How Do You Deal With The 'nova Boys'

[CraigT]

Since I got the MR2 Ive noticed that now, more than ever, I get silly little boys in silly little cars (usually clapped out nova's and old XR3's etc) wanting to 'give it some'.

Take the day before yesterday as an example. I had just come off a roundabout onto a dual carriageway. As I join it I see an Escort XR3 in front of me with something !Removed! like 'www.XR3-sports.com' across his back window. Subconciously I already know he is a bit of a tit. By now he has spotted me in his rear view mirror and for some unknown reason he has dropped it a few gears sending the car into a loud wheelspinning spectacle.

I think to myself "strange" and calmly glide into the lane alongside him. At this point we are stationary at a set of traffic lights. However whilst I am listening to the radio, XR3 boy besides me is revving his car and glaring at me aggressivley. Again I think to myself "thats a little odd" try not to make eye contact and continue to wait for the lights to turn green.

Eventually the lights change and I prepare to pull away. As I do so I hear the roar of spinning tyres as XR3 boy sends his car in to a spinning fit of socially deprived rage. Smoke fills the air as he 'burns rubber' and Im half expecting his car to rocket off into the distance. This is not the case. During the time that XR3 boy is sending his car into a testosterone fuelled frenzy I have already pulled far enough ahead to see him in my rear view mirror. I signal and head off in a different direction at the next turning.

And that sorry story is just one of many since buying the MR2. Theres also the funny one about a nova trying to undertake me on the motorway, however I'll save that one for another time.

Anyone else got similar stories and/or theories as to why these max power lads tend to go a bit strange at the wheel of an underpowered wreck?

[+Steve]

your not the only one mate

Worse are saxos style hatch backs... and that includes golf GTI's

I was at the traffic lights with this GTI next to me... he started revving his car waiting for the green to appear.. i look at him and he is looking over... lights turn green and he stalls it... I laugh at him and pull away

Same road next set of lights and he is doing the same.. his GF looked embarressed.... he must be real angry now i thought... lights went green and and i pulled away but i was not behind the guy.. diddnt race him.. the turbos just kicked in a tad! it was enough to say "go away silly boy"

he kept back

Next was a Vauxhall Calibre.. was on a B road behind this calibre.. was a nice car.. loads of money spent on it... lowerd .. looked nice.. driver was a pratt... the road turned into a dual carriageway and he saw me starting to overtake and he drops it down a peg... he is level with me... but again turbos kicked in and it was enough to show this guy he did not stand a chance... he pulled off and stayed back (starting to think i smell)

VW Golf 4 Motion... dual carrigageway up hill... 4 motion up my *****... put my foot down and he drifted away slowely... the vw was a very quick car actually... anyway.. i did bit even break the speed limit.. i was just trying to put space in between me and him

[CraigT]

Haha great isnt it B)

Okay here's the Nova story.

I was coming home from work down the motorway. Im in the fast lane and Im doing a nice 75-80mph. The I see a Nova (yes a Nova) tear up behind me. Now for some strange reason Mr Nova wants to gun his 1.2 engine past the meltdown 85mph mark. I think to myself "why should I bother to put my foot down" and remain at the same speed. Mr Nova is really angry and seeing a chance in the slow lane he goes for the undertake. Laughing to myself I gun it and he is forced to drop back behind me in the fast lane. He is tamping. He tried this manouvre 2 more times. He fails. I chuckle.

Also the other day Im driving along and a Peugeot 306 nearly touched my bumper out of nowhere. "Okay" I think to myself "obviously he's a little too keen". At this point in time there is a cars gap between me and the ford focus in front. In front of the focus there is a long line of cars. Defying all rationallity Mr 306 overtakes me, whilst I close the gap between me and the focus. Boy was it fun watching him try and overtake the remaining 5 cars

[System~G]

I try ignore em...

The only "races" I have had have been with other Jap motors :)

[veilsidemr2]

you just gota watch out for the 2ltr 16v novas dam ther in a different league ther are a couple going round by me and ther !Removed! quick !Removed! novas!!

[Jamesb4uk]

how do you make nova's do 0-60 in under 13 seconds????

push then of a cliff :P

J

[ae111sr]

I had the same thing last night - just filled the Rolla up with Optimax and the guy at the next pump is driving an Imprezza STi - nice looking car too. I pulled off the forecourt and he gives it stick to pull out behind me and sits on my tail revving it weaving back and fore desperate to get past. It's only a couple of hundred yards to the next roundabout and he pulls up alongside glaring at me as though I was something brown and sticky on his shoe. He took off from the roundabout like a scalded cat looking in his rear view mirror to see where I was. I just let him get on with it - he obviously owned a Nova in a previous existance.

[- seb]

you just gota watch out for the 2ltr 16v novas dam ther in a different league ther are a couple going round by me and ther !Removed! quick !Removed! novas!!

Right guys, less of the abuse.

A few months ago I was looking at buying an mr2 turbo, because I appreciate quality cars. However it has since become obvious for a number of reasons that I can't afford to buy one yet. I'm 23 and my next powerful Jap car will have to wait at least a year. I had a 200sx S14 last spring and that bankrupted me pretty much when the engine let go due to oil pump failure :(

So recently I found myself carless, with a token amount in the bank to buy one.

After my S14 I had vowed that I would never buy a non-RWD car again - I loved it SOO much. But when you only have £1k to spend, it's either a very capable sporty hatch, or a real ****ter if you buy something RWD.

I now find myself in a 205 GTi. It's cheap to buy and run, it drives/handles *superbly* and it's pretty %$(ing rapid.

So, if you see a miami blue Jreg around Guildford, beware, because I have sixteen valves under my bonnet :D :P

PS didnt you all use to be silly little boys at some point? I think it's a safe bet to say someone who buys an MR2 must have always had a taste for speed.

[CraigT]

you just gota watch out for the 2ltr 16v novas dam ther in a different league ther are a couple going round by me and ther !Removed! quick !Removed! novas!!

Right guys, less of the abuse.

A few months ago I was looking at buying an mr2 turbo, because I appreciate quality cars. However it has since become obvious for a number of reasons that I can't afford to buy one yet. I'm 23 and my next powerful Jap car will have to wait at least a year. I had a 200sx S14 last spring and that bankrupted me pretty much when the engine let go due to oil pump failure :(

So recently I found myself carless, with a token amount in the bank to buy one.

After my S14 I had vowed that I would never buy a non-RWD car again - I loved it SOO much. But when you only have £1k to spend, it's either a very capable sporty hatch, or a real ****ter if you buy something RWD.

I now find myself in a 205 GTi. It's cheap to buy and run, it drives/handles *superbly* and it's pretty %$(ing rapid.

So, if you see a miami blue Jreg around Guildford, beware, because I have sixteen valves under my bonnet :D :P

PS didnt you all use to be silly little boys at some point? I think it's a safe bet to say someone who buys an MR2 must have always had a taste for speed.

Before the MR2 I had a Clio 1.6 16v Sport (in fact I still have it as well, but its now the missuses car). And I never once sat at a set of lights thinking I could take on a bigger and better car.

As for the MR2 I have to be honest and say that I bought it mainly because I like the look of the MkII's and I also wanted a convertible or t-top. Although I wouldnt want a car that couldnt get up a hill either :D

[- seb]

Before the MR2 I had a Clio 1.6 16v Sport (in fact I still have it as well, but its now the missuses car). And I never once sat at a set of lights thinking I could take on a bigger and better car.

As for the MR2 I have to be honest and say that I bought it mainly because I like the look of the MkII's and I also wanted a convertible or t-top. Although I wouldnt want a car that couldnt get up a hill either :D

So you're saying that if you thought you *could* take on another car you would? Tsk tsk, you boy racer you :P

My 205 would whoop an MR2 off the line, although admittedly it'd struggle in the first few metres due to it's scrabbly (FWD) nature. Admittedly a turbo would pip me at the moment (175bhp/tonne versus (I guess) 195bhp/tonne).

And yes of course an MR2 has a much higher top speed, and will pull better at anything over (say) 80mph due to better aerodynamics.

All of that said, in all my years driving I cant really remember any proper TLGP that I've had.

[Sirius]

Right guys, less of the abuse.

A few months ago I was looking at buying an mr2 turbo, because I appreciate quality cars. However it has since become obvious for a number of reasons that I can't afford to buy one yet. I'm 23 and my next powerful Jap car will have to wait at least a year. I had a 200sx S14 last spring and that bankrupted me pretty much when the engine let go due to oil pump failure :(

So recently I found myself carless, with a token amount in the bank to buy one.

After my S14 I had vowed that I would never buy a non-RWD car again - I loved it SOO much. But when you only have £1k to spend, it's either a very capable sporty hatch, or a real ****ter if you buy something RWD.

I now find myself in a 205 GTi. It's cheap to buy and run, it drives/handles *superbly* and it's pretty %$(ing rapid.

So, if you see a miami blue Jreg around Guildford, beware, because I have sixteen valves under my bonnet :D :P

PS didnt you all use to be silly little boys at some point? I think it's a safe bet to say someone who buys an MR2 must have always had a taste for speed.

Less of the abuse?? The Max Power crew deserve everything that comes their way IMO

My first foray into 'performance' cars was in a 1984 MK2 VW Golf GTI 8 valve. I thought it was great at the time, I thought it was very fast, but I knew when I was outclassed and wouldn't have tried anything on with an obviously more powerful car.

pug 205?? - you should try a real 205 :D

I live near Guildford - my 205 has 16 valves aswell, perhaps we could test them against each other :D

I'm sure everyone thats into performance cars has done stupid things in their cars - surprisingly I don't get too many people challenging me, which suits me fine :)

[pavlitos]

It happens to me quite a bit, and I only have a Yaris with 85bhp!! I let them get on with it, especially if they've drawn up next to me at some traffic lights looking at me etc - I prefer to stay away from the boy racer stereotype! Just because my car looks like it wants to race, I'm not that kind of driver, and in my opinion leave it to the track days.

Cheers

Pav

obviously if I had a car that had a rather large amount of power, I'd probably use it to pull away from them but not to play silly b·gg·rs

[JappyBeast]

I get it all the time and I'm pretty bored of it now. Dont want to waste my fuel on these losers.

I get alot of Scoobies wanting to race...

[CraigT]

To be honest when I was 17 and passed my driving test my first car was a Fiesta XR2. Maybe back then I was a bit more eager to prove my worth against other road users.

Now at 26 I guess Im a lot clamer at the wheel for a lot of reasons. I have a daughter to think about also so I dont want to go driving myself into a wall or suchlike. Plus I dont want to spend most of my money on car repairs and new tyres because Ive been wheelspinning and ragging the ubik off it all month :(

For me the MR2 is about cruising around quiet coastal roads during the summer with the roof off B)

Erm during the cold winter mornings however the MR2 is about getting me to work as I sit shivering on the cold leather seats whilst trying to demist my windscreen

[- seb]

pug 205?? - you should try a real 205 :D

I live near Guildford - my 205 has 16 valves aswell, perhaps we could test them against each other :D

You're talking about a GT4 I presume? I almost bought an ST185 when I got my nissan - opted for the 200sx due to the GT4's 4wd losses and engine-out clutch replacement.

Your GT4 will obviously have higher cornering speed (or so you'd think) and top end, but mid-range they'd be pretty evenly matched.

[Bibbs]

I think they are on about Pug 205's .. an ST205 for under a grand, tell me where !!

I find a lot of boy racers wanna race .. but if I rev my engine at Idle, the turbo whistles, BOV ges off and I get a few pops and burbles ..

They usually stop then ..

I'm all up for blowing the cobwebs off their sh*te little motors .. but after 2nd it stop being a race ..

I've only owned 3 cars, first was a ****roen AX GT .. it was nippy, but was never fast. And was stock apart from a CD player. Next was an MR2 NA, then my turbo ..

[Jimlad]

I get it all the time... not that much from Nova owners etc, I mainly drive around Edinburgh city centre so not many places any Nova owners could annoy me. More so stupid BMW drivers.

They get right up my but on the M'Way.. does my nut in... I either stay there and annoy them or plant my foot and wave goodbye !

I do find it funny tho if someone goes to undertake me on the motorway and then I put my foot down.

[Bibbs]

I love 330i drivers .. they spend a load of £££ on a ******* car, and mine that is a fraction of the price, and 12 years older still toasts 'em ..

[Jimlad]

yeah.... it's funny a 13year old car whipping the butts off all these expensive flash motors.... good laugh.

[Bibbs]

the new M3's are damn quick though ..

[+Steve]

when i was a lad i was from the mk2 escort generation.. those cars were much more fun that your FWD hatchback.... we could drift the mk2 escort and it was a very easy car to handle and especially rally in the forest.

[Scot]

yeah.... it's funny a 13year old car whipping the butts off all these expensive flash motors.... good laugh.

u should try it in a 30yr old car then!!!!

[Sirius]

pug 205?? - you should try a real 205  :D

I live near Guildford - my 205 has 16 valves aswell, perhaps we could test them against each other  :D

You're talking about a GT4 I presume? I almost bought an ST185 when I got my nissan - opted for the 200sx due to the GT4's 4wd losses and engine-out clutch replacement.

Your GT4 will obviously have higher cornering speed (or so you'd think) and top end, but mid-range they'd be pretty evenly matched.

I think possibly that I have met you - At McDonalds Farnborough Gate in the pouring rain you came to look at my ST185 when you were thinking about either that or a 200zx. I sold the ST185 yesterday as it happens.

I now have the ST205 - which is much much better :D

4WD losses are there but manageable, and the engine doesnt have to come out for a clutch change just Toyota say it does.

You mentioned the top-end I would agree with what you said, Disagree with the mid-range part - The mid-range torque is incredible once the car comes on boost its devastating. At very low speed or from standing you would have a distinct advantage due to the 2wd and less weight.

My 2p.

Whats the spec on your pug 205?

[Bibbs]

I disagree with the pug 205 being quick .. I had a race with one (and then met the owner about a week later at a car meet).

We went down a M'way slip road .. he was the car infront and he booted it .. by the time I got to the bottom of the slip road he was a good 50m behind me and I was doing over a ton :o

And as usual with french cars .. you have to stop every few miles to pick up the bits that fall off ..

[- seb]

I do find it funny tho if someone goes to undertake me on the motorway and then I put my foot down.

Does this imply that you're not using good lane discipline?