[Czilla9000]

Something I've always wondered - 
 
I always read in car magazines or Top Gear about the BMW M5 or Porsche 911 or the Honda S2000 or whatnot, and I always wonder to myself...where do normal people take these cars to take advantage of their performance?
 
Typically the speed limit is 60 or 70 mph tops and with traffic, so where do people take these cars to get their money's worth?
 
I'm guessing someone is going to say the race track. But are race tracks all that common and can anyone do it?
 
I ask because I'm looking at getting a used car (in the Washington DC area), and I'm wondering what I could really do with a sports car that I couldn't do with a normal car. 
 
It would seem like Chinese water torture to buy a high-performance car and just drive it in traffic to work. 
 
 

 

[buffalowings]

Quote:

Something I've always wondered - 
 
I always read in car magazines or Top Gear about the BMW M5 or Porsche 911 or the Honda S2000 or whatnot, and I always wonder to myself...where do normal people take these cars to take advantage of their performance?
 
Typically the speed limit is 60 or 70 mph tops and with traffic, so where do people take these cars to get their money's worth?
 
I'm guessing someone is going to say the race track. But are race tracks all that common and can anyone do it?
 
I ask because I'm looking at getting a used car (in the Washington DC area), and I'm wondering what I could really do with a sports car that I couldn't do with a normal car. 
 
It would seem like Chinese water torture to buy a high-performance car and just drive it in traffic to work. 
 
 

well, a lot of people seem to drive/test them on the autobahn (in germany so...) also, others race or drive paces around a local motor speedway. If i had a high performance car, I'll put it on a pedestal in my living room///
 

 

[Uncle Erik]

Like Horace Greeley said, head for the Left Coast. You don't really like it out east, do you?

Admittedly, I haven't had a big-dollar exotic. But I had a FC3S RX-7 for a few years. Sluggish off the line, but a demon once you wind the rotary over 3k RPM. And I still have an old Comet with a 302.

Alright, the big cities can be awful. But there's a heck of a lot of open space. The I-5 between the Grapevine and Sacramento is a notorious speeding zone. I used to set the cruise on the RX-7 around 120 and tear along for a few hours. Frighteningly, people come right up on you and zip by. Then there are great twisties in the local mountains. The RX-7 was delicious. The I-10 out to Phoenix moves fast, too. You can pin your ears back around Palm Spings. 90-100 is common. There are plenty of back roads in Arizona, too. Around me, I know several roads that are dry, in reasonable condition and have miles of visibility. Easy to wind up to 100 out there. Around Phoenix, some of my friends go nuts with their liter bikes. One takes his up to 160 every so often to unwind. My pair isn't quite as big - I've only taken a bike up to 100.

Same up in Oregon. Lots and lots of desolate roads. I only had a little Escort when I lived up there, but it'd (eventually) wind up to 100. I've seen plenty of open roads in Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Texas, and New Mexico, too.

So if you want to wring out a car or bike, come on out. Probably the best place to live would be Phoenix. The summers are punishing, but the roads are empty, dry 350 days a year, and you can really open up once you're outside the city. Cars don't rust, either.

 

[9pintube]

"DAYTONA" and let her rip

 

[baka1969]

There are lots of local tracks around the US of A.

 

[Towert7]

If you get a nice car, you can use it for everyday driving within reason.  First and foremost you must drive safely.  There is a time and a place for racing, and it's not on public streets.
If the thought of having a nice car and just puttering around in it doesn't excite you, then you should move into a racing league (where that sort of driving belongs). 
http://www.scca.org/members.aspx
 
Heck, if I had more money I'd start in karting.

 

[dj_mocok]

Mainly show off and to pick up sluts. But some bought them because they can appreciate the cars.

 

[N0sferatu]

back open country roads.  Any twists and turns I can find with good conditions.
 
If it's on a track it's either autocrossing, track day, or the good 'ol American 1/4 mile.
 
Probably my most ridiculous performance car I've owned is the Dodge SRT-4 (Neon).  Good 'ol turbo econobox fun.  I do miss it sometimes...just not the front (wrong) wheel drive.

 

[alv4426]

You get cooler everyday man, my cousin has a turbo ii out near you I think (palmdale)... I still destroy that thing with my rex but I admit all day long that the fc is a much cooler car. And yea to the OP left coast is much better for having "fun" on the freeway... I live about 25mi from campus I have gotten to class on time in about 20min with parking, no tickets driving like that. But the one time I drive my slow daily Camry I get a ticket for going 75 in a 65; Karma... As for weekend fun just google local tracks near you, they prob have track days where you can pretend youre the stig all day for a pretty low price
 
Quote:

 But I had a FC3S RX-7 for a few years

 

[williaty]

Yes, there are race tracks offering trackdays in just about every state in the nation. Barring that, mountains, canyons, SCCA AX or RX, road rally, etc, all are good uses for better cars. I love the hell out of mine and drive into the mountains whenever I get a chance.

 

[cifani090]

You could race the race where you go from New York to California

 

[alv4426]

Quote:

You could race the race where you go from New York to California

The Gumball... They charge you to participate and since pretty much everyone has a supercar you know that fee is insane.

 

[wuwhere]

I work with this guy who had a Corvette Z06. The fastest he ever drove it was 150 on a highway in North Carolina, he said it was scary.
 
The city (Boca Raton, FL) where I work I see exotics all the time, F450, F458, M5, M6, Turbo Porsches, Lambos, Astons, Corvettes, Vipers, Bentleys.
They don't drive fast, its just a status symbol.

 

[Uncle Erik]

I don't know about going crosscountry from NYC to LA. I only open up on roads I know. Some back country roads have no places for the highway patrol to hide and/or pull people over. Those are the best places to stomp on it.

When I go to other areas of the country, I'm conservative and stick to the limits unless there's a fair bit of faster moving traffic to blend into.

Which reminds me, never be the fastest car on the road. Going through Texas a couple years ago, there was a car that wanted to run at 80 in a 65 zone. I happily let him pass and get about a half mile ahead before pulling up to 80. I went around a curve and there he was pulled over with a trooper at his window.

Speaking of not speeding, the best open road experience I ever had didn't involve crazy stuff. It was cruising the Natchez Trace at 50 MPH, the limit. People outside the South rarely know about the Trace, but it is a National Park loaded with historical sites. For 444 miles, there are no commercial establishments, billboards, stop signs, or stoplights. It's pure peace start to finish. Lush vegetation and the grass on the sides of the roads is mowed. It's like driving through a nice park or golf course. Just completely mellow driving and you can pull over to check out Civil War battlefields, ruins, Native American sites, and much else. Highly recommended! I almost want to move to Nashville so I can cruise the Trace on weekends with old cars and motorcycles.

The second most fun driving experience can't be entirely described here. This is a family-friendly forum. But it involved a close friend who had a black 1970 El Camino painted in flames. Its 350 had a mild cam and a huge carb. It demanded irresponsible driving. Let's just say various "substances" were involved, sleazy women, various drinking establishments, my friend playing a rock show at a bar, a couple near-accidents, late night food, burnouts, and a series of oddball events. Completely irresponsible behavior. I make no excuses. But it was one hell of a memorable night.

Am willing to provide details in person. Not in public.

 

[Ishcabible]

Quote:

The Gumball... They charge you to participate and since pretty much everyone has a supercar you know that fee is insane.

I was curious and googled how much exactly. 25000 pounds. Yikes.
 
Bucket list.