Does anyone like driving?

[Captain Jack]

And I mean does anyone really enjoy driving?

The current state of roads around the country is making it quite difficult to be able to look forward to a bit of driving. Instead of open roads you get stuck behind tractors, caravans, lorries, comatose OAPs, women, accidents, BMWs while trying to dodge potholes, wildlife, wildlife that wasn't quite dodged by the driver in front of me, broken down Fiats and kamikaze bikers, who weave in an out of lanes without any thought whatsoever with a sign on the side of the road saying "Think Steve, think bike!" (sorry to the bikers on the forum but it's what I see very often).

All I get now is stress, stress and more stress...

[Ares]

I know that feeling.
Drive a lot during work and see a lot of those "specimens" you mentioned before but near me is one mountain on which i really enjoy driving,specially at night.
Ofcourse,Croatia is not UK so i have a couple of local roads which are excellent for driving,even at highest peak of tourist season.

[KozmoNaut]

When you get into that mindset of annoyance, the only thing to do is slow down, put on some music, chill out and relax.

Life is too short to get angry over small sh*t.

[rwb]

There are many ways to get enjoyment out of driving.

The 406 is a nice place to sit, and is a joy to dribble about at low revs.

Working on your observation is a good trick, and Audis love to be outmanoeuvred by a French motorway barge It's surprising how much traffic you can leave standing just from anticipating further ahead.

It took me about 12 months to get really slick at matching revs changing gear on my 407.

And there are little things like seeing how fast you can go round the 180° slip road on the ring road (60 so far. Did I mention I've just had new tyres?)

Consistently fun roads are hard to come by. My favourite is definitely the A702

[annie]

that s why i have a few cars. now the holiday season is here on the south coast the old merc comes out so just cruisin and chilling. the sports car comes out in winter when roads are empty or very early mornings

[PeterN]

When I was working I could be covering 30k miles per year, I very soon found that it was a lot less tiring to sit in the nearside lane at 60 mph than to try and keep up with the traffic. I used to listen to the radio, particularly the radio 4 plays which were on for an hour, often when they finished I had to look around for landmarks to see where I was as I had been on autopilot. Any emergency situation would soon prompt me to action but I very rarely got one as I used to keep well back from the car in front.

I have been retired for some years now but still do 10k+ miles per year but as I am in no hurry I travel the quietest times and routes, if I do get stuck in a jam on the motorway I find another route. we did a 2000 mile trip round the far north of Scotland in May, the scenery is stunning and the roads relatively quiet and even at 76 I still enjoy driving although I rarely exceed 60mph now, this has the added bonus of improving the fuel consumption and we average around 60mpg on this trip.

I comfortable car makes a lot of difference. I have run hydropnumatic Citroens since the '80s and they give a superb ride, the CX's were the best followed by the XM and now the C5 but the newr models were never as good as the older ones. The 406 is the first conventionally sprung car we have had for about 30 years, the ride is passable but the handling and visibility is much better than the C5 so we tend to use it for most of our motoring.

I was a bit of a boy racer in my youth but that was a long time ago, I enjoy more sedate motoring now.

Peter

[steve_earwig]

I've been reading lately that the decline of the hydro pneumatic suspension is down to people not liking the ride and trying to make them feel like conventional springs. And hey presto, it's being phased out as we speak

Yeah, way to go PSA, get rid of the only bit that really made your cars special. Ffs if you don't like the suspension you've bought the wrong fricking car!

I used to enjoy driving but since I've been here I've started to hate it- I usually get at least one close call every time I go anywhere, even if it's just to the shops. I'm sorry Ares, Croats really are lovely people for the most part, but get them behind a steering wheel...

[GingerMagic]

When you get into that mindset of annoyance, the only thing to do is slow down, put on some music, chill out and relax.

Life is too short to get angry over small sh*t.

I'm sorry but I really enjoy driving - even an automatic lorry can be fun when annoying those who are clearly in a rush. The thing is I am driving slowly all day as I don't want to spill my load ( snigger ) but when I jump into the 406 I want a bit of ooomph, a bit of speed and most of all, enjoyment, most of which is upsetting Aldi drivers

If you don't like driving, get a bus ( sorry Alex... ) I am a relaxed driver, I have to be in my job.....

[Captain Jack]

Maybe I need to attend anger management classes....

[GingerMagic]

Nah, just enjoy the drive and don't worry about what the other muppets are doing....

[Doggy]

I still really enjoy driving and reckon I'm starting to get the hang of it.
Having mostly got over the 'need for speed' thing, nowadays what I like best is a road trip.
The 406 is a great mile eater, (with a turn of speed few expect).
Pugfest will be fun, (so long as I keep it shiny side up).

[PeterN]

Every time my son goes out he is sure someone is out to kill him and the road is full of idiots, they don't seem to be there when I go out though.

Peter

[gumby6371]

I think the key is observation and driving according to the situation. SWMBO hates me driving and says I scare her as I drive too fast but as I have never been stopped by the rozzers, been caught speeding or been involved in an accident while driving and she can tick all those boxes I'll carry on as I am

[DaiRees]

I used to love driving, now I don't mind it but sometimes find it tedious. A lot of it's down to the car I think. The Volvo is a superb mile muncher and it's a lovely place to sit but it's no sports car. As others have said I tend to just set the cruise and steer, enjoying listening to the radio and watching the world go by.

The wife's Fiesta is great fun on the twisty stuff and is surprisingly refined on the motorway, but it's not a cruiser. Given the choice I'd take the Volvo on the long runs and the Fiesta on the short runs, as would anyone I'm sure.

The biggest problem with driving is other road users. There are far too many arseholes out there with no consideration or courtesy for other drivers.

[PeterN]

There are some idiots about but I try to keep out of their way, as long as no one actually hits me I don't worry about what anyone else does - but then I'm not in a hurry nowadays.

Peter