fun as an MR2 (with more power).

I’m not really concerned about passenger capacity, I just need something that can hold a few bags of luggage. I would mainly look to rent the car for the trip, because that’s what I prefer over driving my own vehicles. I actually own a 2017 BMW 540i, and I agree its fun to drive for a practical car with plenty of seating and luggage capacity. The fastest I’ve ever been in a car is 130mph and it made it so effortless it felt like I was doing 80. Normally I start to get a little scared over 100mph. I’ve got the blue one with the peanut butter interior.


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I actually rented a big truck when I went to the mountains last time and I loved it. Maybe not as much balls as a sports car but the view was amazing. You sat up high and had an amazing view. Could see up and over guard rails. It was awesome!

Kind of a side question… is it even possible to get a vehicle with a true manual transmission anymore?

I have to imagine they’re impossible to rent, but can you even buy a sports car with a standard at this point?

To me, that’s about 70% of the enjoyment is really controlling that aspect.

IMO, in terms of bang for your buck, those cars are incredibly fun, as well as exotic-looking. When you consider price, they may be the coolest “exotic car,” for the money.
I’ve never driven one of those, but am going off from what a buddy of mine told me, as well as my own opinion about the way they look.

I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for the Lotus, even though I’ve never driven one myself.

It started with an old computer game from the late 80s called Test Drive. I would always choose the Esprit:
image

I was seriously considering an Elise when I ended up buying my MR2. While the Elise would’ve been more unique and maybe “cooler”, my left brain won out when I weighed the maintenance differences between a British car and a Toyota. Talk about opposite ends of the spectrum!

I did get made fun of by a guy from the UK about considering the Elise, though. Apparently over there, that would be like buying a Miata.

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This is not a suggestion, more of an anti-suggestion? One time when my wife and I were visiting friends in the San Francisco bay area, we got our rental car upgraded(?) to a Camaro. It was the most ridiculous, absurd way to drive I’ve ever experienced. We were taking all these super hilly, winding coast roads, and because the car sits so low, and the windshield is so narrow, it was like looking through a mail slot to try to figure out where the hell you were going. Going downhill, you literally could see nothing except asphalt directly in front of your face. May be fun as an amusement park ride, not so great for enjoying a drive along the coast.

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Thank you for sharing this. I haven’t been in a new Camaro but I’ve watched video reviews of them where they talk about the visibility as a total deal breaker.

The answer to your question depends on whether you are talking about new or recently new used cars. You could get a manual in the C7 Corvette but I believe they did away with that option in the new C8. BMW still offers manual. Mustang’s and Challenger’s still have a manual option. When the new Nissan Z comes out, its supposed to still have a manual option.

The Lotus Elise and Exige are like street legal go-carts. They are sexy to look at, and a blast to drive. The driver feedback is like no other car because it really is designed, it would seem, for enthusiasts to take to organized track day events. (All creature comforts, including sound deadening material omitted for weight savings) The Evora GT with the V6 is the current model. I haven’t driven one of them, but I imagine it’s at least as gratifying and addictive as it’s 4 cylinder predecessors.

ETA: had to correct the Exige name.

Here is a picture of the outgoing Elise next to its replacement…the Emira.

Wait, I recommended the car you already own? I am awesome at this.

I’ll try to think of something you don’t have in the garage right now.

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M2 Competition manual sounds like your car.

Miatas are great for SCCA type parking lot racing. For the ultimate in acceleration, you will want to go all electric, Elon Musk is your guy. Maybe a little dangerous. My personal recommendation would be the Porsche if you love that sound like I do. My dad had a Boxster back when they were still affordable. What a joy that was.

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yeah but SOME mountain turns are 25 mph and you better damn well BE going 25 or , It’s a bad first step ! . depending how sharp those turns are, I wouldn’t recommend soaring down without your brakes .

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