Hi all

[r0m]

Hi all,
I was thinking about buying a trophy but wanted to experience what a good one felt like.

A main questions that I am trying to wrestle with is are they comfortable enough to be an everyday car or too hard core ? I find very few cars to be comfortable after an hours drive...so maybe more down to personal preference. I have 25mins of town driving and 35mins of motorway every day on my commute to work.

And what should I budget for up keep for mechanicals per year to keep it to in great shape.

Lastly, are there any owners that are near Uxbridge or Reading areas that would be kind enough to take me out for a spin in a sorted trophy to help make up my mind ?

Many thanks
r0m.

 

[Mikeyjp]

Hi, mines a daily, i have harder springs and rear dampers, and love every sec of it

upkeep costs should be no different than any other car, just keep a bit to one side incase the dampers ever need a £400+ refurb

 

[r0m]

So it is possible

On the motorway is the gearing set so you can cruises at 75ish or is the engine too loud for the radio?

Thanks

 

[Claude]

Hi r0m,

I think it's too subjective a question as to whether you can run it as a daily commuter car. Sure, it can be done and plenty of people do, but we all have different tolerances to NVH etc.

I used to have an E46 330i Touring which was sublime - cruising up and down the motorway was smooth, effortless and done in great comfort. After a week on holiday in the 3er I'd get back in the Trophy, which admittedly does have no rear seats, a decat exhaust and suspension 'upgrades', and I'd honestly think it was broken it was that noisy and uncomfortable. Then when you get it on a decent B road you remember, it's not broken at all, it's incredible, and you forget all the negatives and just start grinning, uncontrollably.

It's a remarkably accomplished car but it hasn't been designed to be comfortable, that's not to say it can't be, just that it excels in different areas.

As for motorway cruising - it depends how loud you're prepared to turn the volume up

I'm in Newbury and you'd be welcome to pop over any time, although I appreciate mine might not offer the true standard benchmark you're looking for. Drop me a message if you're interested. Good luck with the research!

 

[Dazzler32]

What is your daily driver just now?

I just bought mine yesterday but my daily is a Mini Cooper SD and ride wise there isn't anything between them.

 

[r0m]

Thanks Claude...I like yourself and coming from a luxury motorway cruiser ...Lexus v8 LS430

 

[r0m]

...so the transition maybe a bit of a culture shock !!

Dazzler - I have also had a clubman for 6 months and was great fun....Encouraged me to drive faster but was tiring after an hour.

 

[Miller]

hi, I would definitely give one a go. I used to use mine as a daily. Which normally was a mixed roads or quick blast on the motorway 75ish mph cruise was fine even with exhaust and decat. Also was comfortable enough to do padstow and back in less than a day

 

[Patrick Bateman]

I think the previous post shows it really depends what you're used to.

Wouldn't want one as a daily for lots of miles really. My main car is an e39 M5 and it's a serene, magic carpet ride by comparison. Never have to raise your voice to speak to any passengers.

By contrast, the ride is hard in the Clio and they're noisy at speed, revs sit quite high at 70. Often prefer to just cruise at 60, fuel economy is noticeably better at 60 or less too given the gearing.

 

[r0m]

Thank you all

 

[r0m]

What would you recommend as an alternative for £5k.

Or what would you swap your trophys for if you had a choice?

 

[Mikeyjp]

ive got a Swift, C2 or twingo on my list next, but will involve dropping a bigger engine into them

 

[Badgerman85]

I'm swapping up to a MK3 Focus RS, slightly over your £5k budget though!!

 

[r0m]

I also thought of the swift and twingo but not with engine upgrade !!

 

[r0m]

Focus RS is awesome but to much attention for me.