Crusing in the UK has been banned.

[Zagan]

Just looking up in a UK car mag.

Has a news thing that says the UK cops can pull you over and take your lic away for any amount of time, So they could take away your lic forever and you wouldn't be able to get another lic.

It's part of a new law given to the cops for stopping people from doing stupid stuff on the street but it also includes people that are crusing around in large groups in cars, doesn't matter if your all being good either.

[Guest INASNT]

y does the UK always bring in such bullshit laws that Australia always ends up copying???

Fixed speed camera and revenue rasing was copied off the poms as well

[Laurence]

Remember this is the same UK that came up with the Criminal Justice Act ten years ago...

(effectively banning raves, the reason for the riot scenes at the start of Human Traffic)

The Labor party here just runs the UK New Labor playbook step by step...

[Adam_RSX]

Cruises in the UK are a bit different to cruising here... Over there its more like a BWCP sort of deal... lots of people parked in a big carpark, with a few tools driving around the carpark dropping (weak fwd) burnouts

[The_Paladin]

i'm in the UK

the car scene here is a joke........its really devided. if the cars are 'good' they're GREAT....there is a hand full of supra's and skylines etc going around that are absolute weapons.......but they could be counted on one hand.

Fast and Modified (scottish car mag, only one!) this month featured a puegot 106 (it's like a barina) which had NO performance mods, only rice. and it was the feature car. the owner said, and i quote "if you have the style sorted, why drive fast? If you drive fast no one can see you" i'm taking the mag back to aus for a laugh.

the cars here simply arn't powerfull...................

yeah the all go for a carpark...........no laps or anything. it is trouble most of the time.

[adznight]

Yeah my Mrs brings all the UK car mags home from work. The cars a FUC(ING lame...

[mambastu]

Yeah my Mrs brings all the UK car mags home from work. The cars a FUC(ING lame...

Theres definitely two types of car modifier in the UK.

The kiddies that go for bling with their fwd (usually european) hot hatches with bodykits, big steroes and little or no engine modifications....probably due to the ridiculous insurance costs over here. This group tends to form the bulk of the 'cruisers'. They are the wheelspinning, handbrake turns in public places sort of crew who give all car modifiers over here a bad name.

Then theres the more mature modifiers (who can afford insurance) who modify the car as a package and usually spend more time and money on engine, suspension and brakes than they do on bodykits or stereos. This group tends to prefer trackdays to 'crusin' and they don't generally piss off everybody by arseing around in Halfords car park on a Saturday afternoon.

The Jap car tuning scene has really kicked off over here in the last few years and its given the whole tuning scene a good kick up the arse so theres actually a lot more people modifying cars now and there are a lot of decent cars being created and imported into the UK.

At the moment we have no restrictions on modifying cars like you have in parts of Australia.....just waiting for our bloody government to follow your lead in that area

[saff_cossie]

Certainly wont miss any of the uk modifed novas etc. The nice cars are mainly kept for shows rather than cruises. While some look awful and pay obscene amounts of money for small bits of work, I have to sympathise due to insurance costs. I have been there driving the road going lawnmowers to start my insurance but didnt venture down the path of jap bumpers and wings and 19" rims!

[SupaFLY]

Hmmm !

[The_Paladin]

Mambastu..............from what i've seen over here you've hit the nail right on the head

apparently insurance is a joke, which stops most people from modding.........but still.........there's no excuse for some of the shite that goes around......

what part of the UK are you from? i have the feeling that it will vary from place to place........

the most common type of jap motor i see modded where i am is mid 90's Honda Preludes....

one thing the UK has over australia is the amature motorsport...........i was reading something about an event called the Hannibal Run...........from what it was saying there's no way in hell the cops would let anything like that go ahead in australia......

[mambastu]

Mambastu..............from what i've seen over here you've hit the nail right on the head

apparently insurance is a joke, which stops most people from modding.........but still.........there's no excuse for some of the shite that goes around......

what part of the UK are you from?  i have the feeling that it will vary from place to place........

the most common type of jap motor i see modded where i am is mid 90's Honda Preludes....

one thing the UK has over australia is the amature motorsport...........i was reading something about an event called the Hannibal Run...........from what it was saying there's no way in hell the cops would let anything like that go ahead in australia......

The insurance over here is crazy compared to the price of secondhand cars which are pretty cheap. You can buy a '91 180SX (200SX over here) for £500. If you're under 20 it will cost you £1500 to £2500 to insure a totally standard car which helps explain some of the shite being driven around by the kiddies.

Actually, having said that, the kiddies are buying £5000 cars and are then spending £10,000 on stereos, bodykits and wheels so theres no excuse really, lol.

I actually live in West Sussex which is a county in the south east below London, its where old people go to die :headbang:

As you say, the UK does have a number of good amateur motorsport events.

There are a fair few tracks over here, there were a lot of airfields built over here in the second world war which were later converted into circuits. Also, over the last 15 years or so the US air force have moved out of their old cold-war air bases and some of them have been sold off to private owners and they are being used for various events too which is great.

There aren't many 1/4 mile strips over here although its is getting more popular and is probably one of the cheapest and most available forms of motorsport for people to enjoy. We've even got a rapidly growing drift scene and there is a UK series for it now with events taking place at Silverstone.

[OKBANANA]

I hope Australia dosen't copy this bullshit.

Just my two £

[The_Paladin]

i think the insurance over here is justified..........in a way.

look at it from a logical perspective...............if the kids think they're part of the fast and furious crew when they're in their 1.1L hatches and Saxo's then what the hell do they think they're going to be when they get their hands on a twin turbo inline 6 or anything of that persuasion..........KEEP THE NEDS OUT THE GOOD CARS..............insurance should be a lot lower for no/low claim 25's etc.......

in a way i think the insurance is good cause it keeps the nob jockeys off the road. they're more bold here than in Australia.

or i'm just saying this because i saw a honda (might have been integra) wraped around a traffic light at Princes St with a teen driver and passenger....... they were WELL above the speed limit and that is one of the busiest streets in the city for pedestran crossings.......all the more reason to get a camera phone.....

[franks]

for the UK subscribers, i just wonder what the price disparity is between say a japanese car and a european car is over there?

here, fast european cars are damn expensive. on the other hand, fast japanese cars are damn cheap. hence the popularity and affordability of fast japanese cars in australia.

i just sense lots of europeans choose fast european cars over fast japanese cars - i know I would personally rather drive an e46 m3 or 911 turbo over a skyline......

[Duncan]

franks the problem is there are no fast euro cars...for example the M3s in dutton rally last year, the stock r33 smacked them all

there are of course the super expensive porkers etc etc but the problem is europe is full of 2l hatch backs parading as sports cars...some of them handle pretty well like the Clio but none of them are particularly fast

[sewid]

Surely the Audi S cars are quick.. Maybe not the S3 but S4, and S6. Twin turbo 4.2 litre AWD S4 wouldn't be bad.

[The_Paladin]

if your looking at premium stuff...............it dosent seem to be cheaper new, however...

2nd hand cars seem to really depriciate over here. 3 year throway's like the ford KA are popular..................i looked into personal imports because i just had to when i saw the prices in the papers. but it seems the aus government will do everything they can to stop you, and i dont have my p's, so i'd end up getting screwed somehow......

the attitude seems to be that a crap new car is better than a good old one. there is also MOT (ministry of transport) laws that state the car has to be checked out every year in order to stay roadworthy........

2nd hand Jag's BMW's even Porshe's seem to be a lot cheaper, insurance is high and there dosent seem to be a market..........someone could really clean up being an importer....as there is a lot of jap importers and not many brit ones......

[saff_cossie]

There are some quick european cars which come from the main manufacturers just they are not heard of very often and are so expensive to run. You have to remember we pay in pence what you pay in cents and not forgetting the 2.5 typical exchange rate!

Examples

VW Golf R32

Audi RS4, RS6

Clio V6

The money you pay for these cars though, particularly the clio is knocking on new Evo and Scooby money at 25,000 pounds new. For the others they are pricey but most people who have that kind of money for initial purchase and running costs want something more executive like a BMW. My friend works for Audi and rates the RS6 highly, they are probably the most common of the above list. There are plenty I have missed I am sure.

We are just getting the Monaro here as well now which is badged as the vauxhall and the reviews I have read, credit the aussies highly for it.

[The_Paladin]

the UK is getting Vauxhall Monaro's????

Ah feck that, i'm going back to Australia.........

[saff_cossie]

Yeah they are in the Top Gear mag from Feb time this year it is. Was reading it in my local Kwik Fit last week. I knew they were prior to that from Melbournes motoring paper supplement that said they were exporting them to the Middle East and Europe back early last year.

If you have the option to be in Australia, you shouldnt be in the UK man!!!