Thinking about the Civic and driving on track...

Fueling up the Civic

Usually, when we are deep into winter, I start really missing driving the Civic and wishing the track season was underway. In a way, it's worse this year, because I haven't driven the Civic since June when the engine broke. I have been watching a lot of track videos and playing Assetto Corsa (where I have downloaded a couple of Civics to drive) and I don't know if this makes things better or worse...

I was looking at my data from my sessions at ICAR. Strangely, my best lap ever at ICAR (1:46.85) did not come in 2021, but rather in my last session of 2020 (See story here). This is weird, because I managed to head to ICAR five times in 2021 before the car broke. 

1) On April 20th 2021, I was having issues with the vtec cutting out and managed a 1:48.08.

2) On April 27th, I had a clutch failure and on my only clean lap of my 2nd session, I managed a 1:47.27.

3) On May 18th, my exhaust came unbolted in my first session. I fixed it and headed out again, and managed a 1:47.34.

4) On May 25th, nothing broke. The weather was hot, and I managed a 1:47.68.

5) On June 1st, I only got out for one session before it rained, and I was dealing with traffic in the intermediate group. As a result, I only managed only a 1:48.54. 

I couldn't know at the time that this would be my last session at ICAR in 2021 (my engine failure at Calabogie happened on June 18th). You always think you will have more time to do stuff, and then time runs out! 

Watching videos of other people's cars (and even my own videos), I am not envious of the cars they have... I really am satisfied driving my Civic, and I don't wish it was an M3 or GT3. I'm just envious that they are on track and I am not. My car is in pieces now, but I really hope Choo will be able to put everything back together in time for the track season this year. 

Looking at the data from ICAR in 2021, I can see that I am not 100% consistent yet from lap to lap or session to session, but I can still see some improvement. I really, really hope I will get to attend a whole bunch of evening sessions this year...

First road trip in the 535i

There are not a ton of normal activities that we are allowed to do during this phase of the pandemic. Luckily, we have a comfortable car and we can drive... and drive. We decided to take a short trip to Gaspésie right after Christmas and it was a real pleasure making the trip in a luxury cruiser like the 535i. The holidays have been weird, because we hardly saw any friends or family. I've had time to watch quite a few cool car videos and have been playing Assetto Corsa a lot. I am focusing on learning the Nordschleife so that when I one day travel there, I will at least know what the next corner (sort of) looks like, and also on driving as many virtual laps as possible at Tremblant, Mosport and Calabogie. It's nowhere near as fun as actual track driving and it's really making me miss my Civic and summer!

Pit stop in Murdochville

Jules with a moose

Cool Van

Enjoying the hot tub at the hotel

One of many, many visits to the pool

The Fiat 500 is so much smaller than a current 3-series

I found this old photo in my archives of the only era when I had 2 race cars (2002-2003)

Still some cool cars on the road

...including this 370Z

I've seen a bunch of these Audi's, but was never able to get a photo!

... memories of the track in 2021

... and of summer in general

Can't wait to drive the Civic again...

... and of course the M3

Good car vs. fun car

I have been driving the 535i for about a month now. It is an excellent car. It has snowed a bit and the car does pretty well in slippery conditions, although not as well as the Saab. I enjoy the driving experience to a certain extent, mainly because the car is so comfortable and luxurious. It performs well: not too harsh or soft over bumps, more than enough power. However, it is not fun to drive, at all. I wonder if I should not have chosen a less luxurious but more fun model, like a 2011 328i (manual, normally aspirated) or a 2012 320i or 328i in manual. Part of the problem is the size and mass of the car, and part of it is the automatic transmission. There is very little feel for what the car and the tires are doing when you drive it. I already miss the M3 (it will be back on the road in the spring) and I really miss the way the Saab drives. As I look at the BMW's I see on the road, I wonder if BMW still makes any fun cars at all, or whether all cars are now less fun. The new Supra is a beautiful car, and not too big, but I wonder if it is fun to drive, or just a smaller version of the 535i... I hope that at some point in the future I can get a small manual car, just to have a bit of fun when I'm driving, and to do some TSD rallies with Josée... something like a Honda Fit, a Mini, or a Fiat 500. 

Now that it has begun to snow, most of the cool cars are parked for winter. Here are some photos from the last few days before it snowed. 

First part: WHEN BMW'S WERE FUN CARS

Local manual 635csi

I love these wheels on the E46

I've never driven an E36 Kompact, but I imagine they are fun...

... like a mix of en E30 and E36

A more modern model, but still seems as if it would be fun

I've seen this modified E24 many times

Another clean E46

Yet another 635csi at the same garage near Laurier...

It's sitting very high, which makes me wonder if the engine is even it in.

Other interesting spots:

Old 7-series wheels look cool on the F10, but I think these tires are not tall enough

TT on Rotiforms looks more modern than a new Audi

The previous generation 3-series wagon was a good-looking car

Nice colour for this G-Wagen

Small cars from the 80's and 2010's

Aggressively modified STi

The Supra looks great on the road

Another cool spot at the local garage...

... an Ur-S4

M-Package F10 5-series, just like mine except for the colour

The new Civic is not ugly, but not especially pretty. I like the wheels on this model.

Introducing the new family car!

I had an opportunity to buy the cleanest BMW you could find from my friend Ray's company, so I went for it. It's a 2012 535i Xdrive with the "M-Package". 

The new car!

Those who know me know that this is not the type of car that I usually go for. It's big, it's heavy and it's automatic. What can I say about the car after a couple of weeks of driving? 

1) Highway driving

It is a dream on the highway... it is whisper quiet when compared to any other car I have ever owned. This generation of 5-series shares a platform with the Rolls Royce Ghost, and it shows. The seats are really nice and are ridiculously adjustable. The car eats up the miles.

2) The size

As for the size... you really feel the size. The car is loooong, and it's also wide. It is a challenge to fit in the garage, and even though it is not that low, it scrapes hard on the garage entrance. Annoying. It is not confidence inspiring when I have to parallel park, but at least there are sensors and a rear-facing camera to help out. I hope I will get used to the size soon.

3) The automatic

The car has a wonderful 8-speed automatic which helps it get much better fuel economy than the Saab or M3, but it makes the car more boring to drive... a lot more boring. I find that shifting into Sport Plus mode makes the throttle response more exciting, but that's about all you can do. I have tried shifting my own gears with the little paddles, but it adds nothing in the city. Maybe it would be more fun on a mountain road or a track, but otherwise, the car will stay in full automatic mode.

4) The performance

The automatic tranny does not hinder the car's performance... in fact it helps it. There are "only" 300 hp, but it's enough with this transmission. The car accelerates to 100 km/h in 5.5 seconds... and this is the second lowest engine on the totem pole, out of 4. 

5) The overall driving experience

It's hard for me to figure out so far if I accidentally bought an old man's car. The car looks sharp and sporty, thanks to the M-Sport package, but it's a large, heavy automatic luxury car. I think the rest of the family is enjoying the ridiculous amount of luxury, and I am old enough that I appreciate the luxury too. Should I have bought a 3-series with a manual transmission? Because of resale values, I would have had to pay 5 000 $ more for that, so I don't really regret buying this car instead. The fact is that, even though the car is not that engaging to drive, it is a pleasant experience, mainly due to the extreme (by my ustandards) level of luxury, comfort and features the car offers. Time will tell if this is the right car for me. 

The car got a new water pump just after we bought it

I have to admit, it is a good-looking BMW

The Saabaru is gone forever...

After arranging to buy a newer used car to drive in winter, it was time to put the Saabaru up for sale. I put up the ad Monday and the car was gone by Tuesday, in the hands of its enthusiastic new owner. I loved driving that car, but I hated dealing with all the rust issues. After 4 years together, it was time to move on to a car with no rust. 

I really had some great times with that car and it was unbelievably reliable up until the end. I don't know what I will do about navigation rallies, as the new winter car is not the right kind of vehicle for that type of terrain... I'll have to figure something out. Here are some photos of the Saab from the past four years.