Does Anybody Think Driving a Murci In NYC is Madness

yes...do it!!

 

JUST DO IT ALREADY! GET A MURCI, we know you want to. And No, I don't think it is crazy, there are much wilder things in NY going on. Just drive through Times Square.

 

It's a little nuts being the the car is so low to the ground and just asking for it. Then again, it is quite a machine and so long as you're careful, you shouldn't have any issues.

 

Just think of this picture and ask yourself if YOU are the crazy one
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"Navigating the mid-town tunnel ?"
Not much different than Monte Carlo. Go for it already !

 

A friend of mine lives in Manhattan and owns a Murcielago. He drives it almost daily from what I've seen.

 

I think so, but then again people do it

 

Not if you have an unlimited bank account but if you are like most people then yes.

 

The GDC cars weren't so bad in NYC over the summer, just have to be mindful of the potholes- but thats with any sports car (including your Porsche). Do it!

 

is it a dark gray one, by any chance?..

 

Hit one on the CBE on Sunday night with the rental, almost took the wheel off. Three cars were pulled over just after it, all with flats. Nasty one.

 

Don't exotics overheat in traffic?

 

Sounds like NYC has some of the worst roads of any Western city...

Why are they so bad??

 

They suck indeed. Im not sure why but maybe because of the water that gets in ,froze during winter and then brakes the tarma.

Its also bumpy as hell but that prob's gottat to do as to how they were done.

 

vik,

can't speak for NYC since i haven't had the priviledge of driving its street (other than taking cab rides on biz). however, the streets in kansas, missouri are some of the worse in the country (due to extreme shift in temperature). there are potholes big enough to wallow a small family in a mini cooper and when the street crew get to them, their normal short term solution is to cover the holes with these huge 3 to 4 inch metal plate thick enough to either kiss the front lips of low clearance cars or serve as a ski jump if you drive fast enough and aspire to airborn.

thankfully, the street in kansas city, kansas are not so bad (due to better road crew response and construction). with that said, when i take my cars out, i literally map out my course from start to finish before leaving the house to make sure they are driven on good streets with smooth pavement and no potholes. as a side note, i also make certain the roads are not under constructions and have fewer stoplights to maximize clutch life and minimize brake usage (yeah...i know. pretty anal)

ps: vik, got your voicemail early this morning (it's currently 6am CT). hope the best of holiday to you and yours as well. my apology for not getting back to you yesterday for my cell was out of reach. will buzz today and look forward to catch up.

 

Ideally, a murci shouldn't, since it was engineered after the Audi purchase. I haven't heard of Diablos overheating, either.

Vik- I think the front is $14.5k, not $17k... so don't worry!

The rear assembly is ~$18k though, IIRC.

 

My views:

You could keep a Murcie in the city, but 'driving' it there is another matter. When I owned a Ferrari in Brooklyn Heights, I rarely drove it in town, but found the best paths out of city as quickly as possible. If you are talking about banging around in the car during the day in Gotham, forget it. If you are talking about driving it at 3am, when traffic is low, maybe- but your visibility for the odd crater is going to be diminished.

I think some of the reasons why the roads are so crappy in town:

the road bed in the city streets is, for the most part, above subway tunnels, steam tunnels, access tunnels for power, gas, light and utilities.
those roads are pummelled 24/7 by heavy delivery trucks, as well as constant car, cab and light delivery traffic.
they are rarely ever repaved properly, since to do so would mean peeling back the surface, and subsurface, and redoing the road bed, and top, properly. NYC cannot wait that long. Apart from loose fill to cover the potholes, the most that is done is a quicky resurface job.
THe weather is not the only stressor. Have you felt how warm the street surfaces are in proximity to the steam vents? If you cannot imagine what that combination of heat, coupled with freezing temps does to the surface while it is being constantly pounded, take a look at the city streets in the spring thaw. It is downright scary.

 

Bill is correct. I used my 308 as a daily for 85K miles and my TR as a daily for 140K miles including commuting into NYC. The Cross Bronx cracked the chassis on my TR and both cars required massive maintenance. You can do it but it will destroy the car over time. Have you ever driven an M ? IMO its fine for high speed touring but it's far from tossable and in stop and go ain't much fun. I'd think a G would be much more suited for use as a daily but it would be destroyed in NYC as well.